Time to Say Goodbye to the AAC | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Time to Say Goodbye to the AAC

MilliniumPrince said:
How?
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Currently Massey has the Big East rated as the 6th best conference and the AAC as the 8th best. Once Uconn goes over to the Big East they could move up to 5th and the AAC could end up being as low as 14th without UConn.
 
MilliniumPrince said:
The Big East is a terrible Women's Basketball Conference.
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It is actually one of the better non-power 5 conferences. Most of the individual teams are not particularly good, but can be expected to do fairly well against the OOC competition they play. A few teams are awful.

And then there is DePaul and Marquette, in particular at the moment. Only DePaul has been consistently good, year in and year out.

You are likely to set a record for not losing a conference game there as well - there were years you didn't lose in the OBE against teams that included Rutgers and Notre Dame that could both occasionally steal a game. And a few oddball losses, mostly to teams that are not there anymore or certainly don't have the same coaches.
 
Louisville and Rutgers were apart of the OBE and the AAC before moving a year later to the ACC and Big 10.
 
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Charliebball said:
other then Depaul and possibly Marquette which Big East teams are going to even slightly threaten a fully healthy UConn team in the next few years? The overall quality of the group maybe better but I expect very few losses within the conference in the years to come.........
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Certainly UConn WBB will be the dominant team in the BE. But the Huskies will run into battles like the game at Seton Hall far more frequently than they do in the AAC. In addition to DePaul & Marquette, Seton Hall Providence, Creighton, Butler and others are all pushing to upgrade their programs. Just like with the AAC, it’s my hope that UConn’s presence in the BE will result in an overall upgrade of play throughout the league.

Dave Gavitt’s original vision for the BE was to bring together the basketball rich northeast & Midwest with some of the country’s biggest media markets. I know that the college basketball landscape has changed, but I believe that opportunity still exists. The NBE has natural rivalries with schools in NYC, Philly, DC, Chicago etc.

Football killed the OBE. The NBE is not constrained by the demands of Saturday afternoons in the fall. It is my sincere hope that the NBE rebuilds another powerful basketball conference for both MBB & WBB.
 
oldude said:
Certainly UConn WBB will be the dominant team in the BE. But the Huskies will run into battles like the game at Seton Hall far more frequently than they do in the AAC. In addition to DePaul & Marquette, Seton Hall Providence, Creighton, Butler and others are all pushing to upgrade their programs. Just like with the AAC, it’s my hope that UConn’s presence in the BE will result in an overall upgrade of play throughout the league.

Dave Gavitt’s original vision for the BE was to bring together the basketball rich northeast & Midwest with some of the country’s biggest media markets. I know that the college basketball landscape has changed, but I believe that opportunity still exists. The NBE has natural rivalries with schools in NYC, Philly, DC, Chicago etc.

Football killed the OBE. The NBE is not constrained by the demands of Saturday afternoons in the fall. It is my sincere hope that the NBE rebuilds another powerful basketball conference for both MBB & WBB.
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I guess my point is UConn won't get more respect from the rest of the WBB world for being in the Big East then they got while in the AAC................still going to have to schedule 4-6 big out of conference games to make their schedule legit........
 
Charliebball said:
I guess my point is UConn won't get more respect from the rest of the WBB world for being in the Big East then they got while in the AAC................still going to have to schedule 4-6 big out of conference games to make their schedule legit........
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That assumes everything remains the same in WBB. My argument is tied into the former and hopefully future vision of the BE. Time will tell whether the overall league improves with the addition of UConn or becomes a slightly better version of the AAC, with UConn being the only team of significance on a national level.
 
Charliebball said:
I guess my point is UConn won't get more respect from the rest of the WBB world for being in the Big East then they got while in the AAC................still going to have to schedule 4-6 big out of conference games to make their schedule legit........
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What earns respect is wins against top teams, in or out of conference, and postseason success. Everything else is noise. Even in the Big East, Geno would schedule multiple marquee OOC opponents. He can continue to do the same.

Teams can dominate their power 5 conference and still not get over the hump at the national level. Maryland knows something about that, as did Baylor for several years when they would dominate the Big 12 and then continually faceplant in the Elite 8.
 
Whether the BE is a better conference or not, UConn had to get out of the AAC. UConn never asked or petitioned to be in the AAC. They were shanghaied. Its a mid-major conference comprised of 2nd and 3rd tier teams. The AAC did nothing to enhance UConn’s stock or reputation in WCBB.

This departure from the AAC was a long time coming. As many knowledgeable and informed posters have commented here many times, it’s the football program that decides the direction the school goes in. It became crystal clear that no P5 conference would likely ever extend an invitation to UConn to join.

The football program was bad and getting worse, going in the wrong direction. Losing fans and support along the way. Anyone could see that an invitation from a P5 conference would not be forthcoming in the foreseeable future. Since UConn can’t get into the ACC, the BE is their next best option. I didn’t notice any other conferences extending an invitation to us recently.

I’m very happy UConn is moving to the BE in July. It’s the beginning of a new era in UConn WBB. If nothing else, it will afford UConn the opportunity to renew some old rivalries as well as reduce their travel expenses. I don’t like to look ahead, but I’m really looking forward to next year.

Not only do we get to meet and greet new conference teams, we also get to welcome our 5 new freshmen to the fold. Oh yeah, Evina Westbrook will then be eligible to play. This move may help recruiting not only for us, but the rest of the member schools as well. If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best, that’s UConn.
 
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Charliebball said:
I guess my point is UConn won't get more respect from the rest of the WBB world for being in the Big East then they got while in the AAC................still going to have to schedule 4-6 big out of conference games to make their schedule legit........
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UConn gets more than sufficient respect from "...the rest of the WBB world..." (whatever that is) because it is an outstanding program with a superlatively good record over a period of decades. That was not, and is not, a function of conference affiliation.

If, by chance, the rest of the WBB world includes potential recruits, the news of departure from the AAC doesn't appear to have caused damage. Geno has even managed to sign a few players over 5'9".
 
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Sifaka said:
UConn gets more than sufficient respect from "...the rest of the WBB world..." (whatever that is) because it is an outstanding program with a superlatively good record over a period of decades. That was not, and is not, a function of conference affiliation.

If, by chance, the rest of the WBB world includes potential recruits, the news of departure from the AAC doesn't appear to have caused damage. Geno has even managed to sign a few players over 5'9".
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by respect I'm not referring to the program but to the suspect regular season schedule which outside of non conference games is perhaps the easiest of the top programs..........the switch to the Big East does not change that as far as I can see........
 
oldude said:
That assumes everything remains the same in WBB. My argument is tied into the former and hopefully future vision of the BE. Time will tell whether the overall league improves with the addition of UConn or becomes a slightly better version of the AAC, with UConn being the only team of significance on a national level.
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that was the same sentiment everyone had with the AAC, I'm certainly not opposed to the move, I'm just not at all confident that our expectations will be satisfied in the Big East either..........
 
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