UConn/Big 12 Meeting Next Week

[upstater]

mmm.. I hope you are correct, but the tone of this article in ESPN written by Pete Thamel suggests the opposite:

Sources: UConn in early talks for joining Big 12

The Big 12 and UConn are in discussions for the Huskies potentially joining the league, sources told ESPN, though a high-ranking conference official cautioned there is "a far distance between conversations and anything that would happen."

www.espn.com

The the link between the Big 12 and UConn has more specifics as far as the preliminary terms as opposed to last year's rumors which had no specifics at all. But this could be more of the same mental masturbation for UConn and its fans.

I am in the camp of I will believe it when I see and hear Yormark officially announce it. If UConn Football was merely mediocre the last decade averaging between 5-7 a season with 85% of The Rent filled out with loud fans, UConn would be in a Power conference by now.

It would be close to impossible for UConn to achieve that as an Independent.

 

[superjohn]

Agree with this. Rivalries are only as good as the quality of play, which is based on the quality of coaches and players. When the new economics evolve further the BE will be so far behind the curve they won’t be able to afford the best coaches or players. If nothing changes with the portal process, you’ll likely see players transferring out of the BE year after year for NIL. It’s an inevitable descension.

The BE got 3 teams in last year. Jay Wright is gone. Check the recruiting lists and you’ll see very few BE teams contending for top players. There is very little trending in the right direction.

We lose the BET tourney and that stings. We lose proximity. This would be upgrade the quality of hoops exponentially.

Big East has 14 top 100 recruits this season.

 

[djct1999]

Here’s an idea. UConn joins the Big 12 for all sports, including football. Pay us what we are worth. Give us 0 for football, 31 mil per for basketball. Done deal.

 

[AllHusky]

Is the investment in the program they speak of an on-campus stadium?

Honest question: where would it go?

On Campus(sorry to be an idiot, it was low hanging fruit)
Just need to place with max entrance/exit choices

 

[cellocgg]

I am a fool for saying this, but I have to believe that the votes to admit UConn were vetted beforehand and that UConn was not going through the campus visit process only to be told NO once again. There is no way the UConn president would subject the school's honor and reputation to that yet again. If it's true UConn presented, then it's practically a done deal.

x.com

x.com

 

[AllHusky]

What would be awesome is if the Big 12 took 3 more teams with us in the Northeast that'd reduce our travel and were also "every sport except Football"

I'm not even sure what schools they'd take (now that Villanova has Neptune). Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall? Idk but would be nice

It’s a FB only invite, probably why no Zags

 

[Woodson]

 

[CL82]

UConn men’s basketball coach Bobby Hurley is not against a move to the Big 12, a source said.

“He loves the Big East, but he understands the Big 12 provides more resources and more money,” the source said.

“Yormark’s going to kick every tire possible,” a Big 12 athletic director said. “We’re open to looking at anything. UConn is a big brand, the biggest-branded institution in the Northeast.”

I like to think UConn basketball coach Bobby Hurley sat down with Connecticut governor Malloy to strategize the move to the big 12.

 

[CL82]

Don’t worry this time it’s definitely happening, not like the last ten times we got fooled.

 

[bendm]

Does it really matter if we are winning national titles and able to schedule those teams now?

The issue isn’t now the issue is the future. See @aurors post directly below.

 

[auror]

Big East has 14 top 100 recruits this season.

The current NIL model is good for the Big East, because they have lots of basketball fans who may be wealthy donors in wealthy parts of the country, and those donors donate to basketball.

The future NIL revenue sharing model is very bad for the Big East, because they have ~7% of the media rights/CFP revenue of the B1G/SEC and 15% of the B12/ACC tier.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Stay in the Big East and win basketball championships while everyone says we “have to” move.

…..and only get a 4 million a year distribution.

 

[superjohn]

The current NIL model is good for the Big East, because they have lots of basketball fans who may be wealthy donors in wealthy parts of the country, and those donors donate to basketball.

The future NIL revenue sharing model is very bad for the Big East, because they have ~7% of the media rights/CFP revenue of the B1G/SEC and 15% of the B12/ACC tier.

I'm aware of all of that. Just pointing out the recruits the league got.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

The Big 12 and UConn remain in serious negotiations about the Huskies joining the league as its newest expansion member, multiple sources tell Yahoo Sports.

In a marriage that could bring together arguably the country’s strongest basketball conference and perhaps the nation’s best hoops program, UConn officials visited with Big 12 athletic administrators in Dallas last week. Though nothing is imminent, the in-person presentation is a sign of the serious nature of the discussions.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is set to make a similar presentation to the league's presidents next week.

In the latest version of the deal, UConn would join the conference as a member in all sports except football starting, at latest, in 2026. Contingent upon the school meeting certain investment thresholds in the sport, UConn football would join the Big 12 in 2031.

Huge risk not getting football in right away, but it's probably the only way to convince the other schools to let us in. This sounds like it's going to happen

I guess they didn’t need Zoom.

 

[jostar1]

I am a fool for saying this, but I have to believe that the votes to admit UConn were vetted beforehand and that UConn was not going through the campus visit process only to be told NO once again. There is no way the UConn president would subject the school's honor and reputation to that yet again. If it's true UConn presented, then it's practically a done deal.

I think it looks bad for Yormark for the story to get out there if he doesn't have the votes.

It sounds like Benedict and Toscano went out there to make a presentation to the Big 12 athletic directors at Yormark's request to get it over the line. Last year, Yormark visited UConn. I don't believe anyone from UConn went to the Big 12.

 

[bendm]

Big East has 14 top 100 recruits this season.

How’s that compare to the other 4 power bball conferences? 100 players divided by 5 power conferences equals 20 players per conference if they’re equally distributed, so 14 would seem slightly below average.

 

[MJ1]

is this supposed to be an argument for staying or what? I don’t see your point cause even if Pitino stays longer than Hurley he’s still 71

Not an argument for staying, just an observation. Pitino probably stays 3 more years at St. John’s then retirement, Hurley probably stays 2 more years at UConn before heading to the NBA. At this point UConn has no choice, they have to except the Big 12 invitation. We just need to see an iron clad agreement, none of this UConn football has to meet a bunch of unreachable goals and there in come 2031. It appears they want our 2 basketball programs and not the football team. How much does UConn get for basketball only. Same as current Big East ? I don’t like what I am hearing so far. Let be patience and wait for all the details. Football drives the big money, so shouldn’t they actually want our football team ?

 

[superjohn]

How’s that compare to the other 4 power bball conferences? 100 players divided by 5 power conferences equals 20 players per conference if they’re equally distributed, so 14 would seem slightly below average.

You shouldn't be dividing by 5...

Only 11 schools in the Big East. 18 schools in Big 10, 17 schools in the ACC, 16 schools in the Big 12, 16 schools in the SEC.

 

[EnochRoot]

I get the financial implications here, but UConn in the Big XII will damage both basketball programs, and UConn football will still suck / be largely irrelevant in their home state.

I dread the day Hurley heads to the NBA and the next coach has to recruit kids who won’t want to deal with the 1200-2600 miles to each opponent’s campus.

I could probably be talked into an ACC situation. A bunch of (elitist) morons run that conference though.

 

[Woodson]

UConn is college bball

 

[bendm]

You shouldn't be dividing by 5...

Only 11 schools in the Big East. 18 schools in Big 10, 17 schools in the ACC, 16 schools in the Big 12, 16 schools in the SEC.

Right right. So heres the full breakdown of the top 100 players divided by number of conference programs to see who has the best average per program:

SEC- 27/16= 1.68
BIG- 22/18= 1.22
Big12- 19/16= 1.18
ACC- 20/17= 1.17
BE- 12/11= 1.09

 

[superjohn]

Right right. So heres the full breakdown of the top 100 divided by number of conference members to see who has the best average:

SEC- 27/16= 1.68
BIG- 22/18= 1.22
Big12- 19/16= 1.18
ACC- 20/17= 1.17
BE- 12/11= 1.09

14 for the Big East.

SEC is the only other one I counted and I have 23.

 

[bendm]

14 for the Big East.

SEC is the only other one I counted and I have 23.

I was using the 247 default rankings not the composite. Regardless they’re all pretty close for now but won’t be once the revenue sharing starts

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

The only other investment I could imagine is forcing UConn to build an on campus stadium?

Does the B12 really care if the stadium is in Storrs or E Hartford? I doubt it.

My guess is that it would more likely be a seating capacity criteria (expansion to 60k min seating) and program investment minimum.

If it is anything tied to attendance or performance, it needs to be a non-starter for UConn. Otherwise we just become the Temple -Big East football story from 20 years ago and get used as a placeholder until a better situation materializes for the B12 in 2031 closer to ACC implosion.

 

[FlakeyFoont]

The travel for away games will be brutal.