'UCONN: The One That Got Away'

[DarthGrumpy]

Based on what was said, written, rumored, etc. when the ACC lost Maryland, the ‘vote’ with regards to UConn was as follows:

· For: 1) UVA, 2) UNC, 3) Duke, 4) Wake Forest, 5) NC State
· Against: 1) BC, 2) Clemson, 3) Florida St, 4) Miami
· Unknown: 1) Georgia Tech, 2) Virginia Tech
· Not Voting: 1) Maryland, 2) ND, 3) Syracuse, 4) Pittsburgh

BC clearly stated that did not want UConn under any situation same with Miami. Clemson and Florida St. did not have a specific negative view of UConn; but, they did not want another northern, basketball oriented school in general in the ACC and thus used the ‘threat’ of leaving for the XII to get their way. Syracuse, while not able to vote, expressed a negative viewpoint of UConn, primarily to protect their turf as the ‘NYC' school for the ACC. Thus, the Tobacco Road schools were faced with 4 solid no votes and lacked the 2/3 majority needed for an addition, even after Syracuse and Pittsburgh were added as Syracuse would also be a solid no vote. Also, there was the threat of losing the conference’s two best football brands. So, they caved and agreed to add the ‘hot’ program in Louisville. In addition, Louisville, to their credit, pushed and marketed themselves very well within ACC. UConn was caught flatfooted as they focused on recovering from the APR penalty and transitioning new leaders in both the Athletic Department and the schools main product, men’s basketball.

 

[upstater]

But if as you say, the 3 teams of BC, Syracuse, Miami are blocking Uconn to the ACC, thats only 3 votes in a 15 ( soon to be 16 ) team league. Why apparently doesn't Uconn have the 7 or 8 votes needed for the simple majority required from the southern atlantic wing of the ACC conference where presumably Uconn is no threat to these schools in football ? It still makes no sense to me that Uconn can't muster the votes neccessary, despite 2 or 3 teams opposed to their entry.

This one is for you Yawkey. BC just released Ryan Anderson so he can transfer to another school. WITH the stipulation that he cannot transfer to another New England school. Now, consider, there is no other NE school in the ACC. All the other schools belong to other conferences. so why are they prohibiting him?

Jim Calhoun practically walked Austin Croshere to the doors of PC when he realized that UConn had run out of scholarships for the kid. He knew Croshere was going to be an outstanding college player, but since UConn had no room for him, he called Rick Barnes up and hooked PC up with Croshere.

Think about how petty BC is to prevent this kid's transfer to a New England school.

 

[Yawkey Way]

Have you ever been on a committee? , you better have a good reason for crossing a colleague, because once you do, you have an enemy. This is why committees try to generate consensus.

.

Yes, but then that reasoning naturally would seem to me to take one back to the lawsuit as creating " enemies " of people that are sued, but then later the suer needs the former defendants votes to join their club that they want to join. I just don't see Syr, BC, Miami, Pitt, etc collectively doing the damage of Uconn's quest for membership in the ACC as the damage done to their chances by Connecticut's Blumenthal. Absent that lawsuit, and the public acrimony generated to the ACC's Swofford as its Commish, I think that Uconn is probably in either the ACC or some other league by now. No league is interested in having Uconn as a partner in its league, and its possible they fear future lawsuits, more than future competition.

 

[upstater]

Yes, but then that reasoning naturally would seem to me to take one back to the lawsuit as creating " enemies " of people that are sued, but then later the suer needs the former defendants votes to join their club that they want to join. I just don't see Syr, BC, Miami, Pitt, etc collectively doing the damage of Uconn's quest for membership in the ACC as the damage done to their chances by Connecticut's Blumenthal. Absent that lawsuit, and the public acrimony generated to the ACC's Swofford as its Commish, I think that Uconn is probably in either the ACC or some other league by now. No league is interested in having Uconn as a partner in its league, and its possible they fear future lawsuits, more than future competition.

You have to realize that the president and AD of Pitt were over the top vocal and angry at the ACC and their former partners. It was bad. They sued and were publicly angry. Not to mention that a BOT member of Syracuse publicly upbraided your President as a liar at an academic function.

 

[Yawkey Way]

This one is for you Yawkey. BC just released Ryan Anderson so he can transfer to another school. WITH the stipulation that he cannot transfer to another New England school. Now, consider, there is no other NE school in the ACC. All the other schools belong to other conferences. so why are they prohibiting him?

Jim Calhoun practically walked Austin Croshere to the doors of PC when he realized that UConn had run out of scholarships for the kid. He knew Croshere was going to be an outstanding college player, but since UConn had no room for him, he called Rick Barnes up and hooked PC up with Croshere.

Think about how petty BC is to prevent this kid's transfer to a New England school.

I don't know the details, but accepting your version of this, it appears that BC might be petty in this. Butwhat has this got to do with the topic of the ACC, Big, etc and, my comments above regarding this ? I don't get the connection, frankly.

 

[Sea Goat]

BC is being petty here. So whats the news, and what has this got to do with the topic of conference realignment, my comments above regarding this ? I don't get the connection, frankly.

The point is that BC would hate to see this kid thrive at say UConn? Does this posture suggest that BC is sensitive to this possibility as they were to the presence of UConn in their market and conference as Defillippo put it? Would they hate to see the kid have a successful career at the BB powerhouse 75 miles away? Would they wilt under the compare and contrast process?

 

[SAMCRO]

No apologies neccessary. Uconn does deserve a better place than the the AAC... my guess if they just go out and win in football these next couple of years ( certainly doable in this mid major leagues in college football ) they'll have some league call them for an invite, and they'll be out of the AAC.

I dunno, losing FB games seemed to pay off pretty well for Syracuse.

 

[upstater]

I don't know the details, but accepting your version of this, it appears that BC might be petty in this. Butwhat has this got to do with the topic of the ACC, Big, etc and, my comments above regarding this ? I don't get the connection, frankly.

Preventing your local brethren from attracting the best players they can...

Why do it?

This is BC's #1 desire in everything they do.

 

[Yawkey Way]

You have to realize that the president and AD of Pitt were over the top vocal and angry at the ACC and their former partners. It was bad. They sued and were publicly angry. Not to mention that a BOT member of Syracuse publicly upbraided your President as a liar at an academic function.

Yes, its crazy. Virginia Tech was a party to a Lawsuit as a plaintiff ( Blumenthal's lawsuit ) while their pols in Virginia were simultaneously behind the scenes undercutting that lawsuit, by negotiating with Swofford to get into the ACC before Syracuse did.. which they did as they exercised that political move for themselves. Blumenthal may not have even known that UCONN'S AD Perkins had been in contact with Swofford directly to see what his interest was in ACC, once the dominos began with Miami publically stating they were leaving the BE for the ACC. There is no love lost between Perkins and Blumenthal today, as once the lawsuit hit the courts, Perkins took off for the B12 to be 2oo0 miles away from Blumenthal's lawsuit naming Swofford personally in his lawsuit. Syracuse was conflicted and acted with mixed signals to everyone too, as Boeheim didn't want to go to the ACC originally, but the football factions up there did. So their paralysis, allowed Virginia Tech to squeeze in before them. Pitt is responsible for the beginnings of the collapse of the BE due to their intransigence re. Penn State's admittance to the BE... But by and large, every school in this sorry collapse of the BE has a hand in it all. It probably all harkens back however to the indisputable ineffective leadership by the BE of basketball people not being pro active in an ever changing college football landscape.

 

[Yawkey Way]

Preventing your local brethren from attracting the best players they can...

Why do it?

This is BC's #1 desire in everything they do.

BC in your view is evil. I get that.

 

[upstater]

BC in your view is evil. I get that.

Huh?

 

[Yawkey Way]

The point is that BC would hate to see this kid thrive at say UConn? Does this posture suggest that BC is sensitive to this possibility as they were to the presence of UConn in their market and conference as Defillippo put it? Would they hate to see the kid have a successful career at the BB powerhouse 75 miles away? Would they wilt under the compare and contrast process?

I think you are asking me a question that you've already determined for yourself what the only rationale could be for it.. so I'm not sure why you are asking me this question now.

 

[Yawkey Way]

I dunno, losing FB games seemed to pay off pretty well for Syracuse.

And also Rutgers. Looking back at the last half century of Rutgers football and basketball, whats that collective picture look like ?

 

[SAMCRO]

And also Rutgers. Looking back at the last half century of Rutgers football and basketball, whats that collective picture look like ?

True. In their defense, at least RU (and UL) posted .500 records v. UConn in FB since we upgraded to FBS. SU and I believe Pitt can't say the same. That's just another element of the UConn fans frustration about this whole CR mess, and the belief certain schools do want to keep UConn down (aside from Flipper stating as much to a reporter, the actions seem to support his comment). Uninformed posters claim it's about FB and UConn needs to win games, but when you look at the facts, UConn has been on par or better with the other 4 head to head.

 

[upstater]

I think you are asking me a question that you've already determined for yourself what the only rationale could be for it.. so I'm not sure why you are asking me this question now.

Holy cow, you're in denial. Your administration has stated they want UConn to die multiple times. Once to Bob Ryan in 2003 printed in the Boston Globe and yet again when your AD talked about it for all of America to hear in 2011. There are at least 1,000 articles about it. Why are you blaming us for what everyone knows except you?

 

[Sea Goat]

I think you are asking me a question that you've already determined for yourself what the only rationale could be for it.. so I'm not sure why you are asking me this question now.

Yea, I suppose they are rhetorical in nature. Sorry about that - but why restrict the kid to outside NE if that is the case?

 

[Yawkey Way]

Holy cow, you're in denial. Your administration has stated they want UConn to die multiple times. ?

Huh ? I don't think we're on the same page .Where did I state on here that BC doesn't want Uconn, particularly its football program , in the ACC ? BC football factions at the school would not shed a tear if Uconn football shrivels up and dies. And conversely, If BC football shriveled up and died, Uconn would shed no tears either. Both football camps at both schools would probably like this as a matter of fact. Its just the nature of the beast. Both these things are a given it seems to me. I don't think either one of us is in " denial " of either one of these current football faction sentiments at both schools. You are aware that Uconn Hockey 's application for admittance to the Hockey East came up for a vote recently and BC voted " yes ", correct ? And that BC, crappy in Basketball, offered to schedule Uconn in Basketball for 2015 ( and against Calhoun's wishes ) and the school of Uconn accepted ? So while the acrimoney between both school's football factions is real and ongoing, I'm not sure the caricature that "BC wants Uconn to die multiple times "is a truly representative assessment of things of late between the 2 schools ... at least not beyond football anyway.

 

[kingdobbs]

You are aware that Uconn Hockey 's application for admittance to the Hockey East came up for a vote recently and BC voted " yes ", correct ?

Just because they voted yes in the "formal vote" doesn't mean that UConn actually enjoyed BC's support in any discussions of their entry to the league.

Votes like that are notorious for being "unanimous once the magic number is reached, because nobody wants to look like a wangrod for voting against a fait accompli".

B1G hockey was a unanimous vote. Minnesota DID NOT WANT to create a B1G hockey league, and I guarantee their "true vote" was against.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

BC keeps promising to deliver the New England market. That is why they are a "no".

Tobacco road likes us, and would add UConn in a heartbeat even today as long as ESPN would foot the bill, which ESPN probably would. I am going to guess that the Virginia schools and GTech are relatively indifferent, and probably like the academics at UConn. I don't think Pitt would object if it was revenue neutral because UConn fills their arena and it is a doable road trip for their fans. Louisville probably likes the basketball rivalry now that we are no longer a threat. Notre Dame would want to continue the women's basketball rivalry, but I am not sure what voting authority they have.

Clemson, FSU and Syracuse are the deciders. My gut is that all 3 are against us right now for an all-sports invitation, and I am not sure what UConn can do to swing those votes either. If it was 13-1, UConn would be invited. At 10-4, UConn is not worth the trouble.

 

[BCINGYA]

This one is for you Yawkey. BC just released Ryan Anderson so he can transfer to another school. WITH the stipulation that he cannot transfer to another New England school. Now, consider, there is no other NE school in the ACC. All the other schools belong to other conferences. so why are they prohibiting him?

Jim Calhoun practically walked Austin Croshere to the doors of PC when he realized that UConn had run out of scholarships for the kid. He knew Croshere was going to be an outstanding college player, but since UConn had no room for him, he called Rick Barnes up and hooked PC up with Croshere.

Think about how petty BC is to prevent this kid's transfer to a New England school.

So where is this information? have a link?......I have read the local papers and ESPN and never saw that mentioned.....and it is common for schools to stipulate that transfers are not allowed to sign on with teams from within the same conference, it happens all the time. Would be a first as far as I know if they stipulated only New England. He is a west coast guy so most assume that will be his landing spot anyways, although he did say the school with best fit in the ESPN article.

 

[Ha Who]

Yawkster,

In the real world people get over sheet when there is a business reason. They rationalize it by saying a publicity hungry ag was a fool. You don't avoid locking up the media capital of the country and leave an opening for GE ( big) to swoop in.

 

[Yawkey Way]

[quote="SAMCRO, post: 928576, member: 543" Uninformed posters claim it's about FB and UConn needs to win games, but when you look at the facts, UConn has been on par or better with the other 4 head to head.[/quote]

I agree. I still don't quite understand however why the southern wing of the ACC... particularly FSU, Clemson, Wake, Miami, NC State, etc are opposed to Uconn's invite to the ACC ... or for that matter, why the the Big, and B12 schools arn't as well. On paper, Uconn seems deserving.. but the phones don't ring, and calls for inquiries, go nowhere.

 

[Yawkey Way]

Yawkster,

In the real world people get over sheet when there is a business reason. They rationalize it by saying a publicity hungry ag was a fool. You don't avoid locking up the media capital of the country and leave an opening for GE ( big) to swoop in.

But the BIG hasn't swooped in, and the ACC seems almost totally unconcerned with that possible scenario, apparently.... and for months now too. And for months now also, the BIG for their part could have " swooped in " and taken Uconn. .. Or the B12. ( the B12 even took the Hillbillies ) Why ? I don't know why.

 

[ZooCougar]

But the BIG hasn't swooped in, and the ACC seems almost totally unconcerned with that possible scenario, apparently.... and for months now too. And for months now also, the BIG for their part could have " swooped in " and taken Uconn. .. Or the B12. ( the B12 even took the Hillbillies ) Why ? I don't know why.

Sorry dude, you sound just like Waylon.

Sometimes the universe doesn't move as fast the twitterverse. Doubt the B1G will be swooping anytime soon. All things remaining equal, it would just be too soon.

But you guys will still be a parasite on the ACC's butt, the accidental unaborted baby.

 

[BCINGYA]

Congrats to U Conn on the dual championships. Impressive to say the least. The mens title is a shock to many outside of Conn I'm sure. Seeded 7th? and you end up running like a bull through a china shop, ouch! ...Hard physical play throughout and Brimah swats BB's like house flies. Btw...yes I did watch a lot of tourney games, including the wins against Kentucky, Mich St., Iowa St. Well earned and much deserved championship.

 

[Yawkey Way]

Just because they voted yes in the "formal vote" doesn't mean that UConn actually enjoyed BC's support in any discussions of their entry to the league.

.

Of course. I never intimated that Uconn " actually enjoyed BC's support " for entry into Hockey East. If you are telling me that Uconn Hockey fans and supporters hate BC still, I'll accept your assessment of this, as I really wouldn't know. As for BC hockey fans, I havn't noticed any hate for Uconn Hockey, but who knows maybe they share this hate of Uconn in all sports as well . but it appears from the vote anyway, that BC, the school, has gotten beyond all this... and in basketball as well too.

 

[Ha Who]

But the BIG hasn't swooped in, and the ACC seems almost totally unconcerned with that possible scenario, apparently.... and for months now too. And for months now also, the BIG for their part could have " swooped in " and taken Uconn. .. Or the B12. ( the B12 even took the Hillbillies ) Why ? I don't know why.

Geography and business 101. Also, buy low and sell high. Think long term. I never said they are swooping in tomorrow

 

[Yawkey Way]

Congrats to U Conn on the dual championships. Impressive to say the least. The mens title is a shock to many outside of Conn I'm sure. Seeded 7th? and you end up running like a bull through a china shop, ouch! ...Hard physical play throughout and Brimah swats BB's like house flies. Btw...yes I did watch a lot of tourney games, including the wins against Kentucky, Mich St., Iowa St. Well earned and much deserved championship.

Well said... I 'm even envious that my relatives and friends in Connecticut all got free medium coffees today at Dunkin Donuts shoppes throughout the state in tribute to the schools Championships.

 

[StevieDude]

So where is this information? have a link?.I have read the local papers and ESPN and never saw that mentioned.....and it is common for schools to stipulate that transfers are not allowed to sign on with teams from within the same conference, it happens all the time. Would be a first as far as I know if they stipulated only New England. He is a west coast guy so most assume that will be his landing spot anyways, although he did say the school with best fit in the ESPN article.

No link just Anderson's Tweet

From his twitter

Ryan Anderson @_AndersonBC12 Follow
Received full release from BC, restricted from New England area but I'm free to go anywhere else. Thank you @BostonCollege for everything!

10:47 AM - 9 Apr 2014

 

[SubbaBub]

I don't know the details, but accepting your version of this, it appears that BC might be petty in this. Butwhat has this got to do with the topic of the ACC, Big, etc and, my comments above regarding this ? I don't get the connection, frankly.

I thought when BC admitted it and Duke/UNC confirmed it, this fact could be considered as, in fact, a fact.