UConn vs (s)Pitt starting up again?

[selles]

To me its not about "juice", its about the history. If you don't think UConn-Pitt has a history, you drank way too much during the 2000's. There was a reason that the Kemba shot was such a big moment to me, Pitt always seemed tough and gritty, and we have a history of great showdowns in the rivalry.

I for one am very pleased, I'll be happy anytime we set up games against Pitt/Cuse/Gtown/Nova and even the teams that are not in our league at all like St Johns/Seton Hall/Notre Dame

Those were great showdowns because we were in the same conference. There's not going to be anything epic about playing a typical Pitt rugby match in November with nothing more at stake than bragging rights.

While I understand the desire to connect with the past in scheduling, I don't think it's in the program's interest to focus on that. Our scheduling focus needs to be national, not regional or historical.

 

[aceboon]

To me its not about "juice", its about the history. If you don't think UConn-Pitt has a history, you drank way too much during the 2000's. There was a reason that the Kemba shot was such a big moment to me, Pitt always seemed tough and gritty, and we have a history of great showdowns in the rivalry.

I for one am very pleased, I'll be happy anytime we set up games against Pitt/Cuse/Gtown/Nova and even the teams that are not in our league at all like St Johns/Seton Hall/Notre Dame

I never said there wasn't a history, the BET games were epic, as well as a good handful of the regular season games. My point was that dude bringing up 30 years of history was pointless when Pitt didn't even become a factor until 2002. Lets not romanticize the Vonteego Cummings and Orlando Antigua era just cuz its "OMG, the Big East!".

 

[Inyatkin]

It is true that the rivalry came out of nowhere. Prior to 2002 they were maybe our least interesting conference partner (El-Amin on the scorer's table notwithstanding).
The three straight conference title games, two of them all-timers, count for something, though.

 

[Husky25]

Those were great showdowns because we were in the same conference. There's not going to be anything epic about playing a typical Pitt rugby match in November with nothing more at stake than bragging rights.

While I understand the desire to connect with the past in scheduling, I don't think it's in the program's interest to focus on that. Our scheduling focus needs to be national, not regional or historical.

When UConn wins, it'll help SOS and RPI, solely by virtue of Pitt playing in the ACC.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I don't know why people (ok, just one person so far) get so salty that different match ups excite different people. Give me the Arizona, Ohio State and Florida match ups. I totally understand if you want older rivalries but it just doesn't do as much for me.

If anyone flat out just prefers Florida, Ohio State, then fine.

I'm not going to sit here and debate that.

But to the people discrediting the history, the rivalry, the "national juice" (as if I care what some yahoo in Nebraska thinks), or they don't deserve to play, then I'm going to call BS.

Yeah, I'd prefer Cuse, Georgetown. Playing St. John's at MSG, The Hall in NJ, PC at the Dunk would be cool too to give us amanageable road trip.

This all just comes off as hypocritical giving the exact situation with BC Football.

 

[arnie3]

A Pitt game is still just a regional game, while Arizona, Kansas, OSU and Fla are national. These games would draw much better. A Pitt-UConn matchup doesn't mean much to anyone outside the old Big East.

 

[joober jones]

As much as I hate Pitt, I do miss those gritty grudge matches we used to have with them. Georgetown I'm rather lukewarm toward. I like JT III but haven't really had any strong feelings about the team either way since the late 90s. After the Iverson/Aw/Reid/White/Page days they became kind of average, with the exceptions of Hibbert and Monroe.

 

[CTBasketball]

I'd rather play Pitt than Tulane or SMU. And that can be said for everyone here or you're mad.

 

[Calhoun's Court]

Anybody remember if the player of the game was changed from Vontego Cummings to KEA ?

 

[HuskyBballFan]

I get that Pittsburgh isn't as "nationally relevant" as Texas, Florida, etc. but that doesn't mean we should pass up the chance to play them. Scheduling is way more complicated than people realize. We just signed an agreement with Arizona that doesn't start until 2018. We've been trying to extend the Florida series basically since the day we signed the original contract, but that still hasn't happened yet. I'm sure we asked Duke for a home-and-home before agreeing on the neutral court game. I get the sense that Uconn has been on the phone with every major program in the country trying to get them on our schedule. A few have said yes and I'm sure a bunch that we don't even know about have said no.

Of course it would be better to play Kansas (and the like) than Pittsburgh. But if Kansas doesn't have an opening for us anytime soon and Pittsburgh will agree to start playing immediately - especially if they'll agree to start at Uconn - it's hard to turn that down. We could do a heck of a lot worse, it's a top-50 (or better) game and we need as many of those as possible.

 

[Husky25]

I get that Pittsburgh isn't as "nationally relevant" as Texas, Florida, etc. but that doesn't mean we should pass up the chance to play them. Scheduling is way more complicated than people realize. We just signed an agreement with Arizona that doesn't start until 2018. We've been trying to extend the Florida series basically since the day we signed the original contract, but that still hasn't happened yet. I'm sure we asked Duke for a home-and-home before agreeing on the neutral court game. I get the sense that Uconn has been on the phone with every major program in the country trying to get them on our schedule. A few have said yes and I'm sure a bunch that we don't even know about have said no.

Of course it would be better to play Kansas (and the like) than Pittsburgh. But if Kansas doesn't have an opening for us anytime soon and Pittsburgh will agree to start playing immediately - especially if they'll agree to start at Uconn - it's hard to turn that down. We could do a heck of a lot worse, it's a top-50 (or better) game and we need as many of those as possible.

Yeah. Anytime you can set up a series of games again a perennial Tournament team (Pitt has been to the NCAA's in 12 of the 13 Seasons since 2001-2002), you just have to turn it down.

 

[champs99and04]

People here are acting like the Pittsburgh teams we're signing up to play are the same ones from the 2000's that we had those classic tug and war matches with. This is a program on a downward trajectory. They've won one tournament game in the past three years, their best two players just graduated, and they can't recruit worth a damn. If we schedule them I'm not going to complain but I'm not going to be doing cartwheels over playing a second class ACC program that plays a notoriously ugly brand of basketball if we've got schools like 'Nova, Louisville, G'Town, St. John's, hell even Providence on hold.

 

[Scot-e]

LOL, no historical rival with Pitt. Ya aside from 30 years going head to head and playing in a bunch of big east championships I guess you're right.



We're throwing Pitt a bone? Yeah, be a hardo, I'm sure it'll really hurt pitt to have to settle for UNC, Duke, Cuse, Ville, etc while we get stuck with our cesspool of a schedule.

You guys really are unbelievable.

Screw Pitt. They are in a better conference and we are NC. No matter who they play they will never be in our legue. You sound like an ACC homer. Dook- Texas- FLA lets see what happens this year and next. I am going to have an issue with fans ( trolls) that are complaining about things we can not control. How about a NC every 4 years? That puts us on top of the college basketball world.
Let's enjoy a season where we can watch kids grow as players and develope into another contender.

DOOMED!

 

[Danzz]

Bite me (as far as the loser comment is concerned). I want nothing to do with that subversive backhanded and generally average program. You want old BE give me Quse, Lville, Gtown (Pe-Toowey!), Nova- there are plenty of choices that do not involve Pitt. You may forgive them enough to throw Pitt a bone- I am hoping we do not- calling Warde now.

I'd rather see us play Cuse or Nova before Pitt but those games probably won't happen for different reasons: Cuse because they have no interest in playing us and Nova because we already play Temple in that market. Jay Wright said that he would like to play UConn.
NCC aside, we are in a mid major conference and a Pitt game would be a good addition to our schedule and I'd like to see it happen. It doesn't mean we can't play Florida and Ohio State. We no longer have room for teams like Yale and CCSC. We have to play the toughest out of conference schedule in the country similar to Memphis in the past.
Pitt breaking up the Big East is fiction. Football broke up the Big East and UConn would have jumped to the ACC in a heartbeat if we were invited.

 

[David 76]

We need as strong an OOC schedule as possible with teams that will do a home-away series with us. If that includes Pitt, so be it. Although they were relatively boring nationally, they were our biggest conference rival for most of a decade.

 

[Walker11]

I'd rather see us play Cuse or Nova before Pitt but those games probably won't happen for different reasons: Cuse because they have no interest in playing us and Nova because we already play Temple in that market. Jay Wright said that he would like to play UConn.
NCC aside, we are in a mid major conference and a Pitt game would be a good addition to our schedule and I'd like to see it happen. It doesn't mean we can't play Florida and Ohio State. We no longer have room for teams like Yale and CCSC. We have to play the toughest out of conference schedule in the country similar to Memphis in the past.
Pitt breaking up the Big East is fiction. Football broke up the Big East and UConn would have jumped to the ACC in a heartbeat if we were invited.

There has been talk about a Cuse game. Some of their message board fans don't want to play us because we are beneath them and our program is about to collapse. In reality, they are simply crushed that we haven't fallen off but I suspect many of their more rational, non message board fans would love to see the game.

I don't follow conference alignment closely so there is a solid chance I am way off. But I thought that Pitt was advising other Big East teams not to take accept a juicy new TV deal while they were in discussions to leave for the ACC.

 

[Scot-e]

I'd rather see us play Cuse or Nova before Pitt but those games probably won't happen for different reasons: Cuse because they have no interest in playing us and Nova because we already play Temple in that market. Jay Wright said that he would like to play UConn.
NCC aside, we are in a mid major conference and a Pitt game would be a good addition to our schedule and I'd like to see it happen. It doesn't mean we can't play Florida and Ohio State. We no longer have room for teams like Yale and CCSC. We have to play the toughest out of conference schedule in the country similar to Memphis in the past.
Pitt breaking up the Big East is fiction. Football broke up the Big East and UConn would have jumped to the ACC in a heartbeat if we were invited.

Correct me if I am wrong here- was'nt the president of Pitt the head of the BE committee that was supposed to be looking out for all our interests at the time Pitt made the decision to leave ( because of football)? That is like driving a bus intended for a certain destination and then taking it somewhere else when the passingers are sleeping in the back.

 

[ctchamps]

There has been talk about a Cuse game. Some of their message board fans don't want to play us because we are beneath them and our program is about to collapse. In reality, they are simply crushed that we haven't fallen off but I suspect many of their more rational, non message board fans would love to see the game.

I don't follow conference alignment closely so there is a solid chance I am way off. But I thought that Pitt was advising other Big East teams not to take accept a juicy new TV deal while they were in discussions to leave for the ACC.

Yes!

Correct me if I am wrong here- was'nt the president of Pitt the head of the BE committee that was supposed to be looking out for all our interests at the time Pitt made the decision to leave ( because of football)? That is like driving a bus intended for a certain destination and then taking it somewhere else when the passingers are sleeping in the back.

Yes!

I know it's Wikepedia but this is the best account of events I was able to find. I was only aware of three teams that were against the contract - Notre Dame, Georgetown and Pittsburgh. What is disturbing to some of us is that Pittsburgh had to have been in discussion with the ACC at the time of the vote for the ESPN contract. Note the date of events.

I have nothing against teams moving on. I do have an issue with the way Pittsburgh handled their departure. No one knows if the Big East would have survived after their departure, but voting against the ESPN offer and then departing guaranteed it's failure. Pitt should have voted in favor (which is what Syracuse purportedly did) or recused itself from the discussion.

The trigger for this instability proved to be the negotiations for a new television deal that took place in April 2011, when TCU was on board. Marinatto and the conference reached a nine-year, $1.4 billion deal and recommended that the conference presidents, who had the final say on the deal, accept it.[18] The presidents reportedly voted 12–4 to accept in a preliminary vote.[19] However, while the conference was going over the final details, the presidents had second thoughts upon learning of the deal that the Pac-12 had just reached with ESPN and Fox, reportedly worth $250 million annually, and in a second vote turned down the deal 16–0.[19] In May 2012, one Big East source told Brett McMurphy, then of CBSSports.com, that turning down the deal "was the stupidest decision ever made in college athletics. To have the equity of ESPN as your brand and the stability that would have gone with it." Another source added, "If the TV deal was accepted and UCF had been added, who knows if Pitt and Syracuse ever leave. Everyone left because of stability and right there was your stability with that TV deal."[18]

Five months after the aborted media deal, McMurphy reported on September 16, 2011 that two of the conference's mainstays—the University of Pittsburghand Syracuse University—would leave for the ACC. He recalled in May 2012 that he tried to contact Marinatto for a quote, but could not reach him, and found out several weeks later that Marinatto first learned of the two schools' plans from McMurphy's report. In fact, no one at the conference office or at any other Big East school knew that Pitt and Syracuse were leaving until this report,[18] and Jim Boeheim (who has been involved with Syracuse athletics for over 50 years) did not know of Syracuse's intentions until they were announced as a new ACC member.

On September 18, Pitt and Syracuse submitted formal applications to join the ACC, which were accepted later that day.[20]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010–13_Big_East_Conference_realignment

 

[Scot-e]

^ Thank You. Translation- they are scum and I do not want to play them. : )

 

[ctchamps]

^ Thank You. Translation- they are scum and I do not want to play them. : )

Patrick Gallagher, PhD, is the 18th Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer of the University of Pittsburgh. He succeeded Mark A. Nordenberg, who stepped down ...

The power behind this sleazy action was Nordenberg. He's no longer at Pitt. I don't know anything about his successor but I don't hold an entire university responsible for the actions of a single individual. If he was still present than I would have a different preference and not wish to play Pittsburgh.

 

[huskiesnyc]

Pitt is almost always in the top 25, this is a nice addition and much better than Providence.

 

[UC990411]

What has Texas done, ever?

They do have that national championship...

 

[CAHUSKY]

They do have that national championship...

Wrong sport.

 

[conn man]

Perhaps the powers that be should get together and start a pre-conference season tournament at the Garden; an Old Big East Challenge, if you will. Has this been talked about or is it too much of a pipe dream?

 

[donyell34]

duckk "em" !!!!!!!!