UMass

[Scrutineer]

Took the wife to see her alma mater University of Dayton play at UMass. UMass won in double overtime. Not a bad game. Got me thinking, the AAC should add UMass. It would give UConn a team to form a good rivalry with in football and in basketball. We already battle them in Hockey East. UConn needs a nearby team to form a rivalry with. I would give UMass a slight edge in football, but in basketball it would be very evenly matched. All things considered, I would add UMass to the AAC. I think it would benefit both schools.

Never thought I'd see the day when UConn fans suggest adding UMass to whatever league we're in. I lived in WMass from 1990 to 2011 and they lived in a fantasy world of trying to be UConn.
They thought they had it when the snake oil salesman built a good team with guys thought to be too small or limited for the big leagues. Guys who played their hearts out for him because he played on their emotions but hey it worked and got him Lou Roe and Marcus Camby and they almost made the big time. Maybe would have except Calipari knew sanctions were coming and took the Nets offer. Failed there but that got him a college contract and Worldwide Wes helped get him the rep for getting guys to the NBA with Calipari taking credit because he had coached in the league and knew what it takes to make it as a player. He never told the recruits he knew how to make it as a coach though............guess that never came up.

Of course, Wayne Simone helped get him a lot of players at UMass and that was enabled by their loose academic standards. The Globe even did a major story on how players with 1.0 GPA's were eligible at UMass during their "golden years". It was brutal hearing how we wouldn't play them because we were afraid of them but I always reminded them they hadn't beaten UConn in ?? years and it wasn't our job to help them get publicity.

 

[Alum86]

Why do idiots on the BY complain anout us being in the AAC and then say we need to add UMass, Rhody, ODU, etc? Stupid. And to add them to Frankenconference AAC is suicide

 

[CTBballfan243]

Why do idiots on the BY complain anout us being in the AAC and then say we need to add UMass, Rhody, ODU, etc? Stupid. And to add them to Frankenconference AAC is suicide

Who complained about being in the AAC? The AAC is where we are and where we will be. There will be no fantasy P5 call up. Might as well give UConn a school that is relatively close to us geographically to try and build a rivalry. There is not a team in the current AAC that UConn has any sort of hatred towards. A UConn/UMass b-ball game would at least provide some regional juice. None of the current AAC teams provide any sort of excitement for the fan base.

 

[UCDaveD]

None of the current AAC teams provide any sort of excitement for the fan base.

Nor would UMass.

 

[AdamaNation]

Took the wife to see her alma mater University of Dayton play at UMass. UMass won in double overtime. Not a bad game. Got me thinking, the AAC should add UMass. It would give UConn a team to form a good rivalry with in football and in basketball. We already battle them in Hockey East. UConn needs a nearby team to form a rivalry with. I would give UMass a slight edge in football, but in basketball it would be very evenly matched. All things considered, I would add UMass to the AAC. I think it would benefit both schools.

No problem with that but let me castrate myself with a rusty knife first.

 

[CTBballfan243]

Nor would UMass.

I bet most UConn fans would rather see a UConn/ UMass game in lieu of UConn against of the following: Tulane, Tulsa, central Florida, South Florida, SMU, Houston, and Temple. Those teams are all boring and have nothing in common with UConn. At least UMass would be near by.

 

[UCDaveD]

I bet most UConn fans would rather see a UConn/ UMass game in lieu of UConn against of the following: Tulane, Tulsa, central Florida, South Florida, SMU, Houston, and Temple. Those teams are all boring and have nothing in common with UConn. At least UMass would be near by.

We're 1 of 12 votes. What does adding another piece of garbage to the conference do for everyone else?

Even if adding UMass did anything for UConn (I don't believe it would), good luck getting the other 11 conference members to agree to take a smaller slice of the already meager pie just so that we can have some small-time local "rivalry" game that hasn't mattered to anyone in 20 years.

If we're looking for a regional rival, why not float CCSU to the AAC then? They have triple the amount of tournament appearances over the past 20 years as UMass. And they're even closer.

Scheduling OOC games against these schools is one thing, talking about adding them to the conference is banana land.

 

[AdamaNation]

We're 1 of 12 votes. What does adding another piece of garbage to the conference do for everyone else?

Even if adding UMass did anything for UConn (I don't believe it would), good luck getting the other 11 conference members to agree to take a smaller slice of the already meager pie just so that we can have some small-time local "rivalry" game that hasn't mattered to anyone in 20 years.

If we're looking for a regional rival, why not float CCSU to the AAC then? They have triple the amount of tournament appearances over the past 20 years as UMass. And they're even closer.

Scheduling OOC games against these schools is one thing, talking about adding them to the conference is banana land.

Why not bump up west conn they have football?

 

[Towney007]

I'm really whatever on UMass doing anything...

But there's no question about it - this coach is flipping good. He's really good. If you think this UConn team is a duct taped mess, look at that roster, then the transfers he committed.... and they're competitive with most everyone. I'm not really commenting on the conference stuff - but they've got a legitimate shot at being good again with this guy.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I said in the game thread that this has to be a parody account, and this post does nothing to dispel that notion.

Love the wife's connection to Dayton.

 

[CTBballfan243]

Love the wife's connection to Dayton.

Thanks, she really loved going to school out there. I’ve been to a couple games with her out at the Dayton Arena. Those Dayton Flyer fans really love their basketball. They pack the arena and are really loud. Plus the “ghetto” gets pretty wild on the weekends. The only thing bad about UD is that it’s in Dayton.

 

[BPT2Storrs]

From a strictly basketball point of view, I would rather have UConn play games against UMass, URI and some other A10 schools (Dayton, VCU) then East Carolina, South Florida, Tulane and Tulsa. A UConn game against UMass or URI in a conference tourney at the the Garden or in Boston would be a lot better then playing East Carolina in Orlando. Hell, I think Cincinnati and Wichita State would agree with that as well.

Once again, just talking basketball, take a combination of AAC/A10/CAA/Mid American schools put the conference tourney in the Garden and let's see what happens. I think it's much more dynamic than anything the AAC has provided so far.

 

[huskyrob1]

Don't see any reason to not to add Rhode Island to the AAC. If the bar is a good season they have met every requirement.

URI would not touch the AAC for several reasons, though I could see them jumping to the Big East, and it would not surprise me if they got an invite. Not sure though where Providence would stand though on it.

 

[Alum86]

Why not bump up west conn they have football?

Yep. And Dracula was the coach in the early ‘80s.

 

[chickenhead]

URI would not touch the AAC for several reasons, though I could see them jumping to the Big East, and it would not surprise me if they got an invite. Not sure though where Providence would stand though on it.

URI and stated earlier in this thread UMass are not getting invites to the BE.

 

[mauconnfan]

UMass football hung around some pretty damn good teams last year for many games, even lost a couple of those themselves. They were better than the Huskies I do believe. And basketball? I'm afraid that match up would go down to the wire, unless UMass got hot LOL

 

[CTBballfan243]

UMass football hung around some pretty damn good teams last year for many games, even lost a couple of those themselves. They were better than the Huskies I do believe. And basketball? I'm afraid that match up would go down to the wire, unless UMass got hot LOL

Based on what I saw yesterday from the UMass/Dayton game, granted it was only one game, UConn b-ball would struggle against UMass. But we would kick their butts in women’s b-ball and ice hockey.

 

[Palatine]

The fact we have a thread on UMass says terrible things about the program.

This is like being drunk and working your way down the booty call list to the very bottom.

 

[metsfan2323]

UMASS is ranked #75 in national universities and their sports teams do have a strong fan following when they are doing well. Expansion teams should be added based on their potential contribution to the league.

If you don't think UMASS is on the table as an expansion candidate for the Big East you are just in denial. The last time I looked the Big East does not have a team from that state of close to 7 million people.

I ask again would you rather see UMASS in the AAC or the Big East?

 

[Fishy]

The fact we have a thread on UMass says terrible things about the program.

This is like being drunk and working your way down the booty call list to the very bottom.

This is about 1/12th as terrible as your “I don’t think it’s the head coach’s fault that we’re awful thread.”

 

[Fishy]

UMASS is ranked #75 in national universities and their sports teams do have a strong fan following when they are doing well. Expansion teams should be added based on their potential contribution to the league.

If you don't think UMASS is on the table as an expansion candidate for the Big East you are just in denial.

I ask again would you rather see UMASS in the AAC or the Big East?

UMass is absolutely, positively not an expansion candidate for the Big East or the American.

 

[mauconnfan]

Based on what I saw yesterday from the UMass/Dayton game, granted it was only one game, UConn b-ball would struggle against UMass. But we would kick their butts in women’s b-ball and ice hockey.

We kick everyone's butts in womens basketball. Hockey has come a long way fast, good for them.

The fact we were laughing at UMass fans who came here for such a long time after Camby and Roe left but now we are them is just an awful awful thing.

 

[CTBballfan243]

The fact we have a thread on UMass says terrible things about the program.

This is like being drunk and working your way down the booty call list to the very bottom.

UConn is barely treading water athletically in the AAC. We probably shouldn’t be making fun of other schools sports programs.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Oh sweet the UMass discussion again. It’s been about a month since this.

 

[Edward Sargent]

The issue with Wichita is that the second they stop being good, they’re another Tulsa.

Tulsa probably the worst thing ever to happen to us. In my opinion, Tulsa is the Tulane of the AAC, a situation made worse by the fact that Tulane’s actually in the AAC.

At least Tulane has New Orleans. Tulsa has Tulsa, Wichita has Wichita, Houston has Houston yadda yadda