Weak schedule

[NycUcWbbFan]

More conference games hurts UConn two ways. They already beat up on the conference so adding two more mainly non-competitive wins when they’d rather face tougher OOC opponents doesn’t help the Huskies. and the bigger (related) reason is the teams in p4 conferences also have two more in-conference games. tougher games. That leaves the p4 schools with less incentive and room to schedule UConn. They may be worried about that extra (probable) loss to UConn. And it could help them if UConn is not as battle tested in OOC games as in previous years heading into the NCAA tourney. Hopefully UConn will overcome the weaker schedule.

Conference realignment. It’s mainly about $$$. Football is by far the biggest consideration. Would expansion get a conference into an additional lucrative market is the main draw. So football is king while mbb is a very small factor and the other sports matter not at all. UConn did fill the Rent with Randy Edsall in the Big East conf.

Also, UConn beat NC (not NCST) in the bowl game last year and the move to the AAC was absolutely football driven. Basketball was not a consideration.

How many national championships does the SEC have? 12

• Details here.
• TN (8), South Carolina (3), LSU (1)

How many national championships does the UConn have? 12

• All in the Big East and AAC

There are advantages to having a “weak conference schedule” prior to the NCAAT.

• There are disadvantages to having a “strong conference schedule” prior to the NCAAT.
• Details here and here. And this thread.

These advantages/ disadvantages probably disappear or reverse at the extremes ((almost) all “weak”/ “strong” regular season games).

But the addition of two conference games? In a backdrop of a revised NCAAT selection criteria that makes it potentially harder for UConn to get a #1 seed with early season losses (which happened last year but did not hurt as Geno and CD’s farm system curriculum has always been to be best prepared team, seedings falling where it does).

40 inimitable years of coaching excellence by Geno and CD is not nothing.

 

[oldude]

How many national championships does the SEC have? 12

• Details here.
• TN (8), South Carolina (3), LSU (1)

How many national championships does the UConn have? 12

• All in the Big East and AAC

There are advantages to having a “weak conference schedule” prior to the NCAAT.

• There are disadvantages to having a “strong conference schedule” prior to the NCAAT.
• Details here and here. And this thread.

These advantages/ disadvantages probably disappear or reverse at the extremes ((almost) all “weak”/ “strong” regular season games).

But the addition of two conference games? In a backdrop of a revised NCAAT selection criteria that makes it potentially harder for UConn to get a #1 seed with early season losses (which happened last year but did not hurt as Geno and CD’s farm system curriculum has always been to be best prepared team, seedings falling where it does).

40 inimitable years of coaching excellence by Geno and CD is not nothing.

While your argument is interesting. There is one factor that overrides the conference argument, and that is the HC. Pat had 8, Kim has 4 (Baylor & LSU), Dawn has 3 and the G.O.A.T. has 12.

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

While your argument is interesting. There is one factor that overrides the conference argument, and that is the HC. Pat had 8, Kim has 4 (Baylor & LSU), Dawn has 3 and the G.O.A.T. has 12.

It is always about the program, the coaches and the sustainable ecosystem (recruits, farm system development, culture, standards of excellence, etc.).

The unexamined assumption that some people have is that UConn would be more successful than it already is if it were in a stronger conference.

• None of the SEC’s best teams have achieved what UConn has.
• Thought experiments — and that’s all we can do because “it is what it is” and we cannot do a “what if” — suggests moving to a stronger conference is not a better magic pill than some people think it is.

 

[oldude]

It is always about the program, the coaches and the sustainable ecosystem (recruits, farm system development, culture, standards of excellence, etc.).

The unexamined assumption that some people have is that UConn would be more successful than it already is if it were in a stronger conference.

• None of the SEC’s best teams have achieved what UConn has.
• Thought experiments — and that’s all we can do because “it is what it is” and we cannot do a “what if” — suggests moving to a stronger conference is not a better magic pill than some people think it is.

The complaints about UConn’s weak schedule would be better directed at various teams from the P4 conferences who have all the financial resources in the world, great schools to recruit to and tough competition in conference (reminiscent of the OBE). Hence, the real question should be, “What’s wrong with TX, UCLA, ND, TN, USC etc. that don’t appear capable of winning another championship despite all of their inherent advantages?

 

[HuskyNan]

Side note - what about the strong mid-majors? Usually they want to play anyone any time - but P4 teams tend to avoid them. Green Bay, Gonzaga, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Columbia, Princeton, Harvard, Fairfield, Ball State, James Madison, etc. Would love to see a couple of those on the schedule.

Who would you replace on the schedule?

#21 Louisville
FSU
#25 Ohio State
#24 Michigan
Utah
South Florida
#10 USC
#23 Iowa
#17 Notre Dame
#12 Tennessee

All but Loyola are P4 teams and if UConn wants to get into a conference, playing nice with the P4 is a good idea

 

[ucmiami2]

Schedules are not created during the summer - they are created over a few years - 2 year home and home agreements, and a few that are longer than 2 year. With the transfer portal, team strength of scheduled opponents can change during a small window at the end of the previous season, so what looked like a strong team can become weak, and what looked weak might become strong. And of course freshmen can shine immediately or take a year or more to thrive. And actual play strength of any team can change drastically from 'preseason' and early season 'polls.' Add in injuries to key personnel and surprises happen.

And really, does it matter if your team is a 1 or 2 seed come the NCAAs - you need to win 6 games, 3 of which are going to be extremely competitive, and a 4th that might be tougher than expected.

If Uconn doesn't go undefeated in their OOC then they may well not be a #1 seed in the NCAA, and probably don't deserve a #1 seed - that will depend on the results other teams achieve. Undefeated seasons are rare in WCBB and undefeated seasons heading into the NCAA tournament are also very rare. Our coaches are better at achieving them than all the other coaches combined in Div 1 WCBB history.

I'm not going stressed about strength of schedule. I will get stressed once the tournament begins.

 

[Gael]

The unexamined assumption that some people have is that UConn would be more successful than it already is if it were in a stronger conference.

I can't read peoples' minds, so I don't necessarily know what assumptions they have—examined or unexamined.

But to speculate: The concerns of some fans may not necessarily be about whether UConn in a stronger conference and with a stronger OOC schedule "would be more successful than it already is"—which is looking at past results and the short term present.

Rather, their concerns may be ones that look toward the not-so-distant future when Geno retires. If, when Geno and company retire in a few years, UConn remains in a weak Big East and for some reason cannot conterbalance that with a strong OOC schedule, some fans may be concerned that that situation will make it difficult to recruit not only top players but also an elite replacement coach.

How many NCs have been won this century by non-P5 teams, other than UConn, or by non-elite coaches?

 

[Stagnant]

I just want to say. Pointing out that the schedule is weak is different than hating on it or criticizing it. A reasonable person understands that we are handcuffed to some extent because of our conference affiliation.