Well I guess this is now the Big East Memorial Final Four

[alexrgct]

WBB will be fine wherever Uconn is...as long as Geno is HC, anyway. It's the other sports that will inspire a jump.

 

[UConnChapette]

WBB will be fine wherever Uconn is...as long as Geno is HC, anyway. It's the other sports that will inspire a jump.

Agree with this 100%.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

. . . As nearly as I can tell, at least 3 teams from new conference were in the NCAA tournament this year, with one progressing to the FF and thought to have a chance of winning it all, provided they play to win against ND. That would be UCONN.

Here's the list:

UCONN
USF
Navy

. . .

The only reason Navy got in was because they won their conference tournament.

That isn't going to happen in the new conference. So, in reality, if we were in the
new conference this year, the conference would have sent only two teams to the
big dance. That's the same as the Missouri Valley Conference had this year.

 

[jplotinus]

The only reason Navy got in was because they won their conference tournament.

That isn't going to happen in the new conference. So, in reality, if we were in the
new conference this year, the conference would have sent only two teams to the
big dance. That's the same as the Missouri Valley Conference had this year.

I don't exactly follow the logic leading to the conclusion the new AAC conference would send two teams to the big dance, equivalent to the MVC.

Perhaps you will reconsider whether it is accurate to project a 2 team representation from a conference having within it teams that have a considerable prior history in NCAA tournament play and in post season bowl play in football, Heisman trophy winners, national championship game experience and so on.

Yes, I understand there are those who want UCONN in the ACC at all costs. Good luck with that. But I do not understand the tendency to undervalue, underestimate and bad mouth the conference UCONN is in. The AAC is not turned into a MVC equivalent by hyperbole.

The AAC is a major conference by virtue of the prior achievements of its members, including, but not limited to UCONN. In fact, UCONN football is, if anything, a bit of a drag on the AAC, in comparison with some members of the conference, truth be told.

I can't wait until next season when in the WCBB tournament, the AAC puts 4-6 members in the tournament; and certainly no fewer than 3 at an absolute bare minimum.

 

[zls44]

I don't exactly follow the logic leading to the conclusion the new AAC conference would send two teams to the big dance, equivalent to the MVC.

Perhaps you will reconsider whether it is accurate to project a 2 team representation from a conference having within it teams that have a considerable prior history in NCAA tournament play and in post season bowl play in football, Heisman trophy winners, national championship game experience and so on.

Yes, I understand there are those who want UCONN in the ACC at all costs. Good luck with that. But I do not understand the tendency to undervalue, underestimate and bad mouth the conference UCONN is in. The AAC is not turned into a MVC equivalent by hyperbole.

The AAC is a major conference by virtue of the prior achievements of its members, including, but not limited to UCONN. In fact, UCONN football is, if anything, a bit of a drag on the AAC, in comparison with some members of the conference, truth be told.

I can't wait until next season when in the WCBB tournament, the AAC puts 4-6 members in the tournament; and certainly no fewer than 3 at an absolute bare minimum.

What achievements by others?!?!?!? ECU's CIT title?!?!?!?!?

You have UConn and USF. And a bunch of complete garbage that cannot be turned into anything else, no matter how hard you try.

 

[jplotinus]

What achievements by others?!?!?!? ECU's CIT title?!?!?!?!?

You have UConn and USF. And a bunch of complete garbage that cannot be turned into anything else, no matter how hard you try.

As a matter of fact, ECU WCBB went 22-10 this year, ending in the WNIT.

In football, ECU has produced 20 All Americans, been playing in the big division since the 1930s and has a 50,000 capacity stadium, making it significantly larger than the Rent.

Facts matter (x2)

 

[JSB60]

I absolutely HATE the end of the Big East, the best basketball conference in history. But given that conference realignment is a fact of life, I actually think UCONN is going to be affected less than other schools. UCONN will always have fine basketball programs on both the men's and women's side. The coaching succession and program tradition will ensure that. And UCONN will always be mediocre at football, not that I care one way or another.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

I don't exactly follow the logic leading to the conclusion the new AAC conference would send two teams to the big dance, equivalent to the MVC . . . .

If you had read my original post, it said if we were in the new conference THIS YEAR then
only two teams would have made it to the tournament (THIS YEAR). So no logic is
required. The facts speak for themselves, and as we all know, facts matter.

As for the the long term future - who knows. In the near term, however, the Sagarin ratings
of our new conference mates does not suggest that we are going to do a whole lot better
than the traditional mid majors in terms of sending teams other than UConn to the NCAA tournament.

 

[DobbsRover2]

If you had read my original post, it said if we were in the new conference THIS YEAR then
only two teams would have made it to the tournament (THIS YEAR). So no logic is
required. The facts speak for themselves, and as we all know, facts matter.

As for the the long term future - who knows. In the near term, however, the Sagarin ratings
of our new conference mates does not suggest that we are going to do a whole lot better
than the traditional mid majors in terms of sending teams other than UConn to the NCAA tournament.

If it comes to a long stay in an AAC conference, than it is very possible that some of the new conference mates would follow the same orbit as that traveled by the sad sack BEast teams of the 1990s who rose up to greater things. Playing UConn seems to raise the level of a lot of teams, and trying to project 5 years down the road from what you see now is a bit silly. 5 years ago Pittsburgh was in the Sweet 16; this year, can we say 9-21?

And next year Louisville is part of the new AAC, so I guess the count is 3 for this year for the inaugural AAC.

Taking a page from the 1985 MCBB tourney, will any fans down in New Orleans be holding up the "Who invited California to the Big East Tournament? banner"

 

[jplotinus]

If you had read my original post, it said if we were in the new conference THIS YEAR then
only two teams would have made it to the tournament (THIS YEAR). So no logic is
required. The facts speak for themselves, and as we all know, facts matter.

As for the the long term future - who knows. In the near term, however, the Sagarin ratings
of our new conference mates does not suggest that we are going to do a whole lot better
than the traditional mid majors in terms of sending teams other than UConn to the NCAA tournament.

Well, ok, as you like, let's assume I can't read well enough to have understood your desire to create your own hypothetical and tell us what would have happened. Doing the same, and using only ECU's record this year as a component of a hypothetical, I disagree with you, yet again.

If ECU had been in a conference with UCONN this year, let's call it the AAC, then the 20+ wins it posted would have gotten it into the big dance rather than the little one.

That is the beauty of UCONN's ability to be a leader in the new AAC. Uconn's presence will elevate the men's and women's bb programs of its mates. AND, the football programs of its mates will elevate uconn's football program.

The AAC starts out stronger than ConfUSA and on par with the ACC and the Pac12 which are not quite as strong as the Big 1G and SEC are. I'm not sure about the Big 12 when all sports and all its members are considered. Maybe it is as strong as the SEC and Big1G, and maybe it isn't.

In any event, the new AAC has the most growth potential of all the major conferences. It is hyperbole to call the AAC a mid major, not borne out by the facts.

The facts that matter confirm that the AAC is a good fit, a good opportunity and a real growth possibility for college athletics as a whole. True, there are those who want ACC and only ACC, no matter what, for uconn. That is fine. The better growth opportunity for UCONN and for 11 or more other universities lies in the new AAC.

 

[jplotinus]

Taking a page from the 1985 MCBB tourney, will any fans down in New Orleans be holding up the "Who invited California to the Big East Tournament? banner"

NICE!!

Hey DobbsRover,

Please consider starting a new thread with that banner quote!

 

[DobbsRover2]

Taking a page from the 1985 MCBB tourney, will any fans down in New Orleans be holding up the "Who invited California to the Big East Tournament? banner"

NICE!!

Hey DobbsRover,

Please consider starting a new thread with that banner quote!

Hey, all kudos go to the Nova-GTown-St. John's BEast fans from almost three decades ago who flaunted the classic sign with soon-to-be-vacated Memphis as the interloper. It may be a parting shot now after all the glory years in between, but it was a great ride in during the passage. Looking for the good times ahead that are gonna roll.

 

[storrsroars]

One thing to remember about RPI - it's relative to competition. As UConn will not be playing ND twice next year, the RPI will take a hit. And as the middle of the pack and the bottom feeders of the AAC will be worse than their equivalents in the current BE, RPI will take a hit again. And as UConn's RPI takes a hit, so does that of every other team in the new league.

And then in 2014, the AAC replaces Ville with two more substandard teams, so the process repeats itself. By March 2015, UConn is playing in the 7th or 8th best conference, so comparisons to the MVC are indeed valid.

 

[jplotinus]

One thing to remember about RPI - it's relative to competition. As UConn will not be playing ND twice next year, the RPI will take a hit. And as the middle of the pack and the bottom feeders of the AAC will be worse than their equivalents in the current BE, RPI will take a hit again. And as UConn's RPI takes a hit, so does that of every other team in the new league.

And then in 2014, the AAC replaces Ville with two more substandard teams, so the process repeats itself. By March 2015, UConn is playing in the 7th or 8th best conference, so comparisons to the MVC are indeed valid.

"7th or 8th best conference..." You say?

Can you please do a conference listing showing how the AAC ranks as you say? And can you say whether your ranking is specific to WCBB or not?

Thanks in advance.

Speaking for me, and limiting the ranking to wcbb, I have the AAC ranked 3 or 4 after 2015 and higher in the interim. 7th or 8th whether limited to WCBB or more inclusive does not seem fact based to me. Instead, a ranking like that suggests to me a desire to revere and idolize the ACC at all costs.

 

[storrsroars]

"7th or 8th best conference..." You say?

Can you please do a conference listing showing how the AAC ranks as you say? And can you say whether your ranking is specific to WCBB or not?

Thanks in advance.

Speaking for me, and limiting the ranking to wcbb, I have the AAC ranked 3 or 4 after 2015 and higher in the interim. 7th or 8th whether limited to WCBB or more inclusive does not seem fact based to me. Instead, a ranking like that suggests to me a desire to revere and idolize the ACC at all costs.

You can do your own work. Next year the AAC is below the PAC12 for WBB placing it 6th or 7th with an RPI around .5350 at best. In 2014 they go down another notch, below .5300. Meanwhile the A10 will rise above .5300. And stick your insults regarding the ACC idolatry up you know where, smugnuts.

 

[zls44]

As a matter of fact, ECU WCBB went 22-10 this year, ending in the WNIT.

In football, ECU has produced 20 All Americans, been playing in the big division since the 1930s and has a 50,000 capacity stadium, making it significantly larger than the Rent.

Facts matter (x2)

Fact: not a single thing you listed is an impressive accomplishment,

 

[jplotinus]

You can do your own work. Next year the AAC is below the PAC12 for WBB placing it 6th or 7th with an RPI around .5350 at best. In 2014 they go down another notch, below .5300. Meanwhile the A10 will rise above .5300. And stick your insults regarding the ACC idolatry up you know where, smugnuts.

What 6 or 7 conferences do you place above the AAC, if you please? Putting the AAC so low could be viewed other than as ACC idolatry if posters do not, in fact, dearly want UCONN to the ACC. However, I have reason to believe posters do want that outcome because that is what they keep saying.

They also keep saying the AAC is a mid major and they don't mean that as a compliment, I don't think. They seem to dislike Houston and SMU, but not Wake Forest or Miami. So another way of considering putting the AAC so low is to say that a 7-8 place ranking suggests a low regard for uconn's conference mates. I think the facts strongly support holding the new conference's teams, individually and collectively, in higher regard. That is especially true when all sports are considered.

7-8 is very low, in my opinion, and it is difficult to see a clearly reasoned, unbiased, path to a ranking that low.

 

[storrsroars]

What 6 or 7 conferences do you place above the AAC, if you please? Putting the AAC so low could be viewed other than as ACC idolatry if posters do not, in fact, dearly want UCONN to the ACC. However, I have reason to believe posters do want that outcome because that is what they keep saying.

They also keep saying the AAC is a mid major and they don't mean that as a compliment, I don't think. They seem to dislike Houston and SMU, but not Wake Forest or Miami. So another way of considering putting the AAC so low is to say that a 7-8 place ranking suggests a low regard for uconn's conference mates. I think the facts strongly support holding the new conference's teams, individually and collectively, in higher regard. That is especially true when all sports are considered.

7-8 is very low, in my opinion, and it is difficult to see a clearly reasoned, unbiased, path to a ranking that low.

Simply look at the link to women's RPI earlier in thread (bottom page 1). The conference RPIs are at the bottom of that list. There's your answer. If you can't face reality, there are prescriptions for that.

 

[jplotinus]

Simply look at the link to women's RPI earlier in thread (bottom page 1). The conference RPIs are at the bottom of that list. There's your answer. If you can't face reality, there are prescriptions for that.

I posted the link you referred to. That's rich :-/

The conference RPI places the BE at 4. This thread contains an OP referencing the fact that 3 of 4 FF teams are from the BE, including 2 that will be in the AAC next year and 1 thereafter, as things now stand, and, I hope, (some don't), remain. I do not see a conference consisting in UCONN and Conf USA teams dropping from 4 to 7 or 8. To do so, the AAC would have to fall lower than the West Coast and either the A 10 or Conf USA, as it is then comprised. Plus, the unwieldy and I think damaged ACC would have to remain high and the Catholic Big East would have to out perform the AAC.

I do not think a projection of 7 or 8 RPI placement for the AAC, with UCONN in it is likely. I would give the AAC more credit than that.

 

[storrsroars]

I posted the link you referred to. That's rich :-/

The conference RPI places the BE at 4. This thread contains an OP referencing the fact that 3 of 4 FF teams are from the BE, including 2 that will be in the AAC next year and 1 thereafter, as things now stand, and, I hope, (some don't), remain. I do not see a conference consisting in UCONN and Conf USA teams dropping from 4 to 7 or 8. To do so, the AAC would have to fall lower than the West Coast and either the A 10 or Conf USA, as it is then comprised. Plus, the unwieldy and I think damaged ACC would have to remain high and the Catholic Big East would have to out perform the AAC.

I do not think a projection of 7 or 8 RPI placement for the AAC, with UCONN in it is likely. I would give the AAC more credit than that.

You need to take off the rose-colored glasses and get a real prescription pair.

The best current WBB squad coming to the AAC is SMU, which has a lower RPI than ND, Cuse and LVille (going to ACC) and DePaul, Nova, St. John's and Marquette (going to NBE). The ACC also gets bottom feeder Pitt, while the NBE gets bottom feeders Hall and PeeCee. The net result is a bump up for both of those conferences while the AAC gets bumped down.

If all the OBE/AAC had been together in a 23-team conference, based on RPI the new AAC teams would have placed 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 20. There's no way that's not a major downgrade. Meantime the ACC is getting 1, 3, 6 and 23 while the NBE gets 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 21 and 22. And 13 goes to the B1G.

Again, using current RPI you posted, the AAC in 2013-14 would be at .5373 and in 2014-15 it's .5307. At best that's 6th, but it's very likely the NBE will be better than that, bumping the AAC to 7th. I don't see any of the major conferences doing worse in the near term.

It's going to take some major wholesale changes in the programs of UCF, Houston, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa and ECU for AAC's conference RPI to get any better.

 

[RadyLady]

Guys, a valient effort, however our friend simply does not appear to see what is right before his eyes, or, does see it but cannot do the math properly or connect the dots.

As far as WCBB goes in this new "conference" the level of in conference competition for UConn with notable exceptions of one or two will be shockingly low.

Regardless of how the schools fared in other sports, in WCBB, to which this board focuses, the teams are not strong, no where near top 20 strong, and playing a conference schedule full of them does nothing for our RPI. Playing UConn may raise theirs, but only as much as a 60 point loss will allow.

It's a cupcake factory for UCONN.

His denial borders on obtuse.

This is an old argument from earlier on in the season which got nowhere and we are traveling the same road again.

I am thinking that he is from the "I have to see it to believe it" club, so talk though cheap is kind of wasted here.

I continue to hope that UConn finds itself back into a power conference as quickly as possible which may be the only way to end this discussion short term.

Sent from my SGH-T769 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Icebear]

He has an acute case of obtuseness.

 

[DobbsRover2]

He has an acute case of obtuseness.

One man's obtuseness is another's prejudiced log in the eye. And UConn fans should beware of becoming seen as arrogant about crapping on other programs. A lot of Big East teams would love to have Temple's record in the 2000s.

Back in the early 2000s the Big East was regularly ranked as the 6th best conference with mainly weak teams supported by a few strong members. Didn't stop UConn and ND from running to a conference record 5 straight NCs. In 2000, the teams that will be in the 2015 AAC would have stacked up respectably with the 2000 BEast with teams at RPI 2, 24, 52, 55, 57 for the top 5, which certainly didn't match the 2000 BEast's top 4 but at least had 5 teams with an RPI below 60, which the top-heavy BEast couldn't claim. But in the following years all of the lower level BEast teams took turns at becoming good to respectable, except of course for Providence. Likewise all of the virtual 2000 AAC teams with the exception of the Providence-like UCF have had their runs at being good to respectable, and even UCF finished this year at 117 of 345 teams in Sagarin, which is not Providence-style bad. The high of RPIs for AAC teams other than UConn since 2000 are Houston (7), Cincinnati (19), Temple (21), Tulane (24), USF (43), SMU (46), Tulsa (47), Memphis (55), East Carolina (99, in 2007 when they finished pre-tourney on a 10-game winning streak to win the USA), and UCF (117).

That's not 2013 numbers, and coaches come and go, but almost all of those teams have gotten to a decent level in recent times and though it may be fashionable now to deride them as stuck-in-the-cement ballast dumpings, that's also the way the big majority of the BEast teams were before the conference became very very good. Again, UConn will likely not be around to see a second cycle BEast-style conference rise to greatness, but I think what JPlot is trying to say is that we who tend to get stuck in 2013 should be looking ahead and thinking that maybe some teams could become a lot better. Sure, the money isn't great right now, but as Rutgers has learned over and over, money can be the rot and root of a lot of evil.

 

[meyers7]

smugnuts.

I like it. I might steal that. Kinda of a cross between "smug @ss" and "numnuts".

smugnuts.

 

[DobbsRover2]

You need to take off the rose-colored glasses and get a real prescription pair.

It's going to take some major wholesale changes in the programs of UCF, Houston, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa and ECU for AAC's conference RPI to get any better.

Again, why get so fixated on the present? Are you really assuming that nothing changes? That 2018 might look a lot different than 2013? We're looking at the future, not what happened long ago back in February of 2013.

In 2008 Pitt was rated #21, this year it's #205, UVA was then at #15 and now at #68, Delaware was at #224 and now it's #17, GW was at #23 and now at #137, Chattanooga was at #28 and now #71, Dayton was at #62 and now it's #28, UTEP at #16 and now #112, UCLA was at #102 and now it's #22, Western Ky was at #30 and now they're a busted #154, ODU was at #11 and is now sunk back at #120, USF was back at #76 and now it's at #30, Liberty was at #29 and now #83, Rutgers was a #4 and now a #55, and so on and so on. Things come and things go, mid-level teams rise and fall, and none of us can smugly predict the future unless maybe our orbs are made of crystal, but one thing I know is that 2013 is not 2018, or even 2015.