Wichita State Emerges As Potential Basketball Only Add To AAC (Officially Official)

[Chin Diesel]

Anyone who gets excited about this one way or the other just is not paying attention.

Is Wichita a good addition? No. Are they a bad addition? No.

It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter that they are a small market because the American has no way to monetize a larger market. It doesn't matter if they're one more mouth to feed; the difference per team is meaningless.

There is no one else out there. If Wichita joins and they earn some NCAA credits fine. If they don't, they'll fit right in. At least we'll play in a full building for a change.

But in the end, it doesn't matter. It won't affect anything.

How Shakespearean of you.

Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

 

[3rdbass]

Before we jump in without thinking and add Wichita State, I think we need to assess all possible additions.

There might be some other schools that have football that might be interested in joining just in basketball. We might want to consider UMass. They have been wanting to join a long time. And let's not forget East Carolina. We are always hearing East Carolina whining about finally getting their chance to join. We could bring in East Carolina in basketball only. Then, in a few years, after schools leave or get kicked out (Temple), we might add East Carolina as a full member. It would be a good deal for a school like East Carolina because they would just need to bide their time and eventually they might get to be a full-fledged member.

WTF! Thanks for your interest in UCONN Sports!

 

[Waquoit]

I'm not sure anyone chimed in on this the first time- would VCU be a better addition than Wichita St?

Not for UConn. It will make it tougher to poach their players.

 

[huskymedic]

Courant/Amore: More Rumors About Wichita State Joining AAC; What Would That Mean For UConn?

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Everything is a nothing addition in this league. I mean .

The run down in this conference is basically this:

The good basketball schools are a burden to the good football schools.

The good football schools are a burden to the good basketball schools.

All of whom will make a half-ass commitment to beefing up their weaker programs - but with the lack of exposure, it's a pipe dream. A fruitless, expensive, stupid pipe dream.

I mean I laugh my face off reading people being down on adding Wichita State because their coach will leave and they'll be nothing. WTF do you think your football program is? Valuable? A desired destination by denziens of accomplished, grizzled pros? No. It's a place for P5 cast off coaches to settle in for a while before getting an undeserved second crack or for up and coming coaches to take a coffee break before taking a P5 job. That's this whole conference in the two major sports. That's just the reality of all of it. Does anyone honestly think that South Florida or UCF is sitting there saying to themselves 'UH OH UCONN HIRED RANDY EDSALL, HERE THEY COME.' Of course they're not! And travel expenses? I'm sure the entire rest of the conference - mostly nestled in the Midwest and South - LOVE sending their olympic sports all the way to butt-fk Connecticut for women's diving. We're the biggest burden on anyone in this conference in that regard.

So i'm just tired of hearing it. If this makes basketball a little more enjoyable for the short period of time between us being here and leaving here - wherever that leads - whether that's a pipe-dreamy P5 bid which I don't think is ever going to happen or the more likely 'we let football float into space' while heading to the new Big East... then fine. I'll live with it.

If you're claiming that UConn and East Carolina are equivalents, you're just wrong. Market size and athletic department budget is enough to end the conversation. Also, not sure you're aware but Edsall manufactured a successful football team for a while. Who says he can't do it again? Go ahead and add Wichita State, I don't care. But don't pretend like every school in this conference has something to offer. The second UConn or Cincinnati leave, the conference is officially dead. Imagine how much ESPN or FOX will pay to broadcast those games!

 

[gwhuskyfan]

Courant/Amore: More Rumors About Wichita State Joining AAC; What Would That Mean For UConn?

From Dom: Down the road, it could get more interesting: WSU does not play football, and could be a jigsaw fit with UConn — if the Huskies were to change their stated course and pursue a return to their old conference, the Big East. With the hiring of Randy Edsall as coach, UConn is committed to building its football brand, and without an invitation to one of the Power Five conferences, the Huskies best football course is to remain in the American. But if Wichita State, or another non-football school such as Dayton or Virginia Commonwealth, were to join the AAC, UConn could leave its football where it is and move its other programs without leaving the AAC short of participating schools. The conference would have to accept that, but adding a basketball school or two could make for more favorable exit negotiations.

If that's the case. All for this move. Otherwise, big no.

 

[CL82]

Conspiracy Kitty says:
My god you people are so bad at reading tea leaves, I ought to be paid for teaching remedial classes.

What was the biggest impediment to UConn moving to the conference calling itself the the Big East? A place to put football. What does Wichita State as a BBO bring to the AAC? Its decent basketball takes away the sting from the loss of UConn basketball for AAC while still leaving our football slot open. Wichita State upgrades it hoops. UConn gets games back with regional opponents with name recognition (e.g., Georgetown, Nova and Seton Hall), gets its tier 3 rights back (which are worth more than than our share of the NBE tv deal) and gets a conference RPI boost. The NBE gets a marquee opponent and ratings bump that will help it in it's next deal. AAC keeps UConn for football and gets a decent hoops school that better fits the conference.

Seem obvious now? You're welcome.

 

[BUConn10]

No car wash story to spice it up, but to my knowledge this is a done deal, in the legal paperwork stages. No comment on whether I like it or not.

 

[4in16]

No car wash story to spice it up, but to my knowledge this is a done deal, in the legal paperwork stages. No comment on whether I like it or not.

Would it be for 17-18 or 18-19?

 

[BUConn10]

Would it be for 17-18 or 18-19?

Was not informed of that aspect, but I highly doubt everything is ready for this coming season, both on the AAC's end and WSU with the MVC, my money is on official announcement by year's end and with official entry the following year.

 

[djct1999]

Great. Yet another team that will draw 6k fans through the doors of Gampel. Exciting.

 

[Drew]

Great. Yet another team that will draw 6k fans through the doors of Gampel. Exciting.

in fairness if we can only muster 6k fans to watch Wichita State at home that's really an "us" problem and not a "them" problem.

 

[CTMike]

in fairness if we can only muster 6k fans to watch Wichita State at home that's really an "us" problem and not a "them" problem.

Disagree.

 

[NCHusky91]

Or they could take "our" slot in the Big East. Not much farther away than Omaha.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

So let me get this straight. If Wichita joins the AAC, we are going to have more conference peers in the state of Oklahoma then we are going to have north of North Carolina?

 

[Drew]

Disagree.

If Colorado State and Missouri State can pack more than 6k fans in their gyms to watch their teams play Wichita State then UConn should too. And if we can't then that is on us.

Colorado State: Wichita State Athletics - Men's Basketball vs Colorado State on 12/3/2016
Missouri State: Wichita State Athletics - Men's Basketball vs Missouri State on 2/25/2017

 

[Drew]

So let me get this straight. If Wichita joins the AAC, we are going to have more conference peers in the state of Oklahoma then we are going to have north of North Carolina?

Wichita State joining the American has no bearing on how many conference opponents we have in the state of Oklahoma because Wichita is in Kansas.

 

[Drew]

Source: AAC decision on Wichita St. pending

The American Athletic Conference will make a decision in the coming weeks and/or months on whether to add Wichita State, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told ESPN Thursday.

A Wichita State source told ESPN that the Shockers would likely accept if asked to leave the Missouri Valley for the AAC.

If this were to occur, it would happen for the 2018-19 season, since it would be too late for the 2017-18 season. Under NCAA rules, if a conference adds a basketball-only member, it must take all of its Olympic/non-revenue sports. That's not the case for accepting a football-only member. The AAC has a football-only member in Navy.

If Wichita State were to join the AAC, it would be the only non-football playing member in the conference. The Shockers would be the 12th basketball-playing member of the AAC if they were to join the league. With Navy, the AAC has 12 football schools.

A source said it would take a 75 percent vote from the current conference membership to add a member and that the AAC is only looking at the possibility of adding Wichita State and not other schools.

Losing the Shockers would be a devastating blow to the Missouri Valley, which already lost Creighton to the Big East four years ago.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Disagree.

Disagree with your disagreement, since WSU would be the best, most exciting opponent we play in this crappy league. If you can't get up for that, the problem is you.

 

[Exit 4]

My problem with this scenario - UConn moving all sports but Football to the BE is that it means the door is basically permanently shut on the B1G, ACC or any other P5 scenario. I don't see us moving to the BE in 2019 and then again to to a P5 for all sports in 2024. I suppose it could happen, but gee whiz that is a lot of movement.

 

[HungryHuskies]

My problem with this scenario - UConn moving all sports but Football to the BE is that it means the door is basically permanently shut on the B1G, ACC or any other P5 scenario. I don't see us moving to the BE in 2019 and then again to to a P5 for all sports in 2024. I suppose it could happen, but gee whiz that is a lot of movement.

At this point, I think that most sports in P5 is better than no sports in P5. Although, I trust that AD Dave has a plan in his head and he will make the right decision.

 

[CTMike]

Disagree with your disagreement, since WSU would be the best, most exciting opponent we play in this crappy league. If you can't get up for that, the problem is you.

I don't have any history or association to them in any way. I don't care about every school having a good little run. Opponents that we care about matter, it's why we are suffocating in this conference. Being in a conference of misfit toys isn't enough to get people to care.

If the idea is that we should sell out every game regardless of opponent because we are UConn fans first and foremost, I would simply say that's unrealistic and the data backs that up.

Over time, could you get people to eventually care? Maybe. Hasn't worked yet.

 

[Drew]

I don't have any history or association to them in any way. I don't care about every school having a good little run. Opponents that we care about matter, it's why we are suffocating in this conference. Being in a conference of misfit toys isn't enough to get people to care.

If the idea is that we should sell out every game regardless of opponent because we are UConn fans first and foremost, I would simply say that's unrealistic and the data backs that up.

Over time, could you get people to eventually care? Maybe. Hasn't worked yet.

Nobody said we have to sell out every game. I said if we don't get 6k fans for a home game versus a nationally ranked opponent then it reflects poorly on us. Which it does.

 

[djct1999]

in fairness if we can only muster 6k fans to watch Wichita State at home that's really an "us" problem and not a "them" problem.

Not if Greg Marshall leaves. Wichita State then becomes Tulsa overnight.

 

[CTMike]

Nobody said we have to sell out every game. I said if we don't get 6k fans for a home game versus a nationally ranked opponent then it reflects poorly on us. Which it does.

True. I glossed over the 6k part.