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Post by hoyasaxa2003 on Apr 8, 2014 16:59:52 GMT -5
Sorry - miscounted the ACC schools - yes it is 15 schools in basketball and 14 in football. I agree that a Big East - AAC challenge series could be good for both conferences. Since the AAC is under the ESPN umbrella, I think this is highly unlikely. It doesn't mean we cannot play the better AAC schools in one off games or home and homes during the OOC schedule, though.
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concord
Century (over 100 posts)
The foe long since in silence slept; Alike the conqueror silent sleeps.
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Post by concord on Apr 8, 2014 22:29:49 GMT -5
If we could get UConn and Memphis, don't we take them in a heartbeat? And if they bail in a few years, so be it--then it's on to Plan B. But as of right now, I want UConn back in the league. We could definitely get UConn and Memphis. And the instant another, bigger conference even hinted that they might invite them, they would immediately start packing their things. The BE gains very little (a few more points in conference RPI?) from inviting schools that will forget the sport of college basketball even exists the second they have the opportunity to make more football money. It's nice to be done with that merry-go-round. That said, UConn has deluded themselves with football, they should just drop it and then they'd likely be welcomed by the BE with open arms (while keeping one eye on our laptops).
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tashoya
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
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Post by tashoya on Apr 8, 2014 23:58:40 GMT -5
As for the original post, as most others have said, I disagree completely. Well done by UConn and Coach Ollie but it does very little for their bargaining power or positioning in terms of their future with regard to joining another conference that isn't a basketball only conference. That's how sad the situation has become. Even with their success in the past 15 years or so, they still have very little control. Not to mention, while the ACC wants to be the "power conference," they don't seem to want much in the way of competition for the top tier of the conference. I'd be willing to be that if you asked UNC and Duke fans about the addition of Syracuse after this season, they'd be less enthusiastic than they were a year ago about the coverage/slurping that their beloved ESPN gave the Orange. I still have the illogical hope that UNC get scooped by another conference just to see the fallout.
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tashoya
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 12,319
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Post by tashoya on Apr 9, 2014 0:10:37 GMT -5
Why are people so eager to add to the BE? UConn isn't coming back and, realistically, they shouldn't. Let them have their conference. And they're not dropping football. So that's a non-starter. Memphis? Why exactly? To bring down the academic/integrity rep of the conference? Memphis adds next to nothing. Why not be content for right now with what the conference is and see what it becomes? The BE took a major hit. But it was built up once. It can happen again. Football is the revenue machine right now but that's slowly changing at the lower levels. I think the future of CBB and basketball in general is very bright and the BE is very well positioned for that.
Having said that, I wonder what the future of college athletics as a whole will look like. A college degree isn't getting less expensive and technology is getting better. How long will it be before brick and mortar, in person education is a thing of the past and talks about conference realignment are irrelevant? I honestly wonder about that because I have young nephews that, I hope, have great college experiences like I did. I hope that's still the norm and not the aberration when that time comes.
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Post by strummer8526 on Apr 9, 2014 9:30:55 GMT -5
If we could get UConn and Memphis, don't we take them in a heartbeat? And if they bail in a few years, so be it--then it's on to Plan B. But as of right now, I want UConn back in the league. We could definitely get UConn and Memphis. And the instant another, bigger conference even hinted that they might invite them, they would immediately start packing their things. The BE gains very little (a few more points in conference RPI?) from inviting schools that will forget the sport of college basketball even exists the second they have the opportunity to make more football money. It's nice to be done with that merry-go-round. That said, UConn has deluded themselves with football, they should just drop it and then they'd likely be welcomed by the BE with open arms (while keeping one eye on our laptops). You don't think it would bump our conference prestige a bit to have the national champions in our league? I think perception does matter, and UConn would help put an end to the "Big East is dead" talk, even if they were only win us for a few years. And if they bail, it just leaves us in the same position we are in now.
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TBird41
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"Roy! I Love All 7'2" of you Roy!"
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Post by TBird41 on Apr 9, 2014 9:41:48 GMT -5
Why are people so eager to add to the BE? UConn isn't coming back and, realistically, they shouldn't. Let them have their conference. And they're not dropping football. So that's a non-starter. Memphis? Why exactly? To bring down the academic/integrity rep of the conference? Memphis adds next to nothing. Why not be content for right now with what the conference is and see what it becomes? The BE took a major hit. But it was built up once. It can happen again. Football is the revenue machine right now but that's slowly changing at the lower levels. I think the future of CBB and basketball in general is very bright and the BE is very well positioned for that. Having said that, I wonder what the future of college athletics as a whole will look like. A college degree isn't getting less expensive and technology is getting better. How long will it be before brick and mortar, in person education is a thing of the past and talks about conference realignment are irrelevant? I honestly wonder about that because I have young nephews that, I hope, have great college experiences like I did. I hope that's still the norm and not the aberration when that time comes. Memphis is a top 15-20 basketball program all time. It'd be roughly the same as adding Louisville back in 2005--you know they are committed to being good, they can be very, very good, and they have the kind of name that will draw the interest of casual fans. From a pure basketball perspective, they're far and away the second best basketball program that is not in the Big East or a BCS conference (behind UConn). Also, their football program is just awful--they've only been to 6 bowl games in 100+ years of football, so it seems slightly more likely that they might drop football, since they are horrible (its still highly unlikely).
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Apr 9, 2014 10:03:12 GMT -5
UConn would be good for Big East tourney attendance and the attendance of others in the area. That being said, I agree with others that you've got to give it three to four years. With 6 programs having top 40 recruiting classes, the prospects aren't deterred. I think BBall only would be attractive to a recruit as you are at the top of the food chain at that school. I also think the home & home gives us a true champion, something we didn't have in the old hodge podge big east and something that the ACC, Big Ten, 12, SEC & Pac won't have because of their girth.
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boxout05
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Post by boxout05 on Apr 9, 2014 10:25:59 GMT -5
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Filo
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Post by Filo on Apr 10, 2014 8:00:47 GMT -5
We could definitely get UConn and Memphis. And the instant another, bigger conference even hinted that they might invite them, they would immediately start packing their things. The BE gains very little (a few more points in conference RPI?) from inviting schools that will forget the sport of college basketball even exists the second they have the opportunity to make more football money. It's nice to be done with that merry-go-round. That said, UConn has deluded themselves with football, they should just drop it and then they'd likely be welcomed by the BE with open arms (while keeping one eye on our laptops). You don't think it would bump our conference prestige a bit to have the national champions in our league? I think perception does matter, and UConn would help put an end to the "Big East is dead" talk, even if they were only win us for a few years. And if they bail, it just leaves us in the same position we are in now. Yeah, other than the usual legal squabbling and maneuvering over who gets what money when they leave, and the attendant legal fees, and the typical bad press that will result ("oh no, UConn is leaving. The Big East is dead now."). But other than that, pretty much the same position...
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