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Post by unhfan on Jun 24, 2019 22:31:35 GMT -5
Ok so it’s safe to say I told you so to the fine gentleman who stated it would never happen.
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Post by A Clock Tower Purple on Jun 24, 2019 23:28:23 GMT -5
Do not think it's the right move at all by the BE, but I was wrong. Often am. Ask my wife.
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Post by gks on Jun 25, 2019 6:37:57 GMT -5
It always amazed me how UConn was left behind during this whole college conference upheaval of the last 10-15 years. They brought a lot to the table in the 1990s and 2000s and no one wanted them. They must have really pissed someone off big time.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Jun 25, 2019 8:29:33 GMT -5
It always amazed me how UConn was left behind during this whole college conference upheaval of the last 10-15 years. They brought a lot to the table in the 1990s and 2000s and no one wanted them. They must have really pissed someone off big time. Agree 100%--that's just what I have always thought
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Post by rickii on Jun 25, 2019 8:31:19 GMT -5
It always amazed me how UConn was left behind during this whole college conference upheaval of the last 10-15 years. They brought a lot to the table in the 1990s and 2000s and no one wanted them. They must have really pissed someone off big time. You won't be amazed after you revisit the demise of the old BIGEAST.
You really need to do some research on UConn vs. BC and UConn vs. ACC legal history....it was quite nasty and basically UConn ticked-off a lot of people up and down the east coast.
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Post by sader1970 on Jun 25, 2019 8:34:05 GMT -5
Not sure about the administrators at UConn but it certainly couldn't have been coaches Calhoun and Auriemma who both had/have a reputation of modesty and bon homie.
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Post by hchoops on Jun 25, 2019 8:34:25 GMT -5
I do not know if the two b-ball coaches had anything to do with it, but neither sought good relationships with their fellow conference schools, in fact frequently disregarded them or worse. Not to say this was always those coaches’ fault alone.
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Post by Ray on Jun 25, 2019 8:46:09 GMT -5
These decisions were made by university presidents/boards. Calhoun and Auriemma were bystanders. There's a lot of handwringing about how UConn got screwed over, or misplayed their hand, or what have you... but look at the eastern schools they were competing with for landing spots in the ACC/B1G/B12 during the last round of conference realignment: BC, VaTech, Syracuse, Louisville, Rutgers, Pitt, Maryland All of those schools changed conferences, landing in the ACC or B1G. Only UConn ended up on the outside. Look at that list again, and compare to UConn. What's different about UConn? Their football program wasn't at the same level yet. (OK, fine, Rutgers was/is terrible too, but Rutgers was in a much more favorable market, both for TV and for football recruiting purposes...NJ is a HS football hotbed, CT is a backwater). Football rules all, and UConn football was the slow zebra.... just wasn't a value add to either conference's football profile. It's really that simple, IMO.
And now their football program is even weaker, further dimming their prospects of finding a landing spot for football in the next round of shuffling. So, they've apparently pulled the rip cord and decided to focus on saving basketball. Smart move, IMO.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Jun 25, 2019 8:55:22 GMT -5
To add to what Ray wrote, The Big 10 always wanted its members to be members of the Association of American Universities. www.aau.edu/who-we-are/our-membersSupposedly, they made an exception for Nebraska, with some misgivings.
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Post by gks on Jun 25, 2019 9:15:53 GMT -5
It always amazed me how UConn was left behind during this whole college conference upheaval of the last 10-15 years. They brought a lot to the table in the 1990s and 2000s and no one wanted them. They must have really pissed someone off big time. You won't be amazed after you revisit the demise of the old BIGEAST.
You really need to do some research on UConn vs. BC and UConn vs. ACC legal history....it was quite nasty and basically UConn ticked-off a lot of people up and down the east coast.
I know the UConn/BC backstory. UConn had a much better athletic program at the time the BC jumped to the ACC. UConn is very strong in the NYC and New England markets. They check all the boxes.
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Post by hchoops on Jun 25, 2019 9:20:19 GMT -5
Except the football box
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Post by gks on Jun 25, 2019 9:21:55 GMT -5
These decisions were made by university presidents/boards. Calhoun and Auriemma were bystanders. There's a lot of handwringing about how UConn got screwed over, or misplayed their hand, or what have you... but look at the eastern schools they were competing with for landing spots in the ACC/B1G/B12 during the last round of conference realignment: BC, VaTech, Syracuse, Louisville, Rutgers, Pitt, Maryland All of those schools changed conferences, landing in the ACC or B1G. Only UConn ended up on the outside. Look at that list again, and compare to UConn. What's different about UConn? Their football program wasn't at the same level yet. (OK, fine, Rutgers was/is terrible too, but Rutgers was in a much more favorable market, both for TV and for football recruiting purposes...NJ is a HS football hotbed, CT is a backwater). Football rules all, and UConn football was the slow zebra.... just wasn't a value add to either conference's football profile. It's really that simple, IMO.
And now their football program is even weaker, further dimming their prospects of finding a landing spot for football in the next round of shuffling. So, they've apparently pulled the rip cord and decided to focus on saving basketball. Smart move, IMO.
When BC moved to ACC, 2005 I believe, UConn football was decent or better. They were very competitive and a bowl team in that stretch which led to the Fiesta Bowl appearance. UConn M & W hoops were top programs in the nation yet they got passed over. Always thought it was strange. Huskies make more sense in the ACC then Pitt and Louisville.
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Post by hchoops on Jun 25, 2019 9:29:20 GMT -5
How did UConn’s football attendance compare to Pitt and the Ville ? TV market potential ?
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Post by gks on Jun 25, 2019 9:37:43 GMT -5
UConn was, and I think still is, a big draw in the NYC market for hoops. Their football attendance was probably pretty close to BC's at the time. Would have to spend some time to really look at the numbers but UConn was a force in college athletics when all this was shaking down. Never would have guessed they would have been left at the altar when the dust settled.
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Post by Ray on Jun 25, 2019 9:43:39 GMT -5
When BC moved to ACC, 2005 I believe, UConn football was decent or better. They were very competitive and a bowl team in that stretch which led to the Fiesta Bowl appearance. UConn M & W hoops were top programs in the nation yet they got passed over. Always thought it was strange. Huskies make more sense in the ACC then Pitt and Louisville.
UConn football was just starting to get decent in 2005. BC announced ACC move in 2005. At that point UConn's only bowl appearance was the prestigious 2004 Motor City Bowl. Yes, that was the start of an upswing that culminated in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl. But UConn football wasn't on a footing with BC's in 2005, and while their football was on much better footing when the larger Big East schism happened, I think they had less of a case compared to LVille (strong ACC fit in both football/hoops at the time, plus geographical advantage) and Pitt.
In retrospect, their best chance was probably to beat BC to the ACC back in 2005, but again, their short-lived football rise wasn't far enough along at that point. And, much like Rutgers/B1G, the ACC favored the Boston media market (putting aside how little pull BC actually has in that market).
Pitt to the ACC did kill them, in the sense that IIRC Pitt was widely seen as a B1G candidate, and instead they sort of sniped UConn's ACC spot.
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Post by purplehaze on Jun 25, 2019 10:03:07 GMT -5
I don't know if this had anything to do with UConn being left at the altar, but in Calhoun's final years his players were not going to class and the ones that were, didn't do very well. As you may recall their men's basketball team had such a low academic index (call it the 'APR'?) that their program was placed on probation and incurred some penalties (not sure exactly what). Having this embarrassment hanging over them might have contributed to their eventual rejection by the major conferences.
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Post by hchoops on Jun 25, 2019 10:06:27 GMT -5
In 2005 hoopster AJ Price was also involved in some campus thefts. Suspended for a year
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Post by gks on Jun 25, 2019 10:19:29 GMT -5
I don't know if this had anything to do with UConn being left at the altar, but in Calhoun's final years his players were not going to class and the ones that were, didn't do very well. As you may recall their men's basketball team had such a low academic index (call it the 'APR'?) that their program was placed on probation and incurred some penalties (not sure exactly what). Having this embarrassment hanging over them might have contributed to their eventual rejection by the major conferences. This probably upped their standing with some ACC schools.....
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Post by longsuffering on Jun 25, 2019 10:19:52 GMT -5
I don't know if this had anything to do with UConn being left at the altar, but in Calhoun's final years his players were not going to class and the ones that were, didn't do very well. As you may recall their men's basketball team had such a low academic index (call it the 'APR'?) that their program was placed on probation and incurred some penalties (not sure exactly what). Having this embarrassment hanging over them might have contributed to their eventual rejection by the major conferences. Is the way BU hockey coach Jack Parker lost some control over his team in his last years (rowdyism, boorish behavior or worse) a fair comparison to Calhoun?
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Post by rickii on Jun 25, 2019 10:20:31 GMT -5
Good work Ray....
When BC got and accepted the ACC invite, UConn unleashed a very public nastiness at BC as a traitor. AIR, the Gov and State Attorney even got envolved with threats of litigation against both BC and the ACC . Then Calhoun went public ( and briefly Boehiem ) ranting saying he would never again play BC. All this went on for weeks.
The ACC folks in Greensboro took notice....as did the Big 10. UConn became an outlier via their own actions and here they are today.
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Post by Ray on Jun 25, 2019 10:45:13 GMT -5
Good work Ray.... When BC got and accepted the ACC invite, UConn unleashed a very public nastiness at BC as a traitor. AIR, the Gov and State Attorney even got envolved with threats of litigation against both BC and the ACC . Then Calhoun went public ( and briefly Boehiem ) ranting saying he would never again play BC. All this went on for weeks. The ACC folks in Greensboro took notice....as did the Big 10. UConn became an outlier via their own actions and here they are today.
That's some good additional color, rickii. Not exactly an example of UConn playing the long game there.
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Post by gks on Jun 25, 2019 10:59:49 GMT -5
Syracuse complained and moaned as only Boehiem can when BC jumped yet they got the invite. Calhoun's boorish behavior might have played a role with some but the ACC welcomed Pitino with open arms. At the time...could UConn's strength in hoops been too much of a threat to the ACC blue-bloods especially in women's? UConn should have gone with BC.
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Post by purplehaze on Jun 25, 2019 11:58:14 GMT -5
Did you know ? UConn is already an associate member of the Big East - their field hockey program has been in the BE for years.
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Post by JRGNYR on Jun 25, 2019 12:01:43 GMT -5
Did you know ? UConn is already an associate member of the Big East - their field hockey program has been in the BE for years. UConn women's lacrosse was also in the Big East through 2018 before the AAC started sponsoring the sport this spring. The American doesn't sponsor field hockey. Geographically it's made the most sense for UConn's program. There are currently five affiliate members of the BE in field hockey - Temple, Quinnipiac, Liberty and Old Dominion round out the list with Villanova, Providence and Georgetown as full members who sponsor the sport.
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Post by rickii on Jun 25, 2019 12:12:02 GMT -5
Syracuse complained and moaned as only Boehiem can when BC jumped yet they got the invite. Calhoun's boorish behavior might have played a role with some but the ACC welcomed Pitino with open arms. At the time...could UConn's strength in hoops been too much of a threat to the ACC blue-bloods especially in women's? UConn should have gone with BC. Syracuse didn't complain - Boehiem did - briefly. Calhoun's comments were minor compared to the comments/actions of the Gov and State Attorney. Louisville wasn't a popular choice. BC was for the Boston market and specifically championed by Duke and Wake Forest.
The ACC passed on UConn....as did the Big Ten in favor of Rutgers and to a lesser extent Maryland.
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