Crazy UConn AAC Stat

[RUClassof67]

Was just reading the recap on UConns 84-70 win over USF in the AAC Conference final. UConn has never lost an AAC game (regular season or tournament). Not unexpected.

But the crazier stat is that, prior to this game, they had never won by fewer than 20 points!

 

[knightfan2000]

Not all that surprising really considering how dominant they are. I wish they could just hand UConn the trophy for the national championship and then let everyone else play in the tournament for second place. It would be so much more interesting, and fair, that way.

 

[shields]

What a horrible conference.

 

[RUfinal4]

Even in the old BE they dominated. We beat them a couple of times over the years. I think Notre Dame also beat them once or twice but for the most part they were at worst a 2 loss Big East team.

 

[BeKnighted]

Originally posted by RUfinal4:
Even in the old BE they dominated. We beat them a couple of times over the years. I think Notre Dame also beat them once or twice but for the most part they were at worst a 2 loss Big East team.

RU was 5-5 against Connecticut from 2005 to 2008, including a regular season sweep in 2006 and the BEast championship game in 2007, and had 6 wins overall in the RU-UConn Big East era. That 4-year stretch probably is the best or second best (behind Notre Dame) any team did against UConn in the BEast over an extended period.

 

[MGSA99]

I think UConn is vulnerable. Perhaps a "close" game against USF was exactly what they needed so Geno could tell them that the NCAAs won't be a cakewalk. I am curious to see what happens to UConn as they become numb to good competition playing 18 AAC games every year.

 

[Knight Time Fan]

Originally posted by MGSA99:
I think UConn is vulnerable. Perhaps a "close" game against USF was exactly what they needed so Geno could tell them that the NCAAs won't be a cakewalk. I am curious to see what happens to UConn as they become numb to good competition playing 18 AAC games every year.

Will not happen as long as Geno is there. He doesn't let them loaf in a practice, never mind a game.

Plus he tends to schedule at least one OOC tough game late (thank ESPN Big Monday), this year was South Carolina, last year was Baylor and someone else.

A more amazing stat - I don't actually know the stat, just know it is amazing - is the number of games against all competition that UConn wins by more than 10 and more than 20 points on average. They most often blow out the good teams too.

Still a pretty sad conference.

 

[Ewecon]

Shields, I totally agree it's not a good conference. However, if UConn wasn't in the American, I'm not so sure everyone would be saying "what a horrible" conference....including saying it myself. Geno said the other day that if UConn wasn't in the conference, that it would be very balanced, but UConn disrupts that balance. I agree with him. If UConn wasn't winning by 40+ points, nobody would be talking about how weak a conference the American is.... In fact, there are some decent teams in the AAC....South Florida (26-7, and who I think could beat many teams in the Big 10, including Rutgers), East Carolina (21-10), Tulane (22-10) and even Tulsa (17-13). Are there some very bad teams? Absolutely. But there are in most conferences. Many conference are top heavy.

Hopefully, UConn will be getting into a better conference in the coming years (but not holding my breath). Until then, my hope would be that the conference improves over time, much the same way the old Big East improved into a strong conference. It wasn't always that way.

 

[Knight Time Fan]

Originally posted by Ewecon:
Shields, I totally agree it's not a good conference. However, if UConn wasn't in the American, I'm not so sure everyone would be saying "what a horrible" conference....including saying it myself. Geno said the other day that if UConn wasn't in the conference, that it would be very balanced, but UConn disrupts that balance. I agree with him. If UConn wasn't winning by 40+ points, nobody would be talking about how weak a conference the American is.... In fact, there are some decent teams in the AAC....South Florida (26-7, and who I think could beat many teams in the Big 10, including Rutgers), East Carolina (21-10), Tulane (22-10) and even Tulsa (17-13). Are there some very bad teams? Absolutely. But there are in most conferences. Many conference are top heavy.

Hopefully, UConn will be getting into a better conference in the coming years (but not holding my breath). Until then, my hope would be that the conference improves over time, much the same way the old Big East improved into a strong conference. It wasn't always that way.

Referring to your first paragraph - you are probably correct, in the same way that most folks don't walk around citing the new BE as weak or a lot of other conferences (OTH, there are some - MAAC, SWAC, Northeast among others that are known and cited to be weak). Without UConn the AAC would be a solid mid-major - as most folks considered CUSA whence many of the teams came. South Florida is the best of them, but they were always competitive in the BE. Many of the other teams (including some that are currently on "hard times") have had decent mid-major success in the past.

With UConn in the mix, they do look worse than they are, so I get you.

Unfortunately, they would be a 1 bid conference without UConn's positive effect on the RPI, that's really what has happened to the new BE, which likewise has some quite respectable teams.

Posted by Doug