UConn Basketball to Return to Big East?

[RC66]

ESPN reports a rumor...

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/27030819/sources-uconn-expected-rejoin-big-east

Football to go independent?

 

[MADHAT1]

Good move by UConn and the NBE.
As for football, ( my opinion) eventually move down to the FCS Division

 

[knight82]

Every women's basketball program in the AAC just let out a sigh of relief. And this helps Geno too. No competition in the months of January And February hurt them come Final Four time

 

[BeKnighted]

This move seems to be much more about men's basketball than anything else. The BEast women's teams will be no more competition than the AAC women's teams.

 

[Ewecon]

This move seems to be much more about men's basketball than anything else. The BEast women's teams will be no more competition than the AAC women's teams.

I have to respectfully disagree, BeK. Looking at 2018-19 conference RPI for the men, Big East is # 5, American is #6. On the men's side, the American has some very decent teams. Personally, I think it's basically a wash for the men. The big benefit, as I see it, is recruiting. Hurley should do very well recruiting New England and NYC area players.

The women, on the other hand, move from the #9 conference RPI (behind the West Coast and Mid American conferences) to the #6 RPI Big East, just behind the power 5 conferences (in fact, the Big East and the SEC have almost exactly the same RPI). Also significant is the Big East's non-conference winning percentage vs. the American, 71.7% vs. 58.9%, respectively. Big East competes better with other conferences.

So, in my opinion, this is more of an upgrade for the women than the men. The big loser is the football program, but it's certainly warranted.

 

[MADHAT1]

ewecon,
glad you stated your opinion.
Not following the AAC M&W conference rating and not knowing how the NBE was looked at as a WBB conference , I thought it was a great move for UConn's MBB program , a not that great one for the WBB program and FB probably a disaster unless they can get some good programs to sign home and homes as an Independent .
I had heard Gino was for it, but also saw some who think the NBE is a weaker conference for WBB and wondered why Geno liked the move.

Now I'm looking at the move as a poor one for the FB program's ability to survive as a FBS program , a great one for UConn MBB and a fairly good one for the UConn WBB program, even though feel the WBB program came out best.
Do you think this move will help Geno in recruiting, or he doesn't need a conference membership to bring in talent .
Seems like he dosen't need it, but maybe this move will give a slight edge over being in the AAC when he talks to those he wants .

 

[RUChoppin]

This move seems to be much more about men's basketball than anything else. The BEast women's teams will be no more competition than the AAC women's teams.

Other than UConn last year, the rest of the AAC had just #15 UCF ranked in the RPI Top 75 and an overall average RPI of 156.5. The Big East had #12 Marquette, #18 DePaul, #56 Nova, #70 Gtown, and #74 Butler... with an overall average RPI of 92.1. I'd say that's an increase in overall competition - though maybe not anyone who could legitimately challenge UConn, at least there would be only 1 RPI >150 team in the conference instead of 7.

 

[BeKnighted]

I appreciate ewe con's perspective, but over the past three or four years it's hard to say that the BEast would have provided any more of a real challenge than the AAC. This is more about UConn than about the two conferences, but unless the Huskies are in a conference with multiple top-25 teams, it's really not going to provide much in the way of competition.

 

[Knight Time Fan]

I appreciate ewe con's perspective, but over the past three or four years it's hard to say that the BEast would have provided any more of a real challenge than the AAC. This is more about UConn than about the two conferences, but unless the Huskies are in a conference with multiple top-25 teams, it's really not going to provide much in the way of competition.

Exactly, although they didn't like when I said this on the Boneyard. There are some peripheral benefits, including the less travel, of course, but I don't see competition as really being much tougher in reality.