Bilas on Uconn left out of expansion

[B1GEast]

On the Rich Eisen show, Bilas mentioned that he heard from several ACC people that one of the main reasons that Uconn was not invited was because Uconn was perceived a team that would eventually become irrelevant once Calhoun retired.

They didn't think the University would ever bounce back once he left and they didn't see a program with a foundation.

How wrong were they? They added Pitt, BC, Cuse and Louisville all of which have faded into irrelevance, while we went on to win titles with three different coaches. None of those programs, besides Pitt, did anything on the football field.

Uconn actually went to a BCS game. Honestly I don't care for the ACC as a conference, they are vulnerable if the SEC or B1G really wanted to help and ACC university cover the exit fee.

Uconn has established itself as a brand that's greater than many other in P5 conferences.

 

[upstater]

The ACC and BE will have to merge. One side will have football, the other basketball.

Add UConn to the BC, Cuse, Pitt, VT, Virginia, Duke, NC St, Wake, GTech conference and they have balance.

Suspect NC is headed out with Clemson, Miami and FSU.

 

[Skiblets]

On the Rich Eisen show, Biden mentioned that he heard from several ACC people that one of the main reasons that Uconn was not invited was because Uconn was perceived a team that would eventually become irrelevant once Calhoun retired.

They didn't think the University would ever bounce back once he left and they didn't see a program with a foundation.

How wrong were they? They added Pitt, BC, Cuse and Louisville all of which have faded into irrelevance, while we went on to win titles with three different coaches. None of those programs, besides Pitt, did anything on the football field.

Uconn actually went to a BCS game. Honestly I don't care for the ACC as a conference, they are vulnerable if the SEC or B1G really wanted to help and ACC university cover the exit fee.

Uconn has established itself as a brand that's greater than many other in P5 conferences.

They keep moving the goalposts on the reasons why. Thought it was the football schools
Who wanted better programs. Then it was BC who blocked us. Now it’s program sustainability after JC. Such a joke

 

[Sick Puppy]

"Remember ACC, you wanted this."

 

[B1GEast]

Bilas at the 1:20 minute mark

 

[UCTitleTown]

And Jim Calhoun retired in 2012. That's 11 years ago. That was plenty of time to see the error of their ways....

For now I'm happy in the Big East and as a football independent. The only conference that I'd want to go to would be the B1G. I think over time we could be respectable in football like Rutgers and would still be tops in both Men's and Women's Basketball.

 

[UConntLose]

On the Rich Eisen show, Bilas mentioned that he heard from several ACC people that one of the main reasons that Uconn was not invited was because Uconn was perceived a team that would eventually become irrelevant once Calhoun retired.

They didn't think the University would ever bounce back once he left and they didn't see a program with a foundation.

How wrong were they? They added Pitt, BC, Cuse and Louisville all of which have faded into irrelevance, while we went on to win titles with three different coaches. None of those programs, besides Pitt, did anything on the football field.

Uconn actually went to a BCS game. Honestly I don't care for the ACC as a conference, they are vulnerable if the SEC or B1G really wanted to help and ACC university cover the exit fee.

Uconn has established itself as a brand that's greater than many other in P5 conferences.

Note: it’s UConn (capital C).

 

[John]

They keep moving the goalposts on the reasons why. Thought it was the football schools
Who wanted better programs. Then it was BC who blocked us. Now it’s program sustainability after JC. Such a joke

1st round BC blocked us and 2nd round football powers blocked us. There were reports during second raid about the ACC fearing the Calhoun retirement impact on the program. Not sure where you're seeing moving goalposts, it's consistent with media reports all along.

 

[B1GEast]

Note: it’s UConn (capital C).

Don't be THAT guy

 

[Pmurph678]

The ACC and BE will have to merge. One side will have football, the other basketball.

Add UConn to the BC, Cuse, Pitt, VT, Virginia, Duke, NC St, Wake, GTech conference and they have balance.

Suspect NC is headed out with Clemson, Miami and FSU.

Wouldn’t this just remake the old BE?

 

[AdamaNation]

On the Rich Eisen show, Bilas mentioned that he heard from several ACC people that one of the main reasons that Uconn was not invited was because Uconn was perceived a team that would eventually become irrelevant once Calhoun retired.

They didn't think the University would ever bounce back once he left and they didn't see a program with a foundation.

How wrong were they? They added Pitt, BC, Cuse and Louisville all of which have faded into irrelevance, while we went on to win titles with three different coaches. None of those programs, besides Pitt, did anything on the football field.

Uconn actually went to a BCS game. Honestly I don't care for the ACC as a conference, they are vulnerable if the SEC or B1G really wanted to help and ACC university cover the exit fee.

Uconn has established itself as a brand that's greater than many other in P5 conferences.

Similar to notre dame some time ago.

 

[Jaydumo20]

I wish it never came to this, tbh. I'm not living in the past because I don't want to join "everybody". I'm just not a fan of how the NCAA has gerrymandered this country into an amorphous, football centered blob. We won a natty 5 times without being in a P5, and once in an NIL year. Enjoy your cross country flight for a noon Sunday game. And ...CBB CAN compete with football. Look at the jump in WCBB popularity. (Nobody thought football would surpass baseball but alas)

 

[Greedo]

The ACC and BE will have to merge. One side will have football, the other basketball.

Add UConn to the BC, Cuse, Pitt, VT, Virginia, Duke, NC St, Wake, GTech conference and they have balance.

Suspect NC is headed out with Clemson, Miami and FSU.

I think there’s a good chance the ACC will reach out about this plan, but I’m not so sure the Big East will bite. These schools were angry and tired of being jerked around by the football schools. This would be the mega Big East 2.0 and I don’t see the catholic schools being on board.

 

[upstater]

I think there’s a good chance the ACC will reach out about this plan, but I’m not so sure the Big East will bite. These schools were angry and tired of being jerked around by the football schools. This would be the mega Big East 2.0 and I don’t see the catholic schools being on board.

The new TV package might not be to the BEs liking. As always, it will be about money.

With Fox encroaching on ESPN's territory now, there may be a lot more safety in numbers. Neither conference is likely to command the amount of money it needs, but paired up with cross sectional games, it may make a lot of sense. I just don't know how you have a conference tournament.

 

[wingsfan055]

Ironically it was Boston college that became irrelevant in all college sports in the past decade.

 

[giddyup]

The last time a B1G team won a Men’s BB Championship was 23 years ago and every year they load up 8 teams into the Tourney and never make it. One school, UConn has won 5 in the past 24 years. 5x the production of the entire B1G. Add in 11 Women’s BB championships. Any P5 looking to dominate across sports should take us in a heartbeat. Alas, they really don’t care about competing for anything other than TV football revenue. It’s a real indictment of where things are. Hopefully somebody over in the B1G wakes up and realizes they suck at BB. Likewise the Big12 should take UConn to dominate BB with Kansas, K State, OkST, Baylor, Cinci, UWV and add a premium market. In any case, the worst possible place to end up is in the ACC which is a deteriorating dump ready self implode.

 

[Spaceman213J]

I liked Bilas's comments on blue bloods. He baseically compared Kansas, Kentucky, Duke as being blue bloods in the sense that they are old money. He said UConn is the new blueblood like Gates or Musk.

 

[Matias]

Nothing disturbs the powers that be more than to see a school with a small market football program win a national championship in basketball. All they see is a revenue gap that needs to be “addressed”.

 

[61cygni]

Would love for the ACC to see Duke suck for years without K as they seem to have expected UConn to do without JC.

 

[Fishy]

The ACC and BE will have to merge. One side will have football, the other basketball.

Add UConn to the BC, Cuse, Pitt, VT, Virginia, Duke, NC St, Wake, GTech conference and they have balance.

Suspect NC is headed out with Clemson, Miami and FSU.

Where are Clemson and Miami going?

Big Ten - UNC, UVa, GT and ND, eventually.

SEC - Ahhh…they might not want any of these schools. No one needs a second team in South Carolina. Maybe they take FSU?

 

[UCHuskies08]

If Clemson, FSU, Miami? leave for greener football pastures, being passed up by the ACC could be some weird blessing in disguise. For me personally at the time, I was devastated and demoralized. Guess you never know how life plays out.

 

[Ts5034]

Wouldn’t this just remake the old BE?

That probably will be the end game here, and that would be Ironic If things essentially end up where it was before the 2013 breakup. I know football rules the world, but the basketball schools need to make the right decisions for their programs because we have seen first hand how conference realignment can be an anchor to your basketball program if you are in the wrong place.

 

[upstater]

Where are Clemson and Miami going?

Big Ten - UNC, UVa, GT and ND, eventually.

SEC - Ahhh…they might not want any of these schools. No one needs a second team in South Carolina. Maybe they take FSU?

Eh they took Oklahoma. They have so much money they don't even care.

 

[Mr. March]

I think there’s a good chance the ACC will reach out about this plan, but I’m not so sure the Big East will bite. These schools were angry and tired of being jerked around by the football schools. This would be the mega Big East 2.0 and I don’t see the catholic schools being on board.

I think the big east would only take a couple schools and i think Duke would be one of them. Imagine how insane that rivalry would be. That being said things worked out for the best and UConn has solidified its place as a winner beyond Calhoun yet because of him. I remember years ago Mike Francessa said UConn would become irrelevant after Calhoun so the ACC wasnt the only ones thinking it. As a great man once said "They thought they could win but they could not"

 

[ecasadoSBU]

Man... If there is one thing that annoys me of the boneyard is the inferiority complex in constant display by so many UConn fans. Its like half of the fan base here internalizes the need to always be catching up to someone else.

Enjoy the darn championship damn it. Can we just cut the b.s ACC/B1G/B12 talk for a few days?