Source: UConn lacrosse to DI in 2018

[RipCity]

Yeah, I hear it's an echo chamber

...o chamber

 

[ZooCougar]

Yeah, I hear it's an echo chamber

Yeah, I keep hearing it over and over again but I am not convinced. Sometimes you'll be saying something and someone else will repeat it, but it's not like being in an echo chamber, it's like being in a room where you say something and it gets repeated again and again.

 

[Milo65]

Men's lacrosse may open doors to the B1G

 

[Milo65]

 

[Milo65]

 

[Stinger92860]

Ok, who the heck is Larry Cousins?

 

[junglehusky]

 

[CallMeBruce]

Porter is a bro's bro, but there's some real smoke here.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Only negative about this is if we are set to join the Big East in lacrosse in 2018 that means as of now we have no plans on joining the ACC/B1G before then since both leagues support lacrosse.

Unless it's a temporary "in name only" move until we get an invite and never actually play a game in the BE.

2018 is incredibly optimistic. Logically everything necessary to fall into play would have to fall into play almost immediately and we still ould need a minor miracle or two for the invitation to come in time for us to join that quickly.

Men's LAX happening (if this is true) tells me a couple of things:
1) There are private donations lined up to cover this as ant expansion of athletic department spending will need to come from donations for the near future.

2) There is a lot more than merely vague comments coming from leadership of potential destination conferences. There is likely a timeline and a list of benchmarks we need to reach and at that point we will have a new home.

 

[BoatShow]

Only negative about this is if we are set to join the Big East in lacrosse in 2018 that means as of now we have no plans on joining the ACC/B1G before then since both leagues support lacrosse.

Unless it's a temporary "in name only" move until we get an invite and never actually play a game in the BE.

Ask Boise St, TCU, San Diego St if this means we'll ever play a game of BE lax.

 

[huskymedic]

Speaking of lacrosse:

 

[huskymedic]

ssladephoto 2:42pm via Twitter Web Client
Congrats to @UConnWLAX for taking down 8th ranked Florida in a thriller at home. Were down 8-1 and won 11-10. Wow!

 

[UCONNJACK]

2018 is incredibly optimistic. Logically everything necessary to fall into play would have to fall into play almost immediately and we still ould need a minor miracle or two for the invitation to come in time for us to join that quickly.

Men's LAX happening (if this is true) tells me a couple of things:
1) There are private donations lined up to cover this as ant expansion of athletic department spending will need to come from donations for the near future.

2) There is a lot more than merely vague comments coming from leadership of potential destination conferences. There is likely a timeline and a list of benchmarks we need to reach and at that point we will have a new home.

I occasionally run into a retired CT sportswriter while getting breakfast. I mentioned to him last week that there was talk about UConn upgrading men's lacrosse to D-1. He was skeptical about the upgrade but this morning he told me that a high ranking UConn Club member confirmed to him the upgrade was coming and that it was conference realignment driven.

 

[pj]

So ... conference interested in lacrosse ... and not related to oceans or coasts ... what could it be?

 

[Briuconn]

I am all skeptical about conference realignment and where we are going if it happens, but adding Men's Lacrosse (if financial able) is a smart decision, and would show athletic dept. value and depth. Frankly, we live in a state with some of the best college lacrosse players. Unlike when it gets mentioned that CT is not a football recruiting hotbed in those conference realignment messages, CT lacrosse as well as hockey is a hotbed. If it happens, UConn lacrosse could probably recruit very well. With the right coach, it could have the potential to be a great program.

Also, I have gotten into lacrosse as my son now plays it. It seems to be growing a little every year as it gets kids moving from baseball and spring soccer.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I occasionally run into a retired CT sportswriter while getting breakfast. I mentioned to him last week that there was talk about UConn upgrading men's lacrosse to D-1. He was skeptical about the upgrade but this morning he told me that a high ranking UConn Club member confirmed to him the upgrade was coming and that it was conference realignment driven.

....please be true!

 

[huskypantz]

Lax is of equal import to the ACC and their conference is short on members (although they're all fairly elite). I think that it is an "easy" decision to say that the two conferences we're interested in both have small lax divisions, another addition plus CT's recruiting ground would strengthen UConn's case.

OTOH, it is fairly amazing that Rutgers and Maryland AD's were hemorrhaging money and dropping sports on the way to a B1G invite. We have a huge athletic budget BEFORE you think about the extra $20-40 mil a P5 invite would bring. I find it hard to believe that UConn would spend money on Men's Lax - a revenue negative sport - without outside counsel (that has inside connections).

My opinion - we were given a to-do list, and we're checking off boxes in earnest.

 

[ZooCougar]

Barring Big 12/B1G/ACC, maybe UConn and a few other choice AAC schools are ditching the conference to form a new national football conference? This would force us to reapproach the Big East? When is the AAC TV contract up?

 

[dbmill]

I would think that if UConn gets into either the ACC or the Big Ten, a men's lacrosse program would be a certainty.

 

[B1GOSU]

If you join the B1G, you need trophy games in all sports! Check out the Maryland - Hopkins Trophy that was announced today.........

http://btn.com/2015/04/21/photo-maryland-johns-hopkins-lacrosse-unveil-the-rivalry-trophy/

Maryland and Johns Hopkins lacrosse teams will meet in the regular-season finale every year, and, as of Tuesday morning, there will be a trophy on the line.

The two programs unveiled “The Rivalry Trophy” four days before they close out the inaugural Big Ten lacrosse season Saturday night at Byrd Stadium.

The trophy, according to the umterps.com release, is a nod to one of the state of Maryland’s most iconic images, the Maryland blue crab. It is made out of reclaimed wood from Baltimore, Maryland, and it comes in at 25 pounds, and is 32 inches wide and 22 inches tall.

“Our coaching staff and players consider it a great honor and privilege to compete in a rivalry that is much greater than ourselves,” said Maryland head coach John Tillman. “We are thrilled to add even more meaning to the Maryland-Johns Hopkins rivalry with the addition of the trophy.”

“It is not lost on our current staff and players or those who came before us that representing Johns Hopkins in the greatest rivalry in college lacrosse is an honor,” Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala noted. “After more than 100 all-time meetings, it’s not easy to add something to a rivalry that is already so intense and important to so many, yet the addition of the “The Rivalry Trophy” does just that. We look forward to the addition of this new and exciting chapter in the storied history of Hopkins-Maryland.”

The trophy’s great and all, but the two teams are playing for a lot more Saturday. With a win, Maryland, which already owns at least a share of the Big Ten crown, can take the outright Big Ten title. Johns Hopkins, with a win, can earn a share of the crown, either with Maryland or Maryland and Ohio State, depending on the Buckeyes’ result at Rutgers.

 

[CallMeBruce]

DP is a bro, but calling Hopkins-Maryland the greatest rivalry in college lacrosse is ridiculous. It's not even Hopkins' greatest rivalry.

 

[auggie22]

If you join the B1G, you need trophy games in all sports! Check out the Maryland - Hopkins Trophy that was announced today....

http://btn.com/2015/04/21/photo-maryland-johns-hopkins-lacrosse-unveil-the-rivalry-trophy/

Maryland and Johns Hopkins lacrosse teams will meet in the regular-season finale every year, and, as of Tuesday morning, there will be a trophy on the line.

The two programs unveiled “The Rivalry Trophy” four days before they close out the inaugural Big Ten lacrosse season Saturday night at Byrd Stadium.

The trophy, according to the umterps.com release, is a nod to one of the state of Maryland’s most iconic images, the Maryland blue crab. It is made out of reclaimed wood from Baltimore, Maryland, and it comes in at 25 pounds, and is 32 inches wide and 22 inches tall.

“Our coaching staff and players consider it a great honor and privilege to compete in a rivalry that is much greater than ourselves,” said Maryland head coach John Tillman. “We are thrilled to add even more meaning to the Maryland-Johns Hopkins rivalry with the addition of the trophy.”

“It is not lost on our current staff and players or those who came before us that representing Johns Hopkins in the greatest rivalry in college lacrosse is an honor,” Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala noted. “After more than 100 all-time meetings, it’s not easy to add something to a rivalry that is already so intense and important to so many, yet the addition of the “The Rivalry Trophy” does just that. We look forward to the addition of this new and exciting chapter in the storied history of Hopkins-Maryland.”

The trophy’s great and all, but the two teams are playing for a lot more Saturday. With a win, Maryland, which already owns at least a share of the Big Ten crown, can take the outright Big Ten title. Johns Hopkins, with a win, can earn a share of the crown, either with Maryland or Maryland and Ohio State, depending on the Buckeyes’ result at Rutgers.

Talk about anticlimactic. So a three way tie it is.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

We could play Rutgers every year for the liberty trophy
A replica of the Statue of Libery.
You can't get more iconic than that.

 

[bingethinker]

DP is a bro, but calling Hopkins-Maryland the greatest rivalry in college lacrosse is ridiculous. It's not even Hopkins' greatest rivalry.

What?? When you play at Hopkins or Maryland, the ONLY thing that matters is Maryland or Hopkins week. They've played each other more often than any other team. Md-Hop is definitely a thing.

 

[CallMeBruce]

What?? When you play at Hopkins or Maryland, the ONLY thing that matters is Maryland or Hopkins week. They've played each other more often than any other team. Md-Hop is definitely a thing.

Maybe to Maryland, but if you look at the trash talk that Hopkins fans do, a lot more of it is with Cuse fans. Maryland hasn't won a title in 40 years; calling them part of the greatest anything in lacrosse is absurd.