The AAC is an absolute train-wreck

[champs99and04]

Sorry if I'm cluttering the board with a redundant topic, but holy hell, if you thought the conference was bad last year, I shudder to think of what the committee is going to think of the conference this season. It's early, but we're already damn near half-way through the non-conference slate, and the results are not promising. At all.

A Temple team that many of us hoped would have a bounce-back season got blown out by Duke and followed that up by losing to a dysfunctional UNLV team. Cincinnati has been an eye-gauging team all season (even relative to the ordinary Cincy teams) and it took all 59 points to comfortably beat a 1-2 N.C. Central team tonight. Memphis is coached by Josh Pastner, managed to lose one of their exhibitions, and got worked by Wichita in their first game. SMU, barring an unforeseen win @ Michigan, has badly flunked their OOC test.

The bottom-half isn't fairing much better. East Carolina has yet to record a win over a D-1 team, Central Florida is unbeaten but yet to play anybody with a pulse, Tulane was slaughtered by a bad Wake Forest team, and Tulsa lost their opener to Oral Roberts (but beat Auburn last night) and is coached by Frank Haith. Houston looked like a silver lining, but then got pasted by a Harvard team tonight that lost to Holy Cross. South Florida might be OK, but even they struggled to beat Hofstra tonight.

It's bad enough to be in a conference with no other top 25 teams. But s***, am I overreacting to say this could be a one or two bid league? I'm not trying to beat a dead horse, I'm genuinely curious to see if others have been cringing at the results some of our other conference mates have been tossing up there.

 

[TRest]

I still can't remember half the schools in the conference, so following the scores is challenging.

 

[bobbygt]

No, you're not overreacting. But you're making me depressed, which is worse, for me.

Yes, I've been cringing. It's looking really bad.

I could care less if any of the other AAC teams make the tournament, just as long as Uconn is the one or one of the two teams to get in.

And I know that Uconn's seeding is dependent on a strong schedule . . . .

 

[Dynasty]

No, you're not overreacting. But you're making me depressed, which is worse, for me.

Yes, I've been cringing. It's looking really bad.

I could care less if any of the other AAC teams make the tournament, just as long as Uconn is the one or one of the two teams to get in.

And I know that Uconn's seeding is dependent on a strong schedule . . . .

You should care. More teams from the AAC means more money in UConn's pockets. We need all the money we can get.

 

[whaler11]

East Carolina beat Fresno today.

So stop your misinformation about the AAC!!

SMU already is down to a 1 in 4 shot to make the tourney.

Setting the NCAA bids at 2.5 is there anyone who wouldn't take the under?

 

[Fishy]

It's a two-bid league - three if something crazy happens in the AAC tourney.

I love how Tulsa scheduled, even if they get murdered by it.

No use for anyone else in the conference.

 

[chapwilvaug72]

UCONN hoops needs to park in A-10 pronto!! This is a revenue thang primo.

If Mr J Calhoun was AD this would have already occurred because he has a deadly J.

Current ad from biggy lil 10sterrs is on path to destroy hoops through foosbal debacle with his home hun headhunters. N.B.: said dude wanted nationwide search for manny hoop coach. That would have meant use of his good ole boyz recoooters to f hoops to oblivion. Lucky for husky faithful Mr Jumpin Js Calhoun did the calc and usurped office of sports directorship for a day to name olliewood dee man.

Hoop attendance is dwindling. For the current reigning blue bloodsy burgeoning blatant bid boss this is unacceptable. What reel husky fans are going to pay to view a conf of pansee pariah panzers? Most husky folk have ties to eastern seaboard. Since current ad made sure p5 is never viable, huskies must get dee keester in A-10 yesterday.

Would you not prefer home and home wit vcu, dayton, umess, rhodes, gwu, stlouis, stjoseph, stbon, lasallemarket, gmason (yessss!) as in somebod needs dee lb. ing, forham, rich., dukequesne?

meesa good ex. of e. seabordom links: B.A. UCONN, M.A. GWU

 

[ASweet3781]

This is why while I fully understand UConn is a team that plays better in March than in November and generally like that I couldn't just brush off the West Virginia loss like others did. There are pretty big consequences to that now playing in the AAC. We will have to make up for it against a Texas or Duke (a tall order) or take our 8 seed and grin and bear it.

 

[bobbygt]

You should care. More teams from the AAC means more money in UConn's pockets. We need all the money we can get.

Yes, I care.
It's just the energy is lacking . . . .

 

[johnhuskies95]

Cincy has a run of three tough OOC games in a row in mid December. Memphis scheduled horribly outside of Wichita and Gonzaga.

 

[intlzncster]

East Carolina beat Fresno today.

So stop your misinformation about the AAC!!

SMU already is down to a 1 in 4 shot to make the tourney.

Setting the NCAA bids at 2.5 is there anyone who wouldn't take the under?

Don't leave out South Florida. Got a big win today against Hofstra 71-70.

 

[superjohn]

Sorry if I'm cluttering the board with a redundant topic, but holy hell, if you thought the conference was bad last year, I shudder to think of what the committee is going to think of the conference this season. It's early, but we're already damn near half-way through the non-conference slate, and the results are not promising. At all.

A Temple team that many of us hoped would have a bounce-back season got blown out by Duke and followed that up by losing to a dysfunctional UNLV team. Cincinnati has been an eye-gauging team all season (even relative to the ordinary Cincy teams) and it took all 59 points to comfortably beat a 1-2 N.C. Central team tonight. Memphis is coached by Josh Pastner, managed to lose one of their exhibitions, and got worked by Wichita in their first game. SMU, barring an unforeseen win @ Michigan, has badly flunked their OOC test.

The bottom-half isn't fairing much better. East Carolina has yet to record a win over a D-1 team, Central Florida is unbeaten but yet to play anybody with a pulse, Tulane was slaughtered by a bad Wake Forest team, and Tulsa lost their opener to Oral Roberts (but beat Auburn last night) and is coached by Frank Haith. Houston looked like a silver lining, but then got pasted by a Harvard team tonight that lost to Holy Cross. South Florida might be OK, but even they struggled to beat Hofstra tonight.

It's bad enough to be in a conference with no other top 25 teams. But s***, am I overreacting to say this could be a one or two bid league? I'm not trying to beat a dead horse, I'm genuinely curious to see if others have been cringing at the results some of our other conference mates have been tossing up there.

Cincinnati has been an eye-gauging team all season. They've played what 3 or 4 games?

 

[Uconn92387]

I am the first one to admit I liked watching the big east just as much as watching UConn but I don't see why people get so worked up. As long as we win all the games which shouldn't be hard. Play 4 or 5 good occ opponents(judging by this year we can) we will be fine. Look at San Diego St, Gonzaga, Wichita St, Butler and VCU when they were in weaker conferences we will be fine. I almost look at it as a guaranteed tourney bid every year. As long as we get 5 to 6 seed(as last year showed) we can win it all.

 

[metsfan2323]

Houston, USF, UCF and Temple are improved over last year. UCF is recruiting very well. The early returns on Antigua at USF are positive. Tulsa has a decent team comprised of all juniors. SMU off to a bad start but maybe we should wait until we beat them one time before we trash them.

Yes it is a 3 bid league at best this year but there were many years when the mighty ACC was a 4 bid league. Didn't the PAC 10 put one team in the tournament a few years ago.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

2-3 big league unless some schools pull off big upsets in the remaining OOC games. I expect that there will only be 2 AAC teams in the Top 50 RPI by year end. Most years the Big East had about 10 of 16 in the Top 50. In 2011 the Big East had 11. On the other hand, I expect about half the league to be outside the Top 150 by year end.

This takes away any margin of error in non-conference games. UConn has to split its remaining 4 quality OOC games just to insure that we get a bid. There will be years UConn wins 23 or 24 games and doesn't go to the dance because of this league.

 

[metsfan2323]

There will be years UConn wins 23 or 24 games and doesn't go to the dance because of this league.

any year that UCONN doesn't go to the dance it will be because of UCONN not the league. Is your argument that being in a better league increases your chances? Tell that to St Johns, Depaul and Seton Hall who almost never make the dance. Providence finally made it for the first time in how many years.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

any year that UCONN doesn't go to the dance it will be because of UCONN not the league. Is your argument that being in a better league increases your chances? Tell that to St Johns, Depaul and Seton Hall who almost never make the dance. Providence finally made it for the first time in how many years.

You are right. More teams make the Dance from bad leagues than from good leagues.

 

[itgoeslike]

3 bids aren't unreasonable when you consider UConn, Memphis, Cincinnati, Temple, SMU and even Tulsa. Would I put money at risk on that bet, probably not quite yet. Getting 4 bids would be a real challenge in any year, but not impossible. I watched South Florida play NC State and they are a better team. They're not remotely close to being a top 50 RPI team, but not as bad as the recent past.

 

[itgoeslike]

2-3 big league unless some schools pull off big upsets in the remaining OOC games. I expect that there will only be 2 AAC teams in the Top 50 RPI by year end. Most years the Big East had about 10 of 16 in the Top 50. In 2011 the Big East had 11. On the other hand, I expect about half the league to be outside the Top 150 by year end.

This takes away any margin of error in non-conference games. UConn has to split its remaining 4 quality OOC games just to insure that we get a bid. There will be years UConn wins 23 or 24 games and doesn't go to the dance because of this league.

The bottom half of the conference will have a higher average RPI than last year. Unfortunately, the top half will have a much lower average RPI than last year. If you have three teams that dominate conference play, the conference will get three bids.

 

[UConnJim]

SMU will get better if senior Markus Kennedy returns from being academically ineligible. He's their starting big man who is 6' 9" and averaged 12 pts and 7 rebounds last year.

 

[Kembacity]

I didn't know it was this bad this season, but I am not that affected by it. Honestly if they are all terrible, it means we need to win almost all of our games and play like its March all year. As long as we're the 1 I'm fine with this league only getting 1-2 teams in the tournament some years. I've come to terms with it, it changes some things, but doesn't at all change our chances of winning championships

 

[tzznandrew]

I didn't know it was this bad this season, but I am not that affected by it. Honestly if they are all terrible, it means we need to win almost all of our games and play like its March all year. As long as we're the 1 I'm fine with this league only getting 1-2 teams in the tournament some years. I've come to terms with it, it changes some things, but doesn't at all change our chances of winning championships

The problem is this: how many teams from these 1-2 bid leagues make deep runs? It's pretty rare to make a Final Four run, and none has won a title.

The reason: you need to be tested by good teams all year. We won't be.

 

[intlzncster]

You are right. More teams make the Dance from bad leagues than from good leagues.

The leagues are bad because the teams are bad. Not vice versa. It stands to reason that more teams from "good" leagues make the dance. Yes, there is grey area, but UCONN, if it continues to do what it has done, will be in the black, not the red.

 

[nomar]

Cincinnati is eye-gouging. An ophthalmologist is eye-gauging, and we may all need to see one soon due to that eye-gouging problem.

 

[CAHUSKY]

The problem is this: how many teams from these 1-2 bid leagues make deep runs? It's pretty rare to make a Final Four run, and none has won a title.

The reason: you need to be tested by good teams all year. We won't be.

We won the national title after playing in this league last year. Unless that doesn't count, I don't think you can say no teams from these types of leagues can win national titles. UNLV did it in the 90's. That's two without doing any research at all.