ESPN Too Early Basketball Top 25 (UConn listed as "next in line")

[billybud]

Nova #2....Gonzaga #1

Conference teams represented

B1G...........5...(probably will get rated best conference)
ACC..........5
SEC..........5
B12...........3
P12...........2
AAC..........1
BE.............1

St. Bonaventure
Colorado State
Gonzaga

Texas, Oregon moving up in Way-Too-Early Top 25 college basketball rankings for 2021-22

The Longhorns and Ducks have realistic Final Four aspirations after loading up on transfers.

www.espn.com

 

[freescooter]

But don’t they know the New Big East is P6? A10 has as many Top 25 teams as the AAC? Oh, and the NBE. Perception is finally catching up with performance.

Cue the But Villanova…

 

[Guapo]

Before any one thinks about responding to the imbecile clown above, remember this

 

[HooperScooper]

But don’t they know the New Big East is P6? A10 has as many Top 25 teams as the AAC? Oh, and the NBE. Perception is finally catching up with performance.

Cue the But Villanova…

Saw this one coming the second I read the OP. Can you give it a rest? Insufferable.

 

[MJ1]

Look at the source, ESPN does not have contract with Big East. So easy for them to leave UConn and Xavier off as both of these schools are on other 25 board’s. It’s not where you start it’s where you finish.

 

[WestHartHusk]

Look at the source, ESPN does not have contract with Big East. So easy for them to leave UConn and Xavier off as both of these schools are on other 25 board’s. It’s not where you start it’s where you finish.

I would edit the last line:

"It is not where you are arbitrarily rated by a company that has no interest in your success, its where you finish."

 

[Palatine]

The Big East is basically a good basketball conference. That's not an insult. It is a supportable position.

But I care about the BE as much as Gonzaga cares about the West Coast Conference. I think the Huskies should dominate it, play a strong non-conference schedule, and not have to worry about.

 

[Tiamat7]

Not ideal, but I think the Big East will be somewhat better than people think. The bottom tier will be quite weak, but the same can be said about most other power conferences. The middle tier Big East should be marginally improved.

Recruiting has improved the last couple classes, so that should pay dividends moving forward.

NIL might offer niche opportunities for good players who hope to capture more of the market at a basketball school.

Anyway, this ESPN top 25 doesn't change my earlier prediction about NCAA tournament qualifiers. 4 or 5 teams.

Villanova
UConn
Xavier
Seton Hall
*+ 1 Wildcard: St John's (if Champagnie returns) or Butler

 

[CL82]

The Big East is basically a good basketball conference. That's not an insult. It is a supportable position.

But I care about the BE as much as Gonzaga cares about the West Coast Conference. I think the Huskies should dominate it, play a strong non-conference schedule, and not have to worry about.

Personally, I care about playing Big East teams far, far, far more than I did about playing teams in the American. Would it be better for Connecticut to have teams the fans care about less and make more money in a P5? Absolutely, but from a fan perspective I like our conference mates in the Big East.

 

[JimCtheGOAT]

But don’t they know the New Big East is P6? A10 has as many Top 25 teams as the AAC? Oh, and the NBE. Perception is finally catching up with performance.

Cue the But Villanova…

good thing we chose the BE over all those P5 offers….

What are you even arguing? This is what we call a strawman argument.

 

[HooperScooper]

good thing we chose the BE over all those P5 offers….

What are you even arguing? This is what we call a strawman argument.

I don't think he's arguing anything. He just likes to tell us all how much the Big East sucks anytime there's a hint of an opening to do so. I'm not a psychologist but he seems to enjoy being miserable and likes everyone else to be also.

 

[Guapo]

good thing we chose the BE over all those P5 offers….

What are you even arguing? This is what we call a strawman argument.

Don’t engage

 

[nomar]

But don’t they know the New Big East is P6? A10 has as many Top 25 teams as the AAC? Oh, and the NBE. Perception is finally catching up with performance.

Cue the But Villanova…

H

 

[UCSouth]

But don’t they know the New Big East is P6? A10 has as many Top 25 teams as the AAC? Oh, and the NBE. Perception is finally catching up with performance.

Cue the But Villanova…

Go back to the Football Board. At least you're not insufferable over there with your low expectations.

 

[TheChamps990411]

But don’t they know the New Big East is P6? A10 has as many Top 25 teams as the AAC? Oh, and the NBE. Perception is finally catching up with performance.

Cue the But Villanova…

i can not tell you how much i could not care less about pre season rankings.

 

[storrsroars]

Personally, I care about playing Big East teams far, far, far more than I did about playing teams in the American. Would it be better for Connecticut to have teams the fans care about less and make more money in a P5? Absolutely, but from a fan perspective I like our conference mates in the Big East.

Well, there's really only one P5 who might possibly consider UConn down the road. And we would certainly care even more about most of the opponents.

 

[ASweet3781]

I better never see the above 2 dopes on a thread celebrating a commitment from a 4 star who would have never chosen us over Power 5/big east competition if not for us being in the Big East now.

oh what’s that? Palatine was all happy in the DC thread the last 48 hours? Shocker. Wonder if Hurley would have landed all these targets promising them Dickies Arena in March and ECU and Tulane. We have quotes from family members, coaches, and players that of course suggest no. So we should all remember that when palatine tries to have his deserts and act all happy when we get these commitments. there’s absolutely zero evidence freescooter is a UConn fan if you read his posts so whatever with him.

 

[UCSouth]

I better never see the above 2 dopes on a thread celebrating a commitment from a 4 star who would have never chosen us over Power 5/big east competition if not for us being in the Big East now.

oh what’s that? Palatine was all happy in the DC thread the last 48 hours? Shocker. Wonder if Hurley would have landed all these targets promising them Dickies Arena in March and ECU and Tulane. We have quotes from family members, coaches, and players that of course suggest no. So we should all remember that when palatine tries to have his deserts and act all happy when we get these commitments. there’s absolutely zero evidence freescooter is a UConn fan if you read his posts so whatever with him.

Actually, freescooter is a Uconn Football fan and his posts on that board reflect that. Either that or he's a better football troll than he is at Basketball one.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Translation: Borzello is understandably reluctant to speculate publicly on the starting five.

 

[CL82]

Well, there's really only one P5 who might possibly consider UConn down the road. And we would certainly care even more about most of the opponents.

Fair point: Duke, UNC, Cuse, BC (for a while), ND and maybe Pitt. Virginia is a good game. NC ST usually has a solid team. That's most of the opponents.

Big Ten has a decent list as well: Maryland, Michigan, Mich St., probably Rutty and Penn State based on proximity.

But playing in the Big East has been a refreshing change from our day in the waste land known at the American Conference.

 

[freescooter]

I better never see the above 2 dopes on a thread celebrating a commitment from a 4 star who would have never chosen us over Power 5/big east competition if not for us being in the Big East now.

oh what’s that? Palatine was all happy in the DC thread the last 48 hours? Shocker. Wonder if Hurley would have landed all these targets promising them Dickies Arena in March and ECU and Tulane. We have quotes from family members, coaches, and players that of course suggest no. So we should all remember that when palatine tries to have his deserts and act all happy when we get these commitments. there’s absolutely zero evidence freescooter is a UConn fan if you read his posts so whatever with him.

Nope. UCONN fan though and through. Alumnus. Letterman. Put up Blue and White Christmas lights on my house when we won the 1999 title. I just think this move was short sighted for many reasons. Unless we do as palatine says, and I question whether we will, this was a move toward being a regional not national power.
Every bit of actual evidence indicates that there is 1 and only 1 national program in the NEWBIE. I suspect Wright looks at the rest of the league as a place to pad his win total against solid competitions. Nobody there is a threat to challenge Villanova for supremacy, but he isn’t getting penalized for playing them.

As for the rest of it, baseball is screwed. The woman are fine until Geno goes then we’ll see.

Academically we are now associating with a bunch of solid regional colleges. Plus Georgetown who is the only national university among the bunch.

I don’t and didn’t love the AAC. But I believe that long term it will eventually outperform the NEWBIE. It is made up of a group of schools who are committed to success in multiple sports. They have major and in some cases very significant graduate programs too. They offer real academic degrees, MDs, PHDs, not just the ubiquitous MBA and Masters in Religious Education. The NEWBIE care about men’s basketball but for the most part the members have neither the understanding, the resources nor the desire to be more than significant regional players. I’m not sure DePaul even has that.

 

[Palatine]

I better never see the above 2 dopes on a thread celebrating a commitment from a 4 star who would have never chosen us over Power 5/big east competition if not for us being in the Big East now.

oh what’s that? Palatine was all happy in the DC thread the last 48 hours? Shocker. Wonder if Hurley would have landed all these targets promising them Dickies Arena in March and ECU and Tulane. We have quotes from family members, coaches, and players that of course suggest no. So we should all remember that when palatine tries to have his deserts and act all happy when we get these commitments. there’s absolutely zero evidence freescooter is a UConn fan if you read his posts so whatever with him.

After every recruit we hear we would never have gotten them in the AAC. But no one knows. We had the number five (#6?) recruiting class in the nation in the AAC. There was just a Courant article on them. So I find your logic faulty. Believe what you want.

The Big East is a good basketball conference. The AAC had a final four team last year. But that reality is not what I am interested in.

What I am interested in, what I would like, is UConn to get into a P5 conference. That should be our goal. I'm for anything that furthers that goal. That is the brass ring. I get playing the tourney in MSG is very cool and lots of UConn fans love it. I do too. But I would give up the BET in a heartbeat to move to a P5 conference. The move to the BE was a step backwards for UConn sports in general. But I get the emotional connection and excitement associated with the basketball. I just take a broader view. I'm have followed UConn since family members started going their in the 1950s. I'm an alum.

But I do get get tired of the BE groupies wetting themselves every time we get a recruit and saying something that can never be proven. My perspective is as valid as any other on this board which is to say it is meaningless. Go Huskies.

 

[CL82]

Nope. UCONN fan though and through. Alumnus. Letterman. Put up Blue and White Christmas lights on my house when we won the 1999 title. I just think this move was short sighted for many reasons. Unless we do as palatine says, and I question whether we will, this was a move toward being a regional not national power.
Every bit of actual evidence indicates that there is 1 and only 1 national program in the NEWBIE. I suspect Wright looks at the rest of the league as a place to pad his win total against solid competitions. Nobody there is a threat to challenge Villanova for supremacy, but he isn’t getting penalized for playing them.

As for the rest of it, baseball is screwed. The woman are fine until Geno goes then we’ll see.

Academically we are now associating with a bunch of solid regional colleges. Plus Georgetown who is the only national university among the bunch.

I don’t and didn’t love the AAC. But I believe that long term it will eventually outperform the NEWBIE. It is made up of a group of schools who are committed to success in multiple sports. They have major and in some cases very significant graduate programs too. They offer real academic degrees, MDs, PHDs, not just the ubiquitous MBA and Masters in Religious Education. The NEWBIE care about men’s basketball but for the most part the members have neither the understanding, the resources nor the desire to be more than significant regional players. I’m not sure DePaul even has that.

I feel as if you aren't even trying much anymore Scooter.

Ranking of the top 5 "national universities" for each conference as per US News and World Report.

Key - Big East American

Georgetown #23
Tulane #41
Villanova #53
UConn #63
USF #103
Creighton #111
Seton Hall #133
Cincinnati #143
Tulsa #143 (tie)
UCF # 160


FYI Houston is #173. By way of comparison the branch campuses of Rutgers in Newark and Camden are also "national universities" and ranked 118 and 153 respectively.

 

[billybud]

As far as academic rankings go...UConn would fit right in the ACC...and if it was about academics and wasn't about football, I think that Louisville would be in the Big 12 now and UConn in the ACC.

National University

#12 Duke
#19 Notre Dame
#26 Virginia
#28 UNC
#28 Wake Forest
#35 Boston College
#35 GT
#49 Miami
#58 FSU
#58 Syracuse
#58 Pittsburgh
#63 UConn
#74 Clemson
#74 VT
#80 NC State

and

#176 Louisville

 

[prankster]

Personally, I care about playing Big East teams far, far, far more than I did about playing teams in the American. Would it be better for Connecticut to have teams the fans care about less and make more money in a P5? Absolutely, but from a fan perspective I like our conference mates in the Big East.

I believe that that sentiment is important, throughout.

The overall perceived interest in individual games does much to drive eyeballs. And that drives perceptions as to the team rankings. This is influential (perhaps at an outsized level) among the people who vote in coaches' polls, and syndicated columnist polls, as well, IMHO.