Pitino says UConn to ACC the dumbest thing he's ever heard

[gars44]

Pitino's comments are based on nostalgia for a basketball focused past, not the reality of where the Big East (or UConn, for that matter) is today or where they are heading.

Like it or not, UConn made a significant commitment to football. It's not about to bail on that commitment. The success story that he praises for the basketball team ain't gonna happen for the football team with the Big East the way it is heading. Simple as that. UConn aspires for greatness, the Big East is aspiring for survival right now. The ACC (or Big Ten, take your pick) offer more opportunities for greatness.

Big 10 no doubt. That would be cool.

 

[ZooCougar]

Pitino's ramblings are those of a man who desperately wants to keep the BE together, and for UL to remain a part of it. If the tables were turned, and it was UConn and Pitt in the ACC, and SU looking to move, Pitino would have said the same thing about Cuse. I predict that if UL does move west and join the B12, Pitino will not be coaching their hoop team much longer. He is an east coaster, and the east coast is where he wants to be involved. He also knows he loses a big edge in recruiting some of the NYC kids.

It's all about Providence baby!

 

[JaYnYcE]

If WVU, UL, and UC leave, and TCU never shows up, we will lose the AQ status - not any question about it. If we keep the remaining teams together, TCU joins, and we add Navy and Air Force just for football, our overall league ranking goes up (I agree adding the acadamies is not ideal, but it would not hurt us FB-wise). Syracuse has been really, really bad these past 5 years, and Pitt has been only decent, not great. TCU trumps Pitt significantly, and both Air Force and Navy are big ranking upgrades over Syracuse.

Of course, this is all assuming the BCS sticks with the current criteria in gauging conferences to be worthy for the AQ status. If they do, using the last 3 years (2011 would be included in the 4 year review cycle) the Big East (including TCU's ranking -which we'd get) is currently ranked higher than both the B10 and the ACC. It would go SEC, P10, B12, BE, B10, ACC, and then MWC.

The 3 criteria the BCS looks at is:
(1) Average ranking of a conferences highest ranked team over a 4 year period - Big East is ahead of the ACC over the past 3 years.
(2) Average confernce ranking using the BCS computers - Big East is ahead of the B10 here (not even including TCU) over the past 3 years.
(3) Total # of teams finishing in the top 25 of the Final BCS rankings. It is weighted by the total # of schools each league has, the weighted result actually puts the Big East ahead of the B12, P12, and the ACC over the past 3 years.

So our AQ status is as solid if we do end up holding together, unless the BCS flips the script and changes the guidelines/qualifications.

If the schools were to stay together then yeah, i wouldnt be as concerned. As long as we're not caught with our junk in hand while everyone else is secure I'll be able to sleep. I just have a strong feeling ESPN will work their Disney magic somehow and the ACC will have a happy ending when all is said and done.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SAMCRO]

I just have a strong feeling ESPN will work their Disney magic somehow and the ACC will have a happy ending when all is said and done.

As long as we're one of the ones receiving the happy ending, and not giving the happy ending.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

There is so much fail in this thread, it's funny. Reason number one we won't be BC version 2.0: People care about us, and we're not grossly overshadowed by three professional sports teams within a five mile radius. Those who want us to remain in the Big East with these supposedly awesome replacements need to get their head out of the gutter. The Big East is DONE. It is not what it was, it is not our identity, it's a shell of its former self, it is the WRONG place for us. We will not thrive in it, the conference will not get "better", it will become a rehashed C-USA, and our status will be severely downgraded in all sports. Get your head out of the sand, we need to get out.

 

[upstater]

Pitino is essentially saying UConn was made by Calhoun and the Big East and that Kevin Ollie coaching in the ACC will be a complete failure.

 

[arnie3]

Upstater, I read it that Pitino was referring more to football than basketball. Whether UConn stays or leaves, football for us is still in its infancy, though tremendous strides have been made.

 

[mattp]

i still don't understand why the Big East is dead b/c we replaced Pitt and Cuse with TCU. we've improved our product, and the ACC has watered theirs down. BCS bids are determined by on the field play, not TV demographics and tradition.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I don't understand why he thinks it's okay for 'Cuse to leave, but not us.

That's an easy one. Syracuse is already gone, and we're still here. QED.

 

[jpm25]

It is kind of ridiculous if we leave one BCS conference for another. But that's not why we would leave.

you think the BE is still a viable BCS conference for the '10 - '13 cycle?

 

[businesslawyer]

The dumbest thing he's ever heard? Dumber than "Yes, I'm a psycho and your friend's wife, but if we screw right here in the restaurant it won't have any negative effect on the rest of our lives?"

 

[gars44]

The dumbest thing he's ever heard? Dumber than "Yes, I'm a psycho and your friend's wife, but if we screw right here in the restaurant it won't have any negative effect on the rest of our lives?"

Except that.

 

[Danzz]

Yeah, you're right, if it all falls apart, then there is no choice. There is nothing to choose. He's talking about choosing stability for the big east. Every one has to choose it, however. Not one more defection. If everyone jumps, then the choice is no longer in our control. If Louisville and WVA jump, the choice becomes easy. Pitino is talking like a man who still has choices, which at this point we all do. We can hang tough. If we do that, we're fine. Now, if it breaks apart, then we have nothing to even think about. I wish there was a leader on the football side like Pitino.

Even from a basketball standpoint it makes sense for Uconn to go to the ACC. We just lost our 2 biggest rivals and we have no idea what the other BE schools will do if an opportunity presents itself and that includes Louisville. The possible new additions that the BE would have to add for football further weakens BE basketball. Does anyone want to pay top dollar to watch Uconn play basketball against UCF, Air Force, Navy or any other possible football additions. The BE has enough Depauls and Seton Halls already.
The other issue is leadership. No matter what you think of Swofford, you have to respect the way he has protected his conference by cherrypicking the BE.

 

[gars44]

#1: It's not too hard to cherry pick the big east. You don't need to be a genius to do that.
#2: Basketball will suffer. But if we pick up Temple and Memphis, it will come back.
#3: My hypothesis assumes Louie stays, and WVU too. If they leave, let's revisit.

 

[HuskyHawk]

What a load of crap. The Big East was our identity. But we moved on. We moved past being a puny 1-AA Yankee conference school, with mediocre academics. What UConn wants now, not just athletically, is to be recognized as a prominant national research university. That's the end-game. The target announced in 1995 was to be like UVA, UNC and Michigan. Not to be like St. Johns, Louisville, DePaul, PC and Nova. The whole point of this exercise was to outgrow the Big East. That's why we went FBS. Now that we've done it, now that we've outgrown the conference (especially the soon to be dilluted version), we can't leave? Complete and utter nonsense, and contradictory. He's saying we're a big fish in a small pond, why jump in a bigger pond. That's the evoluntionary step, to be a big fish in the bigger pond. He knows that's what Pitt and Cuse want too. As if UConn can't compete with the likes of Maryland, UVA and G-Tech. It's preposterous.

 

[Nostical]

"What UConn wants now, not just athletically, is to be recognized as a prominant national research university"
That's exactly right and why Herbst will be lobbying for The Big Ten while she pushes the ACC buttons. I agree with Hawk, we can move on and grow--not move and stay buried among the irrelevants.on

 

[businesslawyer]

The dumbest thing he's ever heard? Dumber than "Yes, I'm a psycho and your friend's wife, but if we screw right here in the restaurant it won't have any negative effect on the rest of our lives?"

Wow. I thought I killed it with that line. And only one person even noticed. We need to lighten up as a board.

 

[pepband99]

I've been trying all day to come up with a "down my leg" tie-in. You're not alone

 

[mattp]

that was a great line. i didn't realize you needed your ego stroked or i'd have clicked that i "like" it

the board is tense though. i really need to take a break from these discussions b/c they're turning me from salt and pepper to full on ghost white up top. i wish i could take a nap and wake up to everything resolved one way or another.

 

[businesslawyer]

that was a great line. i didn't realize you needed your ego stroked or i'd have clicked that i "like" it

the board is tense though. i really need to take a break from these discussions b/c they're turning me from salt and pepper to full on ghost white up top. i wish i could take a nap and wake up to everything resolved one way or another.

You didn't realize I needed my ego stroked? Have I not made clear that I'm a lawyer!

 

[CL82]

Wow. I thought I killed it with that line. And only one person even noticed. We need to lighten up as a board.

It was comedy gold, Shecky. No worries.

 

[uconnbaseball]

You didn't realize I needed my ego stroked? Have I not made clear that I'm a lawyer!

I didn't like it because I didn't find it that funny. This, however, is hilarious.