Possible Big 12 Invite rumors

[UConnSwag11]

 

[uconnfan68]

It's just a fun poll. It's not a scientific poll.

The new AAC. No thanks.

 

[Huskyforlife]

This is so dumb it hurts me in the soul.

 

[PlayItLeo]

MBB and WBB singlehandedly kept UConn alive (albeit on life support not too long ago) as a national brand for basically a decade. It's time to strike while the iron is hot and continue to move all athletics forward as they have under Benedict. A P5 conference is the next logical step. The University made a massive step forward with the Jim Mora hire and subsequent turnaround in year 1, and as an alum/fan I want to continue the momentum.

Yeah, I'd miss the emotional aspect of the Big East, but if I want long-term athletic viability across sports and universal brand recognition of my alma mater, then the Big 12 is a massive upgrade. We just delivered the Big East its third national championship in the last 7 tournaments, and 4 of the last 5 have been either BE or Big 12. At WORST, the move is a neutral one for basketball while everything else gets more exciting. We don't owe the Big East anything for "taking us in", especially with the added talent, credibility, and tournament money we just gave them.

 

[Rico444]

It would be a mistake. Their two best programs are leaving, so who knows what the league would even look like when we get there? We have absolutely no cultural connection to the league. I know the AAC stunk comparatively, but being in a league where your school doesn't fit culturally is a bigger problem than most people think. Even the good schools from the AAC like Cincinnati and Houston, there's no juice there.

The other big issue is that leaving the Big East is going to weaken our program. No more rivalries with any kind of history. It'll change the kinds of players we recruit, and not by choice, but because a lot of the players we go after want to play in the Big East and in MSG in March. I'm not naive enough to think we're going to stay in the Big East forever, but does the Big 12 make sense long-term?

Right now we're in a great fit. Ditching that for a bad fit when the whole college landscape is likely to change in 10-15 years anyway is foolish.

 

[Luna]

It would be a mistake. Their two best programs are leaving, so who knows what the league would even look like when we get there? We have absolutely no cultural connection to the league. I know the AAC stunk comparatively, but being in a league where your school doesn't fit culturally is a bigger problem than most people think. Even the good schools from the AAC like Cincinnati and Houston, there's no juice there.

The other big issue is that leaving the Big East is going to weaken our program. No more rivalries with any kind of history. It'll change the kinds of players we recruit, and not by choice, but because a lot of the players we go after want to play in the Big East and in MSG in March. I'm not naive enough to think we're going to stay in the Big East forever, but does the Big 12 make sense long-term?

Right now we're in a great fit. Ditching that for a bad fit when the whole college landscape is likely to change in 10-15 years anyway is foolish.

Said perfectly… I would add the travel would suck… I think we lose Hurley if we join the big 12…. And our recruiting goes down the tubes

 

[businesslawyer]

Is making the most money the most important thing in your opinion?

No. The most important thing in sports is winning. I would rather win and not generate tons of revenue than generate tons of revenue and lose. Money is just a means to the end.

That having been said, what do you think the answer to the following questions is: are the long term odds of winning greater if you make more money or less money?

 

[AntG168]

No. The most important thing in sports is winning. I would rather win and not generate tons of revenue than generate tons of revenue and lose. Money is just a means to the end.

That having been said, what do you think the answer to the following questions is: are the long term odds of winning greater if you make more money or less money?

THIS. Those acting as if we’ll continue to win championships as the financial gap gets greater are delusional. We’re on a raft in the middle of the ocean. We need to jump on the first vessel that sails by. It may not be the yacht we want, but it’s more secure than the damn raft that is the big east

 

[kobe]

uconn called the big 12 and begged to be considered.

smh when will these mid majors learn their place in the world.

no one in the big 12 wants them, whereas everyone in the cyo is so blessed to have em.

stay where you're wanted.

 

[shizzle787]

uconn called the big 12 and begged to be considered.

smh when will these mid majors learn their place in the world.

no one in the big 12 wants them, whereas everyone in the cyo is so blessed to have em.

stay where you're wanted.

Tell that to Yormark who is sniffing us. Also, you are a replacement school. We would be a true expansion school.

 

[TheHorde]

Short of a Big 10 invite, I’d stay in the Big East. The move would be to look at the Big East adding schools that would be hurt by an ACC breakup. Syracuse, BC, Pitt, and Louisville potentially. That also would enable those schools to maintain natural basketball and football rivalries.

 

[Chuck]

I think you need to take (and pursue) a Big 12 offer. I don’t look at it as a permanent move. But it gets you in the club. Should the ACC blow up, it would involve some of its better teams (and more peer schools to UConn) joining the Big 12.

It would kind of suck. I’d only care about a couple teams, and I wouldn’t be able to go the NY/NJ away games, but it wouldn’t be the same as the AAC was simply because the other schools care about, and invest, in basketball.

 

[kobe]

Tell that to Yormark who is sniffing us. Also, you are a replacement school. We would be a true expansion school.

uconn being mentioned as "expansion" candidates along with true powers like unlv, Fresno State, Colorado State, smu and sdsu.

take the hint guys, we're not that into you.

 

[shizzle787]

I think you need to take (and pursue) a Big 12 offer. I don’t look at it as a permanent move. But it gets you in the club. Should the ACC blow up, it would involve some of its better teams (and more peer schools to UConn) joining the Big 12.

It would kind of suck. I’d only care about a couple teams, and I wouldn’t be able to go the NY/NJ away games, but it wouldn’t be the same as the AAC was simply because the other schools care about, and invest, in basketball.

Exactly. Also, if you get into the Big 12, you are one step away from the Big 10. Right now we are in the third tier (for football). We need to get to the second tier (ACC, Big 12, Pac 12).

 

[navery12]

Really? Has west va ever won the big 12? Was cuse ever a 1 seed in the acc? Has bc ever been relevant? Pitt even in the early days lost their juice in the conference. What evidence would you point to suggesting that being a geographical outlier is beneficial?

I would consider it a success for West Virginia. But that's besides the point because my larger point is I don't think when all the dominos fall we'd be a geographic outlier

 

[AdamaNation]

Unlikely as none of these teams are wanted by the SEC or B1G. The only movement would be UConn, WVU, Cincy, and maybe UCF leaving to join the ACC leftovers.

It’s the aac on steroids. Forget that travel. Boo. No.

 

[metsfan2323]

Let's see, an extra 20 million per year over 10 years equals an extra 200 million over 10 years.

Unless some of you Providence and St john's rivalry lovers are willing to make up this difference in cash, we take the invite and schedule the Big East schools out of conference.

Don't forget P5 schools may soon be waving a lot of money at Hurley, everyone has their breaking point.

 

[HuskyHoosier]

Short of a Big 10 invite, I’d stay in the Big East. The move would be to look at the Big East adding schools that would be hurt by an ACC breakup. Syracuse, BC, Pitt, and Louisville potentially. That also would enable those schools to maintain natural basketball and football rivalries.

The issue with this is that if ACC breaks up - big12 would invite those schools and they’d go for the $ rather than rejoin a reconstructed old BE. Then we’d really be screwed without any seats left

 

[AntG168]

If Benedict turns down a B12 invite I’d want him fired. It would be the single dumbest decision a UConn AD has made in a long time

 

[HuskyHoosier]

If Benedict turns down a B12 invite I’d want him fired. It would be the single dumbest decision a UConn AD has made in a long time

This. And I absolutely love big East basketball. But for the entirety of the athletic department the move is a no brainer

 

[HooperScooper]

If Benedict turns down a B12 invite I’d want him fired. It would be the single dumbest decision a UConn AD has made in a long time

If an offer comes then it's not Benedict's decision to make.

 

[metsfan2323]

If an offer comes then it's not Benedict's decision to make.

Right, at the end of the day the school's business people make the decision, you know, people who are interested in things like revenue. The decision for them will be very easy.

 

[Rico444]

Let's see, an extra 20 million per year over 10 years equals an extra 200 million over 10 years.

Unless some of you Providence and St john's rivalry lovers are willing to make up this difference in cash, we take the invite and schedule the Big East schools out of conference.

Don't forget P5 schools may soon be waving a lot of money at Hurley, everyone has their breaking point.

If we go to the Big 12, Hurley is gone.

 

[shizzle787]

It’s the aac on steroids. Forget that travel. Boo. No.

The AD is done within 20 years if we don't make the move. If you want to get in the Big 10 someday, you have to get in the ACC or Big 12 first. You can't jump two levels.

 

[metsfan2323]

If we go to the Big 12, Hurley is gone.

That makes no sense at all. He joined UCONN when we were in the AAC. He went on record in interviews that there were no Big East promises when he signed on. Besides the B12 is a heck of a basketball conference and will be able to stake their claim as the best basketball conference if they add UCONN.

and lets stop pretending that Big East traveling is a bunch of easy bus rides.