galvezwave wrote:Wave755 wrote:mbawavefan12 wrote:tpstulane wrote:On ESPN just now Seth Greenberg the analyst made a comment that Connecticut needs to leave the American nobody wants to see them play East Carolina or Tulane.
They have no where to go because independence in FBall, especially for a program like UConn, is just too difficult.
Yep, even for UCONN, a team that won the 2014 NC in basketball, it is still all about football - the true reason all of the “big boys” left the Big East.
BS comment from Greenberg. UConn made a bad hire after Calhoun retired . Are their women struggling in the American? How do you explain other teams building up.
UConn PROMOTED the HC in waiting with Kevin Ollie. It might have been too soon for a guy that had only a few years as an assistant, but he did win a National Championship in his second season. Had that team lost in the semis of the AAC Tournament, they wouldn't have made the NCAA tournament and Ollie's butt would have been on the hot seat a lot sooner.
The women aren't struggling because Geno is still able to recruit, playing a truly national OOC schedule. The men's recruiting has suffered many say because of the conference, which is NOTHING like the Big East was. Calhoun retiring had as much to do with off court issues as it did with his age. Not sure if Ollie is a bad coach or a bad recruiter, but it was a huge blow to the basketball program to go into the AAC rather than stay in the Big East.
While I detest Greenberg's comment, I get his point in a big way. Playing arch rivals Syracuse, BC, St. Johns and Georgetown 2 or 3 times a year had much more sparkle than any "rivalry" UConn has in the AAC. They're still trying to get into the ACC.