(03-08-2018 04:04 PM)STL_Wave Wrote:  

(03-08-2018 03:58 PM)HuskyU Wrote:  

(03-08-2018 03:50 PM)BullsFanInTX Wrote:  

(03-08-2018 03:09 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  

(03-08-2018 02:55 PM)UConnHusky Wrote:  It isn't the conference's fault that Ollie isn't getting the job done. The conference doesn't help, though. UConn is a geographical outlier in a conference that is pretty good, but not great. Why would NYC recruits sign up to play at UConn with long flights to AAC schools and a few brands that don't move the needle in basketball (Tulsa, Tulane, ECU, USF)? Those recruits could choose shorter flights by playing at a Big East school and play their conference tourney at MSG against better competition or play in the ACC and have relatively easy flights up the eastern seaboard to schools known for being basketball powers

UConn fans aren't whining and blaming the league. The reality is that recruiting IS tough for UConn in this league. Likely tougher than for schools that are located in the center of the footprint (Cincy, Memphis) or schools that have moved up in class conference wise (SMU, Houston, Wichita). People perceive UConn's demotion from a power conference as a fall from grace and that perception fuels recruiting reality. The reality is that the situation isn't great for us. It is what it is.

I agree with you. Mick himself believes the AAC has made it tougher to reruit. He said so in so many words.


Lets be honest...UC and UCONN (and usf) went from being in a conference that got 8-11 bids a year, had 5-6 ranked teams at once any given time to the AAC. UC has been good because Mick has done a solid job recruiting players to his system. But it doesn't mean recruiting hasn't become harder...it has.

When did the Big East ever get 11 bids? I don't remember more than 9, with 7-8 being the most likely. And that was for 16 teams. I also don't remember 6 teams ranked at a time. Maybe once in a great while but not often.

If the AAC added 4 more schools, we also would get about 6 bids every year, but the fact is we have 4 less schools than the old BE had.

The old BE was great, but your memory of how many bids they got is getting weaker.

2011: 11 bids, 7 ranked teams at the end of the season

So AAC equivalent would be 7/8 bids and 5/6 ranked teams.

Get UCONN, Memphis, Temple in shape and keep WSU, UC, UH, UCF, SMU at current levels and we're there.

Squint real hard and you can see it happening.

Except the 16 team BE only got 11 bids once. The average was 8 and ranged from 6-9 every other year that USF, UConn, and Cincinnati were in league.