With conference realignment changing the landscape of college athletics what seems like every day, there is one university that is getting the short end of the proverbial stick. That university is the University of Connecticut. The Huskies, for all of their athletic prowess amongst sports such as men’s basketball (1999, 2004, ‘11 National Champions), women’s basketball (2009-10 National Champions) and field hockey as well as others, are looking for a new home. A member of the BIG EAST Conference since it’s inception, UConn has been left to die in the newly named America 12 by BIG EAST counterparts Villanova, Marquette, DePaul, Georgetown, St. Johns, Seton Hall, Providence, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, West Virginia, Louisville and Rutgers. In late 2012, Uconn’s dreams of joining Pittsburgh and Syracuse in the Atlantic Coast Conference were dashed, for the meantime, by the conference’s decision to add Louisville.
The decision to add Louisville, to me, was simple. No, I am not saying I would make the move because Louisville is the greatest college ever and has the greatest alumni (in case you didn’t know, I am a graduate of UofL), but Louisville offers many things that Uconn does not. First, Louisville offers a fan base that travels. In 2011, Uconn was forced to sell back unsold Tostitos Fiesta Bowl tickets. This was not a problem Louisville had in 2013 when they were the BIG EAST’s participant in the All State Sugar Bowl. Secondly, Louisville provided the ACC with a television market it did not already have. The Huskies represent televisions in households in the New York and Boston market. This is great. Unfortunately for them, the ACC has those markets with Syracuse and Boston College. Finally, Louisville has, top to bottom, the best portfolio of facilities in America, and an athletic department led by Tom Jurich that continues to upgrade and expand. Connecticut doesn’t have that. This all helped make the ACC’s decision, in my opinion, rather simple.
So most UConn fans have little to hope for. Unless Boston College heads to the BIG 10 or other conference realignment dominos fall in favor for the Huskies, they will be in the America 12 looking at the party through the window. However, I have found a solution that will ease the mind of every Ray Allen, Emeka Okafor, Rudy Gay, Donald Brown, Matt Barnes and Maya Moore fan out there. Listen below to the link below from Thursday March 7th’s New Hampshire Sports Night with Jared Stillman, where I outline the Hail Mary for the Husky faithful.
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You can follow Jared on twitter at @jaredstillman. New Hampshire Sports Night with Jared Stillman airs every Tuesday-Friday from 6-7 PM ET on WKXL 103.9/1450 and streams online at ConcordNewsRadio.com
