Well so much for one of those two leagues engaging in a challenge with the American. Not that I ever thought that either the SEC or Big 12 would compete with the AAC in a basketball challenge, but many on here were hopeful.

Basketball Challenges now official:

Big 12 vs SEC
ACC vs Atlantic 10
Big 10 vs Big East
AAC vs PAC?
MWC vs PAC?
AAC vs MWC?

That leaves one "P5" conference left for the AAC to pursue. The PAC is just too far away, but many on here think there's a shot for it to happen. I think it's about as unlikely as a MWC/PAC challenge. . If the PAC won't play with the MWC or the AAC why not do a AAC/MWC challenge? Cincinnati played New Mexico the past two seasons. (NM swept) and New Mexico beat UCONN the season before on a neutral court. New Mexico, San Diego St and UNLV would be fun match-ups for SMU, Memphis, UCONN and Cincinnati on a neutral court in Vegas (MGM) and New Orleans and Memphis NBA courts could be used as well. Just my 2 cents cheers:

This isn't new: the Big 12 - SEC Challenge is now in its second season.

I fail to see why a conference cannot participate in two challenges. Please explain your logic there.

I don't believe that the AAC is pursuing a Challenge for the sole purpose of having a Challenge on the schedule.

I thought the ACC - B10 were still doing their challenge as well

(05-11-2014 08:08 AM)NBPirate Wrote:  I thought the ACC - B10 were still doing their challenge as well

Yep. And B10-NBE

acc big 10 also have a challenge

but i feel pac12 is the best bet if we can prove to still be a top league multiple years

i doubt we'd do a mwc challange because we dont want to view as equals with them, thats the same reason i feel the big12 wouldnt do one with us.

i think we have to prove we can be an elite league. all the other major conference are paired with another major conference the pac12 wont touch us unless they feel we are are elite aswell

but if we can pair with a top conference first, i can see a mwc or nBE challange as a secondary contract like the acc/a10

Is MWC-MVC still being played?

(05-11-2014 06:58 AM)billybobby777 Wrote:  Basketball Challenges now official:

Big 12 vs SEC
ACC vs Atlantic 10
Big 10 vs Big East
AAC vs PAC?
MWC vs PAC?
AAC vs MWC?

ACC's primary challenge is with the B10 (link). It features 14 games (all but one ACC team participates in it) and has been played annually since 1999.

The ACC vs A10 isn't really a challenge. The two conferences will play inter-conference doubleheaders at Barclays Center in 2015, 2016 and 2017 (link). The only reason those games are even been played is because the ACC wanted to hold its tournament in NYC and had to convince the A10 to give up two years on its Barclay's contract. Two games per year for 3 years doesn't seem like much of a challenge to me.

The B10 vs BE is much more of a true challenge as it will feature eight games between the two conferences (link).

Weird that the A10 and Big East were able to pull off some sort of challenge and we were not (though the A10's isn't much and is related to giving up Barclays). I'm sure our top teams will be able to schedule quite well despite not having a challenge. I'd like to have a challenge vs a P5, but it's not that important. It's stll just early season basketball that not many people watch.

Challenges are meaningless... I'm sure the AAC would intertain conversations with some, but only if it means... $$$... anything.

Heres one I like to see... AAC vs PAC... Make it happen, Mike Aresco.

(05-11-2014 10:04 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  Weird that the A10 and Big East were able to pull off some sort of challenge and we were not (though the A10's isn't much and is related to giving up Barclays).

Look at where the BE is located (D.C., Philly, NYC metro, Chicago, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Cincinnati). Most all of those markets are either Big 10 strongholds (good for fans), important recruiting grounds for B10 schools (good for coaches), or markets the B10 is targeting for increased exposure (NYC, DC; good for the conference). Furthermore, Fox is the TV rights holder for both BTN and the Big East. The geography of the Big East makes them an ideal partner for the B10 and they have enough of a basketball brand name to make a challenge worth it (at least, a challenge that involves more than a handful of teams). Not really surprised to see the Big East land a challenge with them when you consider they pretty much tick every box on a Big 10 wish list.

The A10's "challenge" is 2 games per year for three years and was part of the concessions the conference got as payment for giving up the Barclay's. I wouldn't read much into it.

(05-11-2014 10:04 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  Weird that the A10 and Big East were able to pull off some sort of challenge and we were not (though the A10's isn't much and is related to giving up Barclays). I'm sure our top teams will be able to schedule quite well despite not having a challenge. I'd like to have a challenge vs a P5, but it's not that important. It's stll just early season basketball that not many people watch.

No, it's not weird at all. As great as it has been to have a few teams at the top do well, no power league wants to play the AAC in basketball at its current status. After the top 4 teams, the rest of the league is so weak that it just doesn't match up with a power conference

(05-11-2014 11:17 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(05-11-2014 10:04 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  Weird that the A10 and Big East were able to pull off some sort of challenge and we were not (though the A10's isn't much and is related to giving up Barclays). I'm sure our top teams will be able to schedule quite well despite not having a challenge. I'd like to have a challenge vs a P5, but it's not that important. It's stll just early season basketball that not many people watch.

No, it's not weird at all. As great as it has been to have a few teams at the top do well, no power league wants to play the AAC in basketball at its current status. After the top 4 teams, the rest of the league is so weak that it just doesn't match up with a power conference

Thanks for that rather superficial analysis, Bill... Now tell us all, here, how it is more important to have a higher RPI conference rating (and not get out of the first week of the NCAAs) than to have a conference member win the NCAA tourney. You are a regular comedian over on the Big East board (and are treated as such).

[quote='CalallenStang
This isn't new: the Big 12 - SEC Challenge is now in its second season.

Really? Explain this to me. ESPN wrote an article yesterday talking about the new Big 12 SEC basketball challenge. Tell me please.

I fail to see why a conference cannot participate in two challenges. Please explain your logic there.

What is my logic about a conference not participating in two challenges?? When did I ever say anything about that not being possible?

Now I have a question for you. Why are you such an A$$Hole?

I am not a big fan of these conference challenges because frankly once you get past the top 3 or 4 matchups, no matter which 2 conferences are playing, the games have very little wow factor. They are done to benefit the networks more than the conferences or schools.

What I would be in favor of is an unofficial OOC scheduling agreement with the A10, not a formal challenge just an unofficial unpublicized agreement. There are programs that every team in the AAC can benefit from an OOC SOS standpoint no matter their level in our conference and it would be a win win for both conferences.

(05-11-2014 11:17 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(05-11-2014 10:04 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  Weird that the A10 and Big East were able to pull off some sort of challenge and we were not (though the A10's isn't much and is related to giving up Barclays). I'm sure our top teams will be able to schedule quite well despite not having a challenge. I'd like to have a challenge vs a P5, but it's not that important. It's stll just early season basketball that not many people watch.

No, it's not weird at all. As great as it has been to have a few teams at the top do well, no power league wants to play the AAC in basketball at its current status. After the top 4 teams, the rest of the league is so weak that it just doesn't match up with a power conference

I'd say the top 5 schools are pretty darn good. Just because Temple had a bad year doesn't mean they are forever a suck team. So the top half of the AAC is good and the bottom half--is not. That makes the same as every single power conference out there. By the way, the Big East sucks pretty hard at the bottom as well.


Typically solid AAC basketball

UConn
Cinci
Mermphis
SMU
Temple

Mid level quality

Houston
Tulsa


So 7 of 11 are good of at least decent. The others are also working to improve their programs---so I expect the quality of the AAC programs as a group is not really the issue. I suspect the spread out nature of the group is more of the reason.

Maybe our best bet is to create a "Champions Challenge". Take the prior year MW, MVC, A-10, and CUSA champs and have them play our top 4 teams. That should typically result in 4 solid games a year for our conference and would help RPI's of our best 4 teams. We could expand it to 8 by taking the participants in the CCG Tourney game from all 4 of the conferences mentioned. So our top 8 would take on the top 2 from 4 different conferences. That should result in some decent games and reflects the spread out nature of the conference. The participants would be matched in a way that makes regional sense.

(05-11-2014 12:24 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  [quote='CalallenStang
This isn't new: the Big 12 - SEC Challenge is now in its second season.

Really? Explain this to me. ESPN wrote an article yesterday talking about the new Big 12 SEC basketball challenge. Tell me please.

I fail to see why a conference cannot participate in two challenges. Please explain your logic there.

What is my logic about a conference not participating in two challenges?? When did I ever say anything about that not being possible?

Now I have a question for you. Why are you such an A$$Hole?

1) Last year's Big 12-SEC Challenge: http://mweb.cbssports.com/ncaab/eye-on-c...-announced

2) When you said that the PAC was the only major conference available.

3) I don't like when people make mountains out of molehills, so I point out that they are molehills. If that makes me an *******, so be it. Life goes on.

(05-11-2014 11:17 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(05-11-2014 10:04 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  Weird that the A10 and Big East were able to pull off some sort of challenge and we were not (though the A10's isn't much and is related to giving up Barclays). I'm sure our top teams will be able to schedule quite well despite not having a challenge. I'd like to have a challenge vs a P5, but it's not that important. It's stll just early season basketball that not many people watch.

No, it's not weird at all. As great as it has been to have a few teams at the top do well, no power league wants to play the AAC in basketball at its current status. After the top 4 teams, the rest of the league is so weak that it just doesn't match up with a power conference

aac 11 big East 6

only thing weak is playing on fox sports 1 and nobody watching.

(05-11-2014 01:04 PM)CalallenStang Wrote:  

(05-11-2014 12:24 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  [quote='CalallenStang
This isn't new: the Big 12 - SEC Challenge is now in its second season.

Really? Explain this to me. ESPN wrote an article yesterday talking about the new Big 12 SEC basketball challenge. Tell me please.

I fail to see why a conference cannot participate in two challenges. Please explain your logic there.

What is my logic about a conference not participating in two challenges?? When did I ever say anything about that not being possible?

Now I have a question for you. Why are you such an A$$Hole?

1) Last year's Big 12-SEC Challenge: http://mweb.cbssports.com/ncaab/eye-on-c...-announced

2) When you said that the PAC was the only major conference available.

3) I don't like when people make mountains out of molehills, so I point out that they are molehills. If that makes me an *******, so be it. Life goes on.

CalallenStang, OK, I take back calling you that. That wasn't right. I don't think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill at all though. I think that the AAC should be looking to make some good OOC matchups via a "conference challenge" with the best possible opponents that they can get. What's wrong with that? It would be fun and it's been shown to get fans excited in the past. Yeah, maybe the AAC can get a challenge set with the Big East but I don't want to help that stupid new Fox1 network so that's why I didn't mention them. An A10/AAC challenge would be fun. Heck, A Big East/AAC challenge that ESPN set up on neutral courts so that Fox1 was taken out of the equation would be fine with me as well....