Saw this re-tweeted by ESPN's Andy Katz
http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketb...um=twitter

Have got to say I love it. Well done Blazers fans!!! I'd love to see you guys in basketball get back to where you used to be....

(12-05-2014 09:21 AM)stever20 Wrote:  Saw this re-tweeted by ESPN's Andy Katz
http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketb...um=twitter

Have got to say I love it. Well done Blazers fans!!! I'd love to see you guys in basketball get back to where you used to be....

They never will if they're relegated to the likes of the SBC or the ASun.

CUSA needs to do the right thing and let them stay. If they weren't a founding member with a solid basketball history, I'd tell them to go pound sand, but what happened at UAB is out of their control.

If the ACC can make 15/14 or 16/15 (I forget their setup) work, then we can too.

I'm a big proponent of letting UAB stay in the league. Their BB history warrants respect and I think they deserve the spot. However, I'm not sure the CUSA decision makers feel the same way. My gut tells me they're pissed at UAB's president and the way the situation played out.

I have a feeling that the conference is going to take their own sweet time coming to a decision. They're probably calling up other schools right now to gauge interest and to see if they can find a better solution. I hope they don't let emotions get in the way of making the right decision.

What happened at UAB was out of the players' and coaches' control, but was well within the head administration's control. I feel bad for UAB. I think Watts should be fired. But rules state you have to be a football playing school. We don't want to be a big hybrid league again.

Too bad this stuff "came out" too late.

If UAB would have had 6 months to prepare, maybe they would have had time to raise a boatload of money, and save the program

I know it wasn't about finances, but dollar in the hand beats two in the bush.

(12-05-2014 12:32 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  Too bad this stuff "came out" too late.

If UAB would have had 6 months to prepare, maybe they would have had time to raise a boatload of money, and save the program

I know it wasn't about finances, but dollar in the hand beats two in the bush.

They literally were rejecting money to save football

Banowsky tried to convince the Presidents to go 16 before. I don't think they'll change their minds and go 14/16 just for us. I don't blame them.

(12-05-2014 12:18 PM)EagNBran Wrote:  What happened at UAB was out of the players' and coaches' control, but was well within the head administration's control. I feel bad for UAB. I think Watts should be fired. But rules state you have to be a football playing school. We don't want to be a big hybrid league again.

This.

The conference can't try to make a distinction between what UAB's president and/or trustees choose to do and what we think their students/athletic department would prefer.

UAB dropped football. So UAB can't stay in CUSA.

I hate this for them, but they've got to find a league that is a better fit. This one requires football.

Good to know some of the people are on here are willing to weaken the conference in many regards because UAB got ****** over.

If I was CUSA, I would kick us out. I wouldn't want an athletic program that has no control over itself in my conference, regardless of circumstances.

(12-05-2014 03:41 PM)Shrack Wrote:  If I was CUSA, I would kick us out. I wouldn't want an athletic program that has no control over itself in my conference, regardless of circumstances.

If your administration and the BOT would confirm to C-USA that they intend for UAB to remain a strong div 1 school with an emphasis on mbb, I would hope the conference would keep you. If not then the conference probably looks for a new, complete program.

(12-05-2014 03:39 PM)Niner National Wrote:  Good to know some of the people are on here are willing to weaken the conference in many regards because UAB got ****** over.

What do you mean?

I think 1 thing that is hurting UAB now is in basketball they are on a relatively speaking down period. They aren't as strong as they were in the past in hoops. It'd be easier to keep UAB around if they had been putting up 25 win years and making the tourney and even making a bit of noise. Made the tourney 1 out of the last 8 years, and this year looks like it'll make it 1 of 9.

(12-05-2014 04:26 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 03:39 PM)Niner National Wrote:  Good to know some of the people are on here are willing to weaken the conference in many regards because UAB got ****** over.

What do you mean?

Nobody else we bring in will have the basketball and olympic sports profile that UAB has.

We're going to dilute an already ****** basketball product unless we manage to snag Akron or Ohio. Anyone else from the SBC and I honestly give up on this conference.

(12-05-2014 04:34 PM)Niner National Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 04:26 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 03:39 PM)Niner National Wrote:  Good to know some of the people are on here are willing to weaken the conference in many regards because UAB got ****** over.

What do you mean?

Nobody else we bring in will have the basketball and olympic sports profile that UAB has.

We're going to dilute an already ****** basketball product unless we manage to snag Akron or Ohio. Anyone else from the SBC and I honestly give up on this conference.

Well, I guess you're right then.

I am willing for the conference to be weaker in Olympic sports and even basketball in order to comply with the conference by-laws. If you've got to put it that way.

And even if it wasn't in the by-laws, I'd be willing to give that up to avoid having a hybrid conference. I don't necessarily want to add any more schools (I always thought 14 was too many, and 13 is only a little worse).

(12-05-2014 03:41 PM)Shrack Wrote:  If I was CUSA, I would kick us out. I wouldn't want an athletic program that has no control over itself in my conference, regardless of circumstances.

And I agree. If UAB can't trust its leadership, why in the hell Bano and CUSA should?

That's the problem here, I love UAB and CUSA is better with everything they can bring to the table. They are one of the handful of basketball programs that can get at large bids, they're in a great market, and they have some of the best fans around. It is an absolute travesty what has happened to them.

How does CUSA differentiate all of the above, from the slime that runs the university? I don't think they can, can the conference trust Watts' word if he says he will keep basketball strong? I don't think we can trust anything that comes from him.

I hope the UAB people keep fighting the fight, because this is starting to shed some unfavorable light nationally on the insanity that is Alabama's BOT. As much as it pains me to say this though, because I view UAB as a sister institution to Charlotte, I don't think they can stay the way things currently are.

Would you open up a can of worms for any other C-USA teams that decide (or have it decided for them) to drop football ?

(12-05-2014 04:34 PM)Niner National Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 04:26 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 03:39 PM)Niner National Wrote:  Good to know some of the people are on here are willing to weaken the conference in many regards because UAB got ****** over.

What do you mean?

Nobody else we bring in will have the basketball and olympic sports profile that UAB has.

We're going to dilute an already ****** basketball product unless we manage to snag Akron or Ohio. Anyone else from the SBC and I honestly give up on this conference.

I have to agree on some points, but disagree on others. UAB has had some decent teams in the last decade. However, the conference established a precedence when they booted Charlotte and St. Louis for a lack of football membership. I don't see how they change that thinking by allowing UAB to stay without changing their priorities for the conference. The other thing that makes me think that this can't happen is that, as far as I know there is still a great deal of uncertainty surrounding UAB's athletic department as a whole. The University chose the path that they felt is best. That sucks for those who do not agree with that path. However, there is also a path that Conference USA wants to go and the conference and UAB are now going in opposite directions.

(12-05-2014 11:13 PM)Dowless Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 04:34 PM)Niner National Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 04:26 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 03:39 PM)Niner National Wrote:  Good to know some of the people are on here are willing to weaken the conference in many regards because UAB got ****** over.

What do you mean?

Nobody else we bring in will have the basketball and olympic sports profile that UAB has.

We're going to dilute an already ****** basketball product unless we manage to snag Akron or Ohio. Anyone else from the SBC and I honestly give up on this conference.

I have to agree on some points, but disagree on others. UAB has had some decent teams in the last decade. However, the conference established a precedence when they booted Charlotte and St. Louis for a lack of football membership. I don't see how they change that thinking by allowing UAB to stay without changing their priorities for the conference. The other thing that makes me think that this can't happen is that, as far as I know there is still a great deal of uncertainty surrounding UAB's athletic department as a whole. The University chose the path that they felt is best. That sucks for those who do not agree with that path. However, there is also a path that Conference USA wants to go and the conference and UAB are now going in opposite directions.

A lot can happen between now and then. A lot of people are working their butts off to get rid of Watts. If that happens, we don't know what will replace him, but it can't be worse. This could start to happen as soon as Tuesday, when there will likely be a vote about watts.(hopefully a vote of no confidence) football is still in the plans for students and boosters. The situation sucks, but I'm hoping that this fight allows the conference to wait and see what happens before just giving us the boot. If they do though, I completely get it.