Top 144 Countdown

[GumbyDamnit!]

The top of the AAC is pretty good... Ville, UConn, Memphis, Cincy, Temple.
2 National Champs and 3 Final Fours in the last 3 years.
2 NC and 4 FF in last 5
2 NC and 5 FF in last 6
Of course the Big East has 0 NC and 0 FF in the last 4 years. And over that time 2 of our best programs, Nova and GTown, have 1 tourney win each.

You are correct... for one year. After this season when L'ville runs to the ACC much of the luster will fade. Uconn is a quality program (cue your posts about how we need to add them), but they did just lose their legendary coach and have moved from playing some fantastic traditional BE schools (Syr, Gtwn, Nova, ND, Pitt, L'ville next year). How easy is it going to be to sell home and homes with Houston, UCF & S Fl, and any other slop that they bring in next? I think it'll much harder than what the other teams leaving the oBE can now tout. Some of the other programs are definitely not bad (Cincy, Memphis, Temple). If Larry B can get SMU into the Top 25 they will be a solid league 1 through 5. But the bottom of that league is really not good at all. But I'd guess they'll be around 5-6 in the RPI year in and year out behind the BE, B10, & ACC and maybe one or two other Power conferences. They should be a lot like the A10 has been the last few years, and we'll see if they start picking things up on the recruiting trail, top to bottom like the BE has begun to do.

[stever20]

The top of the AAC is pretty good... Ville, UConn, Memphis, Cincy, Temple.
2 National Champs and 3 Final Fours in the last 3 years.
2 NC and 4 FF in last 5
2 NC and 5 FF in last 6
Of course the Big East has 0 NC and 0 FF in the last 4 years. And over that time 2 of our best programs, Nova and GTown, have 1 tourney win each.

You are correct... for one year. After this season when L'ville runs to the ACC much of the luster will fade. Uconn is a quality program (cue your posts about how we need to add them), but they did just lose their legendary coach and have moved from playing some fantastic traditional BE schools (Syr, Gtwn, Nova, ND, Pitt, L'ville next year). How easy is it going to be to sell home and homes with Houston, UCF & S Fl, and any other slop that they bring in next? I think it'll much harder than what the other teams leaving the oBE can now tout. Some of the other programs are definitely not bad (Cincy, Memphis, Temple). If Larry B can get SMU into the Top 25 they will be a solid league 1 through 5. But the bottom of that league is really not good at all. But I'd guess they'll be around 5-6 in the RPI year in and year out behind the BE, B10, & ACC and maybe one or two other Power conferences. They should be a lot like the A10 has been the last few years, and we'll see if they start picking things up on the recruiting trail, top to bottom like the BE has begun to do.

I think the AAC will be much better than the A10. For one, they're much stronger at the top. Much stronger. Also, they are better at the bottom quite frankly. Their worst team in Ken Pom this year is projected to win 12 games. That's not bad.

[GumbyDamnit!]

The top of the AAC is pretty good... Ville, UConn, Memphis, Cincy, Temple.
2 National Champs and 3 Final Fours in the last 3 years.
2 NC and 4 FF in last 5
2 NC and 5 FF in last 6
Of course the Big East has 0 NC and 0 FF in the last 4 years. And over that time 2 of our best programs, Nova and GTown, have 1 tourney win each.

You are correct... for one year. After this season when L'ville runs to the ACC much of the luster will fade. Uconn is a quality program (cue your posts about how we need to add them), but they did just lose their legendary coach and have moved from playing some fantastic traditional BE schools (Syr, Gtwn, Nova, ND, Pitt, L'ville next year). How easy is it going to be to sell home and homes with Houston, UCF & S Fl, and any other slop that they bring in next? I think it'll much harder than what the other teams leaving the oBE can now tout. Some of the other programs are definitely not bad (Cincy, Memphis, Temple). If Larry B can get SMU into the Top 25 they will be a solid league 1 through 5. But the bottom of that league is really not good at all. But I'd guess they'll be around 5-6 in the RPI year in and year out behind the BE, B10, & ACC and maybe one or two other Power conferences. They should be a lot like the A10 has been the last few years, and we'll see if they start picking things up on the recruiting trail, top to bottom like the BE has begun to do.

I think the AAC will be much better than the A10. For one, they're much stronger at the top. Much stronger. Also, they are better at the bottom quite frankly. Their worst team in Ken Pom this year is projected to win 12 games. That's not bad.

Agree...THIS year. Take the top 5 from the AAC next year: Uconn, Cincy, Temple, Memphis, SMU and compare them to what the A10 has put out there over the last few years--VCU, Temple, Xavier, St. Joe, St. Louis, LaSalle--and it is comparable. I would also say that George Mason, Dayton, Richmond, St. Bonnies are much better programs than East Carolina, Tulsa and Tulane. So I'm not sure how you can say they are unequivocally "better at the bottom."

To clarify, I am not saying that they are comparable to the current iteration of the A10. Rather, when stable in 2 years, they will look more like what the A10 has looked like over the past few years. Good/solid teams at the top, but no one really contending for a NC.

[stever20]

The bottom of the A10 aren't the schools you mentioned. It's schools like Fordham, Duquesne, and Rhode Island. Last year those schools won 23 games- combined. Last year the schools you want to beat up- SMU- won 15 games. Houston 20. Tulane 20. ECU 23. So yes I can without a doubt say that the AAC will be better at the bottom than what the A10 had.

Also at the top- you can't really take VCU. La Salle- only tourney trip was last year. St Louis- only tourney trips last 2 years. St Joe's- 1 tourney trip last 9 years. So I'd take the AAC at the top and at the bottom.

[DumpsterFireA10]

The top of the AAC is pretty good... Ville, UConn, Memphis, Cincy, Temple.
2 National Champs and 3 Final Fours in the last 3 years.
2 NC and 4 FF in last 5
2 NC and 5 FF in last 6
Of course the Big East has 0 NC and 0 FF in the last 4 years. And over that time 2 of our best programs, Nova and GTown, have 1 tourney win each.

You are correct... for one year. After this season when L'ville runs to the ACC much of the luster will fade. Uconn is a quality program (cue your posts about how we need to add them), but they did just lose their legendary coach and have moved from playing some fantastic traditional BE schools (Syr, Gtwn, Nova, ND, Pitt, L'ville next year). How easy is it going to be to sell home and homes with Houston, UCF & S Fl, and any other slop that they bring in next? I think it'll much harder than what the other teams leaving the oBE can now tout. Some of the other programs are definitely not bad (Cincy, Memphis, Temple). If Larry B can get SMU into the Top 25 they will be a solid league 1 through 5. But the bottom of that league is really not good at all. But I'd guess they'll be around 5-6 in the RPI year in and year out behind the BE, B10, & ACC and maybe one or two other Power conferences. They should be a lot like the A10 has been the last few years, and we'll see if they start picking things up on the recruiting trail, top to bottom like the BE has begun to do.

I think the AAC will be much better than the A10. For one, they're much stronger at the top. Much stronger. Also, they are better at the bottom quite frankly. Their worst team in Ken Pom this year is projected to win 12 games. That's not bad.

I think there are many leagues better than the A-10. So that's a useless comparison. There is not one school who benefits from membership in that trash can fire. I knew if stever was posting, he was taking shots at Saint Louis as well.

[stever20]

I actually do think the A10 isn't that bad. I think it's been a pretty good conference- just think the AAC will be better than what it was before.

A10 is right now one of the top 9 conferences and will get multiple teams in the tourney. In some years they may get up to top 6-7 even. It's a lot better than the alternative for all the teams in the conference. There's a pretty big gap between the top 9- and the other conferences. You have 2 after that- WCC and MVC- that are halfway close- but still probably only 1 bid conferences(WCC may get a 2nd)- then a huge canyon to the others.

[DumpsterFireA10]

Look at this year's Preseason AP poll if you want to see how much of a joke the A-10 is.

[stever20]

Look at this year's Preseason AP poll if you want to see how much of a joke the A-10 is.

They have as many top 25 teams as the Big East does.

[DumpsterFireA10]

Look at this year's Preseason AP poll if you want to see how much of a joke the A-10 is.

They have as many top 25 teams as the Big East does.

I don't see the Big East champion not on the page though. Is the Valley still accepting entrants?

[stever20]

That's because SLU lost a lot from last year as well as there are big questions about the coach.

1 of the Big East champs aren't in the top 25(Georgetown).

A10 blows the Valley out of the water.