Big East still a major conference-ESPN love

[stever20]

my point is I wouldn't have done an article like this for another year or two. If the gap is the same 2 years from now, there's absolutely no questions at all.

[GoldenWarrior11]

1) the change occurred 2 years ago. what else should the sample size be?
2) the gap last year was enormous.

Not even you could say the AAC is ahead of the BE. They simple aren't.

but to agree, it is sort of bizarre that ESPN took this position.
Re: Big East still a major conference-ESPN love
by stever20 » Fri Sep 11, 2015 7:44 am

2 things would be the argument against this article...
1- sample size. It's just 2 years.
2- The gap is entirely last year.

Not saying the AAC is ahead of the BE, but the metrics this article uses are pretty flimsy.

It's rather bizarre that ESPN would post this.
Re: Big East still a major conference-ESPN love

It's not bizarre at all, in fact. ESPN, without stating the obvious, is using 2015 as a basis for the AAC since it's the first year they don't have Louisville propping up the league. In 2014, when the AAC and Big East were closer, they had Louisville, one of the top athletic programs in the country elevating the level of the league. In 2015, when Louisville was replaced with East Carolina, Tulane and Tulsa, the league obviously took a serious hit. Since Louisville ain't coming back to the AAC anytime soon, it's only fair to use 2015 as the starting off point for the league moving forward.

[stever20]

but didn't folks on here last year say not to use the 2014 season because it was just 1 year for the Big East? Too small of a sample size is what everyone said.

[stever20]

I think Big East is gonna have a huge year this year- maybe better than this year. I do think the AAC bounces back- UConn isn't going 20-15 again. And the thing is, I don't think the AAC is our enemy by any stretch of the imagination. I don't get why folks here think they are.

[RedStormHoops]

You have to be messed up in the head to think the AAC is as good as the big east. AAC has some good programs, UConn and Cincy. But the big east top to bottom has historically great programs that are trending upwards. It's not contest.

[handdownmandown]

Don't you ever get tired, Stever? It's as if you are a cross between Don Quixote and the Energizer bunny.

[DudeAnon]

For stever, read the whole article next time.

Regardless, the American's numbers from last season actually aren't all that dissimilar to the rolling five-season average recorded by the 10 teams that currently comprise the conference. In fact, one factor behind the league's year-to-year statistical decline was simply the departure of Louisville to the ACC after the 2013-14 season. One might go so far as to speculate that in the first two seasons of the league's existence we've already seen both the best (2013-14) and the worst (2014-15) that the American has to offer in terms of basketball. If this indeed turns out to be the case, you can mark down the American as a "high" mid-major, on about the same level as the Atlantic 10.

[stever20]

For stever, read the whole article next time.

Regardless, the American's numbers from last season actually aren't all that dissimilar to the rolling five-season average recorded by the 10 teams that currently comprise the conference. In fact, one factor behind the league's year-to-year statistical decline was simply the departure of Louisville to the ACC after the 2013-14 season. One might go so far as to speculate that in the first two seasons of the league's existence we've already seen both the best (2013-14) and the worst (2014-15) that the American has to offer in terms of basketball. If this indeed turns out to be the case, you can mark down the American as a "high" mid-major, on about the same level as the Atlantic 10.

well 1 thing- the AAC has 11 teams so that's wrong.

but the thing is, we need to see how the teams like UCF, ECU, Tulane, etc. are in the future. Those teams have upgraded from where they used to be. I don't think it'd be a surprise at all if UCF turns into a good program. And even ECU given they're in a pretty good basketball hotbed.

[Xudash]

For stever, read the whole article next time.

Regardless, the American's numbers from last season actually aren't all that dissimilar to the rolling five-season average recorded by the 10 teams that currently comprise the conference. In fact, one factor behind the league's year-to-year statistical decline was simply the departure of Louisville to the ACC after the 2013-14 season. One might go so far as to speculate that in the first two seasons of the league's existence we've already seen both the best (2013-14) and the worst (2014-15) that the American has to offer in terms of basketball. If this indeed turns out to be the case, you can mark down the American as a "high" mid-major, on about the same level as the Atlantic 10.

I thought I would repost Dude's post for stever so that he can finally soak it in and then maybe run off to pout in a corner.

No true fan of the Big East would LOOK to find a reason to not like the article. I certainly can see where an ACTUAL fan of the AAC masquerading around here as a BE fan would be displeased.

So, the one year sample size is an issue? Apparently not to the journalists at ESPN who wrote, approved and published the article.

[stever20]

I just don't see the need to bury the AAC at every turn like folks on here want to do. Like I've said- the AAC ain't the enemy. The P5 is.