I read the Uconn realignment board every day

[Orange87]

My son went to Seton Hall for a year (he did look at SU, but chose The Hall. He was so disappointed in the academics there that he transferred to UCONN...

So who does he root for, The Hall or the Huskies?

 

[grepal]

What is the link for the UCONN board?

 

[SkanSU]

What is the link for the UCONN board?

Just go to the basketball forum page and look at the top. U will find a pull down for opponents links

 

[reedny]

I can't get enough of this conf. realignment stuff as well and I also agree that the WVU board is the best place to watch this huge car crash.

UConn - I'm a Syracuse alum from the '80s when UConn was the league doormat and they didn't play football. I root as hard against UConn sports as I did and do against Georgetown. The fact that I'm also a CT resident makes me hate their sports teams that much more because I'm inundated with people wearing huskies logowear wherever I go. Keep in mind that these people also think that college basketball was invented in Storrs by Jim Calhoun. However, being that I am a resident with kids approaching college age I appreciate what the state university is and can offer my family in the near future.

So I'm a little torn. As a Syracuse alum and fan I say UConn can go to hell and play in the friggin' MAAC. Let's see how well Calhoun recruits there. As a state resident with a financial and educational interest in the continued success of the university, I say let 'em into the ACC. Their basketball team is one of the top 2-3 in the country and their football team has gone from nothing to competitive in a really short amount of time.

I hate them but they do not deserve to be left out of this.

Lastly, let me say this in terms of the academics of Syracuse and UConn. If my kids get in and go to Syracuse it would be considered an accomplishment and I'd be thrilled. UConn will be their safety school as it continues to be for most of the kids in my town's high school. So whoever is on the UConn board comparing academics, needs to take a step back and reassess those statements.

This is a good post -- from an objective standpoint, any public university that improves academically and has athletic programs as successful as UConn's deserves respect. However, I have two problems with the school (besides general disgust for Calhoun). First, they've spent truckloads of public money on glittering new sports facilities. I believe it was $90M alone for football, and as noted above, the total pricetage is far more. Now I realize that there are economic benefits to investments in sports facilities, public or private (e.g., the Dome). But is such a huge outlay necessary or appropriate in this day and age, especially for a non-academic purpose? That's for Ct. voters to decide, but sheesh.

Second, at the recent games I've attended (e.g., the BEC Tourney at the garden this past March), there's no evidence that Husky students are required to learn sportsmanship, or even basic English. They screamed obscenities at practically every SU basket (without a care for the 8-10 year olds in the area). Even after SU lost in OT (on exceptional performances by Walker and Lamb), they could barely shake hands or respond when offered 'good luck' sentiments. No class and no manners, despite a container ship of taxpayer funds.

Is there any resentment in Ct. for the money UConn has allocated to sports programs?

 

[Orange87]

What you have to understand about the State of Connecticut is that we have the largest disparity between wealth and poverty of any state in the country. The suburbs are the wealthiest in the country and the urban areas are the poorest. So there may be resentment, but I'm fortunate enough to live in the 'burbs so I don't see or hear what they may be resentful of in the inner cities. From my perspective - no I don't see any resentment. CT residents seem to be very supportive of UConn athletics and are appreciative of and take pride in the success of the teams.

As to the students behavior at games - you know, I've seen fans of every single team at every single sporting event I've ever attended acting like complete . I've also seen fans of every single team at every single sporting event I've ever attended acting like perfect ladies and gentlemen. It's not that the university is producing jerks, it's just the nature of the beast when it comes to fans.

My favorite Big East fan moment came at a Big East Tournament game at MSG when I was a student. I think it was a semifinal game and Syracuse had just beaten Pitt in a hotly contested affair. I was sitting near the court behind one of the baskets, proudly displaying in my blue & orange 'Syracuse Basketball' sweatshirt. The Pitt band had to walk by my seat as they were exiting under the stands. They looked so bummed out and I felt sort of bad for them. As the tuba player walked by me I patted him on the shoulder and said 'Hey man, good game, tough loss, we'll see you in the Big Dance next week...' The guy looks at me screams '**K YOU A**HOLE!!" and keeps right on walking. Now, I could have thought that Pitt had such classless students but I took it for what is what worth and in the end my friends and I had something to laugh at then and to this day still get a kick out of that.