# AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (formerly known as the big east)



## BigE

*AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (AAC)*

*Long-Term Deal With CBS For Men's Basketball*









The soon-to-be-renamed Big East Conference, demonstrating the continuing vitality of its basketball programs, has entered into an agreement with longtime partner CBS Sports to telecast men's basketball games through the 2019-20 season, Commissioner Mike Aresco and CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus announced today.

The contract includes up to 12 appearances per season. Half of the appearances each season will be conference games. CBS Sports retains the right to have the first selections among conference, non-conference and neutral site games. Financial terms of the agreement were not announced.


With this agreement and a previously announced deal with ESPN, the Conference continues its association with two of the most prestigious media organizations in sports, a major milestone in a realignment and rebranding that will culminate in the announcement of a new name later this spring.

http://www.courant.com/sports/college/hc-big-east-tv-0327-20130326,0,6932847.story


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## BigE

*Re: THE CONFERENCE (formerly known as the big east)*

*East Carolina joining Big East in all sports*









East Carolina will join the soon-to-be-renamed Big East as an all-sports member, instead of just for football as originally planned.

East Carolina had already been set to join Cincinnati, Connecticut, South Florida and the rest of the Big East football schools in 2014. But with the recent split of the football and basketball schools, the football side is giving up the name Big East and needed to add more members for all sports.

Commissioner Mike Aresco called East Carolina ''a valuable addition'' in a statement announcing the move Wednesday.

''They have forward-looking leadership under Chancellor Steve Ballard and an outstanding and well-rounded athletic program,'' Aresco said. ''Their men's and women's basketball teams have enjoyed excellent seasons and their Olympic sports are strong. East Carolina being made an all-sports member is another important step in strengthening our conference.''

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ap-source-e-caro-joining-144604834--ncaaf.html


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## BigE

*Re: THE CONFERENCE (formerly known as the big east)*









http://ajerseyguy.com/?p=6302

The soon-to-be-renamed Big East Conference are expected to make a series of site visits following the Final Four as they search for a venue for next season’s men’s basketball conference tournament. The candidates (for the first year): Memphis, Philadelphia, Hartford, Cincinnati, Louisville

***

The soon to be named Big East conference could have its new name by the end of the week. There is increasing pressure on Big East commissioner Mike Aresco to take advantage of the Big East presence in the Final Four and announce a new oame in Atlanta. Big Metro or Big Metro American are picking up support.


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## Bogg

*Re: THE CONFERENCE (formerly known as the big east)*

I'm really hoping the tourney winds up in Hartford - makes it easy for me to drive to, and it won't be anywhere near as expensive as it was when in MSG.


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## BigE

*Re: THE CONFERENCE (formerly known as the big east)*

*Sources: Old Big East has new name








By Brett McMurphy | ESPN *


The American Athletic Conference is the new name for the former Big East Conference, according to sources.

The league is expected to formally announce the new name as early as Thursday.

In the Big East's final season in its current makeup, the league is going out with a flourish. Louisville upset Florida in the AT&T Sugar Bowl, and five teams reached the men's and women's Final Fours, the most from one conference in NCAA history.

Last month, sources told ESPN that commissioner Mike Aresco favored America 12 Conference as the league's new name. However, the schools' presidents rejected it because they didn't want a number included.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/s...named-american-athletic-conference?src=mobile


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## BigE

*Re: THE CONFERENCE (formerly known as the big east)*










Big East Conference‏@BigEastConf46m 
For those asking, the conference intends to emphasize "The American" as its brand, not an acronym


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## BigE

*Re: THE CONFERENCE (formerly known as the big east)*

Ben Fairclough‏@bigeast_ben36m
The American will launch its new website at its new domain July 1. Twitter handles for The American have not been used to date.


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## BigE

*Re: THE CONFERENCE (formerly known as the big east)*

*Nike helps rebrand University of Connecticut as UConn*










HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The University of Connecticut is officially rebranding itself as UConn.

The school is adopting the UConn nickname as the "primary visual word mark for the entire institution," President Susan Herbst said Thursday in her annual State of the University address to the campus community.

The nickname will replace the University of Connecticut on the schools signs, letterhead, banners, advertising and web pages, she said. The change comes with a new logo, which features the block letters UCONN in all capital letters.

"As an institution, for years we have made use of UConn as institutional nickname of sorts," Herbst said. "But while we see it as shorthand, it appears that throughout the nation - due to our athletic success no doubt - most everyone refers to the university as UConn. That's not a bad thing at all. Think UCLA or Penn or Georgia Tech or Cal or MIT, nicknames all - and proud ones."

http://www.oregonlive.com/playbooks-profits/index.ssf/2013/04/nike_helps_rebrand_university.html


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## tomalter01

*Re: THE CONFERENCE (formerly known as the big east)*

Good it's really work.


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## BigE

*new UCONN unis*

*new UCONN unis*









http://www.uconnhuskies.com/view.gal?id=140250


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## Bogg

*Re: THE CONFERENCE (formerly known as the big east)*

The UConn men's unis are pretty good, but I didn't see a need to rebrand the dog. I'm firmly in the old husky dog camp.


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## BigE

*Re: THE CONFERENCE (formerly known as the big east)*










The newly named American Athletic Conference will begin its search for a site for men’s basketball tournament in Philadelphia.

According to sources familiar with the process, representatives of the American will visit the historic Palestra in Philadelphia on Tuesday as a potential site of the men’s basketball tournament in March 2014.

Other sites that will be considered are Hartford, Memphis and Tampa. American Athletic Association commissioner Mike Aresco is intrigued by the Palestra because of its historical significance as one of the storied venues in college basketball as not only the home court of the University of Pennsylvania, but as a long time site of Big 5 basketball–Temple, Saint Joseph’s, Villanova, LaSalle and Penn–in a prime basketball market.

http://ajerseyguy.com/?p=6776


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## BigE

*Casino bidding for AAC tourney*









HARTFORD, Conn. -- A tribal casino in Connecticut is bidding to host the men's and women's basketball tournaments for the new American Athletic Conference.

Chris Sienko, vice president for the Mohegan Sun, which includes a 9,500-seat arena that is home to the WNBA's Connecticut Sun, said the resort is interested in hosting one or both tournaments.

"We have no insight as to whether we'll be chosen or be a finalist," said Sienko, who also serves as general manager for the WNBA team. "We're just going through the same process that everyone else is going through to be vetted out by the AAC."

Conference officials confirm the venue is in the running, but said the sites for each tournament will be chosen separately by the presidents and athletic directors of the member schools, with input from coaches. The topic will be discussed at the upcoming conference meetings, which begin May 20.


http://espn.go.com/womens-college-b...nning-american-athletic-conference-tournament


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## BigE

The NCAA Division One Board noted that the current Big East Conference would become the American Athletic Conference ("The American") on July 1, 2013, clearing the way for the new conference to adopt the Big East name. The American will retain the Big East's permanent seat on the Division I Board of Directors and their three votes.

http://www.vuhoops.com/big-east/201...board-recognizes-new-big-east-as-a-conference

The only conferences with permanent seats and 3 votes on the NCAA D1 Board are the 11 FBS conferences. The other 7 seats rotate. 

In any given year, 4 will go to FCS conferences, and the other 3 to D1 leagues that do not sponsor football. Those 7 leagues have 1.14 votes each.


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## BigE

The American is how we want to brand ourselves," Aresco said. "The AAC acronym will probably be used, but we shy away from it because it's similar to the ACC and we're also trying to be sensitive to the Appalachian Athletic Conference."

•Aresco said the conference logo will be released very soon.
"We've been going to campuses (showing the group of logos) and it's generated a tremendous positive reaction," 

•"American" could potentially be in the endzone, that word with a group of marks as well. It depends on how people want to use them. We'll have choices. We're doing a logo that can customized and color-coded by school.

•"Everything will be rolled out in the next 2-3 weeks."

http://ucf.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1504015


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## BigE

American Athletic Conference officials will begin their spring meetings next week in Florida, with a logo for the newly named conference, plus the sites of the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments the primary items on the agenda…Memphis and Philadelphia remain the leading contenders for the men, although Atlantic City is receiving some consideration

Lame duck member Rutgers, which is heading to the Big 10 in 2014, is expected to name a new athletic director with Nebraska associate AD Sean Frazier and Louisville Sr. Associate AD Julie Herman the two finalists…

http://ajerseyguy.com/?p=6860#more-6860


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## BigE

*Mohegan Sun (Women), 
Memphis (Men) Likely Venues For 
American Athletic Conference Tournaments*









All signs point to the American Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament being held at the Mohegan Sun Arena while Memphis is the favorite to land the men's tournament, which leaves Hartford without an event.

The XL Center had bid for both, and the downtown Hartford arena has been the site of the past 10 Big East women's tournaments.

The league ended its spring meetings Wednesday morning, when some of the remaining athletic directors met with women's sports administrators and commissioner Mike Aresco.

They talked more about choosing sites for the postseason basketball tournament. Aresco said Tuesday that it could be two or three weeks before deals are finalized with venues, but he said after Wednesday's meeting that deals could be completed sooner — perhaps within a week.

Women's basketball coaches endorsed the Mohegan Sun to athletic directors Tuesday and league presidents expressed no apprehension about playing the tournament at a facility attached to a casino. The leading candidate for the men's tournament is Memphis. Conference officials have said privately that the league is being cautious in identifying the venues because negotiations must be completed and the league wants to keep other options available.

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn...hletic-meetings-0523-20130522,0,7976655.story


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## Bogg

Crap. I wanted the men's tourney in Hartford (or at least Mohegan) so I could make an event of it. The hell if I'm flying out to Memphis for _anything_.


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## BigE

*American Athletic Conference ratifies plan to split realignment funds








Three former Big East schools will receive 60 percent of funds*​
PONTE VEDRA BEACH — American Athletic Conference presidents agreed on how to split lucrative Big East exit fees and postseason credits that reportedly could be near $100 million.

League officials declined to reveal how much each school would receive, but UCF athletics director Todd Stansbury said in an exclusive interview with the Orlando Sentinel the schools previously in the Big East would receive about 60percent of the revenue while the newcomers would split about 40 percent.


Following the second day of meetings, league commissioner Mike Aresco said the conference is looking to craft a bowl lineup for 2014 and beyond. The conference could lose three bowl affiliations – the Pinstripe Bowl in New York City, the Belk Bowl in Charlotte and the Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando – but is considering creating its own bowl to be played in South Florida.

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com...bury-american-athletic-conference-mike-aresco


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## Bogg

I wouldn't mind seeing the International Bowl revived in Toronto. I went the year UConn played in it and had a great time. Toronto isn't so far from me that I can't road trip it in a day and make a long weekend out of it. I would definitely go again, if the scheduling worked.


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## BigE

*The NCAA tournament impact of the ‘real AmeriCon’*









Yesterday, CBS Sports’ @JonRothstein tweeted seven teams from the newly created league that could challenge for an NCAA berth in 2014. Whether he’s a little strong on his prediction or not, it seems pretty likely the league will grab at least four NCAA bids next season.

Louisville, in its only year in the league before joining the ACC, may be the preseason No. 1 team in the nation. The defending champs are a certainty to dance. Connecticut, eligible again after a one-season APR penalty, has plenty of backcourt firepower. Cincinnati likewise should be more than good enough to make it, and Memphis and/or maybe reloading Temple should be good enough to get in as well. Maybe there’s a surprise team that emerges, too, but let’s use four as a relatively sound guess and go from there.

http://college-basketball.si.com/2013/05/22/ncaa-tournament-american-athletic-conference/


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## BigE

*2013-14 College Basketball Conference Snapshot: 
American Athletic Conference*









The American Athletic Conference doesn’t have a logo or a site for its conference tournament. But it does have the defending national champion and clear top team for 2013-14.

In its first and final season in the American Athletic Conference, Louisville is the clear favorite with many of the key pieces returning from last season’s title winner.

Although the American won’t be as good as the former Big East, the league is hoping a handful of teams -- both from the old Big East and teams imported from Conference USA -- will keep the league flush with its share of postseason contenders.

*1. LOUISVILLE* (35-5, 14-4 Big East, won national title)
Key players gone: Gorgui Dieng, Peyton Siva
Top returners: Chane Behanan, Wayne Blackshear, Luke Hancock, Montrezl Harrell, Russ Smith, Kevin Ware

New faces: Anton Gill (Hargrave Military Academy), Chris Jones (junior college), Terry Rozier (Hargrave)

Not so fast on slotting Kentucky as the national championship favorite. The Cardinals will have a chance to defend their title with the return of Russ Smith after early indications had the shooting guard headed to the draft. Chris Jones and Terry Rozier will ease the loss of Peyton Siva while forward Montrezl Harrell could be the Cards’ breakout star in 2013-14 after shining in the postseason.

http://www.athlonsports.com/college...basketball-conference-american-early-rankings


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## BigE

*Re: AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE LOGOS*

*AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE LOGOS*










each member school will be using the logo is their own school colors
http://www.csnbbs.com/showthread.php?tid=634999


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## BigE

*The Big East/AAC Interweb Separation*

The new Big East keeps Brand name
The AAC gets the likes and followers



Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/BIGEASTconference
https://www.facebook.com/AmericanConf



Twitter:
@BigEastConf 
@BigEastChamps 
@BigEastMBB 
@BigEastWBB



@American_Conf 
@American_FB 
@American_MBB 
@American_WBB
@American_Champs



They will launch the two websites on 7/1/2013
a revised www.bigeast.org/
and
www.theamerican.org/


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## BigE

*AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE*










PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The American Athletic Conference has entered into an agreement with Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., to host the inaugural Women’s Basketball Championship for the 2013-14 season.


“We look forward to this partnership,” said American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco. “Mohegan Sun Arena offers our student-athletes, coaches and fans the best of many things –a world-class facility, a great destination and committed management. We feel that being at Mohegan Sun will enhance an already very successful women’s tournament experience.”


"We could not be more pleased to have been selected as the site of the American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championship,” said Mitchell Etess, CEO of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority. “We believe we are the absolute best location for this tournament. Mohegan Sun has a long history of producing world-class events and we will work with the Conference to create an experience that is truly memorable for not only the student-athletes and coaches, but for each and every person who attends"

http://www.bigeast.org/News/tabid/4...American-Teams-Up-with-Mohegan-Sun-Arena.aspx


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## BigE

*Women's Jimmy V Classic
Presented by corona extra*

*Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013
Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, N.C.*
Connecticut Vs. Duke [7 P.M. ET on ESPN2]









*Men's Jimmy V Classic
Presented by corona extra

Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013
Madison Square Garden, New York City*
Pittsburgh Vs. Cincinnati [7 P.M. ET on ESPN]
Florida Vs. Memphis [9 p.m. et on ESPN]

http://www.jimmyv.org/about-us/news/jimmy-v-mens-and-womens-basketball-classics-matchups-2/


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## BigE

*Memphis’ FedExForum Will Host 2014 American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship*









PROVIDENCE, R.I. – FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., one of the nation’s premier basketball venues, will be the site of the 2014 American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship, Commissioner Mike Aresco announced.


“We are very excited to have the first American Athletic Conference championship at FedExForum,” said Aresco. “We received significant interest from many outstanding venues. FedExForum is an outstanding facility and the Forum, the city of Memphis, the University of Memphis and the local community will combine to create a wonderful inaugural event that our teams, coaches, administrators and fans will embrace and enjoy.”


The dates of the 2014 championship are March 12-15. Each game of the 10-team tournament will be televised on the ESPN networks. The championship game on Saturday, March 15, will be televised on ESPN. The tournament will begin with two first-round games on Wednesday, March 12. Two quarterfinal doubleheaders will be played on Thursday, March 13, followed by a semifinal doubleheader on Friday, March 14. Game times will be announced at a later date.


FedExForum has a seating capacity of 18,400. It is located off historic Beale Street and its vibrant and popular entertainment district.

http://www.bigeast.org/News/tabid/4...etball-Championship.aspx#sthash.VCUyaMlO.dpuf


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## BigE




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## BigE

Associate Commissioner for Communications John Paquette was let go today. The Twitter press has been very supportive of him.



> Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 21m
> Sad, sad news that longtime Big East associate commissioner of communications John Paquette let go by Mike Aresco. Was w/league since 1990.





> Pete Thamel ‏@SIPeteThamel 1h
> Not much has gone right since Mike Aresco took over the AAC/BE. Letting go John Paquette continues that trend. Total pro.





> Andy Katz ‏@ESPNAndyKatz 1h
> American takes a hit. Anchor from Big East. [email protected]: My resignation was announced today. Last day in the office. I've been lucky”


http://ajerseyguy.com/?p=7067


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## BigE

*Memphis Tigers new BB Court design *


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## BigE

*AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE GOES LIVE*










Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/AmericanConf

Twitter:
@American_Conf 
@American_FB 
@American_MBB 
@American_WBB
@American_Champs

Website:
www.theamerican.org/


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## BigE

*Re: AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE*

*Jon Rothstein’s American Athletic Conference Offseason Notebook
Questions, Preseason Power Rankings & Players To Watch*







At least four or five. The advantage that the American has over leagues like the Atlantic 10 and the Big East is that this conference has three teams — Louisville, Memphis, and UConn — that all should be ranked in the Top 25 for the majority of the season. 

Why is that such a big deal? It’s real simple. Having three teams ranked in the Top 25 means programs on the bubble from the American could all have better RPI’s than potential bubble teams in the Atlantic 10 and the Big East because they’re going to play Louisville, Memphis, and UConn twice during the regular season. 

The American will send at least four or five teams to the NCAA Tournament, but that number could stretch to six depending on what circumstances unfold during the course of the season.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/08...rican-athletic-conference-offseason-notebook/


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## BigE

The 10-team American opens conference play with a New Year’s Eve triple-header on ESPN2: 
*Louisville heads to Central Florida at 5 p.m.
Memphis traveling to South Florida at 7 p.m.
Connecticut visits Houston at 9.*


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## BigE

*CBS: Eye on College Basketball Conference Predictions*










*College Basketball Conference Previews: AAC*
"The league is going to be better than people realize, especially at the top. Louisville, Memphis and Connecticut are all Top 25 teams, and Louisville could win the whole thing again. Rick Pitino is the best, and he has some great players. But it's going to come down to how well Chris Jones is at replacing Peyton Siva. He's more talented, and I think he's really good. But you just never know how junior college guys are going to adjust to this level. Memphis is really strong on paper. The addition of Mike Dixon is huge. He might end up being their best player. And don't sleep on Houston. Nobody is going to pick them in the top four. But they're good enough to finish up there. Houston has some good players."

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...49/college-basketball-conference-previews-aac


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## Gronehestu

"Rick Pitino is the best"

LOL

I mean he is very good, but he's not the best. He's not even the best of his era. He wasn't even the best last year when his team won it all. But ok, whatever...
____________________________________

I like Temple. They lost a ton, yes, but that heartthrob Fran Dunphy always has his team ready to compete, and they always find a way to contend. He's like the poor-man's Bo Ryan. Anthony Lee turns it over too much, and that's probably not going to stop this year because he's easily their best returnee and they have to find ways to feed him the ball. Will Cummings has been the 3rd guard on a good team...can he be the lead guard for a good one? And Dalton Pepper has to do something this year. He's the only senior and after it was said he used his transfer year to really get comfy in Dunphy's offense, he did almost nothing. He has to average something close to double figures for Temple to approach 20 wins. The guy to watch is Quentin DeCosy though. He's long and athletic and showed the ability to score in spurts last year. They don't have much offense, so if he can score consistently, they will give him the ball and let him do his thing.

UConn and Memphis are similar; if they can get enough out of their respective frontcourts, both should be in the Sweet 16 because they have tremendous guards. Both teams also have coaches looking to prove they're legitimate faces to lead contending programs. L'Ville probably won't miss much of a beat, provided that Chris Jones is as good as everyone says he is. They would struggle in the paint against teams in a lot of other conferences in the country...but lucky for them, their good-but-undersized bigs aren't going to see too much beef in this conference. 

Cincy has Sean Kilpatrick, but he was inefficient last year and doesn't figure to correct that drastically considering his 3-year running mate at point guard, Cashmere Wright, is gone. They've got a bunch of useful role players - Justin Jackson isn't that good but he does a lot of nice things. But their problem is they have nobody to tag-team with Kilpatrick. Maybe Jeremiah Davis can become the 2nd guy. South Florida wasn't as good as they looked 2 years ago, and shouldn't have been as bad as their record last year. It's laughable to recall that Victor Rudd was considering jumping to the NBA prior to last season. If he can focus on playing to his strengths, he's a good player. If he does what he did last year, holy shit...ugh. Anthony Collins might be the most underrated point guard in America though. The Bulls should definitely challenge for an NIT spot in this league


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## shupioneers1

Bogg said:


> Crap. I wanted the men's tourney in Hartford (or at least Mohegan) so I could make an event of it. The hell if I'm flying out to Memphis for _anything_.



I don't know why the UConn women need any more help than what their already getting with the quality of the teams on the women's side. If Louisville doesn't beat them this year they could finish undefeated in conference the next 10 years, no joke. AND their having the conference at Mohegan??


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