Ed Cooley Credits The Big East For Giving UConn 'New Life' By Making Them Realize They Are A 'Basketball School' ... Yeah, No Kidding

I hate to break it to JackMac, Spider, Marina and the rest of the UConn actually has a football team crew, but this is correct. It’s also correct that the Big East gave UConn a new life. I mean, I’d say actually being successful, something they weren’t able to do consistently in the AAC would help, but the Big East helps too. It at least shuts their fans up about being in a weird conference.

I’ve argued that this version of the Big East didn’t need UConn and it’s still true. They were a top-3 conference 4 of the 6 years – the only two times being year 1 and this past year. Nova won a couple national titles. The Big East didn’t need UConn to bring in talent or anything like that.

So it’s simple. The Big East is now (well in a year) saving UConn basketball. They finally get to play Nova, Georgetown and Providence home and home again. They get to go to the Garden for the conference tournament.

But it doesn’t matter unless Hurley is able to make UConn relevant on a year to year basis. That’s what made Calhoun so damn good. He took a school in Storrs, Connecticut and made it a destination for hoops recruits. That was damn near impossible. Then, he won with said recruits. Hurley is starting to do step 1, we will see about step 2.

I just don’t know why UConn would think it was more of a basketball school than football school

Credit Ed Cooley for crediting the Big East for saving UConn hoops though. Love Ed Cooley.