UConn Defiant In Final AAC Media Day; Mason Feole Departs

UConn Picked Last in AAC East; Water Is Wet

The Story: UConn was picked in last in the AAC East Division in a preseason media poll. Of the 12 teams in the conference, UConn received the least amount of votes.

WHAT ELSE IS NEW? UConn never does well in preseason polling and for most of Randy Edsall‘s first tenure in Storrs, he almost always surpassed low expectations in the Big East. The Huskies deserved this ranking after last season and losing David Pindell. Can the Huskies do better than dead last? Of course. But, after last season’s debacle, at least this cynicism from the media is deserved. On a side note on preseason polls: Who really cares?

AAC UNKIND: UConn is, get this, 18-55 since it joined The American. It takes a lot of chutzpah to even ask the AAC for a way to keep football in the conference with that kind of performance. The Huskies need to perform in their last year in the AAC. What does that look like? We have no idea, and no one else does, either. So, take this poll with a grain of salt. Secondly, who cares about the preseason polls?

AAC UNKIND PART II: So, all that UConn talk at AAC media day wasn’t about last season’s historically awful defense. For once, we bet Edsall would have liked to have actually fielded questions on that defense than the ones on UConn football leaving the conference.

EDSALL LIKES HOGAN’S HEROES? We fondly remember Edsall giving non-answers on important topics that made it impossible to convey in print. When Edsall texted local media last month and said he wasn’t going to talk about leaving the conference, he wasn’t kidding. He was asked repeatedly about the move out of the AAC and stayed disciplined. The best reply? When someone asked about the Sgt. Schultz tweet about not knowing anything when news broke. Edsall told the media, “I like Hogan’s Heroes.” Bravo.

STILL DEFIANT: Edsall did open up a little bit when speaking to Jeff Jacobs.

“Since I’ve come back, we’ve had adversity,” Edsall said. “I’ve had adversity with [Corey’s hiring and the state ethics debacle], with what’s going on now. You ain’t going to get me. I’ll tell you that. You ain’t going to get these guys. We’re better than that. We’re bigger than that. We’re tougher than that. What I’ve got to do is make sure I’m doing the right things. They’ll follow my lead. Been there. Done it. Wasn’t all peaches and cream my first time around. We’re just worried about what we control, what I can control.”

WHAT ABOUT THE CONFERENCE? UCF, which hasn’t lost in the league in more than two years, was picked to win the East division and Memphis edged out Houston to be the preseason pick in the West.

ARESCO’S MASTERPIECE: Commissioner Mike Aresco‘s state of the conference addresses are legendary in their hyperbole and references to historical figures. This year? We have Moses not decreeing that there must be a Power 5 and the yearly quote about JFK, this one about inspiring the United States to go to the moon.

UConn’s Exit Dance: Benedict, Aresco Talk Turkey

The Story: UConn and the AAC are in negotiating mode and time will tell if the university gets a deal that will be beneficial to the entire athletic department. The good news is UConn will receive a full share of Big East money when it enters the conference.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: UConn and the AAC are unsure of the exit date, though the intention of the university is to play the 2020 season in the Big East and presumably have a football decision in place. Right now, that is a wish. UConn withdraws effective July 1, 2022, at the latest, as per the AAC bylaws. The price of the buyout is $10 million, of which $5 million is being held in escrow by the AAC. If UConn wants to leave early, it will have to pay up to leave. What price? That’s what we don’t know.

Aresco reiterated on Tuesday that the discussion with UConn is amicable. That’s good, though the tough-talking head of The American hasn’t been kind to UConn in media appearances in recent weeks. He also said it seems unlikely the conference will replace UConn and instead will forge ahead with its existing membership. (Sorry, Oklahoma Panhandle State.)

BENEDICT EMERGES IN NEWPORT: Athletic director Dave Benedict did talk on the record about the departure and possibly playing independently in 2020 (which is the most likely scenario). Benedict said he was encouraged by the conversations he has had about scheduling and believes the schools can get quality games home and away.

“We want to build a successful football program and I don’t think that changes whether you’re in the American Athletic Conference or any other conference or you’re playing as an independent,” Benedict said. “There are certain things that you do to try to help support that effort. Scheduling certainly plays a part of that. Scheduling in places where you recruit and you’re going to spend time recruiting and feel like you have an opportunity to recruit prospects and get them to come to your program is going to be very important for us. And the type and quality of opponents you compete against obviously has an impact because you can sell and recruit to your schedule.”

Baseball in MLB4 Tournament

The Story: The baseball team will play in the second annual MLB4 tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona, in February alongside defending national champion Vanderbilt, runner-up Michigan and Cal Poly.

INVITATION ACCEPTED: This is the second showcase and is the spring training home of the Diamondbacks and Rockies. The Rockies, of course, stock the Hartford Yard Goats. The stadium also may be the most beautiful of any team’s spring training home, so if the games get unsightly, at least there’s the natural scenery to gaze at.

FEOLE TO HAVE SURGERY: Pitcher Mason Feole signed with the San Diego Padres last week and won’t return to UConn, but will also miss all of next season as he undergoes Tommy John surgery. Feole’s fastball wasn’t as good this last year and he dropped to the 11th round. Now we know why, and hopefully, he can come back stronger than ever.

Morning Read

ALLEN, UCONN AT ODDS: Just what we want to see: Ray Allen and UConn are at loggerheads about his conversations with Kevin Ollie about violations. (New Haven Register)

ANALYSE THIS: Caron Butler is set to join Juwan Howard as the color commentators for Washington Wizards games beginning next season. (Washington Post)