Big East hopes UConn stays for long time after Big 12 flirtations

It doesn’t sound like the Big East is holding a grudge against Connecticut for trying to leave for the Big 12 for the second consecutive year.Commissioner Val Ackerman is pleased the Huskies wound up staying after they didn’t have the votes from Big 12 presidents to join the conference and talks were tabled for the time being.“UConn’s been a great partner, we think it’s been win-win,” Ackerman said on Wednesday.“They’ve helped us out on a lot of events, [athletic director] David [Benedict] has been very constructive in our boardroom.

I can’t tell you what the future holds on any of this.We hope they stay in the league for a long time.”The Big East brought Connecticut back to the league in 2020, at a time when its men’s basketball program had fallen off significantly.

UConn football went independent upon the school moving back to the Big East, but the sport remains a pivotal part of the equation in Connecticut exploring potential realignment moves.There’s no question, however, that UConn’s return to the league has led to the rebirth of its men’s basketball powerhouse, which likely wouldn’t happen had the Huskies remained in the AAC.The Huskies will be looking to win a third straight title this winter, which hasn’t happened in the sport since UCLA won seven straight titles from 1967-73.“In this business, my job isn’t to be thin-skinned on anything,” Ackerman said.

“My job is to look out for the conference, to navigate group decisions.I can’t tell you I was inactive during that stretch.

Phone calls were made to better understand the possibilities here.To their credit, UConn was communicative with us about that, which is all we can ask.”Throughout Connecticut’s championship run from March into the first weekend in April, coach Dan Hurley railed about the NCAA Tournament selection committee’s decision to only pick three teams, and he believes the league is still not getting enough respect.

In the Associated Press prese...