Per SportingNews, SEC pursuing Duke/UNC

[REM08]

Thoughts? Think its likely or realistic? I imagine most of you would have to like this option more than one including FSU. My preference would be UNC and then another school from another state.

This would make the SEC pretty strong in basketball - at the top at least.

[KyleM923]

HAHA..... pulling Duke and UNC away from the ACC would pretty much make that conference obsolete, in both Academics and Athletics!

[Jstewie15]

Wow could u amagine Uk,Uf,Unc and Duke during Basketball season. Calaparia would be 4th best coach in conference. Coach K,Billy Donovan,Roy Williams then Calaparia

[jjenkins5]

I would LOVE it! It would make for a much tougher b-ball conference, but talk about some great in-conference games - WOW. That UNC & Duke are both AAU schools is icing on the cake - a 16 team conference with the best combination of football, basketball and baseball teams and nearly half (6) are academically elite, now that's something to be proud to be a part of!

[REM08]

Originally Posted by jjenkins5

I would LOVE it! It would make for a much tougher b-ball conference, but talk about some great in-conference games - WOW. That UNC & Duke are both AAU schools is icing on the cake - a 16 team conference with the best combination of football, basketball and baseball teams and nearly half (6) are academically elite, now that's something to be proud to be a part of!

I went ahead and bolded phrases and words that shouldn't ever be combined again now that we've learned about how academics have been handled (for decades) at UNC.

The latest story that broke about this involved a whistle blower who used to be an athletic academic advisor at UNC. She said what they did "made her sick to her stomach" and that she was told to "shut up and graduate players..."

I'd be excited to add UNC to the SEC, but lets not pretend they're anything but an embarrassment when it comes to academics.

[PIMking]

I've been hoping and saying this for a long time. I think it would be great, we would go to one of the best in Basketball, best football, and 6 teams that are AAU schools. It helps basketball, and academics

[EvenParGator]

I'm afraid that they would have to come as a pair, if at all. In my own perfect world, I'd want UNC and UVA and close the book!

[GatorPlanet]

I don't like Duke and I don't like UNC. Screw 'em.

If we MUST expand, let's take Louisville and Hawaii.

[LeafUF]

If we are going to add two schools from the same state these are the two you take.

[fubar1]

I'm a believer in not mixing cultures when conferences expand. And adding UNC and Duke falls into that category.

Arkansas, South Carolina, Missouri and TAM were all "football" schools, at least from a historical perspective. They fit well and blended right in with the culture and traditions of the SEC.

I personally don't want any part of UNC and Duke. Give me VT if we're taking an ACC team. Beyond that....leave the rest to rot.

[EvenParGator]

I'm hoping for different states/TV markets...

[gator1986]

It would be great for basketball purposes since UNC and duke both suck at football... Pretty decent at baseball, but I say get Louisville and Pittsburgh, even though Pittsburgh is not a southern school it would be nice to be able to raid that state more in football and basketball for recruiting and the other surrounding states, even though they already do get heavily recruited by Florida, even more would come...

[amangator08]

ESPN just posted an article yesterday saying how UNC sent out a letter stating that they had been in the ACC 60 years and would be there at least another 60. Now, I understand that people in sports have made remarks like this in the past that later turned out tone untrue. But, I'd be really surprised to see this happen.

[REM08]

Originally Posted by EvenParGator

I'm afraid that they would have to come as a pair, if at all. In my own perfect world, I'd want UNC and UVA and close the book!

I'm with you on those states being the ones I'd target, but UVA over Va Tech?

[GatorPlanet]

Oklahoma and/or Texas.

[REM08]

Originally Posted by Jstewie15

Wow could u amagine Uk,Uf,Unc and Duke during Basketball season. Calaparia would be 4th best coach in conference. Coach K,Billy Donovan,Roy Williams then Calaparia

Calling Roy Williams a good coach is as absurd as thinking UNC is academically elite.

[LeafUF]

Originally Posted by REM08

Calling Roy Williams a good coach is as absurd as thinking UNC is academically elite.

Just because they have dirt in the athletic program when it comes to student athletes does not make UNC any less elite academically overall. They are a top 50 national university. Judging a universities academics by its athletes is going to make every university in the country look worse.

[REM08]

Originally Posted by LeafUF

Just because they have dirt in the athletic program when it comes to student athletes does not make UNC any less elite academically overall. They are a top 50 national university. Judging a universities academics by its athletes is going to make every university in the country look worse.

Amen to your last sentence there. However, the conference exists for athletics. We're not adding communication or psych majors, we're adding geographic territory/tv money and an athletic department. Thats my view at least.

[gatorfansrule]

I'd love it because I'd finally have the Gators traveling close to me to play games, but these schools are not a fit in the SEC. Give me NC State and Virginia Tech.

[LeafUF]

Originally Posted by REM08

Amen to your last sentence there. However, the conference exists for athletics. We're not adding communication or psych majors, we're adding geographic territory/tv money and an athletic department. Thats my view at least.

The Presidents of these Universities will harp on the Academics of their Universities and of the others in their conference and when they do that they are not talking about the athletic programs academic standards. Its probably all lip service and in the end is way down the list of concerns in this conference realignment game but its still something they love to brag about.

UNC is actually a very good school. They are #5 amongst publics and #30 overall. That is 12 and 24 spots better than the current best academic school in the SEC.

Does improving the academic profile of a conference really matter in all this? My guess is not really. And if it mattered so much the ACC wouldnt have just voted to add Louisville.