Impact of Wichita's Final Four Run

[m-v-c]

I apologize if this has been already discussed, I haven't been reading much on here lately since I've just been mourning my bracket. Anyways, I was hoping to get some other opinions on WSU's run. It seems to me that this is the perfect storm for WSU to dominate the league for the forseeable future. Obviously with CU leaving, that leaves them alone as the dominant program in recent years. In addition to that, I think a deep NCAA run was the thing that may push them over the edge into finding a new conference home. Although, I am not sure if their is really a conference that they would fit with at this point. Will they stick around? Will it be good for the rest of the conference? If the MVC doesn't make a significant splash with creighton's replacement, is there any motivation for them to stick around?

Not sure that any team is going to 'dominate' this league. Even this season, CU and WSU were clearly the best teams and they didn't dominate. It's too tough of a league, the teams are too well coached and know each other too well. Now, on a national level...no doubt WSU has set itself up nicely, and they'll deserve every bit of it. They've earned it. But don't forget the Shockers and Bluejays both were struggling to beat SIU, Evansville and UNI in the conference season this year. The Valley will continue to be a very competitive league. This was no better than a mediocre year competitively for the league from a national standpoint, lot of schools were building/rebuilding, the league will continue to be solid.

[Ace Dad]

As long as Marshall is there, my opinion is that WSU will always be at or near the top (top 3 or 4 always) top 1 or 2 usually. Now that CU is gone, WSU really has no current competition as far as program strength, in the Valley. UNI is pretty solid, but not comparable to WSU as a program. I think there may be years where UNI wins the league (as long as Jakobsen is coaching), but i think he is going to be gone sooner or later. And the tradition and fan base in Cedar Falls/Waterloo is nothing like it is in Wichita. I think SIU is in the same position as UNI. Hopefully will return to greatness for a few years, but it is hard to sustain greatness at a place like that unless the athletic department starts to put a lot of resources into paying a coach big-time money like at WSU. Come to think of it the same could be said for most Valley schools. In a league like this it all comes down to hiring a GREAT coach, gaining program momentum, and paying the coach enough to keep him and hoping he will stay. WSU and CU, though historically towards the upper end of the League even before the recent success of both programs, were at the bottom of the League not that long ago. WSU just a decade ago was one of the worst in the league, CU before Altman was one of the worst in the League. Many of the schools in the Valley could emerge as great programs with a little luck. Although WSU and CU both had big cities to help with the fan base potential.

Evansville beat WSU twice this year. No mention?

[isuredbirds92]

Of all those leagues mentioned, have any showed interest in expanding? I wouldn't expect the NEW big east to be expanding anytime soon (after all, that's what caused the split in the first place), and the MWC as I recall has shown very little if any interest in adding non-football schools. I suppose I could see the new American Athletic Conference as an option, but I'm not sure if they'll be looking to expand anytime soon either (maybe they will, who knows). I think the best fit of any mentioned would be the A10, if SLU and Dayton stick around. Wouldn't it be something if the valley could land SLU? I mean it's a perfect geographic fit, but I don't see them moving. Dayton may turn out to be an option. I'm curious as to why there has been no mention of C-USA as an option. Although that would probably be more of a lateral move if not a step down.

[Deanthonybowdenfan]

As long as Marshall is there, my opinion is that WSU will always be at or near the top (top 3 or 4 always) top 1 or 2 usually. Now that CU is gone, WSU really has no current competition as far as program strength, in the Valley. UNI is pretty solid, but not comparable to WSU as a program. I think there may be years where UNI wins the league (as long as Jakobsen is coaching), but i think he is going to be gone sooner or later. And the tradition and fan base in Cedar Falls/Waterloo is nothing like it is in Wichita. I think SIU is in the same position as UNI. Hopefully will return to greatness for a few years, but it is hard to sustain greatness at a place like that unless the athletic department starts to put a lot of resources into paying a coach big-time money like at WSU. Come to think of it the same could be said for most Valley schools. In a league like this it all comes down to hiring a GREAT coach, gaining program momentum, and paying the coach enough to keep him and hoping he will stay. WSU and CU, though historically towards the upper end of the League even before the recent success of both programs, were at the bottom of the League not that long ago. WSU just a decade ago was one of the worst in the league, CU before Altman was one of the worst in the League. Many of the schools in the Valley could emerge as great programs with a little luck. Although WSU and CU both had big cities to help with the fan base potential.

Evansville beat WSU twice this year. No mention?

LOL. I didn't mention hardly any schools specifically. Evansville , just like any Valley school could have some good years, but I don't see them sustaining it IF they do have some top 2 Valley years. Nothing against the team, but just the program as a whole doesn't compare to WSU. WSU has big time support in Wichita, even before this year. They can afford to pay their coach almost 2 million a year. Evansville has a fraction of the fan support and pays their coach how much? I only mentioned UNI and SIU because IMO those are the 2 schools that i think will compete with WSU for a conference championship. Obviously any school potentially could do that, but Ind. St., Evansville, don't have enough resources (they are gonna need some luck and anythings possible). Ill. St. and Drake IMO don't have good enough coaches. Bradley and Missouri State have a chance but aren't proven and have no recent success. UNI and SIU have more national basketball respect, can probably get some better recruits, and have good coaches. BTW why would WSU go to the new American Athletic Conference?? Aren't all those schools on the East coast? I just don't see that likely. The only conferences I could see them going to are the MWC or A-10.

[iSASO]

What would you all speculate regarding the impact of recruitng at WSU following this Final Four run?

Will that $667 million marketing windfall elevate recruiting or will Marshall find a more fertile pond to fish in?

And finally, sticking to the topic, will this Final Four run cause those who poo-poo'd WSU as "a sleeping giant" to re-think their position? I distincly remember the masses refuting this concept in the past, saying that any program in the Valley can accomplish the things WSU can accomplish. For the first time, I see a consensus saying that many programs in the Valley cannot keep pace.

There are still goals on the table for this team and this program. #WATCHUS #NOTSATISFIED

[shockem]

I'd liek to see WSU in the MWC but I don't see that happening. In the meantime, it's out turn to dominate the conference for a while. SIU had their days, Creighton had a long stretch, now it's out turn. We've been top tier for a while now, but I'm talking about multiple conference and tournament championships.

We also need to see Bradley and Illinois State pick it up a notch. Both of these programs have the fanbases, history and resources to compete. I think Bradley is on the right path and has a good coach. I'm afraid ISU has their version of Randy Smithson (former player, ties to school, bad coach).

[Red]

The closest comparison to this for WSU is George Mason. What did they do after their F4? Wichita State isn't going to get a battlefield promotion to another league and they are going to have to pay big time to keep their coach. Mason got an A10 invite only after that league got decimated and their coach left in the meantime.

I hate to tell WSU fans this, but you're probably stuck with us for a long time.

[shoxrox]

Why is George Mason conparible but not VCU?

Conference alignment discussions were unheard of when GMU got hot. It's a whole different game nowadays. WSU is winning much more over the course of the last decade than what GMU did over a year or two.

[rlh04d]

The closest comparison to this for WSU is George Mason. What did they do after their F4? Wichita State isn't going to get a battlefield promotion to another league and they are going to have to pay big time to keep their coach. Mason got an A10 invite only after that league got decimated and their coach left in the meantime.

I hate to tell WSU fans this, but you're probably stuck with us for a long time.

If you truly think George Mason is the closet comparison to WSU, you don't understand anything about college athletics.

George Mason averages 5k fans a game. Wichita State averages over 10k.

Jim Larranaga was being paid somewhere around $550k by George Mason. Wichita State is paying Marshall close to $2 million this year.

George Mason is in Fairfax, VA, population 22k. While they're part of the Washington metro area, they have no real share of the market at all. Wichita is nearly 400k and WSU has a massive share of that market.

This is the important thing that many of you guys don't really understand: The Final Four run is important, but it isn't everything. If Evansville goes to the Final Four next year, they aren't an attractive target for major expansion. Most teams in this conference are comparable to George Mason, but not WSU. Just having a good year isn't the driving force in any of this. If WSU was in the same situation as George Mason in the many other categories that are vitally important in the business of college athletics, then they would not be in a position to capitalize on a Final Four run ... just as no other program in this conference can. WSU is in another position, because they have always had all of the things that DO determine the value of a college program ... except significant national success. That is why the Final Four is important to WSU, but it wouldn't be *that* important to you. Because the rest of the programs in the Valley (like George Mason) don't have the infrastructure to take advantage of a deep run.

We might very well be stuck long term, but if we are, it's ONLY because of geography. George Mason has a Final Four run, but they're not strong in any other category that determines the worth of a program in college athletics. VCU is the program that WSU is similar to, and even then the only thing that VCU has over WSU is a bigger media market in Richmond and a bigger upside as far as growth in the market goes.

[rlh04d]

BTW why would WSU go to the new American Athletic Conference?? Aren't all those schools on the East coast? I just don't see that likely. The only conferences I could see them going to are the MWC or A-10.

You might want to look at where Tulsa is on a map.

Then check SMU, Houston, Tulane, Memphis, even Cincinnati.