Congrats Murray

[jsaluki080]

I hope Belmont misses the tournament. Might get them to change their minds so that we can add them and Murray State finally

What proof do you have that Belmont was ever offered a MVC spot, applied for one or turned one down? It's message board gossip and you take all of it as gospel.

Murray just put more fans in the Ford Center than UE did at any point this season, and the Aces were among the Valley attendance leaders. The OVC has a much better shot at 2 bids than we do, and we are on the verge of giving our auto-bid to a sub .500 team. I think they both might turn us down right now.

Does Belmont even have a message board? Or the OVC for that matter?
Not trying to be an ass or anything. A 20 min search turned up nothing really. Legitimately, wanting to check out the gossip on those boards if they exist

[VUGrad1314]

I hope Belmont misses the tournament. Might get them to change their minds so that we can add them and Murray State finally

What proof do you have that Belmont was ever offered a MVC spot, applied for one or turned one down? It's message board gossip and you take all of it as gospel.

Murray just put more fans in the Ford Center than UE did at any point this season, and the Aces were among the Valley attendance leaders. The OVC has a much better shot at 2 bids than we do, and we are on the verge of giving our auto-bid to a sub .500 team. I think they both might turn us down right now.

So we have a once every 7-8 years at least scenario where both Belmont and Murray State are operating near their peak while the Valley has its worst year in years and makes history (first 6 loss conference champion) and you honestly think that a program with Murray State's ambition is going to turn the MVC down?

[RacerJoeD]

Belmont doesn’t have a message board anymore. Neither does the OVC. A few schools do

[Milanmiracle]

I hope Belmont misses the tournament. Might get them to change their minds so that we can add them and Murray State finally

What proof do you have that Belmont was ever offered a MVC spot, applied for one or turned one down? It's message board gossip and you take all of it as gospel.

Murray just put more fans in the Ford Center than UE did at any point this season, and the Aces were among the Valley attendance leaders. The OVC has a much better shot at 2 bids than we do, and we are on the verge of giving our auto-bid to a sub .500 team. I think they both might turn us down right now.

So we have a once every 7-8 years at least scenario where both Belmont and Murray State are operating near their peak while the Valley has its worst year in years and makes history (first 6 loss conference champion) and you honestly think that a program with Murray State's ambition is going to turn the MVC down?

The question for Belmont and Murray State is this...is it better to be a big fish in a small pond, or a big fish in a big pond? The reality is that both Murray and Bellmont can stay right where they are, play for the Auto-bid most years and get to the dance. Isn’t that the goal? Also the reality is that both Belmont and Murray St could schedule most of The Valley in OCC if they so desired. Valpo wouldn’t turn down either one to be sure. Call it the Gonzaga formula to remaining in a conference you can dominate. They’ve made a brand for themselves and the WCC is pretty much irrelevant to their success. Heck they got a 1 seed out of that conference.

This isn’t The Valley of the past with both Wichita State and Creighton. In time it could be again, and Loyola’s Final 4 run sure helped. Them missing the tourney the following year was a huge blow to the conference and the conferences national brand. People knew Creighton and Wichita State due to their consistency. Who’s consistent in The Valley today? I was hoping Loyola. A rising tide lifts all boats. One could legitimately argue that Murray State has more name recognition than anyone remaining in The Valley. Maybe Northern Iowa? Probably? Hard to say. I can speak on Valpo, and they definitely had more community support and brand recognition when they were making the NCAA tournament out of the lowly Mid-Con (not recommending going back to that).

Just good for thought.

[PurpleAcesFootball]

Congrats Murray. I think they will do well in the NCAA tournament.

I personally hope Belmont is left out and causes them to consider joining the MVC. I would love to see both the Racers and Bruins in MVC play in the future.

That said - I'm not sure why they would want to move. They are the big fish in a small pond and the OVC gives them a better chance at a tournament bid every year. The OVC only takes the top 8 teams, basically saying the dregs of their conference could only do more harm than good in the conference tournament by knocking off a more postseason worthy team.

Also, the top 2 teams are guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals, playing a team who played the night before. The conference does its best to ensure a 1 vs 2 matchup in the finals.

The choice is a 1/2 chance at an auto-bid from the OVC vs. a 1/8 chance from the MVC plus a slim chance at an at-large. Probably not worth making the jump.

[musiccitybulldog]

Great game. Belmont will be in the tourney.

[VUGrad1314]

Leagues like the OVC and HL need to adopt a top 4 teams only in the tournament. The HL I think is either considering this or has already greenlighted the move.

[RacerJoeD]

Funny thing about big fish in small ponds, they will never grow to their potential size, and most times die earlier than they could have otherwise. You grow or you die.

[IWokeUpLikeThis]

I hope Belmont misses the tournament. Might get them to change their minds so that we can add them and Murray State finally

What proof do you have that Belmont was ever offered a MVC spot, applied for one or turned one down? It's message board gossip and you take all of it as gospel.

Murray just put more fans in the Ford Center than UE did at any point this season, and the Aces were among the Valley attendance leaders. The OVC has a much better shot at 2 bids than we do, and we are on the verge of giving our auto-bid to a sub .500 team. I think they both might turn us down right now.

Does Belmont even have a message board? Or the OVC for that matter?
Not trying to be an ass or anything. A 20 min search turned up nothing really. Legitimately, wanting to check out the gossip on those boards if they exist

Take out Murray State and there are more MVC fans who follow and dissect the OVC on the side than OVC fans.

[VUGrad1314]

What proof do you have that Belmont was ever offered a MVC spot, applied for one or turned one down? It's message board gossip and you take all of it as gospel.

Murray just put more fans in the Ford Center than UE did at any point this season, and the Aces were among the Valley attendance leaders. The OVC has a much better shot at 2 bids than we do, and we are on the verge of giving our auto-bid to a sub .500 team. I think they both might turn us down right now.

Does Belmont even have a message board? Or the OVC for that matter?
Not trying to be an ass or anything. A 20 min search turned up nothing really. Legitimately, wanting to check out the gossip on those boards if they exist

Take out Murray State and there are more MVC fans who follow and dissect the OVC on the side than OVC fans.

This is a true statement. And if they ever do get into the MVC their presence will likely dwarf the rest of the conference at Arch Madness as well as adding a bunch of posters and activity to this board.