Creighton to A-10?

[DoubleJayAlum]

For those saying "who is someone more likely to watch, a random game on ESPNU or ESPN3?"


The best answer is....neither. I watch games all the time (more so football than basketball as I'd consider myself a bigger FB than BB fan...still love BB though). I watch ESPN3 all the time because I just want to watch a game...period. The reality is, however, 99% of America doesn't give a s*** about the game on ESPNU on a random night/afternoon anymore than they care about a random game on ESPNU/2.....Another fact you probably didn't know...ESPN3 is available to more households in America than ESPNU. With ESPN3 now being on xbox live, PSN, Wii, ESPN Mobile, etc... ESPN3 is watched more than you'd think.


Fans will watch their team no matter what station they are on, assuming they can get it. Very few people who aren't fans of the team/conference mate playing in the game will watch that game...unless it's the NCAA tournament. Fact is NCAA basketball fandom/viewership outside of the month of March is very very lower. That is why every video game manufacturer has cut their NCAA BB games. The sales weren't there because people just don't give a crap about it.

I must be in the minority then as I will watch a college basketball game if it is on TV. I don't actively seek out games on the internet unless it is my team or a Valley game that I want to watch.

There are people like you, and I am one of them, that will watch any game that is one. People like that are in the extreme minority though.....

Ya, but what is even rarer are people that seek out ESPN3 games not involving their own team or a team from their conference.

[rlh04d]

Sprinting? Really? Has the MVC been that bad for Creighton?

The A-10 is a much bigger stage.

In what way? What do you have to support this stance?

Well ... I can't be bothered to look at historical numbers, but for this year:

A-10 had 8 teams with an RPI in the Top 100. 8 of 14, so 57%. The MVC had 2. 2 of 10, 20%.

A-10 had 4 teams get bids to the NCAA tournament. 4 of 14, about 30%. The MVC again, 2, for 20%.

A-10 had another 4 teams get bids to the NIT. Again, 30% to 20%.

A-10 went 3-3 in the NCAA tournament. MVC 1-2. Slightly better, although the Sweet 16 bid was certainly
big.

ESPN broadcasts far, far more A-10 games on their networks. The MVC is almost exclusively relegated to ESPN3 web broadcasts.

Speaking of ESPN, ESPN's website classifies the MVC as a "mid-major" conference while leaving out the A-10 from that distinction. The mid-major blog specifically doesn't include the A-10, and has a disclaimer at the top essentially saying they're too good to be included.

You mentioned "MVC's deal is much longer than theirs as well." at one point as well. I can promise you, as a Florida State alumni who is seething over the ACC's contract, longer deals are terrible. Give me a deal I can renegotiate every few years over a long deal. You know when long deals are good? When the market is about to go bad, or you know your conference is about to go bad. A strong conference has nothing to worry about regularly renegotiating their deal, because these deals trend upward. Long deals are traps (especially the ACC's, the worst deal of any of the major conferences by a mile, and locked in for another ten years or so).

I like the MVC, and I'm not trying to tear it down. But the A-10 clearly has more national respect and performs on a bigger stage. More teams in the tournaments, more games on television, more coverage by ESPN.

[MoValley John]

DJA is exactly right. I watch a lot of stuff on ESPN3, but it mostly (almost exclusively) involves games I specifically seek out. ESPN3 is great for Valley fans looking to watch games that they are interested in, but it does nothing to build or promote the Valley brand. Also, ESPN3 does not do anything to build the image of the Valley, might as well be a SWAC or Big South game. Furthermore, the feed is spotty at times regardless of your ISP and internet speed, streaming quality is often diminished because of traffic on the ESPN servers. Moreover, ESPN3 is only available on certain internet providers.If you have Cox in Omaha, you get it, if you have Qwest, err, Centurylink, you don't.

ESPN3 is great for those that follow the Valley, but worthless in gaining better exposure and introducing casual fans to the quality ball played in this conference.

[Khan4Cats]

Well ... I can't be bothered to look at historical numbers, but for this year:

A-10 had 8 teams with an RPI in the Top 100. 8 of 14, so 57%. The MVC had 2. 2 of 10, 20%.

A-10 had 4 teams get bids to the NCAA tournament. 4 of 14, about 30%. The MVC again, 2, for 20%.

A-10 had another 4 teams get bids to the NIT. Again, 30% to 20%.

A-10 went 3-3 in the NCAA tournament. MVC 1-2. Slightly better, although the Sweet 16 bid was certainly
big.

ESPN broadcasts far, far more A-10 games on their networks. The MVC is almost exclusively relegated to ESPN3 web broadcasts.

Speaking of ESPN, ESPN's website classifies the MVC as a "mid-major" conference while leaving out the A-10 from that distinction. The mid-major blog specifically doesn't include the A-10, and has a disclaimer at the top essentially saying they're too good to be included.

You mentioned "MVC's deal is much longer than theirs as well." at one point as well. I can promise you, as a Florida State alumni who is seething over the ACC's contract, longer deals are terrible. Give me a deal I can renegotiate every few years over a long deal. You know when long deals are good? When the market is about to go bad, or you know your conference is about to go bad. A strong conference has nothing to worry about regularly renegotiating their deal, because these deals trend upward. Long deals are traps (especially the ACC's, the worst deal of any of the major conferences by a mile, and locked in for another ten years or so).

I like the MVC, and I'm not trying to tear it down. But the A-10 clearly has more national respect and performs on a bigger stage. More teams in the tournaments, more games on television, more coverage by ESPN.

I'm not going to argue that the MVC is better than the A-10, we do come in slightly behind. But a couple of points:

1-The Valley had 3 teams in the top-100 all year (UNI fell to the mid-70s at their lowest) and look like we may finish with 4 as the Redbirds have squeaked back in at 99.

2-The A-10 may have some big-name successful programs, but they play in some tiny gyms. St. Joseph's gym looked about the size of Cedar Falls High School's and I know a few others don't come close in size to the smaller Valley arenas (the McLeod and Knapp Center).

[uniftw]

St. Joes was 2800 or so according to NIT broadcasts

UNCC - 9,105
Dayton - 13,435
Duquense 4,406
Fordham 3,470
George Washington - 4,338
La Salle 4,000
UMASS (leaving)9,493
Rhode Island - 7,657
Richmond 9,171
St. Bonaventure 5,480
St. Joeseph's 4,200 (during the NIT broadcast there was multiple references of it being 2,800)
SLU - 10,600
Temple 10,206
Xavier 10,250


Have fun on those Rhode trips playing in front of less people than UNI and Drake every night....Much bigger time stages than the MVC...that's fo sho

[Redbird Ray]

Aargh's previous points about the steps needed to make the move to FBS are a bit exageratted. Yes, it's a huge financial drain. But I would rather have small time FBS football (or even big time FCS football) and mid-major hoops over just mid-major hoops and nothing else. For all the extra money that large, public, bball focused schools like VCU, Wichita, George Mason, and Long Beach State have, schools like Ohio, UNI, Utah State, and Western Kentucky have had just about as much success on a repititive basis in the NCAA tournament as those schools whose primarily basketball driven budgets have had. Point being, unless schools like Wichita, VCU, and Mason make annual trips to the NCAA tournament for a decade like Xavier, Butler, and Gonzaga have done, then these schools will still be looked at as mid-majors, and frankly, if you're a mid-major, then your chances at NCAA tournament glory are all about the same. All things equal on the basketball side, I'd rather have at least an outside shot at gaining some additional notoriety through FBS (even MAC or Sun Belt level) football.

If Creighton moves to the A-10 and has success, I could see them getting more national attention due to the fact that they sell out a 17K seat arena on a nightly basis, and that might finally get noticed on a national level when a bunch of east coast schools come to visit. If Creighton is only medicore in the A-10, then they'll still be viewed as a mid-major, the same way Duquesne, St. Joe's, or George Washington is viewed.

And the numbers dictated by aargh are a bit misleading. Yes, it is expensive to get to FBS, but there are about a dozen teams making the move or studying to make the move right now whose stadiums will never expand beyond 30K. As a UNI fan pointed out earlier, Idaho has a 16K seat stadium. Attendance means almost nothing also. FBS teams constantly lie about attendance. No one has been rejected or thrown out of FBS for having low attendance. The biggest costs are the increases needed in scholarships, facility improvements, and supportive staff.

[Wufan]

I'd rather have high major basketball.

[DoubleJayAlum]

Have fun on those Rhode trips playing in front of less people than UNI and Drake every night....Much bigger time stages than the MVC...that's fo sho

Season averages for attendance:

Northern Iowa: 4406
Drake: 3965

[getreal4]

hard to believe UNI can't average 5000 per home game

must be those high priced tickets....

[shocker3]

St. Joes was 2800 or so according to NIT broadcasts

UNCC - 9,105
Dayton - 13,435
Duquense 4,406
Fordham 3,470
George Washington - 4,338
La Salle 4,000
UMASS (leaving)9,493
Rhode Island - 7,657
Richmond 9,171
St. Bonaventure 5,480
St. Joeseph's 4,200 (during the NIT broadcast there was multiple references of it being 2,800)
SLU - 10,600
Temple 10,206 (ALSO LEAVING)
Xavier 10,250


Have fun on those Rhode trips playing in front of less people than UNI and Drake every night....Much bigger time stages than the MVC...that's fo sho

Two of the bigger schools on that very mediocre list Temple and UMass are leaving. I can't get too excited about very long road trips to play at Duquense, Fordham, George Washington, LaSalle, St. Bonaventures, St. Joes or even at URI.

The A-10 has some nice teams at the top (one less with Temple leaving) but they sure have a lot of bottom feeders.