Loyola Leaving for A-10

[VUGrad1314]

Take it from us as Valpo fans: We played in a league with presence in multiple top 115 markets (Chicago Milwaukee Green Bay Detroit Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Youngstown) and gave all of that up to join with schools in Peoria Carbondale Des Moines Cedar Falls Springfield Evansville Terre Haute and Bloomington\Normal. I can assure you that we did not do this to get into markets. We did it because we were tired of playing in empty gyms with schools with largely apathetic fanbases and wanted the challenge of better athletic brands. The move to the MVC was all about athletics for Valpo. I don't want to see the MVC make the same mistake of the Horizon League and add total afterthoughts in big markets with apathetic fanbases that could drag down the league. If KC and Arlington don't hit (which is a distinct possibility especially with KC) we run the risk of becoming a 14 team one bid league which is really not ideal. We need to consider Golden's premise that we can get into bigger markets while still serving our goals of being a multibid league. If Arlington shows impressive commitment I can come around on them but we need NKU its program success and attendance (near 4000). It's the best balance of basketball success and market size available to us. Wright State is too if they get their financial house in order and I am very intrigued by Bellarmine and St Thomas (I'm pretty sure those metros are growing too especially Louisville but I'm not positive). I would take UIC absolutely at this point because of the value of Chicago and they absolutely ooze potential (much like Arlington I will concede) but I find Chicago to be a more important market than Dallas if it's an either or choice. I really don't want to see us go after too many market adds with little proven ability in basketball. I don't think that's the way forward for this league.

No offense, but Valpo isn’t living up to their end of the bargain and is a drag on the league. We can’t risk that again if we have no way of kicking teams out. We are better off staying pat right now and working on improving what we have than adding anymore anchors.

You're absolutely right on Valpo and as I have said before that's all the more reason why any add we make can't be a speculative market add primarily directed at enrollment and needs to be a proven basketball add which is why Murray State and to a lesser extent Northern Kentucky need to be the priorities. I still believe that our enrollment adds should be closer to the footprint. I might be able to stomach Arlington if we see a strong commitment (which we absolutely also need to see from Valpo as well) but as you said (and I totally agree) we can't add anchors.

[Campbellproud]

Take it from us as Valpo fans: We played in a league with presence in multiple top 115 markets (Chicago Milwaukee Green Bay Detroit Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Youngstown) and gave all of that up to join with schools in Peoria Carbondale Des Moines Cedar Falls Springfield Evansville Terre Haute and Bloomington\Normal. I can assure you that we did not do this to get into markets. We did it because we were tired of playing in empty gyms with schools with largely apathetic fanbases and wanted the challenge of better athletic brands. The move to the MVC was all about athletics for Valpo. I don't want to see the MVC make the same mistake of the Horizon League and add total afterthoughts in big markets with apathetic fanbases that could drag down the league. If KC and Arlington don't hit (which is a distinct possibility especially with KC) we run the risk of becoming a 14 team one bid league which is really not ideal. We need to consider Golden's premise that we can get into bigger markets while still serving our goals of being a multibid league. If Arlington shows impressive commitment I can come around on them but we need NKU its program success and attendance (near 4000). It's the best balance of basketball success and market size available to us. Wright State is too if they get their financial house in order and I am very intrigued by Bellarmine and St Thomas (I'm pretty sure those metros are growing too especially Louisville but I'm not positive). I would take UIC absolutely at this point because of the value of Chicago and they absolutely ooze potential (much like Arlington I will concede) but I find Chicago to be a more important market than Dallas if it's an either or choice. I really don't want to see us go after too many market adds with little proven ability in basketball. I don't think that's the way forward for this league.

No offense, but Valpo isn’t living up to their end of the bargain and is a drag on the league. We can’t risk that again if we have no way of kicking teams out. We are better off staying pat right now and working on improving what we have than adding anymore anchors.

You're absolutely right on Valpo and as I have said before that's all the more reason why any add we make can't be a speculative market add primarily directed at enrollment and needs to be a proven basketball add which is why Murray State and to a lesser extent Northern Kentucky need to be the priorities. I still believe that our enrollment adds should be closer to the footprint. I might be able to stomach Arlington if we see a strong commitment (which we absolutely also need to see from Valpo as well) but as you said (and I totally agree) we can't add anchors.

Does Valpo have anything in the works in terms of facilities?

[Sunbelt/funbelt]

Can someone explain why Little Rock is not getting more love? Men have 3 SBC championships in 10 years (2011, 2016, 2020), and a NCAA tourney win in 16’. Their women win the Sun Belt just about every year. Not to mention they would bring one of the top Mid Major on-campus arenas in the country to the MVC (Google “Jack Stephens Center”). NKU does not own their facility. Correct me if I’m wrong but they have to rent it out for games and practices. UALR alumni include Derek Fisher and Carlos Rogers.

Within a five hour drive to Belmont, SIU and MSU.

[IllinoisState]

Can someone explain why Little Rock is not getting more love? Men have 3 SBC championships in 10 years (2011, 2016, 2020), and a NCAA tourney win in 16’. Their women win the Sun Belt just about every year. Not to mention they would bring one of the top Mid Major on-campus arenas in the country to the MVC (Google “Jack Stephens Center”). NKU does not own their facility. Correct me if I’m wrong but they have to rent it out for games and practices. UALR alumni include Derek Fisher and Carlos Rogers.

Within a five hour drive to Belmont, SIU and MSU.

Considering UTA and UMKC shouldn't even be in the discussion I don't see why Little Rock should be. One winning season in the past six years and four out of the past thirteen. A metro of less than 800,000 compared to Kansas City's 2.2 million and Arlington's 7.6 million. It also has thousands less students than UMKC and tens of thousands less than UTA. Those would probably be the main reasons.

[Sunbelt/funbelt]

Can someone explain why Little Rock is not getting more love? Men have 3 SBC championships in 10 years (2011, 2016, 2020), and a NCAA tourney win in 16’. Their women win the Sun Belt just about every year. Not to mention they would bring one of the top Mid Major on-campus arenas in the country to the MVC (Google “Jack Stephens Center”). NKU does not own their facility. Correct me if I’m wrong but they have to rent it out for games and practices. UALR alumni include Derek Fisher and Carlos Rogers.

Within a five hour drive to Belmont, SIU and MSU.

Considering UTA and UMKC shouldn't even be in the discussion I don't see why Little Rock should be. One winning season in the past six years and four out of the past thirteen. A metro of less than 800,000 compared to Kansas City's 2.2 million and Arlington's 7.6 million. It also has thousands less students than UMKC and tens of thousands less than UTA. Those would probably be the main reasons.

Murray, KY is 18,000. The Central Arkansas region is close to half a million and UALR is the only D1 basketball program in the largest city in the state. Their situation and resources are there to be the next Loyola.

[IllinoisState]

Can someone explain why Little Rock is not getting more love? Men have 3 SBC championships in 10 years (2011, 2016, 2020), and a NCAA tourney win in 16’. Their women win the Sun Belt just about every year. Not to mention they would bring one of the top Mid Major on-campus arenas in the country to the MVC (Google “Jack Stephens Center”). NKU does not own their facility. Correct me if I’m wrong but they have to rent it out for games and practices. UALR alumni include Derek Fisher and Carlos Rogers.

Within a five hour drive to Belmont, SIU and MSU.

Considering UTA and UMKC shouldn't even be in the discussion I don't see why Little Rock should be. One winning season in the past six years and four out of the past thirteen. A metro of less than 800,000 compared to Kansas City's 2.2 million and Arlington's 7.6 million. It also has thousands less students than UMKC and tens of thousands less than UTA. Those would probably be the main reasons.

Murray, KY is 18,000. The Central Arkansas region is close to half a million and UALR is the only D1 basketball program in the largest city in the state. Their situation and resources are there to be the next Loyola.

Murray, KY's micro area is small at 37k, but they have the best program that the MVC can add by far. That's what metropolitan areas are for, to determine size. UMKC is also the only D1 school in larger school in a larger metro. Loyola is a private school with an endowment nearly 10x that of Little Rock's.

[RacerJoeD]

Using the micro area is misleading. Murray draws from Owensboro, Bowling Green, Paducah in Kentucky, as well as NW Tennessee, SE Missouri, and Southern Illinois. And that’s just the season ticket holders. Now that isn’t Chicago, obviously, but the idea that Murray State is only drawing from its immediate area is also incorrect. That’s before we talk areas with large amounts of alumni.

[IllinoisState]

Using the micro area is misleading. Murray draws from Owensboro, Bowling Green, Paducah in Kentucky, as well as NW Tennessee, SE Missouri, and Southern Illinois. And that’s just the season ticket holders. Now that isn’t Chicago, obviously, but the idea that Murray State is only drawing from its immediate area is also incorrect. That’s before we talk areas with large amounts of alumni.

That goes for pretty much every metropolitan area and micropolitan area.

[RacerJoeD]

Agreed, which is why it’s a misleading metric.

As an example, Murray, KY is roughly the same size as Oxford, MS. and Starkville, MS.

[Kip Dynamite]

I’ll be willing to bet that if Kansas City happens to get in, that Missouri State will be gone within a year later. We recruit KC hard for both students and athletes and there’s no way we would ever allow them in the same conference as us. I’ll be floored if they actually end up getting an offer to join the MVC.