The MVC/Mountain West Challenge is coming to a end

[tribecalledquest]

I think you guys are seeing what I saw when I looked. The top teams in many of the lower conferences are quality programs. For example, the OVC has Murray State and Belmont. Outside of that, how do games against the bottom half of these conferences help the MVC? The short answer is that is doesn't. Hence my thought of a "Valley Challenge" where the top two or so programs in the WAC, OVC, Summit, Horizon, ASun, etc. play two year challenge (one year home, one year road).

Truth, Of course it would be better for all concerned if we could just take Murray State and Belmont but that's a topic for another thread.

Belmont isn't interested. This has nothing to do with the MVC "taking them".

But on this topic, the only two leagues that make sense for the "Challenge" are the MWC and the West Coast.

[VUGrad1314]

Gonzaga won't go for it and without them I don't think the WCC is viable as a challenge partner.

[Redhawk]

Truth, Of course it would be better for all concerned if we could just take Murray State and Belmont but that's a topic for another thread.

Yes...there is a thread for expansion talk. It's 44 pages of talking in circles!

[VUGrad1314]

This article by Father Harry featuring an interview with Commissioner Elgin states that it could just before a one year hiatus and that the challenge could be back on in 2020.

http://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/elgin ... nt-access/

[IWokeUpLikeThis]

Sounds like MWC moving its tournament up a year compressed the schedule so they had cut the challenge obligation for a year. Good bet they reshuffle the teams to avoid redundancy.

[VUGrad1314]

Does that mean we'll get our Medved Bowl between Drake and Colorado State in two years? Can't wait!

[Spike]

Why not a “MVC Challenge” where you take teams from many conferences? That way you aren’t stuck with trying to match up teams that don’t match (ie the bottom of the HL with the bottom of the Valley).

I love this. Promote it as a challenge. Us vs them. There has to be enough who will accept.

The problem with this is you have coaches like Barry Hinson who have no interest in putting even halfway decent schedules together.

[BearsCountry]

Why not a “MVC Challenge” where you take teams from many conferences? That way you aren’t stuck with trying to match up teams that don’t match (ie the bottom of the HL with the bottom of the Valley).

We did this for many years it was called the ESPN Bracket Busters.

[uniguy]

I don't think you realize how bad the CUSA and MAC are after the top 2 teams, if that. CUSA finished around 20th in RPI.

Thats true but if its all about getting our best teams good games....I am just saying having Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky and Marshall on the docket last year wouldn't have hurt for Illinois State (or Loyola had they lost at AM).

For me, I think success for this league moving forward would be to have the top team have an at-large worthy profile, and they can still get in if they lost the conference tournament. To me it isn't about what would have gotten Illinois State in, but what would have gotten Loyola in had they lost.

[just ducky]

Why not a “MVC Challenge” where you take teams from many conferences? That way you aren’t stuck with trying to match up teams that don’t match (ie the bottom of the HL with the bottom of the Valley).

We did this for many years it was called the ESPN Bracket Busters.

There are a lot of reasons mid-major conference challenges don't work and if the participants in this one with its balance aren't happy then we are wasting our time looking for a replacement.

As for the Bracket Busters I would like to see it modified and returned to duty. It should have been a designated week very early in the conference schedules with every team assigned 2 evenly matched opponents for 1 home and 1 road competition. Done this way with no following year return games could remove the baggage of poor future matchups. If you are consistently good this system would never hand you a bad opponent.