MVC targeting Valpo & Murray State to create 11 team league

[RacerJoeD]

As long as they are consistent...

[uniftw]

As long as they are consistent...

The only consistent thing is there will be a billion touch fouls called 30 feet from the basket by a moving screen isn't a foul in our league (especially bad when playing Evansville) and street mugging sat the rim aren't a foul.

[RacerJoeD]

OVC is worse. Touch fouls sometimes, no whistle sometimes, free throw contests by the second 10 minutes in a half.

[PantherU]

I wouldn't worry about Murray State competing in the MVC, so long as the university is able to increase their men's basketball and operations expenses to bring them in line with the conference.

If Murray State can do that, they're certainly ready for the MVC. Creating an 11-team league, though, it's not the best setup. An even number of schools is done almost everywhere for a reason. Scheduling becomes ridiculous in an odd number league.

We've had experience with both at multiple times; between adding YSU (doy) and Valpo (duh), the HL had nine schools. The scheduling was super dumb, because there was always some random Tuesday game. Occasionally you'd have a long, unneeded break between games. One team would have a conference schedule that was wildly uneven compared to the others. From the time we added Valpo until we lost Butler, we had 10 teams. Scheduling became incredibly easy, even and predictable. You could set your watch to it. Travel partners made for easy trips, lowering your school's cost-per-road-game. After Butler left, we were at nine again for a few years until 2015-16 when we added NKU. Those were some rough years on the schedule, plus by having 16 conference games we all were scrambling to fill two more spots on the schedule.

Speaking from experience, 12 is far superior to 11 or 9. Ten is also a nice number, should you go that route.

But the more teams you have, the more chance you have teams hitting the "top" of their cycle. Mid-major hoops is cyclical. No one is great every single year. If you are, you move up eventually. Everyone has down years. But if you've got 12 teams, you stand a much better chance of having a larger group of strong teams, which will raise the strength level of the league in that year.

That's why you go 12. We're likely not going to be there in 2017-18. I'm not going to sugar coat it and say Milwaukee's going to be world-beaters this year. But there was a major, demonstrated improvement in our players over the course of the year. That tells me two things: LaVall Jordan was the right hire, and he developed those players during the year so things are looking up. We were one of the youngest teams in the country and we were still just a couple possessions from the NCAA Tournament by the end of the year. Cody Wichmann, a senior on the team, was a complete liability on defense his first three years in the program. Under Coach Jordan, he became one of the best defensive guards in the conference. Brett Prahl, a junior center/forward, couldn't get off the bench under Jeter. There were points this season where he flawlessly used post moves I didn't even think he was capable of; I wish he had his boost a year earlier, because our thin post presence was the biggest reason our 2015-16 team wasn't as good as it was.

They're already beating MVC teams in recruiting. Vance Johnson is coming here, picking us over a number of teams in addition to Evansville and Bradley. Carson Newsome picked us over a couple A-10 schools.

I'm bringing these points up as evidence that Milwaukee is on the rise.

Murray State is also on the down side of their cycle, but they're not going to be there forever. Having them in a couple years will help the MVC in trying to get at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. The more teams you have, the more chances you have at getting good teams at the top of their cycle and boosting the number of at-large bids - as well as the seed of the automatic bid.

[PantherU]

OVC is worse. Touch fouls sometimes, no whistle sometimes, free throw contests by the second 10 minutes in a half.

I'm sure these guys will shudder to know that the MVC has some of the best refs in the country. They pay a premium for it. They'd probably tear their hair out to watch Horizon League and OVC refs work our games.

Unfortunately, I think the level of officiating has just dropped downhill overall the past decade.

[All-MVC Fan]

OVC is worse. Touch fouls sometimes, no whistle sometimes, free throw contests by the second 10 minutes in a half.

I'm sure these guys will shudder to know that the MVC has some of the best refs in the country. They pay a premium for it. They'd probably tear their hair out to watch Horizon League and OVC refs work our games.

Unfortunately, I think the level of officiating has just dropped downhill overall the past decade.

A lot of the "poor" officiating is due to the explosion of ticky tack foul rules that have begun turning the NCAA into the NBA.

[uniftw]

Holy jeebus.

PantherU is making me hope we as Omaha over UWM

I can't take this all year ever year.

Dude, your university is a damn mess. Your program had like 5 good years. Thisbeyars arenr coming back. You sold all the merits you can for UWM.

You are now Lakesbison of UWM. You are LakesPanther

[PantherU]

Holy jeebus.

PantherU is making me hope we as Omaha over UWM

I can't take this all year ever year.

Dude, your university is a damn mess. Your program had like 5 good years. Thisbeyars arenr coming back. You sold all the merits you can for UWM.

You are now Lakesbison of UWM. You are LakesPanther

This is my version of Chinese Water Torture. If you add us to the conference, I'll poke my head in every now and then. If you don't add us to the conference, I'm going to write thousands of words a day on this forum. It's all going to be relevant to the MVC, but you're going to want to tear your eyes out.

[Redhawk]

As long as they are consistent...

The only consistent thing is there will be a billion touch fouls called 30 feet from the basket by a moving screen isn't a foul in our league (especially bad when playing Evansville) and street mugging sat the rim aren't a foul.

Ssssshhhh!
No one tell them about Gerry Pollard or Zelton Sneed until after they sign the papers!!!!!

[Lakesbison]

Holy jeebus.

PantherU is making me hope we as Omaha over UWM

I can't take this all year ever year.

Dude, your university is a damn mess. Your program had like 5 good years. Thisbeyars arenr coming back. You sold all the merits you can for UWM.

You are now Lakesbison of UWM. You are LakesPanther

This is my version of Chinese Water Torture. If you add us to the conference, I'll poke my head in every now and then. If you don't add us to the conference, I'm going to write thousands of words a day on this forum. It's all going to be relevant to the MVC, but you're going to want to tear your eyes out.

haha nice panther!