Next Mid-Major Power?

[BirdsEyeView]

uniftw - you hardly have a leg to stand on in this argument as your trend line is not exactly pointing up currently either.

These Redbird fans might be overly optimistic for an upcoming season full of uncertainty, but it appears you are too.

UNI fans are riding the hope that Carlson returns to form and Koch stays out of foul trouble. But, more importantly that you have competency in the backcourt to facilitate an offense who lost their leader last season.

The argument in mid-major power RIGHT NOW for 2017-2018 in this conference begins and ends with Missouri State (until you are reminded of their coach).

No point trying to win a pissing match with a guy who thought UNI football was going to win the national title last year.

He hates all things ISU and refuses to give credit to any Redbird team.

Good to know.

[Rambler63]

I would think about Denver as being a potential next Mid-Major power. They have an athletic budget that exceeds every MVC school (not too far below WSU, well above Bradley), their men's soccer team was ranked in the top 10 last season, and their Lacrosse team just made the NCAA Final Four. I think they have the potential to flip a switch any time they want and get serious about men's basketball. They have phenomenal facilities-- 7200-seat Magness Arena, 2500-seat Hamilton Gymnasium for volleyball and gymnastics, etc.

[TheAsianSensation]

Denver has every resource to be a power....which makes me wonder why they haven't shown anything yet.

I know common sense says Grand Canyon has to turn into a power, but on general principle I refuse to think anyone in that WAC can actually make it.

I'm looking strongly at the Colonial. That league got its act together, so the next program to find the right hire is going to make a big move.

I'm also looking at Siena and Iona, two schools with modest recent success.

Schools like Vermont, FGCU, North Dakota St, Long Beach St, New Mexico St, Stephen F Austin...all fit the profile of a possible powerhouse down the road based on general expectation and on-course product, but their leagues are too weak to support them being year-in-year-out powers.

Depending on if/when Murray St comes over here, it's also possible Belmont and them turn the OVC into their personal playground for a couple of decades.

But really, the correct answer is UNI. They're one step below powerhouse at the moment...they just need to figure out how to turn their down years into NIT years, and to convert NCAA bids and NCAA wins at just a slightly higher rate.

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

GCU won't be in the WAC for long. Gonzaga wants out of the WCC. Their location is a problem. Next best thing is adding a power. GCU will be WCC. GCU will force someone hand by being too good even if they are for profit.

[Redhawk]

Here is part of some really good analysis posted by ml2 on the Valpo forum:

Interestingly, there are no mid-majors ranked between 46 and 64. Then, from 64 to 100 the majority of teams are in fact mid-majors (21 of the 36). So when we talk about "making the jump" it really is a major leap (not just an incremental step) to burst forth into this "elite" and "national" group. Below are the mid-majors who ranked in the top 100 on average over the last 6 years. This is the "best of the rest" group of programs that have done the most, WITHOUT making the leap into "elite" status. It seems likely to me that if another programs does move up, it will come from this group.

65. Northern Iowa - no one's done better, without breaking out nationally, than the Panthers.
67. Middle Tennessee 68. Davidson 71. Belmont 73. Harvard 74. Illinois State 76. New Mexico State 78. Richmond 80. St. Joseph's 81. Valpo 82. Iona 84. St. Bonaventure 85. SFA 86. Princeton 87. Akron 88. George Washington 93. Louisiana Tech 94. South Dakota St. 98. Vermont 99. UMass 100. Rhode Island


As stated it's hard "making the jump" to elite but these 3 would be the most likely of the Valley teams.
It will be interesting to see how long it takes Valpo to adjust to the MVC. Also...how agressively
UNI and ISUr respond to the void left by WSU.

[goramblers2011]

GCU won't be in the WAC for long. Gonzaga wants out of the WCC. Their location is a problem. Next best thing is adding a power. GCU will be WCC. GCU will force someone hand by being too good even if they are for profit.

Are you a Grand Canyon Education, Inc. stockholder? I feel like every time I see your name, I know it's going to be a post about GCU. Trying to inflate that LOPE stock price?

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

GCU won't be in the WAC for long. Gonzaga wants out of the WCC. Their location is a problem. Next best thing is adding a power. GCU will be WCC. GCU will force someone hand by being too good even if they are for profit.

Are you a Grand Canyon Education, Inc. stockholder? I feel like every time I see your name, I know it's going to be a post about GCU. Trying to inflate that LOPE stock price?

I wish I bought in on the ground floor. I think part of it is I LOVE Phoenix. I'm telling you though, they are primed to break out. You heard it here first...and second...and third!!! I think they are more primed than St. Mary's, NMSU, ISUr, UNI, Rhode Island, and everyone else (I already consider Dayton an elite along with VCU)

[BCPanther]

There's no way GCU gets into the WCC. In what world do they fit in with a bunch of tiny private schools?

They're going to be in the WAC for the foreseeable future.

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

There's no way GCU gets into the WCC. In what world do they fit in with a bunch of tiny private schools?

They're going to be in the WAC for the foreseeable future.

They're going to get in because they're going to be good. Gonzaga desperately wants a better conference. And, since its not realistic for Gonzaga to leave unless the MWC is going to be adding basketball only schools (Big East is not realistic) they are going to do what they have to better their situation.

[rally]

GCU won't be in the WAC for long. Gonzaga wants out of the WCC. Their location is a problem. Next best thing is adding a power. GCU will be WCC. GCU will force someone hand by being too good even if they are for profit.

The WCC is all private schools. They're not adding a public school, let alone a for-profit school.