Updated 1/6/18: MVC Expansion Poll

[Red]

However, the WCC just added BYU for hoops a few years ago right? Gonzaga has lived and thrived without them before. The wildest idea would be if Gonzaga could end up in the Big East with all of the other Catholic schools somehow - geography notwithstanding.

[VUGrad1314]

It is really hard to see Gonzaga remaining in the WCC after BYU leaves. I wrote about the reasons for this a few posts back. It's a huge blow to their SOS to lose that home and home with BYU and now be forced to play two more games against the bottom of the WCC. With the MWC losing nobody in this current round and potentially not losing anybody next round depending on what else the Big XII does if anything it becomes significantly more appealing for Gonzaga. The WCC gave Gonzaga every concession they possibly could even with BYU in the conference what can they do now that they will be wholly unable to replace BYU?

Agree completely. They actually might be able to more or less go independent and work out playing home and homes with some of the WCC and WAC teams and then play a bunch of neutrals sites and their usual buy games. I'd think an in-season home and home with Memphis makes a ton of sense.

They have the money to do it if they're creative with it. I could also see the Mountain West having a loose alliance with them as well kind of like Notre Dame and ACC Football.

I don't see quasi-independence happening because it's not just basketball that is affected by any conference move. Gonzaga's basketball could maybe sustain independence but it's other olympic sports would need a home and unlike football you can't do basketball only conference affiliations. I outlined the difference in quality especially at the top between the WCC and the Mountain West in that post as well and I believe that the Mountain West would be a more than acceptable home for Gonzaga's athletics. It's a big increase in travel costs but they can afford it and realistically there is no better option. It makes far too much sense for both school and conference the only question is whether Gonzaga is the only addition to the MWC or if they add anybody else on in addition to Gonzaga to further increase the appeal to them.

However, the WCC just added BYU for hoops a few years ago right? Gonzaga has lived and thrived without them before. The wildest idea would be if Gonzaga could end up in the Big East with all of the other Catholic schools somehow - geography notwithstanding.

Yes they have thrived but that was while Gonzaga was still ascending and building their brand. They have now been frustrated two times in pursuit of that elusive National Title and I do believe the lack of preparation afforded them by their conference affiliation is part of this issue. They don't face a lot of long athletic teams late in the season to prepare them to go up against teams like Baylor and we all saw how Baylor dominated them. If they had had the opportunity to play a team with a similar style like San Diego State 2-3 times perhaps they could have found a way to counteract Baylor's size. Gonzaga has also thrived without all of the concessions they just extracted from the WCC when they flirted with the Mountain West a few years ago but they still demanded and received them. Again I think that it is extremely significant that they demanded and extracted those concessions while BYU was still a member. It's very easy to see Gonzaga becoming dissatisfied even though the WCC has done everything they could to keep them. The WCC has nothing left to offer and just watched one of its best programs walk out the door with absolutely zero options to functionally replace them. It took superhuman efforts to keep Gonzaga in the conference with BYU now that they're gone I just can't see why Gonzaga doesn't follow them out the door. It's clear that this divorce has been coming and both sides have tried to make it work but it just feels like it's time and ultimately both parties will be served well by it as strange as that sounds. Sometimes losing a mega brand allows other schools to step up who otherwise would not have been able to or at least allows the conference to grow and change in a new direction and become more vibrant for all of its members. How would you feel as a coach knowing that every year no matter how good your team is you are fighting for second? Really in the WCC unless you're St Mary's or BYU you're fighting for fourth. That's no fun and depresses fan support. Having a mega brand like Gonzaga come to your gym every year is fun until you realize that they are going to beat you by 20-40 points every night and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it. Eventually not even the allure of the brand name is enough to get you to attend the game because there's no point. Ultimately and I know this sounds counterintuitive that's not good for the conference. Both sides are well-served by Gonzaga moving on and it's painfully obvious at this point.

[BCPanther]

It is really hard to see Gonzaga remaining in the WCC after BYU leaves. I wrote about the reasons for this a few posts back. It's a huge blow to their SOS to lose that home and home with BYU and now be forced to play two more games against the bottom of the WCC. With the MWC losing nobody in this current round and potentially not losing anybody next round depending on what else the Big XII does if anything it becomes significantly more appealing for Gonzaga. The WCC gave Gonzaga every concession they possibly could even with BYU in the conference what can they do now that they will be wholly unable to replace BYU?

Agree completely. They actually might be able to more or less go independent and work out playing home and homes with some of the WCC and WAC teams and then play a bunch of neutrals sites and their usual buy games. I'd think an in-season home and home with Memphis makes a ton of sense.

They have the money to do it if they're creative with it. I could also see the Mountain West having a loose alliance with them as well kind of like Notre Dame and ACC Football.

I don't see quasi-independence happening because it's not just basketball that is affected by any conference move. Gonzaga's basketball could maybe sustain independence but it's other olympic sports would need a home and unlike football you can't do basketball only conference affiliations. I outlined the difference in quality especially at the top between the WCC and the Mountain West in that post as well and I believe that the Mountain West would be a more than acceptable home for Gonzaga's athletics. It's a big increase in travel costs but they can afford it and realistically there is no better option. It makes far too much sense for both school and conference the only question is whether Gonzaga is the only addition to the MWC or if they add anybody else on in addition to Gonzaga to further increase the appeal to them.

However, the WCC just added BYU for hoops a few years ago right? Gonzaga has lived and thrived without them before. The wildest idea would be if Gonzaga could end up in the Big East with all of the other Catholic schools somehow - geography notwithstanding.

Yes they have thrived but that was while Gonzaga was still ascending and building their brand. They have now been frustrated two times in pursuit of that elusive National Title and I do believe the lack of preparation afforded them by their conference affiliation is part of this issue. They don't face a lot of long athletic teams late in the season to prepare them to go up against teams like Baylor and we all saw how Baylor dominated them. If they had had the opportunity to play a team with a similar style like San Diego State 2-3 times perhaps they could have found a way to counteract Baylor's size. Gonzaga has also thrived without all of the concessions they just extracted from the WCC when they flirted with the Mountain West a few years ago but they still demanded and received them. Again I think that it is extremely significant that they demanded and extracted those concessions while BYU was still a member. It's very easy to see Gonzaga becoming dissatisfied even though the WCC has done everything they could to keep them. The WCC has nothing left to offer and just watched one of its best programs walk out the door with absolutely zero options to functionally replace them. It took superhuman efforts to keep Gonzaga in the conference with BYU now that they're gone I just can't see why Gonzaga doesn't follow them out the door. It's clear that this divorce has been coming and both sides have tried to make it work but it just feels like it's time and ultimately both parties will be served well by it as strange as that sounds. Sometimes losing a mega brand allows other schools to step up who otherwise would not have been able to or at least allows the conference to grow and change in a new direction and become more vibrant for all of its members. How would you feel as a coach knowing that every year no matter how good your team is you are fighting for second? Really in the WCC unless you're St Mary's or BYU you're fighting for fourth. That's no fun and depresses fan support. Having a mega brand like Gonzaga come to your gym every year is fun until you realize that they are going to beat you by 20-40 points every night and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it. Eventually not even the allure of the brand name is enough to get you to attend the game because there's no point. Ultimately and I know this sounds counterintuitive that's not good for the conference. Both sides are well-served by Gonzaga moving on and it's painfully obvious at this point.

This is outstanding.

You'd think Gonzaga leaving would also open the door to some WCC expansion with Seattle, Cal Baptist and, maybe, Grand Canyon as the WAC turns more towards football going forward.

It may have taken a couple realignment cycles but there seems to be some settling into where things 'ought to be'.

[ShockValue]

Wichita State is screwed if the AAC gets poached of Cincy, UCF, and Houston.

I think we all knew this was a possibility someday, but it happened a lot faster than anyone imagined. AAC is in a bad place because who is going to want to join with the lingering doubt that membership could change again and someday Memphis leaves too. No way we ever get a P5 or Big East invite so we are left to make the best out of our remaining options and frankly, staying in the AAC is probably it.

[sivert]

From the MVC, the AAC invite was a brass ring. But has grasping it been good for the shockers?
From a $$$ perspective, the move to the AAC has been very good for the shocks.
But I don’t think it has been from a basketball standpoint. The move was supposed to improve their chances of NCAA tournament bids.

2014-2017 (last 4 in MVC)
NCAA appearances: 4 (100%) 2 of these were At-Large
NCAA wins: 6

2018-2021 (first 4 in AAC)
NCAA appearances: 2 (50%) both were At-Large
NCAA wins: 0

And then there’s the effect on Marshall. He was always annoying and obviously not a pleasure to play for. But it seems that the pressure of AAC Conf play ramped up the pressure, which he took out on his players to a higher degree than ever. He’s not old enough to blame the worse behavior on dementia.

When there’s a brass ring in sight, people will always reach for it. But it isn’t always better.

As for the shockers future, I don’t see them getting invited to another conference - at least not one that’s higher and more stable. They don’t have the coach that gave them the 2013-17 success.

[Drakey]

The Shockers were better off in the Valley. They were able to dominate, but the conference has improved a lot since the Shockers left. WSU staying would have resulted in multiple bids every year. Being a middling team in a middling conference is not that great a position to be in. I think the four year stats bear that out.

Did WSU leave just because they were jealous of Creighton? Never quite understood the motivation.

[TBS_20]

The Shockers were better off in the Valley. They were able to dominate, but the conference has improved a lot since the Shockers left. WSU staying would have resulted in multiple bids every year. Being a middling team in a middling conference is not that great a position to be in. I think the four year stats bear that out.

Did WSU leave just because they were jealous of Creighton? Never quite understood the motivation.

To keep Marshall but that backfired

[Mikovio]

They weren't happy about the Loyola invite either.

Now the AAC will add with a football focus. You're talking Marshall (the school), Florida Atlantic and maybe a MAC team or two.

[TBS_20]

They weren't happy about the Loyola invite either.

Now the AAC will add with a football focus. You're talking Marshall (the school), Florida Atlantic and maybe a MAC team or two.

MAYBE Marshal or JMU. But, I suspect theyll look towards the west. Theyll try for Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State

[Red]

They weren't happy about the Loyola invite either.

Now the AAC will add with a football focus. You're talking Marshall (the school), Florida Atlantic and maybe a MAC team or two.

MAYBE Marshal or JMU. But, I suspect theyll look towards the west. Theyll try for Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State

Mountain West is going to be clearly superior product to the AAC. If the AD from Boise or SDSU pushed for a move to the AAC, they should be immediately fired.