More Conference Shake-UP

[jwa123]

CUSA in it's current format is NOT attractive. The MWC is only slightly better than the MVC w/o SDSU on board.

If CUSA can merge with the MWC, I think an A-10/MVC merger would be possible. We'd have to cut a few teams of course, but would be a good league and since everyone already takes chartered jets, travel is less of an issue.

Travel cost is an issue in the olympic sports.

[MSUDuo]

St Louis has never been interested in The Valley. They think they are better than 90% of the teams in it. Just listen to their fans talk sometime, huge egos all around

[BirdmanBB]

That's the fans though. Not the school.

[DoubleJayAlum]

CUSA in it's current format is NOT attractive. The MWC is only slightly better than the MVC w/o SDSU on board.

Agreed, plus MWC is also without BYU now too. Both of those conferences look pretty vulnerable. When Louisville eventually leaves the BigEast for the Big 12, the Big East will look to poach again.

Strange to think that many saw CUSa as a potential landing spot for MVC teams looking to move (MSU, IlSU and WSU fans have all mentioned it over the years). Now that conference has no real appeal with all of the best schools gone or going.

If CUSA can merge with the MWC, I think an A-10/MVC merger would be possible. We'd have to cut a few teams of course, but would be a good league and since everyone already takes chartered jets, travel is less of an issue.

I wish that were the case, as the A10 is the only other legitimate non-football conference with any appeal. Unfortunately, I don't see it ever happening. Travel would be a big issue for certain cash poor schools in our conference, especially for the olympic sports. I also agree with the poster that said that the A10 wouldn't have any interest. The A10 already has 14 teams and, if anything, would be looking to shed some of their dead weight, not adding more schools.

[DoubleJayAlum]

That's the fans though. Not the school.

Actually, the SLU President feels the same way.

[valleychamp]

Combining with the A-10? lol, wow. Why are so many people just so enamored with conference expansion? There are so many people that just want to get involved with conference shuffling so badly that they are willing to throw every single bit of common sense out the window to do so.

The MVC is a great conference, and is in fantastic shape, IMO. If we had the chance to add Butler and/or SLU, I think that may be a good idea because they would add to the league, but anything short of that is just pointless, IMO. We have a good situation in our conference.

[Wufan]

Combining with the A-10? lol, wow. Why are so many people just so enamored with conference expansion? There are so many people that just want to get involved with conference shuffling so badly that they are willing to throw every single bit of common sense out the window to do so.

The MVC is a great conference, and is in fantastic shape, IMO. If we had the chance to add Butler and/or SLU, I think that may be a good idea because they would add to the league, but anything short of that is just pointless, IMO. We have a good situation in our conference.

I can see where 4 or 5 schools from the MVC could replace 6 or so schools from the A-10 and make a very good conference. Of course a few MVC schools that don't have the funds might feel more comfortable playing in the North Iowa Regional Valley Conference. That way it won't be so difficult for the fans to make it to games.

[DoubleJayAlum]

Combining with the A-10? lol, wow. Why are so many people just so enamored with conference expansion? There are so many people that just want to get involved with conference shuffling so badly that they are willing to throw every single bit of common sense out the window to do so.

The MVC is a great conference, and is in fantastic shape, IMO. If we had the chance to add Butler and/or SLU, I think that may be a good idea because they would add to the league, but anything short of that is just pointless, IMO. We have a good situation in our conference.

I think many feel the A10 is a lot more stable long term and it is one of the rare conferences dedicated to basketball first. The top tier teams in that conference are well funded, financially secure and committed to making whatever investment is necessary to compete at the highest levels. The same thing can not be said about all of the schools in the MVC.

On top of that, the A10 doesn't participate in any of the rinky dink things that would cause one to consider them to be "mid major": no bracketbusters, no participation in the Midmajor top 20 polls, etc.

From a Creighton perspective, it would be nice to be affiliated with Catholic based institutions that we have a lot more in common with...

[valleychamp]

Combining with the A-10? lol, wow. Why are so many people just so enamored with conference expansion? There are so many people that just want to get involved with conference shuffling so badly that they are willing to throw every single bit of common sense out the window to do so.

The MVC is a great conference, and is in fantastic shape, IMO. If we had the chance to add Butler and/or SLU, I think that may be a good idea because they would add to the league, but anything short of that is just pointless, IMO. We have a good situation in our conference.

I think many feel the A10 is a lot more stable long term and it is one of the rare conferences dedicated to basketball first. The top tier teams in that conference are well funded, financially secure and committed to making whatever investment is necessary to compete at the highest levels. The same thing can not be said about all of the schools in the MVC.

On top of that, the A10 doesn't participate in any of the rinky dink things that would cause one to consider them to be "mid major": no bracketbusters, no participation in the Midmajor top 20 polls, etc.

From a Creighton perspective, it would be nice to be affiliated with Catholic based institutions that we have a lot more in common with...

Hello! The MVC is a basketball first conference! More stable? What conference is more stable than the MVC? Saying that the A-10 is more stable is laughable. There have been members in and out of that conference since its inception, and they still may lose several more to the Big East before all is said and done.

Xavier, Dayton, and Temple have good programs. After that?

Yeah....Fordham, George Washington, Lasalle, Rhode Island, St Bonnies, Duquesne, St Joes, Umass, and Charlotte. Those are definitely powerhouse schools that "invest whatever it takes to compete at the highest levels"

[DoubleJayAlum]

Look, to somehow imply that the A10 is not better than the MVC because of comments like "Xavier, Dayton, and Temple have good programs. After that?" fail to take reality into account.

Look at Lunardi's current projections for tourney spots - A10 with three bids, MVC with two.
Compare the number of A10 teams that got NCAA bids last year to the number of MVC schools that got bids last year.
Do it again for the year before that.
And again for the year before that.
And again for the year before that.

The MVC has been a one bid league since 2007. This year, everyone proclaimed that the Valley was "back", yet here we are about a month from selection Sunday and we are hoping we get two whole teams into the tourney.

To use another metric, the A10 currently has NINE teams with an RPI better than 100. By comparison the MVC has four. I didn't check past years, but I'm sure you'll find the same thing since the MVc only had three teams with sub 100 RPIs.