MVC in preliminary talks with ORU?

[Aargh]

ORU was the 3rd place team in the Southland Conference. The Southland Conference was the 26th rated conference in RPI rankings. ORU cannot deliver the Tulsa TV market. ORU is the number 2 collegiate attraction in their home town, which probably has more OSU and OU fans than Tulsa fans.

WSU fans have watched the Valley replace top teams this way for the last 40 years. Some of the teams brought in have had some success. Being in the Valley allowed them to recruit and hire better, but...

...I, for one, am really sick and tired of the Valley downgrading itself with just about every defection and replacement for the last 40 years. I'd much rather have a 9-member conference with the additional scheduling problems than dilute the product with a "decent" Southland Conference team. A "decent" Southland Conference team should be a buy game for Valley teams.

[unipanther99]

I really hope Elgin waits until WSU's run is over before getting serious with any school. A WSU elite eight or final four might make the MVC more attractive to one or more of the schools we generally assume to be out of reach.

[valleychamp]

I am not a fan of adding ORU. I think we would be better off staying at 9 than adding some weak programs. I mean, really what's the incentive to split up NCAA shares even more with teams that are likely not going to add to it themselves?

With that said, I am surprised to see all the ORU hate from WSU fans on here. I swear the last 5-10 years reading message boards and stuff that ORU was one of the schools that many shocker fans were always fond of adding to the Valley. Maybe I'm totally misremembering but that was certainly my perception.

[GoShockers89]

I am not a fan of adding ORU. I think we would be better off staying at 9 than adding some weak programs. I mean, really what's the incentive to split up NCAA shares even more with teams that are likely not going to add to it themselves?

With that said, I am surprised to see all the ORU hate from WSU fans on here. I swear the last 5-10 years reading message boards and stuff that ORU was one of the schools that many shocker fans were always fond of adding to the Valley. Maybe I'm totally misremembering but that was certainly my perception.

I remember this too, but I think it was the same fan who brought it up repeatedly. Most of Shocker nation views ORU as bat guano.

[TNMSUFAN]

I remember this too, but I think it was the same fan who brought it up repeatedly. Most of Shocker nation views ORU as bat guano.

Your beat writer said this a few weeks ago...

From a WSU perspective, Oral Roberts seems to make the most sense. Is ORU interested? Is it a candidate? We’ll see. If other factors are equal, I would think WSU’s athletic department would say it is time for the MVC map to help out the southern and western members for a change.

Read more here: http://blogs.kansas.com/shockwaves/2013 ... rylink=cpy

[GoShockers89]

I remember this too, but I think it was the same fan who brought it up repeatedly. Most of Shocker nation views ORU as bat guano.

Your beat writer said this a few weeks ago...

From a WSU perspective, Oral Roberts seems to make the most sense. Is ORU interested? Is it a candidate? We’ll see. If other factors are equal, I would think WSU’s athletic department would say it is time for the MVC map to help out the southern and western members for a change.

Read more here: http://blogs.kansas.com/shockwaves/2013 ... rylink=cpy

Sully's a great beat writer, but that sentence isn't reflective of most Shocker fans' views. ORU excites nobody.

Honestly I am embarrassed for our league that they are even in the discussion.

[IllinoisState]

I remember this too, but I think it was the same fan who brought it up repeatedly. Most of Shocker nation views ORU as bat guano.

Your beat writer said this a few weeks ago...

From a WSU perspective, Oral Roberts seems to make the most sense. Is ORU interested? Is it a candidate? We’ll see. If other factors are equal, I would think WSU’s athletic department would say it is time for the MVC map to help out the southern and western members for a change.

Read more here: http://blogs.kansas.com/shockwaves/2013 ... rylink=cpy

Sully's a great beat writer, but that sentence isn't reflective of most Shocker fans' views. ORU excites nobody.

Honestly I am embarrassed for our league that they are even in the discussion.

I'm curious to know why the only writing is being done about ORU when there are plenty of other schools that have been mentioned as real possibilities. Where is an article on Belmont, Denver, Loyola, or Valpo?

[Aargh]

Some WSU fans would welcome ORU. I suspect those were mostly baseball fans. ORU is a good baseball program. Other pro-ORU WSU fans may have just wanted an away game they could drive to.

I don't think baseball considerations are what they were 5 - 10 years ago. WSU baseball has become pretty average. There's only one more year on Stephenson's contract and he's not being offered an extension yet.

Of the schools close to WSU, ORU is probably preferable to UMKC.

[Ali]

So we have links to the ORU and Belmont sites or any of the other schools mentioned for that matter? I guess I'm interested to see what they have to say about joining the Valley if invited.

[TNMSUFAN]

So we have links to the ORU and Belmont sites or any of the other schools mentioned for that matter? I guess I'm interested to see what they have to say about joining the Valley if invited.

Here is the ORU discussion...don't think Belmont has a board

http://forum.orusports.com/index.php/to ... usa-today/