Welcome Loyola

[Khan4Cats]

I could have gone either way on Loyola, but given Casey's track record, I must say, I think the conference presidents have made a good choice for an addition. They won't be competitive right away, but I think they will fit in just fine.

My track record on realignment is pretty good. I predicted Temple to the Big East before most others and did the same with UMKC to the WAC. I never had any inside info on MSU to CUSA and I always maintained as much. I fell for that one but wasn't the only one. But I'm not afraid to speak out and call things as I see them.

Now getting back on subject, after an afternoon of the Master's and review of Loyola I have a much more logical perspective of them than my preliminary, emotional response of last night. Still not my top choice, but I at least think that I see where the presidents and Elgin are coming from. And that is comforting. They do appear to be trying and so I am grateful for that.

Well, other than Temple is no longer in the Big East and the WAC is looking for anything breathing to add to keep their league a league....Besides, I was generally referring to your otherwise stellar track-record of predictingcommenting the exact opposite for just about everything that comes up and what actually happens.

I am not so doom and gloom on Loyola looking at this past season.
-They had a roster of 7 Freshman, 3 Sophomores, 4 Juniors and 2 Seniors.
-They beat two "Power 6" schools, albeit DePaul and Mississippi State, that's better than most of the Valley schools did.
-14-16 in Division 1 games, 15-16 overall, 5-11 in their conference but had 6 conference losses of 3 points or less (3 by 1 point) and lost in the conference tournament on the road by 2 points-7 losses in one-possession games with a really young squad. They also beat Valpo at Valpo by 9.

Not saying they are going to compete immediately in the Valley next year, but I don't think they are that far off. Their 221 RPI would have been the worst in the Valley, but it's really, in the scheme of things given conference foes, not far off from where Missouri State, Southern Illinois and Bradley were either. Not sure how their non-conference RPI stacked up, but they were 9-4 with losses to Michigan State, South Florida, Kent State, and Western Michigan (2 Power 6 schools and 2 others that won 20 games)

[KC MVC FAN]

Still believe the best city and university for the MVC would be Kansas City and UMKC.

Simple fact is while Loyola was renovating it's arena and building new facilities UMKC was keeping Brown around and moving back to campus in a 1500 seat gym.

If I was you I would be angry at UMKC leadership.

As a Wichita State fan I would love UMKC to be in the Valley but that isn't going to happen until UMKC puts some effort into it. You guys should have been prepared for this chance. Instead you guys couldn't have been in a worse position.

.


If the Presidents of the 4 western MVC members (WSU, MSU, Drake, UNI) don't push for UMKC, WSU especially is going to be out in left-out field. Not a lot of options for WSU--unless some other major majors get together and form a brand new conference (WSU, NMSU, UTEP, Houston??, Rice, Col State, maybe MSU, maybe ???????????. Not playing FB hurts your options--sad, but true---unless you want to take up residence for the whole BB season in motels along the Atlantic seaboard. Jersey , Philadelphia, etc.

[TheAsianSensation]

By the way:

Loyola had the 4th easiest non-conference schedule in the country this year.

[shoxrox]

Pssst---

A bit of advice from a fellow grad of a Jesuit institution:

You are now in a league with the likes of Missouri St., Wichita St., and Northern Iowa. If you want to be able to have them understand you, better cut out the Latin.

Probably better dumb down the vocabulary too.

Remember that high culture to those fellows consists of throwing profane hand signs and discussing things like moonshine and rasslin'.

Why are you still here? You have no reason to be here anymore. Please do us all a favor and move on.

[shoxrox]

Welcome to the Valley Loyola!

To any fans from Loyola that come here I apologize in advance for this board. It used to be a great place for discussion and info but now not so much.

Yep, because everyone has to agree that Loyola was an awesome, kick-ass addition in the Valley of Evenness or this board just plain sucks.

If this board bothers you so much, then why do you keep coming back?

[GoRamblers]

Loyola's MBB program looks similar to Drake's. Extremely strong for a few years in the 60s (helped by the progressive integration of the schools) followed by 40 years of mostly sub-par basketball. Hopefully Drake and ULC will see new found success!

That's not exactly accurate. We were a strong program into the 80's. Then the University hit hard times. The President ran it into the ground and we were far in the red. The AD's that took over didn't care to focus on basketball. With our new President, it's different. He brought us into the black and build a huge endowment. The new AD has focused on our program. She is serious about bringing us back.

As someone who attended Drake for a year and a half before transferring to Loyola, I can tell you that there is a difference between our programs.

Finally, we are LU. Not LUC. Not ULC. We were the first Loyola University created (Loyola Maryland was Loyola College until a few years ago). Just FYI.

[shoxrox]

I'm glad to see a Jesuit school take our spot. A message to the Loyola fans- you will find there are a few blowhards and difficult posters here just like any other board. Take those with a grain of salt and I think you'll find the vast majority of MVC fans will treat you very well here.

Most of those blowhards should be leaving though, now with Creighton gone.

Although, for some reason, a few can't shake themselves from the Valley. I guess they aren't as forward-thinking as they lead on.

[TheAsianSensation]

My quick hitting thoughts in general:

Loyola is a good long-term prospect. You add them and hope they grow into themselves over 10, 20 years. It's not an awful idea in a vacuum. They have potential.

The only time you don't take a team based on potential is if you need immediate returns from your investment. Like if you're in a critical time period, with rapidly changing environments in conference realignment, and slipping for a couple years means losing touch with the other top conferences in the country.

Which by the way, is the current situation.

MVC is now behind the new Big 7 conferences, about to lose touch with the MWC for good, and battling the WCC and A-10. Fall behind them and you're now irrelevant. Being irrelevant now means being on the wrong side of a future split, of future TV contracts and media coverage, and eventually, of postseason opportunities.

The MVC needed an add that protected basketball product above all else. Oral Bob, Valpo, Detroit, Belmont, NMSU, Denver all do that much better than Loyola. Now, none of them are gangbusters, but they are competent, moreso than Loyola.

There is so much at stake in the next few years. Conference realignment is consolidating all the power at the top. Right now we have a high major, mid major, and low major. We're heading into an environment with the middle man cut out - just high major and low major.

Loyola might be big time in 2025. But by then, it'll be too late. We have to take every measure to be as good as possible, in the near term. We had candidates comparable to Loyola in non-basketball offerings, and had better basketball. Should've taken one of them.

Loyola would've been a perfectly fine candidate to add to the MVC - in a stable environment. Not in an unstable one.

[CaseyGarrisonforPrez]

Finally, we are LU. Not LUC. Not ULC. We were the first Loyola University created (Loyola Maryland was Loyola College until a few years ago). Just FYI.

That's informative, I appreciate that. Most of our abbreviations, etc are pretty straightforward. Oh...if you are referring to Northern Iowa call them UNI instead of NIU. Unless you are trying to get under their skin. I think with Evansville they prefer UE instead of EU but honestly I've never really paid attention so maybe I got that backwards. The two ISU's--Indiana State goes by ISUblue and Illinois State is ISUred because of their colors. That's pretty much it.

[lurkingdog]

We were a strong program into the 80's.

Ditto for Drake. Anyone remember Lewis Lloyd?

Loyola and Drake both have good times ahead.