The Valparaiso Beacons Fan Zone Forum

It's a shame because Mid-Major Conferences NEED to work together to get their Top Teams great games to build a resume for March. It sounds like it was the MWC that is severing the relationship.

https://twitter.com/NickSchultz_7/status/1012374982184271878

How about the Big East?  Both leagues had final four teams last year.

Quote from: VUOR63 on June 28, 2018, 12:00:57 PM
How about the Big East?  Both leagues had final four teams last year.

I'd love that, but it's just not realistic. The BE would never agree. The AAC seems unlikely also but I put it on there.

It sounds like it may have come down to money.

https://twitter.com/MrMattCraig/status/1012388800134287361

Perhaps the money on this would work better if the MWC's hideously bad TV contract didn't prevent most of the games from being televised nationwide?

Call the A-10, then the AAC.

how about the WCC?   

1   Gonzaga   17 - 1   0.944   -   34 - 3   0.919   8   0.6428   7 - 3   8 - 2   1 Loss
2   BYU   13 - 5   0.722   4   23 - 10   0.697   43   0.5764   2 - 4   8 - 2   2 Losses
2   Saint Mary's College   13 - 5   0.722   4   20 - 10   0.667   76   0.5469   1 - 4   4 - 6   3 Losses
4   Pepperdine   10 - 8   0.556   7   17 - 14   0.548   149   0.5086   2 - 4   4 - 6   2 Losses
5   San Diego   8 - 10   0.444   9   14 - 16   0.467   164   0.5022   1 - 7   5 - 5   1 Loss
6   Portland   7 - 11   0.389   10   15 - 16   0.484   166   0.5012   1 - 5   4 - 6   2 Losses
6   San Francisco   7 - 11   0.389   10   13 - 18   0.419   186   0.4882   0 - 5   5 - 5   1 Loss
6   Santa Clara   7 - 11   0.389   10   12 - 18   0.400   211   0.4772   0 - 6   3 - 7   1 Loss
9   Pacific   4 - 14   0.222   13   9 - 19   0.321   252   0.4538   0 - 5   2 - 8   2 Losses
9   Loyola-Marymount   4 - 14   0.222   13   7 - 23   0.233   269   0.4459   0 - 7   2 - 8   7 Losses

I was thinking I should have put them on the poll. Not a bad option but probably not the best.

I'm not sure a WCC vs MVC Challenge would get approved by Gonzaga. The Zags literally own the league. When they say jump, the rest of the league asks how high? I just don't see the Zags signing off on playing on the road with a MVC team. Gonzaga was also in serious negotiations to move to the MWC, just a few months ago. St. Mary's and BYU are good programs.

The A-10 is the league that makes by far the most sense to do a challenge with, if the goal is to match up similar programs and similar leagues, but really you could say the same thing about the Mountain West.  A-10 would be better for travel, and none of the programs in that league should see the schools in the MVC as a step down, though I'm sure fans from Dayton and VCU would disagree. 

WCC wouldn't work outside of Gonzaga, St. Mary's and BYU, and Gonzaga would never agree to it.  They were always exempted from the Bracketbusters back in the day as well.  Outside of those three programs, that's a long way to fly for a game that doesn't build an at-large resume.

Conference USA could work, but like the WCC, outside of the top few teams, things drop off a cliff pretty fast.

The AAC and BE would never agree to one.

While the top of the WCC would rival some of the very best conferences, the bottom is two-thirds is much worse that the MVC. A10 is the best , and most realistic option.

I went A10, but isn't the difference innumber of members between the two leagues a probem?

Quote from: VULB#62 on June 30, 2018, 12:15:02 AM
I went A10, but isn't the difference innumber of members between the two leagues a probem?

Possibly.  The Gavitt Games between the Big Ten (14 teams) and Big East (10 teams) have only 8 games each year, meaning that not every team participates every year.  Not ideal, but workable.  Ideally, the MVC should find a league with a similar number of teams, but that might not be possible.  The MVC-MWC seemed like the perfect situation ... not sure why it didn't work out.

Quote from: zvillehaze on June 30, 2018, 01:59:16 PM

Quote from: VULB#62 on June 30, 2018, 12:15:02 AM
I went A10, but isn't the difference innumber of members between the two leagues a probem?

Possibly.  The Gavitt Games between the Big Ten (14 teams) and Big East (10 teams) have only 8 games each year, meaning that not every team participates every year.  Not ideal, but workable.  Ideally, the MVC should find a league with a similar number of teams, but that might not be possible.  The MVC-MWC seemed like the perfect situation ... not sure why it didn't work out.

I wold think a plan where the top 10 rpi teams (previous year) play the Valley teams. It would give incentive to be a top 10 team.

This article by Father Harry featuring an interview with Commissioner Elgin states that it could just before a one year hiatus and that the challenge could be back on in 2020.

http://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/elgin-ncaa-tournament-access/