Valpo to be visited by MVC this week, thoughts?

[VU2014]

One thing we need to address is: What will the MVC offer in terms of monetary compensation to help alleviate burden of the Exit-Fee ($500,000) of the HL and the MVC entry fee?

It's not out of the normal that Conferences will throw schools some $ to help out the costs so the burden is not entirely on the new coming school.

Curious if the MVC will help Valpo out if we get the invite. There are real negotiations that need to be had.

[UNIFTW]

RELATED QUESTION:  Would MVC members now be more open to scheduling UWM (and I guess UNO) as an OOC ooponent now that they appear to be on the long range radar?  It would be a great way to guage compatability without making a long term commitment.

UNO? No. Omaha is no longer MVC market. Maybe Drake would but that's it. UNI is too busy with Xavier, Iowa, Iowa State, North Carolina, Stephan F Austin, St Mary's, George Mason, high level MTEs, etc...


UWM? If they haven't been scheduled before they won't be going forward if they aren't added. It is a zero value game for most MVC schools.


I see people listing schools that UWM falls behind and it being similar to UNO. It's not. UNO plays 10 minutes from Creighton, who averages 18k per game. UNO 1,800. They fall behind - in terms of just basketball programs - Creighton, UNL, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and potentially Mizzou. Then you add in the KC Royals, the Royals AAAteam in Omaha, Nebraska football, Iowa football, Iowa State football, K-State football, Creighton baseball, UNO Hockey, and a couple others. They are equivalent to Loyola in Chicago, but is a MUCH smaller market.


As far as exit fee? Probably get some help. Might be tied to concessions in facility upgrades. Could be MVC will cover entry fee if facility needs are wanted.

[VULB#62]

I (any MVC fan) doesn't get this facination the MVC gets with certain schools. 4 years ago it was UMKC and UIC. They are very bad programs in markets they don't register even as blip on. This time it appears that UN-O is that team. I don't freaking get it.

I suppose the thought is to reclaim part of the Omaha market that was lost with Creighton. UNO doesn't exist in Omaha. It plays in front of 1,500 people a night in a hockey arena 10 minutes from Creighton playing in front of 18,000. UNO isn't in the sports section until page 4. UNO spends more money on hockey than all other sports combined. I hate everything about UNO.

Make it Valpo. Make it Murray State. If they much force a 12th right now I guess UWM is as good as it gets. Even that doesn't make me happy. I'd much rather wait for a 12th to appear and stand out above the rest.

I think you're likely to have the same problems with Milwaukee as you do with Omaha (though they don't have Hockey). UWM plays miles off its campus in a building that literally sits in the shadow of the home of Milwaukee's real players: Marquette and the Bucks. Throw in the Badgers and UWM is already sitting 4th in the city's basketball landscape. That's before counting all of the Chicago transplants and fans of convenience who live there as well.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Do not be so fast to dismiss UWM. The Pather Arena is no further from their campus than the Ford Center is from the E'ville campus and probably easier to get to because of a better mass transit system.  I would argue that they do not draw from the same demographic as Marquette and it is not really accurate to compare even Marquette to an NBA franchise.  So from a "butts in the seats" perspective, they have (in past good times) shown an ability to fill the Pather Arena /MECCA and they have the local demographics and following to do so again (given better opponents and improved performance).

An incomplete comparison of UWM and Marquette

                   UWM                 MU
Undergrads:  22,600             8,300 
Origin:          80+% SE WI     71% Out of State
Alumni:       177K                    110K
Location       74% in WI         (unkown, but probably national)

[covufan]

I (any MVC fan) doesn't get this facination the MVC gets with certain schools. 4 years ago it was UMKC and UIC. They are very bad programs in markets they don't register even as blip on. This time it appears that UN-O is that team. I don't freaking get it.

I suppose the thought is to reclaim part of the Omaha market that was lost with Creighton. UNO doesn't exist in Omaha. It plays in front of 1,500 people a night in a hockey arena 10 minutes from Creighton playing in front of 18,000. UNO isn't in the sports section until page 4. UNO spends more money on hockey than all other sports combined. I hate everything about UNO.

Make it Valpo. Make it Murray State. If they much force a 12th right now I guess UWM is as good as it gets. Even that doesn't make me happy. I'd much rather wait for a 12th to appear and stand out above the rest.

My guess is that when the MVC was looking into UMKC, it may have been for the very reason we are having this discussion today: losing Wichita State.  With UMKC, the MVC still has a connection to the Kansas City area.  Just a guess.

[NativeCheesehead]

We're in the middle of a $250 Million fundraising campaign. If the MVC makes us pay our way, I think we can manage if it's truly a priority.

[valpotx]

Yes, that would be a large failure.  I don't mind Milwaukee as the 12th team, but would think that adding Omaha would be a dumb move.  They are the black sheep in Omaha to the popular Creighton, and are always targeted for cutbacks, so that the school in Lincoln can remain supreme. 

[vuny98]

Yes, that would be a large failure.  I don't mind Milwaukee as the 12th team, but would think that adding Omaha would be a dumb move.  They are the black sheep in Omaha to the popular Creighton, and are always targeted for cutbacks, so that the school in Lincoln can remain supreme.

Yeah, the small kid in town in the 43rd largest city does not excite me nor should that be the deciding factor in anyone's book.

[Dave_2010]

Creighton out drew Omaha 10-1 and Marquette out drew Milwaukee 7-1 in the latest data I found (http://i.turner.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/images/2016/06/09/2016_release_mens_basketball_attendance_final.pdf). Neither is a particularly good look and a fair comparison in my book.

The problem with both schools is the same problem that I have with Valpo in the HL. Urban commuter schools don't move the needle in their markets like more traditional schools.

To draw, most schools need 2 things:

1- An actively engaged student body and alumni base.
2- A local media that cares and is willing promote.

I know from personal experience living in Milwaukee and Cleveland that the urban commuter schools that make up the HL have little of both. I'm willing to bet Omaha is in the same boat.

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear, does it make any noise?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[VU2014]

Creighton out drew Omaha 10-1 and Marquette out drew Milwaukee 7-1 in the latest data I found (http://i.turner.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/images/2016/06/09/2016_release_mens_basketball_attendance_final.pdf). Neither is a particularly good look and a fair comparison in my book.

The problem with both schools is the same problem that I have with Valpo in the HL. Urban commuter schools don't move the needle in their markets like more traditional schools.

To draw, most schools need 2 things:

1- An actively engaged student body and alumni base.
2- A local media that cares and is willing promote.

I know from personal experience living in Milwaukee and Cleveland that the urban commuter schools that make up the HL have little of both. I'm willing to bet Omaha is in the same boat.

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear, does it make any noise?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

One of Milwaukee's most highly attended home games last year was the game vs Valpo. There was a large group of Valpo fans that turned out for that game.

I seem to remember "Lets GO VALPO!" chants drowning out the Milwaukee fans in their own building.

Valpo beat Milwaukee handily 71-53. It was one of those games where Karys, Levingston-Simon, & Kiser (our walk-ons) got to play in the game.

[elephtheria47]

How long has it been since a ranked team came to visit during the regular season? It's hard to get excited for games when youre one of, if not, the best program in the league. Oakland is about the only team that garners any extra excitement.

Valpo has shown the fans show up if theres an exciting game (rhode island, NIT run ,etc) but the HL just lacks those games. I think the excitement comes back if Valpo were to join the MVC and no longer is "top dog" for a lack of a better term. White out, promotions, etc when a ranked team comes to visit in Jan or feb

[a3uge]

How long has it been since a ranked team came to visit during the regular season? It's hard to get excited for games when youre one of, if not, the best program in the league. Oakland is about the only team that garners any extra excitement.

Uh, last year?

[M]

It's been nearly 1 season   

[elephtheria47]

Ah, should have proof read as I meant conference season.

Getting ranked teams out of conference will always be up to Valpo to make it happen. The problem is, a lot of people are occupied with football season, holidays, end of semester, etc. When the average fan tunes into bball in January and February, theres been a lack of quality opponents to be getting excited about.

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/EnthusiAdams/status/856920847772262403

[NativeCheesehead]

Anyone else really entertained by the back and forth with PantherU on MVCfans.com?

http://mvcfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4692

I actually love it when someone is passionate about their program, but he's coming off like the guy desperately trying to escape the friendzone. 

[bbtds]

Creighton out drew Omaha 10-1 and Marquette out drew Milwaukee 7-1 in the latest data I found (http://i.turner.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/images/2016/06/09/2016_release_mens_basketball_attendance_final.pdf). Neither is a particularly good look and a fair comparison in my book.

The problem with both schools is the same problem that I have with Valpo in the HL. Urban commuter schools don't move the needle in their markets like more traditional schools.

To draw, most schools need 2 things:

1- An actively engaged student body and alumni base.
2- A local media that cares and is willing promote.

I know from personal experience living in Milwaukee and Cleveland that the urban commuter schools that make up the HL have little of both. I'm willing to bet Omaha is in the same boat.

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear, does it make any noise?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

One of Milwaukee's most highly attended home games last year was the game vs Valpo. There was a large group of Valpo fans that turned out for that game.

I seem to remember "Lets GO VALPO!" chants drowning out the Milwaukee fans in their own building.

Valpo beat Milwaukee handily 71-53. It was one of those games where Karys, Levingston-Simon, & Kiser (our walk-ons) got to play in the game.

And 3 times Valpo players missed the front end of a two shot free throw with the outcome of a second missed free throw being that the UWM crowd would have gotten free Chick-Fil-A. The Valpo players all hit their second free throws sending the Panther student section down in disgust with the Valpo crowd emphasizing the missed opportunity by signaling "No chicken." That has to be the happiest I have ever been at not getting free food. 

[wh]

The ARC is in its Sunday best and looking good. Bleachers out (upper and lower), scorer's table and team seating set up, scoreboard lit up with lighted "welcome" signs on all 4 sides, 30-second basket clocks and "end zone" scoreboards lit up, and, of course, the seemingly endless display of NCAA and NIT Tournament banners and conference championship banners that MVC teams could only dream of. As I quietly stood there a simple message softly echoed from the rafters, "You are standing on holy ground."  It was a spiritual experience.

[covufan]

The ARC is in its Sunday best and looking good. Bleachers out (upper and lower), scorer's table and team seating set up, scoreboard lit up with lighted "welcome" signs on all 4 sides, 30-second basket clocks and "end zone" scoreboards lit up, and, of course, the seemingly endless display of NCAA and NIT Tournament banners and conference championship banners that MVC teams could only dream of. From end to end and everywhere inbetween, a simple message quietly calls down from the rafters, "You are now standing on holy ground."  It is a spiritual experience.

Since we are in the HL, do we still display the Mid-Con banners?

If we move to MVC, do we only keep NCAA and NIT banners?

[valpotx]

Heck no!  They better keep those banners up, until we get to the point where we make the NCAA tourney on a consistent basis again.

[wh]

The ARC is in its Sunday best and looking good. Bleachers out (upper and lower), scorer's table and team seating set up, scoreboard lit up with lighted "welcome" signs on all 4 sides, 30-second basket clocks and "end zone" scoreboards lit up, and, of course, the seemingly endless display of NCAA and NIT Tournament banners and conference championship banners that MVC teams could only dream of. From end to end and everywhere inbetween, a simple message quietly calls down from the rafters, "You are now standing on holy ground."  It is a spiritual experience.

Since we are in the HL, do we still display the Mid-Con banners?

If we move to MVC, do we only keep NCAA and NIT banners?

I tell about a moving experience I just had, and you start talking process?  Where is your decency, man! 

[VU2014]

Mark is pretty plugged into the MVC.

https://twitter.com/EnthusiAdams/status/856920847772262403
https://twitter.com/RacerJoeD/status/856936442290896897
https://twitter.com/EnthusiAdams/status/856947199502159873
https://twitter.com/RacerJoeD/status/856947440188108800
https://twitter.com/EnthusiAdams/status/856948126300635136

[UNIFTW]

The ARC is in its Sunday best and looking good. Bleachers out (upper and lower), scorer's table and team seating set up, scoreboard lit up with lighted "welcome" signs on all 4 sides, 30-second basket clocks and "end zone" scoreboards lit up, and, of course, the seemingly endless display of NCAA and NIT Tournament banners and conference championship banners that MVC teams could only dream of. As I quietly stood there a simple message softly echoed from the rafters, "You are standing on holy ground."  It was a spiritual experience.

The MVC still has 3 schools with a S16 in the last 10 seasons.

That was beautifully written and all that and that might impress Evansville, Drake, Missouri State or Loyola but....

Contrary to popular national belief the MVC was more than Creighton and WSU. Keep in kind Creighton has never been out of the first weekend.

[ISUBird]

Anyone else really entertained by the back and forth with PantherU on MVCfans.com?

http://mvcfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4692

I actually love it when someone is passionate about their program, but he's coming off like the guy desperately trying to escape the friendzone.

They are very insistent, but look around and see all of the Dakota school fans coming in and being completely rude because a lot of MVC school fans don't want them in the MVC.

[ml2]

That was beautifully written and all that and that might impress Evansville, Drake, Missouri State or Loyola but....

Those sound like fighting words! We should settle this on the court...twice a year...every year. 

[wh]

The ARC is in its Sunday best and looking good. Bleachers out (upper and lower), scorer's table and team seating set up, scoreboard lit up with lighted "welcome" signs on all 4 sides, 30-second basket clocks and "end zone" scoreboards lit up, and, of course, the seemingly endless display of NCAA and NIT Tournament banners and conference championship banners that MVC teams could only dream of. As I quietly stood there a simple message softly echoed from the rafters, "You are standing on holy ground."  It was a spiritual experience.

The MVC still has 3 schools with a S16 in the last 10 seasons.

That was beautifully written and all that and that might impress Evansville, Drake, Missouri State or Loyola but....

Contrary to popular national belief the MVC was more than Creighton and WSU. Keep in kind Creighton has never been out of the first weekend.

Without looking it up, I'm going to guess that those same 3 schools also have 1 S16 in the last 20 years - the same as Valpo. 

Now back to those NCAA, NIT and conference championship banners at the ARC that have grown steadily over the past 20 years (the ultimate benchmark for winning tradition, meaning we were good 20 years ago, 15 years ago, etc., all the way to last years 30 wins and this year's 24). Would you care to compare your numbers to those?  Save the research.  For time sake I'll shortcut to your answer.  "Well, we'd have that many championships and NCAA/NIT appearances if we played in the Horizon and Summit."  Yep.