First Time Poster- time to leave the Horizon

[HinsdaleVUguy]

Hello all, long time reader, first time poster here. I am a former manager of the basketball team and graduated in 2014. Besides the huge tuition I am still paying for, I am heavily invested in Valpo basketball. I have been reading the forums for quite some time now and look forward to participating in the future. I am here to discuss the possibility of bolting the Horizon League. We cannot subject ourselves to this one bid conference any longer. It is unfair to Coach Drew and our players. Playing in that dump called Joe Louis is ridiculous and should be reason enough to seek other options. I actually created a group on facebook that hopefully will push the envelope to move to another conference and improve our aging facilities. It can be found when searched "Crusaders Supporting Departure from Horizon League".

Thanks Guys!

[valpotx]

Welcome!  It has been brought up MANY times on this forum, but unfortunately, it isn't likely to happen at any time in the near future.  Most on here would love to be in the MVC long-term, some prefer the A-10 or Big East.

[a3uge]

Welcome! You can find moving conference discussions/facilities discussions in pretty much every thread[emoji14]

[VULB#62]

I agree.  If there was a Midwest equivalent of the West Coast Conference (all private, mid-sized universities in the true mid-major mold) that would be perfect, but it doesn't exist.

[a3uge]

I might be a complete moron for even asking this question but is the Big East even close to an option? They have Depaul and Butler and the three teams that they added recently were somewhat necessary for them to keep a league. All those teams (Butler, Creighton, and X) have had tournament success and much bigger and better facilities. What I think might be the biggest problems is that all of those schools were strategic in some way; Butler got them a recruiting rich Indianapolis and Indiana, X got them in Ohio and Creighton got them west. All of them are also in sizable cities more or less.  I understand that we could compete with them in basketball but I don't see the Big East as an option. I would the  A-10 might want a good Indiana school or the MVC to add another good team to help the leagues RPI.

Valpo to the Big East is about as likely as UWM going to the Big 10.

[historyman]

Hello all, long time reader, first time poster here. I am a former manager of the basketball team and graduated in 2014. Besides the huge tuition I am still paying for, I am heavily invested in Valpo basketball. I have been reading the forums for quite some time now and look forward to participating in the future. I am here to discuss the possibility of bolting the Horizon League. We cannot subject ourselves to this one bid conference any longer. It is unfair to Coach Drew and our players. Playing in that dump called Joe Louis is ridiculous and should be reason enough to seek other options. I actually created a group on facebook that hopefully will push the envelope to move to another conference and improve our aging facilities. It can be found when searched "Crusaders Supporting Departure from Horizon League".

Thanks Guys!

Simple question. How do we get invited to a conference that would be multi-bid?

[VULB#62]

A good place to start is to win a ncaa tournament game this millenia. That and invest some money in improving our facilities.

On that second point you're preaching to a choir that has gone horse singing that very tune to apparently deaf ears. 

[agibson]

A quick observation, and this thread seems as good a place as any.

In the last couple of weeks, I've been surprised to run across mentions from more than one opposing fan base along the same lines. It seems that a _lot_ of teams, or at least their fans, think that they deserve a "better" conference than the Horizon League.

[oklahomamick]

Fans are upset with the Horizon.  All fingers point to LeCrone, maybe this league could be what it was when we entered if we had different leadership. 

[FWalum]

A quick observation, and this thread seems as good a place as any.

In the last couple of weeks, I've been surprised to run across mentions from more than one opposing fan base along the same lines. It seems that a _lot_ of teams, or at least their fans, think that they deserve a "better" conference than the Horizon League.

If you don't mind listening to a lot of UWM and Cleveland State talk, with some others thrown in, the HoriZone podcasts by Bob McDonald and Jimmy Lemke go over some league history information that proves a good background for some of this discontent.

[crusaderjoe]

I know we tend to focus on the MVC around these parts, but which league has a better chance of being a two bid league in the near future--the HL or the MAAC?  You know outside of geography, the make up of the MAAC actually fits the profile of Valpo better than the HL.  I'm not saying that we should leave the HL but the MAAC does sit at 11...

[oklahomamick]

The HL is ranked higher than the MAC most years.  The MAC has not been constant multi-bid league like the MVC.  The MAC is focused more on football when the MVC (they have football too) is more focused on basketball. 

The ONLY advantage is see in the HL is that most of our alumni and student recruiting comes from states within the HL.  Although the HL and MVC share states within their respected footprints, MVC does not have teams or games in Michigan.  Valpo several alumni living in Michigan.  Same goes for Wisconsin and Ohio.  MVC has teams in Iowa and Kansas but VU does not have a strong presence in those states.

MVC tournament is a more neutral site than HL's Motor City Madness.  Is St. Louis more convenient for our fans and alumni than Detroit?  Would we have more fans there than we would at Detroit?

[wh]

Are you guys talking about the MAAC - or the MAC?

[crusaderjoe]

The MAAC.

The HL is ranked higher than the MAAC most years.

True, but with or without a Valpo add?  Look, don't get me wrong.  I'm not trying to make VU out to be a white knight and argue that a Valpo add would make the MAAC an instant two bid league year in and year out by any means.  Yes, the preference is the MVC if we explore available options. Yes, the HL has been ranked higher than the MAAC. But what about the future?

Valpo, Monmouth, Siena, Iona...now that's some pretty good mid major basketball right there just off the top of my head.  Again, I'm not saying the HL is hot garbage.  I'd like to see the HL become a consistent two bid league. Which though has a better possibility of doing so--the HL or the MAAC in the future?  Just throwing this out there for discussion sake.

[govalpogo]

I would selfishly love Valpo in the MAAC!  Many more games that I'd get to attend from my North Jersey setting .  Not sure that it makes much sense for other sports to have regular bus trips in the neighborhood of 12 plus hours, though. 

[classof2014]

The HL is ranked higher than the MAC most years.  The MAC has not been constant multi-bid league like the MVC.  The MAC is focused more on football when the MVC (they have football too) is more focused on basketball. 

The ONLY advantage is see in the HL is that most of our alumni and student recruiting comes from states within the HL.  Although the HL and MVC share states within their respected footprints, MVC does not have teams or games in Michigan.  Valpo several alumni living in Michigan.  Same goes for Wisconsin and Ohio.  MVC has teams in Iowa and Kansas but VU does not have a strong presence in those states.

MVC tournament is a more neutral site than HL's Motor City Madness.  Is St. Louis more convenient for our fans and alumni than Detroit?  Would we have more fans there than we would at Detroit?

I'd love to see Valpo in the MVC, one I live in Des Moines so I get to see them in Drake and UNI. Also the conference is significantly stronger. You pick up the whole state of Illinois which still includes Chicago as well as central and southern Indiana which currently has 0 HL teams. I think more people would be willing to go to St. Louis over Detoilet any day of the week.

Yes you lose Michigan and Wisconsin but your cheeseheads can still easily travel southward to Chicago for Loyola; the only ones who get screwered are your Michiganders, which sucks for them. You basically pick up the rest of the state of Illinois, with Bradley and Southern Illinois; as well as the rest of Indiana with Indiana State and Evansville. The Illinois+Indiana populations of Valpo fans greatly outweighs the Michigan+Wisconsin fans.

I've been a proponent for Valpo going to the MVC ever since they were looking to pick up another school. Hopefully the MVC is looking to expand this season and take a good long look at Valpo.

[oklahomamick]

Oh, the MAAC, I thought you meant the MAC.  MAAC would be too much travel.  I understand its just a fun discussion but little reality or chance.

[oklahomamick]

They may not be looking.  But we have to be aggressive and convince them.

[covufan]

No to the MAAC.

The MAC is focused more on football when the MVC (they have football too) is more focused on basketball.

The MVC does not have football.  The Missouri Valley Football Conference is separate from the MVC. 

[a3uge]

Both the MAAC and MAC are illogical. The closest team in the MAAC would be Canisius at 7 hours and 30 minutes away. The athletic budget would have to triple for that to happen - chartering the volleyball team to New Jersey? And every team in that conference would have to fly into Valpo for a conference game... Just doesn't make sense for either party.

The MAC also isn't logical as it's a football conference and we aren't a football school.

[oklahomamick]

Yes, I was meaning a lot of those schools have basketball and football. 

[crusaderjoe]

I agree--the MAAC is too far.  Too much travel. 

So let's look at the possibilities.  The Big East?  Nada Surf.  The A-10?  Nein.  The OVC? Fuggetabadit.  Interest by the MVC to move beyond 10?  Blue Horseshoe loves Anacott Steel.  The MAAC?  Live long and prosper.

Close up shop boys, this thread's over.

[bbtds]

Let's be the Butler of the current Horizon and make it so strong that good schools will want to join like Valpo did when BU was the exemplary member.

[StlVUFan]

Let's be the Butler of the current Horizon and make it so strong that good schools will want to join like Valpo did when BU was the exemplary member.

We already seem to be pretty good at the "we're too good for this nothing conference" part.

[agibson]

Creighton's AD has announced that he'll propose Big East expansion to include Wichita State (!) and Gonzaga (?!).