Possible Missouri Valley Conference Expansion

[78crusader]

I just noticed there are 39 pages on this forum devoted to the topic of "Possible Missouri Valley Conference Expansion."

I am a snob but I prefer the 50/50 private v. public school mix that the MVC currently has and would vote to stay at 10 teams.  It may be that Murray State and most of the other usual public school suspects have fine programs and very good academic profiles, but I'm against adding any of them since by doing so we take one step closer to becoming another version of the old Horizon League.

This expansion/shuffling of conferences has gotten completely out of hand and is now being done without any regard to traditional rivalries (or the lack of same), travel costs, fan interest - or even time zones.  I would imagine very few Big 10 fans are interested in the outcome of Purdue v. Rutgers.  Same with Big 12 fans wondering if Kansas State can beat West Virginia.  In the meantime, traditional rivalries that mean something (i.e., Oklahoma v. Nebraska) go by the wayside.

If we did anything, I'd vote for adding St. Thomas.  Private school, very good academics, and expand the MVC footprint a bit further into the Minneapolis region. 

Paul

[valpotx]

It would be moronic to add UMKC.  I would take IUPUI and IPFW over UMKC, and that is saying something, as those schools are not MVC caliber, either.  What has UMKC done in any sport, except produce Michael Watson?

[Chairback]

TX that's hilarious about Watson.  It was exactly what I was and have been thinking during this whole UMKC talk.  He was good but that's really all they have to lean on.  He could score and was fun to watch. 

Hilarious

[may know]

The fact the 5 schools presenting on 12/19 are Murray St, UIC, UTA, UMKC, & UNO shows the private schools themselves have given up on balance post-Loyola due to a lack of what they consider viable private candidates. For all intents and purposes, a non-FB public fills a private slot in their eyes because the priorities are aligned (i.e. no scholarship football draining resources).

[VALPO LI]

University of Arkansas at Little Rock is out as they are headed to the Ohio Valley Conference.

https://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article/138254/ua-little-rock-with-eye-on-athletics-revenue-changing

[valpopal]

More speculation about UMKC sticking point being lack of willingness to upgrade facilities.     We should hear more next week after the MVC meetings:


[tweet]1470198712928542723[/tweet]

[may know]

The most surprising thing about MVC expansion is how quiet VUGrad1314 has been. This time period with the school presenting this weekend is XMas for him, yet he hasn't been seen or heard from in weeks.

[VUGrad1314]

Because this list of candidates outside of Murray State is nothing short of several lumps of coal and is really making me question my level of investment in MVC hoops. If the conference doesn't care about being a multibid league and fighting as hard as they can against the P5 establishment why should I? There's so many more important things that I can focus my life's time and energy on and I intend to do so. Why Northern Kentucky and South Dakota State aren't at least getting the chance to pitch the MVC while these awful programs outside of Murray State are is beyond me and the more disheartening by far than Loyola's departure.

[VUGrad1314]

I just noticed there are 39 pages on this forum devoted to the topic of "Possible Missouri Valley Conference Expansion." I am a snob but I prefer the 50/50 private v. public school mix that the MVC currently has and would vote to stay at 10 teams.  It may be that Murray State and most of the other usual public school suspects have fine programs and very good academic profiles, but I'm against adding any of them since by doing so we take one step closer to becoming another version of the old Horizon League. This expansion/shuffling of conferences has gotten completely out of hand and is now being done without any regard to traditional rivalries (or the lack of same), travel costs, fan interest - or even time zones.  I would imagine very few Big 10 fans are interested in the outcome of Purdue v. Rutgers.  Same with Big 12 fans wondering if Kansas State can beat West Virginia.  In the meantime, traditional rivalries that mean something (i.e., Oklahoma v. Nebraska) go by the wayside. If we did anything, I'd vote for adding St. Thomas.  Private school, very good academics, and expand the MVC footprint a bit further into the Minneapolis region. Paul

Adding Murray State is not the path to becoming the Horizon League Adding awful programs with no fan support like the rest of this list however is. But we might get like five extra freshman a year in exchange for the conference's future viability as a multibid league so there's that... As for St Thomas they are a very intriguing candidate for a host of reasons but I need to see them perform at the D1 level first If they can do that I would put them at or near the top of post Murray State expansion candidates. As it stands I vote for Murray only or at most one speculative add based on potential. Any more than that and I think I'm out because this conference will have become nothing more than a bloated one bid league and that is just not very exciting at all to me. I'll still follow and support Valpo athletics but my time as a fan of the MVC as a whole may be done because it is clear from this list that the conference's interests and my interests may no longer align.

[valpo95]

In the long run, St. Thomas would be an excellent addition. Of course, the St. Thomas doesn't yet have a record of success in D-1, yet I have no doubt they will attain reasonable success over the next decade.

They are a very good academic school, and have an endowment of $500M plus. They have a strong tradition in athletics success (albeit at the D-3 level). In addition, they are the just the second D-1 basketball program in Minnesota, already a source for top hoops talent, and so will get quite a bit of attention. Some of the other candidates may be in larger metro areas, yet the alternatives are far less popular in their home markets.

Finally, the geographic footprint of the MVC is a very good fit: Some of the other programs that have been mentioned would require airplane flights for most of the conference. If the MVC is looking ahead, they will recognize these factors - they can get in early rather than be late.

[VUGrad1314]

In the long run, St. Thomas would be an excellent addition. Of course, the St. Thomas doesn't yet have a record of success in D-1, yet I have no doubt they will attain reasonable success over the next decade. They are a very good academic school, and have an endowment of $500M plus. They have a strong tradition in athletics success (albeit at the D-3 level). In addition, they are the just the second D-1 basketball program in Minnesota, already a source for top hoops talent, and so will get quite a bit of attention. Some of the other candidates may be in larger metro areas, yet the alternatives are far less popular in their home markets. Finally, the geographic footprint of the MVC is a very good fit: Some of the other programs that have been mentioned would require airplane flights for most of the conference. If the MVC is looking ahead, they will recognize these factors - they can get in early rather than be late.

The MVC would and should be and shall always remain a destination conference for schools like St Thomas. The conference can and should be able to get St Thomas at any time. They are far more appealing than  UNO and UMKC for sure. If UIC and UTA are being considered St Thomas should be as well but really it's Murray State or nothing for me here. But there's no need to rush on St Thomas the MVC has time to evaluate them. Even if St Thomas eventually left the Summit League for the Horizon League they would still probably jump at an MVC invite even with a bunch of crappy adds unless the non Murray State adds are as awful as advertised and don't improve.

[usc4valpo]

SFA would be the best addition. Look at the school and the thier success. Better than Murray St or UMKC or SD St. They fit the perfect MVC mold.

[VUGrad1314]

SFA would be the best addition. Look at the school and the thier success. Better than Murray St or UMKC or SD St. They fit the perfect MVC mold.

Better than South Dakota State? Maybe but I'm not fulky convinced especially when we consider the entirety of the athletic departments Better than Murray State? No Better than any other semi realistic choice outside of those two? Probably though a few have arguments

[may know]

It would help if people put in 5 minutes of research before suggesting schools like NW Missouri St or Stephen F Austin. Both are non-starters if you're paying even the slightest bit of attention to realignment (location, demographics, NWMO's budget, SFA wanting to be with TX FB schools, etc). The whole point to TX expansion is being in DFW, not 15 hours away in the boondocks.

[valpotx]

If 4 schools, I like UIC, Murray State, Denver, and ORU.  You keep the private/public balance, and though Denver has sucked over the last few seasons, they have a large endowment and intermittent success in crappier conferences.  I hate ORU, but they would be a good travel partner for Denver, and do invest in sports.

[valpotx]

University of Arkansas at Little Rock is out as they are headed to the Ohio Valley Conference.

https://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article/138254/ua-little-rock-with-eye-on-athletics-revenue-changing

Hahahaha, very cute of them to list this statement in the article.  UALR 'chose' the OVC over the MVC?  I call BS.

"UA Little Rock will be the ninth member of the Ohio Valley. The Trojans chose the conference over the Summit League and Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley and Southland conferences."

[VALPO LI]

University of Arkansas at Little Rock is out as they are headed to the Ohio Valley Conference.

https://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article/138254/ua-little-rock-with-eye-on-athletics-revenue-changing

Hahahaha, very cute of them to list this statement in the article.  UALR 'chose' the OVC over the MVC?  I call BS.

"UA Little Rock will be the ninth member of the Ohio Valley. The Trojans chose the conference over the Summit League and Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley and Southland conferences."

That was a good one....here's a better one.  Has the Horizon League invited Murray St. yet? No one's mentioned it...what if.....


https://horizoneroundtable.com/2021/09/24/conference-realignment-has-the-horizon-league-invited-murray-state-yet/

[vu84v2]

University of Arkansas at Little Rock is out as they are headed to the Ohio Valley Conference.

https://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article/138254/ua-little-rock-with-eye-on-athletics-revenue-changing

Hahahaha, very cute of them to list this statement in the article.  UALR 'chose' the OVC over the MVC?  I call BS.

"UA Little Rock will be the ninth member of the Ohio Valley. The Trojans chose the conference over the Summit League and Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley and Southland conferences."

That was a good one....here's a better one.  Has the Horizon League invited Murray St. yet? No one's mentioned it...what if.....


https://horizoneroundtable.com/2021/09/24/conference-realignment-has-the-horizon-league-invited-murray-state-yet/

UALR could say they chose the OVC over the SEC. The Horizon league could offer an invite to Michigan State.

[usc4valpo]

May know - SFA is 2 to 3 hours from Dallas and Houston, thus a strategic location to huge metro areas. The school is beautiful, growing in a growing state, and has has more sports success than those listed.  I agree NW Mo St. is a stretch but their Hoops team right now would be in the middle of the MVC.

Speaking of boondocks, let's talk SD State...next we will be talking about wood chippers in Fargo...

[Just Sayin]

SFA is 10-0 thus far. They are too good for the MVC.

[valpo64]

Like we were too good for the MVC while we were in the Horizon or Summit?     

[Just Sayin]

You missed the sarcasm.

[vuny98]

May know - SFA is 2 to 3 hours from Dallas and Houston, thus a strategic location to huge metro areas. The school is beautiful, growing in a growing state, and has has more sports success than those listed.  I agree NW Mo St. is a stretch but their Hoops team right now would be in the middle of the MVC. Speaking of boondocks, let's talk SD State...next we will be talking about wood chippers in Fargo...

2-3 hours??? That's like saying Davenport Iowa is a strategic location because its 3 hours from Chicago.

[valpotx]

May know - SFA is 2 to 3 hours from Dallas and Houston, thus a strategic location to huge metro areas. The school is beautiful, growing in a growing state, and has has more sports success than those listed.  I agree NW Mo St. is a stretch but their Hoops team right now would be in the middle of the MVC. Speaking of boondocks, let's talk SD State...next we will be talking about wood chippers in Fargo...

2-3 hours??? That's like saying Davenport Iowa is a strategic location because its 3 hours from Chicago.

Technically, usc is correct on this one.  When you consider that it is around 18 hours across the state, anything that is 2-3 hours away and still within TX, is 'in the area' lol

[usc4valpo]

I know a lot of people in Davenport that say they live in the Chicagoland area.