National Conference Realignments

[VULB#62]

Confirmation of a summer change:

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/9026064/catholic-7-reaches-agreement-leave-big-east-summer-sources-say

Interesting analysis of the nBE's future by Mike LoPresti in USAToday.

[valpotx]

Link?

[LaPorteAveApostle]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/lopresti/2013/03/08/big-east-divorce-catholic-7-seven/1970967/

[KL31NY]

It's hard to keep track of all the different reports and the validity of them, but if ESPN is right (not holding my breath too much) that they want 10 teams for next year instead of just 9, that might push Creighton out of the MVC immediately. The A-10 is scheduled to lose two schools over each of the next two years and if the MVC is going to lose a good all-around athletics program like CU this quick, that'll make things tough in the Valley to hold on...

[valpotx]

Confirmed by ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/9031167/catholic-7-leaving-big-east-june-30

[HC]

Earlier it was reported we would here about new additions in March

[crusaderjoe]

Taken from the CSU board.  Interview with the HL commissioner:

http://www.sportsradio1260.com/player/?station=WNDE-AM&program_name=podcast&program_id=queryandschultz.xml&mid=22958547

[KL31NY]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/mvc/2013/03/08/missouri-valley-creighton-replacement-belmont-denver/1973937/

As opposed to the last big USA Today story on Creighton and the MVC, we are not mentioned. This story lists Belmont/Denver as favorites to replace CU, Loyola also in the picture, Oral Roberts a dark horse

[bbtds]

I believe that whatever plans were made to announce the additions to the Horizon League in March have been put on hold due to all the movement in the mid-major conferences. Those schools that had said they would join next fall may be rethinking their moves so they can see how everything falls out. That to me would be a smart thing to do. So, it seems HL expansion is on hold for now.

[valpotx]

That just shows that their move may be based on city, not school.  Anyone that would take Loyola is not thinking about competitiveness in sports, just them being based in Chicago.  Belmont (Nashville) and Denver (obvious) make sense, as they are at least playing well in basketball.  I truly believe that we are 'stuck' in the HL because of not being located in a large city.  I say stuck, as it would take some major moves elsewhere for us to upgrade conferences in the future.

[wh]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/mvc/2013/03/08/missouri-valley-creighton-replacement-belmont-denver/1973937/

As opposed to the last big USA Today story on Creighton and the MVC, we are not mentioned. This story lists Belmont/Denver as favorites to replace CU, Loyola also in the picture, Oral Roberts a dark horse

Interesting that the MVC might be interested in Loyola.  It can't have anything to do with the quality of their men's basketball program.  They are a Horizon League bottom feeder and for the most part have been mediocre to terrible for decades.  Like UIC they barely get a mention by the Chicago sports media.  Even if they did something news worthy, they would still get minimal coverage because Chicago (like many large American cities) is all about professional sports - Bears, Cubs, Sox, Bulls and Hawks.  They do little to nothing to benefit the HL, and would bring even less to the table in a higher-rated league.  Other than that, I can see how they might be considered a great fit.   

[a3uge]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/mvc/2013/03/08/missouri-valley-creighton-replacement-belmont-denver/1973937/

As opposed to the last big USA Today story on Creighton and the MVC, we are not mentioned. This story lists Belmont/Denver as favorites to replace CU, Loyola also in the picture, Oral Roberts a dark horse

Interesting that the MVC might be interested in Loyola.  It can't have anything to do with the quality of their men's basketball program.  They are a Horizon League bottom feeder and for the most part have been mediocre to terrible for decades.  Like UIC they barely get a mention by the Chicago sports media.  Even if they did something news worthy, they would still get minimal coverage because Chicago (like many large American cities) is all about professional sports - Bears, Cubs, Sox, Bulls and Hawks.  They do little to nothing to benefit the HL, and would bring even less to the table in a higher-rated league.  Other than that, I can see how they might be considered a great fit.   

Hahaha!

Also, to add more than a chuckle at wh's comment, I think the "American 12" is a horrific name for a conference. It violates the two rules of naming a new conference:

1. Don't use geographical names -see Big East (Marquette, DePaul, San Diego St at one point), Great West (NJIT)
2. Don't indicate the number of teams in your conference (A-10 has 30 teams, Big 1G has 12, Big 12 has 10ish)

Unfortunately the New Big East violates rule number 1, and the American 12 violates rule number 2.

But hey, at least their now the "American East 12"

[VULB#62]

That just shows that their move may be based on city, not school.  Anyone that would take Loyola is not thinking about competitiveness in sports, just them being based in Chicago.  Belmont (Nashville) and Denver (obvious) make sense, as they are at least playing well in basketball.  I truly believe that we are 'stuck' in the HL because of not being located in a large city.  I say stuck, as it would take some major moves elsewhere for us to upgrade conferences in the future.

Carbondale. IL
Evansville, IN
Terra Haute, IN
Peoria, IL
ETC.

I looked at the locations of the MVC schools and what struck me was that none were in urban locations; it was isolation from urban locations.  They have selected mid-sized towns (100K or less) with good sized universities where the "U" is the only game in town.  Brilliant.  Unfortunately Valpo is a tweener -- in a non-urban setting, but close enough to a big urban center that it gets lost in the noise.  Loyola or UIC does not, IMO, come close to the MVC model.  That's just smoke.

[crusaderjoe]

That just shows that their move may be based on city, not school.  Anyone that would take Loyola is not thinking about competitiveness in sports, just them being based in Chicago.  Belmont (Nashville) and Denver (obvious) make sense, as they are at least playing well in basketball.  I truly believe that we are 'stuck' in the HL because of not being located in a large city.  I say stuck, as it would take some major moves elsewhere for us to upgrade conferences in the future.

Carbondale. IL
Evansville, IN
Terra Haute, IN
Peoria, IL
ETC.

I looked at the locations of the MVC schools and what struck me was that none were in urban locations; it was isolation from urban locations.  They have selected mid-sized towns (100K or less) with good sized universities where the "U" is the only game in town.  Brilliant.  Unfortunately Valpo is a tweener -- in a non-urban setting, but close enough to a big urban center that it gets lost in the noise.  Loyola or UIC does not, IMO, come close to the MVC model.  That's just smoke.

What's next--that Saint Louis isn't a good fit for the MVC either?  I'll bet the MVC would be ecstatic if SLU showed interest. 

LUC is as good as an option in the Midwest for the MVC as any other private school, IMO.  It fulfills the public/private balance that is in place in the MVC, provides the MVC with an historical name from a basketball program standpoint, and gives them an inroad to a major metropolitan area while keeping their geographical footprint intact in its entirety.  They also have a brand new basketball facility.  Not sure I see the problem. 

Oh and by the way, unrelated to the post I quoted above, how quickly we forget that we were a 9-22 bottom feeder four years ago.  Let's not throw stones.

[valpotx]

The difference is that our 9-22 bottom feeder year was due to 2 key players leaving the team long before their SR year (Haanpaa and Bouchie).  Loyola's mediocre play is due to mediocre recruits, coaches, etc.  That season for us was a HUGE anomaly.  We are a program with 13 20-win seasons in the last 20 years.  How many does Loyola have?

Edit:  Not sure how I misspelled 'anomaly' as incorrect spelling is a pet peeve of mine. 

[wh]

Valpo had a bad year; loyola's been bad since the Vietnam War.

[valporun]

Loyola doesn't have a brand new facility. It's the old facility with a new look. If ony Loyola was good enough for a newer facility, but they aren't anything more than an academic school posing as an athletic program with a meager basketball history.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

loyola's been bad since the Vietnam War.

hey!  their last (i.e. "other") trip to the NCAA was actually during the halcyon days of the Reagan administration!

[vuweathernerd]

one of the conference guys tweeted yesterday, i believe, that he thinks we'll add one and stay at 10 for a while.

[valpotx]

If that is the case, hopefully it is Evansville.  They fit the conference blueprint, add baseball, and can compete better in the HL.  I guess it will all depend on whether Detroit gets an invite to the A-10 and leaves, as I don't see Loyola getting invited anywhere.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

yeah, if all this boils down to adding Oakland, that will be the most anticlimactic, blatantly obvious conference expansion since ... well... ok most of them.

[bbtds]

That season for us was a HUGE anamoly.

An ANOMALY! Great! That will bring in the Valpo students!

[LaPorteAveApostle]

enamoly?  that will bring in the pre-dental students!

[crusadermoe]

I am very surprised that the "Catholic 7" seems set to add Creighton and NOT St. Louis U.     Dayton and SLU seem like much better fits into the eastern group than Butler and Creighton.
Detroit hasn't got a prayer to enter the Catholic 7 group.   SLU and Dayton are way ahead of them.
In US News categories, Creighton, Butler, Bradley, Drake, and Valpo are always grouped near the top of midwest masters'.    Dayton and SLU are doctorate universities.   Creighton has a med school and dominates their category, but still......

[LaPorteAveApostle]

I am very surprised that the "Catholic 7" seems set to add Creighton and NOT St. Louis U.

t/here you go: