MVC Expansion

[SFP]

I have a problems with all those schools just waiting around for their fate instead of taking matters into their own hands. Georgetown, St. John and Villanova on their own have a nice basketball brand and should not be taking the back seat to anyone. Football brings in the biggest dollars for TV but basketball is way less expensive to produce. I'm sure they could put together a nice league that could compete with any league in the country basketball wise.

BTW...I prefer college bball over football.

[Da Coach]

Nonetheless, football will determine all future conference changes, TV contracts and revenues more than anything else.
I doubt any schools are just sitting around waiting for some fate to befall them. But for schools like Bradley (non-football schools) there simply isn't much they can do. None of the conferences that are looking to add or change members want a school that doesn't have football. For now, the MVC clearly is the best option for BU. If any of the state schools with lower-level football (UNI, ISU, InSU, SIU, or MSU) opt to leave the MVC, they should be replaced with schools like Loyola, Butler, UIC, or others that focus primarily on basketball.
IMO, none of those 5 schools would risk leaving the MVC to seek a better football deal right now. So I believe the MVC is pretty secure for now.

[ph]

While I initially thought adding AFA was a mostly bad idea (traveling in all other sports). I just realized..
The MVC needs to expand to 16 teams, then will force ISU to play every team 2x, thus preventing ISU from playing any weak non-conference teams, lowering the MVC's RPI. (Every other team will be allowed a un-balanced scheedule as long as they maintain a certain non-conference SOS).

[Indy_BB]

Adds a great name brand to the Valley, but I agree. In other news, what do you think of adding Loyola, Butler, and Valparaiso? I know butler would be big, but I have no idea where the other two play and if they would make a good basketball conference. We got an e-mail with a survey. I told them to move to Pioneer League in football and move up in basketball

Butler does not have interest in the joining the MVC.

Whenever the Big East finally does break (14 is the AQ continuation year), they'll likely be added to whatever the non-football big east is to be called.

[thefish7]

Butler does not have interest in the joining the MVC.

That based on any actual information or just an opinion? (In case that comes across as an attack, it's not intended to be, just curious)

[BUFanatic]

While I initially thought adding AFA was a mostly bad idea (traveling in all other sports). I just realized..
The MVC needs to expand to 16 teams, then will force ISU to play every team 2x, thus preventing ISU from playing any weak non-conference teams, lowering the MVC's RPI. (Every other team will be allowed a un-balanced scheedule as long as they maintain a certain non-conference SOS).

Would we still play double round robin if we had 16? lol Butler doesn't want to move cos there's NO competition in the Horizon League XD

[Indy_BB]

That based on any actual information or just an opinion? (In case that comes across as an attack, it's not intended to be, just curious)

It obviously makes sense, but coming out of the non-basketball schools conference call a couple weeks ago it made its way onto the net in a vareity of places (i saw it on the xavier and marquette board), that the initial move would be offering xavier and butler and going from there

[thefish7]

It obviously makes sense, but coming out of the non-basketball schools conference call a couple weeks ago it made its way onto the net in a vareity of places (i saw it on the xavier and marquette board), that the initial move would be offering xavier and butler and going from there

No, I didn't mean Butler joining a non-football Big East, that makes obvious sense... but where you said Butler would never consider the MVC.

[KillerB]

post-dispatch story today

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/article_14500513-499c-5c83-965f-35050deaddd1.html

[Da Coach]

I agree with Doug Elgin. I do not see any advantage for the MVC to add a school like Air Force. There isn't much advantage anyway to expand from 10 to 11 or 12 schools. The MVC would lose the ability to maintain the balanced schedule we have. And adding AFA involves adding a school so geographically distant to all the other schools now in the conference that it brings many negatives.

[ph]

I agree with the overall geographic disadvantage for most members...
But WSU and Creighton are closer to AFA than the IN schools...so its not a disadvantage to all members.

[tornado]

..
But WSU and Creighton are closer to AFA than the IN schools...so its not a disadvantage to all members.

actually, the results may surprise you....

Using Google maps and asking the distance between the cities in question, here's what Google says..

Omaha is not closer to AFA
Omaha to Colorado Springs - 606 miles
Omaha to Terre Haute ------ 565 miles
Omaha to Evansville --------604 miles

Wichita is closer by a little over 100 miles from each of the Indiana schools
Wichita to Colorado Springs - 490 miles
Wichita to Terre Haute ------ 607 miles
Wichita to Evansville -------- 611 miles

[Da Coach]

actually, the results may surprise you....

Using Google maps and asking the distance between the cities in question, here's what Google says..

Omaha is not closer to AFA
Omaha to Colorado Springs - 606 miles
Omaha to Terre Haute ------ 565 miles
Omaha to Evansville --------604 miles

Wichita is closer by a little over 100 miles from each of the Indiana schools
Wichita to Colorado Springs - 490 miles
Wichita to Terre Haute ------ 607 miles
Wichita to Evansville -------- 611 miles

Maybe Wichita State belongs in the Mountain West Conference.

Clearly Air Force is so far away from every other MVC school that the only way I see it happening is if the MVC expands by several schools in the Mountan Time Zone and than goes to a 2-division alignment.

[thefish7]

I agree with Doug Elgin. I do not see any advantage for the MVC to add a school like Air Force. There isn't much advantage anyway to expand from 10 to 11 or 12 schools. The MVC would lose the ability to maintain the balanced schedule we have. And adding AFA involves adding a school so geographically distant to all the other schools now in the conference that it brings many negatives.

Expanding to 11 or 12 if the new team is Butler, Marquette, DePaul, maybe SLU, etc, is fine with me and well worth the loss of balanced schedule.

[Indy_BB]

No, I didn't mean Butler joining a non-football Big East, that makes obvious sense... but where you said Butler would never consider the MVC.

Oh sorry. That is just something I know. Butler wouldn't join the A10 either without a solution for travel (I'd imagine that means divisions). The source of this knowledge I can't even imply.


There's just no point of moving unless it's to a league that would come with significant revenue increases. In the Horizon League, Butler can be a consistent top 25 team and recruit top 100 players. There's just no incentive.

The Big East is really the only option that works