Decision are not made on one year and if they were Louisville is ranked 11th in the Diredtors Cup for All-Sports!

NIU & Louisville

Howl, if the Big XII doesn't look for another more western school, it looks like the top choices are going to be UofL and Rutgers...

Keep up the good fight though...

Louisville is at the top of my personal list, they bring a great athletic department from top to bottom and the investment they have made in facilities is very high. Football, basketball, and baseball is a great trio for the Big 12 and those three sports are ones that Louisville has had recent success in, in addition to being one of the top basketball programs in NCAA history.

NIU Convocation Center (Info) (More info)

Yeah, it does look like a parking meter from the air!
Also has the Quarter to feed it. Fantastic!

The Yum! Center is very nice.

Howl, you can't be serious...

(01-14-2012 12:57 PM)Howl-n-Prowl Wrote:  NIU Convocation Center (Info) (More info)

And?

(01-14-2012 12:57 PM)Howl-n-Prowl Wrote:  NIU Convocation Center (Info) (More info)

Well, I am not making any statements about NIU's readiness for the Big 12 but I sure do wish that TCU had this nice arena to play basketball in. Ours is a bit outdated. According to the NIU website, this arena can hold about 10,000. We really wouldn't even need a new one this large.

(01-14-2012 12:57 PM)Howl-n-Prowl Wrote:  NIU Convocation Center (Info) (More info)

That is pretty nice can't wait to have some thing like that at TCU..

(01-16-2012 05:43 AM)Lonestar Lizard Wrote:  Well, I am not making any statements about NIU's readiness for the Big 12 but I sure do wish that TCU had this nice arena to play basketball in. Ours is a bit outdated. According to the NIU website, this arena can hold about 10,000. We really wouldn't even need a new one this large.

We don't either actually, but it's nice to have.

NIU basketball is probably at a program low right now but our AD is a star and made a great hire getting Mark Montgomery from Sparty and MM has the guys improving and playing in that tough Michigan State style. NIU is probably a few recruiting classes away, but that's what's great about BBall, it doesn't take long. I'm confident that things will be much brighter in the future.

But the facilities are already there.

(01-16-2012 04:37 PM)Fear The Frog Wrote:  That is pretty nice can't wait to have some thing like that at TCU..

Thanks.

I checked out your new football stadium in that other thread and it looks really nice. Really cool design, I wish NIU would do something like that. The picture actually inspired me to start a stadium expansion thread, that place is going to be really nice when it's done. Congrats.

(01-16-2012 08:16 PM)Howl-n-Prowl Wrote:  

(01-16-2012 05:43 AM)Lonestar Lizard Wrote:  Well, I am not making any statements about NIU's readiness for the Big 12 but I sure do wish that TCU had this nice arena to play basketball in. Ours is a bit outdated. According to the NIU website, this arena can hold about 10,000. We really wouldn't even need a new one this large.

We don't either actually, but it's nice to have.

NIU basketball is probably at a program low right now but our AD is a star and made a great hire getting Mark Montgomery from Sparty and MM has the guys improving and playing in that tough Michigan State style. NIU is probably a few recruiting classes away, but that's what's great about BBall, it doesn't take long. I'm confident that things will be much brighter in the future.

But the facilities are already there.

Does NIU hold graduation ceremonies in that place, if so that probably partially drove the size it is now.

NIU like TCU has a location that is advantageous for basketball recruiting. It is just about keeping some of the better talent in a 2 hour radius at home.

(01-16-2012 09:21 PM)tcufrog86 Wrote:  Does NIU hold graduation ceremonies in that place, if so that probably partially drove the size it is now.

NIU like TCU has a location that is advantageous for basketball recruiting. It is just about keeping some of the better talent in a 2 hour radius at home.

Yes, NIU does hold its graduation ceremonies there. It actually hosts a lot of concerts as well, it's a great multi-purpose facility. The proximity to Chicago allows for a great lineup of concerts. Check out the links.

I agree about the local BBall talent. Chicago has an embarrassment of riches there, it's now up to Montgomery to get some to NIU. I'm sure DFW is loaded as well. I think the Big 12 will continue to raise its BBall profile and that should help with keeping some of the local talent in the conference.

Of course, I'm all for the Big 12 adding NIU and the Chicago recruiting grounds to the conference footprint.

WVU has held their graduation ceremonies in the Coliseum since it was constructed in 1970...

Directional schools should not be added.
If we go to 12, simply add Louisville and Cincinnati. They are the only logical teams to add first, after choosing WVU.

Do we really want 14? 16?
ND won't want to stay in the BE without good bowl ties that they can get ahold of. It is an obvious add for the 13th spot. It might just be only Olympic sports, but you can't turn that down. Add BYU in the same fashion as ND, whichever it may be, then stop.

With Olympic-only membership, BYU and ND can each have their great bowl ties (which I see getting upgraded pretty soon) and keep their big rivalries, while also giving the conference 6 FB games each, every season.

Tulare, NIU, Memphis, USM, SMU, UH, etc just shouldn't be considered.
UMD, UVA, Rutgers, UConn, BC, BSU can be considered, but nothing would come of it.

If you wanna get to 16, Navy and AF are the smartest choices.
With Navy, ND, WVU, UL, UC, ISU, KSU up north, the travel distance wouldn't be bad.
BYU and AF in the South would offer smal travel as well. It wouldn't be often that BYU would have to travel to the East coast, so that makes for a manageable schedule.

(01-31-2012 09:42 PM)rtXC1 Wrote:  Directional schools should not be added.
If we go to 12, simply add Louisville and Cincinnati. They are the only logical teams to add first, after choosing WVU.

Do we really want 14? 16?
ND won't want to stay in the BE without good bowl ties that they can get ahold of. It is an obvious add for the 13th spot. It might just be only Olympic sports, but you can't turn that down. Add BYU in the same fashion as ND, whichever it may be, then stop.

With Olympic-only membership, BYU and ND can each have their great bowl ties (which I see getting upgraded pretty soon) and keep their big rivalries, while also giving the conference 6 FB games each, every season.

Tulare, NIU, Memphis, USM, SMU, UH, etc just shouldn't be considered.
UMD, UVA, Rutgers, UConn, BC, BSU can be considered, but nothing would come of it.

If you wanna get to 16, Navy and AF are the smartest choices.
With Navy, ND, WVU, UL, UC, ISU, KSU up north, the travel distance wouldn't be bad.
BYU and AF in the South would offer smal travel as well. It wouldn't be often that BYU would have to travel to the East coast, so that makes for a manageable schedule.

If the Big 12 expands, I would approach ND, PITT, Louisville and Cincy. PITT may pull a TCU and back away from the ACC.

If the Big XII selects ND AD Jack Swarbrick as the next commissioner, you can bet ND is on the short list - and expecting a move...

Notre Dame will remain loyal football independence and to their alumni and donors over a former AD -- if the Big 12 plans to hire Jack just to try and lure the Irish, then there better be the comple realignment implosion or whatever of the college football landscape to make Notre Dame give up independence, and that's not even talking about that six year television rights sign over that would be the nail in the coffin to an Irish entry. You aren't just signing over football rights, you're signing over all sports and cannot see the Irish giving up their tv deals.