(02-11-2020 12:39 PM)pki1998 Wrote:  I’m one of the few Xavier fans, that would like to be in a conference with UD again. Local games are just more fun because you can trash talk with friends, family members and coworkers that follow the other team.

The Positives-Honestly Dayton checks a lot of a boxes. They have a long history with X, DePaul and Marquette. They are the premier basketball team in a decent size market, and they own that market in much the same way that Creighton owns Omaha. They have great fan support even in down years, and they travel to follow the team. UD arena is a great place to watch a game, if you are not wearing X gear. Outside their brief time in the Great Midwest, they have been a team in the upper half of their conference. They are also trending up in the A10, which is still a solid league

The Negatives - There really aren’t a lot. First for the conference to add them it has to make sense financially, I’m not sure if Fox would be willing to shell out the money to make it work. But given how Dayton owns their market and the fact that they watch more than just Dayton basketball, maybe it’s worth it to Fox. The next negative they have is with X and Butler so close they don’t offer new recruiting area. This is not the same as having Seton Hall St. John’s and Villanova so close to each other since the population is so much larger there. Another negative is perception,casual fans determine how good you are by what conference you are in. There are exceptions, such as Gonzaga but they are few and far between. Dayton is on the right path with the performance this year and their recent elite eight run. The key is for them to sustain this success and force the Big East to invite them. The only other roadblock is the end of double round robin. As a fan I love the double round robin, not sure how much the decision makers care.

There are a few pipe dream schools that the Big East Schools would add right away,Syracuse, ND, Duke, or BC. Those schools are never coming so there is the next group that is probably the leading candidates for expansion

Dayton
VCU
St. Louis
maybe Duquesne
maybe Loyola Chicago
Maybe St Joe’s

Then a list of long shots that would have to go on a run better than Butler

Detroit
Fordham
Holy Cross
Siena
Canisus
Boston U
Northwestern
UMass

Personally I think expansion will come when a team separates it self from the pack and the media dollars will force the leagues to add someone. My Bet is Dayton or St Louis at least 10 Years from now