(09-21-2021 06:05 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(09-21-2021 05:48 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  It would be a little odd, but I wonder if the A10 would seriously consider giving Tennessee State a look. The more "northern" component is what makes me think that, btw. Or maybe have the A10 as a goal, and move to the Horizon in the meantime...

The lowest MBB budget in the A10 ranks 135th.

Why would the A10 consider the 317th ranked MBB budget that’s 323rd in NET?

Good point. The A10 would consider Belmont over TSU. And even that is highly unlikely.

(09-21-2021 12:10 PM)solohawks Wrote:  

(09-21-2021 12:05 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  

(09-21-2021 09:31 AM)solohawks Wrote:  

(09-21-2021 09:14 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(09-21-2021 07:35 AM)solohawks Wrote:  If I'm Tenn. St. the SWAC looks really attractive but the travel costs would go up. However so would the opportunities such as hosting a PAC 12 school and playing on ESPN against other HBCU schools in a big name classic

The problem is SWAC means ditching 35 years of branding effort to not be pigeonholed as only an HBCU but a land grant serving a large metro area’s needs.

There is no perfect solution

If it were me I'd stick with the OVC. Less football schools means more games against HBCU's while maintaining bus league travel for non revenue sports. They seem to be a football school so keep costs down and excel at the sport you care about.

If you don't want to be an HBCU then the OVC is there best bet

Another consideration for TSU (and on this theme): The university wants to have a certain "Northern" component (as opposed to a "Deep South vibe" like the SWAC). TSU (I once taught there part-time) gets lots of students from Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, etc. It is looking to start a hockey program. And, of course, it is located in a relatively large, progressive and cosmopolitan city.

TSU, in simple terms, is a bit different from many of the other HBCUs.

Having said all that, and if Belmont and Murray leave the OVC, I would not be surprised to see TSU and the SWAC unite.

Thanks for the info! Hockey would be fascinating

Between them and Belmont liking a bus league, there seems to be room to rebuild the OVC into a regional conference with a basketball focus. Minimal conference games that lower membership would provide would give TN State scheduling flexibility as well in their money sport.

There is no good option for the OVC with the losses of EKU, JSU and, now, Austin Peay. It's a dying conference and I want Belmont and TSU to leave it.

Here is some of the hockey info. I'm not sure it has a good chance of happening. But it's interesting.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/22/us/tennes...index.html

(09-21-2021 12:10 PM)solohawks Wrote:  

(09-21-2021 12:05 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  

(09-21-2021 09:31 AM)solohawks Wrote:  

(09-21-2021 09:14 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(09-21-2021 07:35 AM)solohawks Wrote:  If I'm Tenn. St. the SWAC looks really attractive but the travel costs would go up. However so would the opportunities such as hosting a PAC 12 school and playing on ESPN against other HBCU schools in a big name classic

The problem is SWAC means ditching 35 years of branding effort to not be pigeonholed as only an HBCU but a land grant serving a large metro area’s needs.

There is no perfect solution

If it were me I'd stick with the OVC. Less football schools means more games against HBCU's while maintaining bus league travel for non revenue sports. They seem to be a football school so keep costs down and excel at the sport you care about.

If you don't want to be an HBCU then the OVC is there best bet

Another consideration for TSU (and on this theme): The university wants to have a certain "Northern" component (as opposed to a "Deep South vibe" like the SWAC). TSU (I once taught there part-time) gets lots of students from Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, etc. It is looking to start a hockey program. And, of course, it is located in a relatively large, progressive and cosmopolitan city.

TSU, in simple terms, is a bit different from many of the other HBCUs.

Having said all that, and if Belmont and Murray leave the OVC, I would not be surprised to see TSU and the SWAC unite.

Thanks for the info! Hockey would be fascinating

Between them and Belmont liking a bus league, there seems to be room to rebuild the OVC into a regional conference with a basketball focus. Minimal conference games that lower membership would provide would give TN State scheduling flexibility as well in their money sport.

Nashville Predators are apparently willing to help finance adding hockey.

(09-20-2021 08:43 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  As perhaps the lone Belmont fan posting on this site, I agree that the Bruin program is consistently competitive. It's difficult to envision BU ever having a losing season. Alexander's system (taken from his mentor Rick Byrd) is firmly in place and almost guarantees 20 wins minimum each year. However, it also basically means Belmont might never win two games (or more) in the NCAA Tournament.

Have your read Moneyball? Where Billy Beane says that his "stuff" doesn't work in the playoffs? You want to control what you can control. And college athletics is entrusting your livelihoods to 18-23 year old kids, so you need to be really good at controlling what you can control, because there is so little.

My view of Belmont for the A-10, is that: you can control your OOC record via how you schedule. And if Belmont is basically Davidson (without Stef Curry ever attending), then that's good for the A-10. Just beat regional/OVC teams at an .800 clip OOC, walk into A-10 play at 10-2 or better every year, and you're helping the league.

Might never win two games in the NCAA Tournament? My alma mater hasn't won 2 games in an NCAA Tournament since 1970. But we're good, and helping the league. GETTING AS MANY TEAMS INTO THE DANCE is priority number one. You can't control the matchups, or if the refs are going to screw you because they've heard of their opponent and not you, or if you'll be a Final Four team or NCAA team and get screwed over by COVID.

All you can control is facilities, coaching hires and scheduling.

(09-20-2021 12:46 PM)Bogg Wrote:  I don't think further expansion for a school not named Temple makes any sense for the A10. Could definitely see the MVC and/or SoCon finding value in Belmont though. Good geography/city for either league.

Well, I'm with you for the most part, but with minute detail disagreements.

First, Gonzaga. If they want in, we could and should make a 15-team league happen.

Secondly, I don't think Temple is coming back because the money isn't there. UConn had the Big East contract AND an SNY T2 contract for their women's basketball team and no one else in the country has that. They're not leaving for the AAC for the A10 because their football team isn't good enough to get a conference-sized payout on their own, and the A-10 money isn't "G5 football money" like the Big East's is.

Also, I think pride would be a factor. Temple isn't crawling back to the A-10.

Third, the A-10 knows what it is, is comfortable with that, and we're always prepared, willing to think and willing to be proactive. People forget the A-10 played a year with 16 teams because they KNEW SOMETHING was going to happen, they didn't know what exactly it would be, so they had their ducks in a row with Butler, VCU, George Mason and Davidson. And when things moved slower (and Saint Louis and Dayton didn't get invites) they had 16 for one year and then 14 after that.

The A-10 knows that eventually, UMass is going to call and say "It's a football decision, we have to do it" and the A-10 will understand, wish them well, and pull the trigger on their backup plan.

And I think Belmont should be that backup plan.

(09-21-2021 08:04 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  

(09-21-2021 06:05 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(09-21-2021 05:48 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  It would be a little odd, but I wonder if the A10 would seriously consider giving Tennessee State a look. The more "northern" component is what makes me think that, btw. Or maybe have the A10 as a goal, and move to the Horizon in the meantime...

The lowest MBB budget in the A10 ranks 135th.

Why would the A10 consider the 317th ranked MBB budget that’s 323rd in NET?

I'm only going to say this once: you do know that you are on my ignore list, right???

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

I think he ignored that.

(09-21-2021 08:36 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  

(09-21-2021 08:04 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  

(09-21-2021 06:05 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(09-21-2021 05:48 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  It would be a little odd, but I wonder if the A10 would seriously consider giving Tennessee State a look. The more "northern" component is what makes me think that, btw. Or maybe have the A10 as a goal, and move to the Horizon in the meantime...

The lowest MBB budget in the A10 ranks 135th.

Why would the A10 consider the 317th ranked MBB budget that’s 323rd in NET?

I'm only going to say this once: you do know that you are on my ignore list, right???

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

I think he ignored that.

I’m honored to be on his Hall of Fame list.

(09-21-2021 06:36 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(09-21-2021 12:10 PM)solohawks Wrote:  

(09-21-2021 12:05 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  

(09-21-2021 09:31 AM)solohawks Wrote:  

(09-21-2021 09:14 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  The problem is SWAC means ditching 35 years of branding effort to not be pigeonholed as only an HBCU but a land grant serving a large metro area’s needs.

There is no perfect solution

If it were me I'd stick with the OVC. Less football schools means more games against HBCU's while maintaining bus league travel for non revenue sports. They seem to be a football school so keep costs down and excel at the sport you care about.

If you don't want to be an HBCU then the OVC is there best bet

Another consideration for TSU (and on this theme): The university wants to have a certain "Northern" component (as opposed to a "Deep South vibe" like the SWAC). TSU (I once taught there part-time) gets lots of students from Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, etc. It is looking to start a hockey program. And, of course, it is located in a relatively large, progressive and cosmopolitan city.

TSU, in simple terms, is a bit different from many of the other HBCUs.

Having said all that, and if Belmont and Murray leave the OVC, I would not be surprised to see TSU and the SWAC unite.

Thanks for the info! Hockey would be fascinating

Between them and Belmont liking a bus league, there seems to be room to rebuild the OVC into a regional conference with a basketball focus. Minimal conference games that lower membership would provide would give TN State scheduling flexibility as well in their money sport.

Nashville Predators are apparently willing to help finance adding hockey.

Yes, the Preds will be involved if TSU moves forward on this (which gives it a better chance than otherwise).

Dr. Glenda Glover, the TSU president, is fairly visionary, well respected and highly educated (law degree from Georgetown). She has sat on various boards of prominent Nashville companies and wields a good bit of power in this city. There has never been a TSU president, until Dr. Glover, who could create a hockey program at the university.

Will it happen? 50-50. But I strongly like that TSU is considering it.

(09-21-2021 08:04 PM)JSchmack Wrote:  

(09-20-2021 08:43 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  As perhaps the lone Belmont fan posting on this site, I agree that the Bruin program is consistently competitive. It's difficult to envision BU ever having a losing season. Alexander's system (taken from his mentor Rick Byrd) is firmly in place and almost guarantees 20 wins minimum each year. However, it also basically means Belmont might never win two games (or more) in the NCAA Tournament.

Have your read Moneyball? Where Billy Beane says that his "stuff" doesn't work in the playoffs? You want to control what you can control. And college athletics is entrusting your livelihoods to 18-23 year old kids, so you need to be really good at controlling what you can control, because there is so little.

My view of Belmont for the A-10, is that: you can control your OOC record via how you schedule. And if Belmont is basically Davidson (without Stef Curry ever attending), then that's good for the A-10. Just beat regional/OVC teams at an .800 clip OOC, walk into A-10 play at 10-2 or better every year, and you're helping the league.

Might never win two games in the NCAA Tournament? My alma mater hasn't won 2 games in an NCAA Tournament since 1970. But we're good, and helping the league. GETTING AS MANY TEAMS INTO THE DANCE is priority number one. You can't control the matchups, or if the refs are going to screw you because they've heard of their opponent and not you, or if you'll be a Final Four team or NCAA team and get screwed over by COVID.

All you can control is facilities, coaching hires and scheduling.

(09-20-2021 12:46 PM)Bogg Wrote:  I don't think further expansion for a school not named Temple makes any sense for the A10. Could definitely see the MVC and/or SoCon finding value in Belmont though. Good geography/city for either league.

Well, I'm with you for the most part, but with minute detail disagreements.

First, Gonzaga. If they want in, we could and should make a 15-team league happen.

Secondly, I don't think Temple is coming back because the money isn't there. UConn had the Big East contract AND an SNY T2 contract for their women's basketball team and no one else in the country has that. They're not leaving for the AAC for the A10 because their football team isn't good enough to get a conference-sized payout on their own, and the A-10 money isn't "G5 football money" like the Big East's is.

Also, I think pride would be a factor. Temple isn't crawling back to the A-10.

Third, the A-10 knows what it is, is comfortable with that, and we're always prepared, willing to think and willing to be proactive. People forget the A-10 played a year with 16 teams because they KNEW SOMETHING was going to happen, they didn't know what exactly it would be, so they had their ducks in a row with Butler, VCU, George Mason and Davidson. And when things moved slower (and Saint Louis and Dayton didn't get invites) they had 16 for one year and then 14 after that.

The A-10 knows that eventually, UMass is going to call and say "It's a football decision, we have to do it" and the A-10 will understand, wish them well, and pull the trigger on their backup plan.

And I think Belmont should be that backup plan.

Saw the movie Moneyball and enjoyed it.

I would like to believe that Belmont simply needs membership in a quality conference to become an "mid-tier-level A10-type program" or a "lower-tier-level Big East-type program." So many of the building blocks — facilities, coaching stability (Casey Alexander, 49, will be there for at least 20 more years), money, Nashville location, a university charging forward, etc. — are in place.

I would be very pleased to see Belmont join either the Southern Conference or the Missouri Valley (I've never much cared for the OVC). But my long-time hope, as I've posted many times on the board, is the A10.

Have you ever disclosed on this board the A10 program you cheer for, JSchmack?

I appreciate the kind words about Belmont.

This has future OVC member written all over it

Maybe a football-less future is what’s best for the OVC. Let the schools who sponsor the sport seek affiliate membership elsewhere: MEAC, SWAC, Southland, Big South, etc.

They need to hurry up and dissolve before they start adding a bunch of D2 members that do not belong in D1. There are 358 or more teams now. Enough. This is why the P5 want to break away. Probably half (or more) of the teams left in the OVC have ZERO NCAA Tour. appearances. Were do we stop 400?, 500?

(09-27-2021 03:59 PM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  They need to hurry up and dissolve before they start adding a bunch of D2 members that do not belong in D1. There are 358 or more teams now. Enough. This is why the P5 want to break away.

I think there are many, including myself, who believe a split is coming where the power conferences plus some will form their own division for all sports. That being said, new Division I schools doesn't hurt the power schools nor does it really hurt the middle tier (e.g. CUSA, A10, MAC, etc.) - which may or may not be included in a split. It does harm the schools in the lower level (e.g. NEC, ASUN, MEAC, etc.) by reducing the chances for playoff spots.

Saying that, there won't be much push to reduce the number of Division I schools from schools or conferences with heavy influence and it does allow for schools and conferences that fall victim to realignment shifts (i.e. OVC right now) to have a Division I conference home.

(09-27-2021 03:59 PM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  They need to hurry up and dissolve before they start adding a bunch of D2 members that do not belong in D1. There are 358 or more teams now. Enough. This is why the P5 want to break away. Probably half (or more) of the teams left in the OVC have ZERO NCAA Tour. appearances. Were do we stop 400?, 500?

As long as there are no additional autobids, why would the P5 care if the ASUN, WAC, OVC, etc have 8 or 20 members? They are still going to get the same about from the tournament, just split more ways. And makes buy games cheaper.

(09-27-2021 04:14 PM)BePcr07 Wrote:  

(09-27-2021 03:59 PM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  They need to hurry up and dissolve before they start adding a bunch of D2 members that do not belong in D1. There are 358 or more teams now. Enough. This is why the P5 want to break away.

I think there are many, including myself, who believe a split is coming where the power conferences plus some will form their own division for all sports. That being said, new Division I schools doesn't hurt the power schools nor does it really hurt the middle tier (e.g. CUSA, A10, MAC, etc.) - which may or may not be included in a split. It does harm the schools in the lower level (e.g. NEC, ASUN, MEAC, etc.) by reducing the chances for playoff spots.

Saying that, there won't be much push to reduce the number of Division I schools from schools or conferences with heavy influence and it does allow for schools and conferences that fall victim to realignment shifts (i.e. OVC right now) to have a Division I conference home.

No, the goal is to get more schools into D1 that do belong, but it would be split 1A and 1AA for all sports except for certain sports that D2 do not sponsor. The P5 schools would like to have more schools to fall back onto in case we get another pandemic again.

(09-27-2021 03:58 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Maybe a football-less future is what’s best for the OVC. Let the schools who sponsor the sport seek affiliate membership elsewhere: MEAC, SWAC, Southland, Big South, etc.

I think getting soccer sponsored would be wise for the OVC.

Football should be OK if they add WIU but adding soccer would give them some cushion in case football didn't work out

(09-27-2021 04:21 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(09-27-2021 04:14 PM)BePcr07 Wrote:  

(09-27-2021 03:59 PM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  They need to hurry up and dissolve before they start adding a bunch of D2 members that do not belong in D1. There are 358 or more teams now. Enough. This is why the P5 want to break away.

I think there are many, including myself, who believe a split is coming where the power conferences plus some will form their own division for all sports. That being said, new Division I schools doesn't hurt the power schools nor does it really hurt the middle tier (e.g. CUSA, A10, MAC, etc.) - which may or may not be included in a split. It does harm the schools in the lower level (e.g. NEC, ASUN, MEAC, etc.) by reducing the chances for playoff spots.

Saying that, there won't be much push to reduce the number of Division I schools from schools or conferences with heavy influence and it does allow for schools and conferences that fall victim to realignment shifts (i.e. OVC right now) to have a Division I conference home.

No, the goal is to get more schools into D1 that do belong, but it would be split 1A and 1AA for all sports except for certain sports that D2 do not sponsor.

No it wouldn't. If there's a split, it's the P4 or 5 and whoever they decide can tag along.

Quote:The P5 schools would like to have more schools to fall back onto in case we get another pandemic again.

They don't care about that one little bit
Any more than the PAC cared about bringing in a dozen D-2 call-ups west of the Front Range to play them in body bag games before the pandemic.

It was either in 2013 or 2014 at the OVC Spring Board meeting that they voted not to accept any D2 Schools.

I’m just wondering has the OVC changed that policy, if they haven’t they should.

At the Spring 2014 meeting the OVC announced the following.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The Ohio Valley Conference concluded its annual Conference Spring Meetings last Friday in Nashville. The event ran May 27-30.

It was determined as a guiding membership philosophy that the Ohio Valley Conference would not consider any institution for membership that is currently not a member of Division I.

Looks like they suspend that policy. Meanwhile, Murray St. may not get an invite this year (or ever?). MVC insiders indicate just one add for now or longer. How long will the Racers wait for that call? Stay and wait or go with plan "B"?

Murray State to the ASUN.

(09-27-2021 05:55 PM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  Looks like they suspend that policy. Meanwhile, Murray St. may not get an invite this year (or ever?). MVC insiders indicate just one add for now or longer. How long will the Racers wait for that call? Stay and wait or go with plan "B"?

What conference do you think would be Plan "B"?