(10-28-2021 10:50 AM)jcohen42 Wrote:  It's a natural basketball rivalry.

That has to be the softest and weakest "rivalry" in D1 hoops.

C'mon man, stop trying to sell us on UMBC and Baltimore college hoops. No one cares in crab city.

(10-28-2021 08:56 PM)geewizNU Wrote:  

(10-28-2021 10:50 AM)jcohen42 Wrote:  It's a natural basketball rivalry.

That has to be the softest and weakest "rivalry" in D1 hoops.

C'mon man, stop trying to sell us on UMBC and Baltimore college hoops. No one cares in crab city.

News flash: nobody cares about the CAA in general. You think any rivalry left in the CAA is significant? Wake up.

(10-28-2021 09:21 PM)jcohen42 Wrote:  

(10-28-2021 08:56 PM)geewizNU Wrote:  

(10-28-2021 10:50 AM)jcohen42 Wrote:  It's a natural basketball rivalry.

That has to be the softest and weakest "rivalry" in D1 hoops.

C'mon man, stop trying to sell us on UMBC and Baltimore college hoops. No one cares in crab city.

News flash: nobody cares about the CAA in general. You think any rivalry left in the CAA is significant? Wake up.

Why are you putting words in my mouth? You’re the one who brought rivalry. I didn’t. So WTF are you whining about?

UMBC isn’t a fit IMO. It’s my opinion. Don’t like it tough.

The whole point of adding schools and a N/S division is to help create geographic rivalries. The way the CAA is configured, there is little to no chance for rivalries now. Proximity means everything so fans can travel to away games and they have some reason to care. That's why the Virginia schools were so important when CAA basketball was a force. So yes, UMBC and Towson would be a great opportunity to create a rivalry. And we should be looking for more of those opportunities if we expand.

NC A&T would be a great rival for UNCG with both located in Greensboro and Elon just 30 minutes away. NCSU, Duke and UNC have that going because they are all located within 45 minutes of each other. That's why blocking Stony Brook was such a stupid move by Hofstra. Bring it on an create the in conference rivalry. I have no idea which school would ignite a rivalry for NU basketball, so who is it? Let's go after them. Every school is looking for a geographic fit to create those rivalries and the CAA should base expansion on the N/S divisional setup, with a focus on creating those natural rivalries.

(10-29-2021 06:08 AM)82hawk Wrote:  The whole point of adding schools and a N/S division is to help create geographic rivalries. The way the CAA is configured, there is little to no chance for rivalries now. Proximity means everything so fans can travel to away games and they have some reason to care. That's why the Virginia schools were so important when CAA basketball was a force. So yes, UMBC and Towson would be a great opportunity to create a rivalry. And we should be looking for more of those opportunities if we expand.

NC A&T would be a great rival for UNCG with both located in Greensboro and Elon just 30 minutes away. NCSU, Duke and UNC have that going because they are all located within 45 minutes of each other. That's why blocking Stony Brook was such a stupid move by Hofstra. Bring it on an create the in conference rivalry. I have no idea which school would ignite a rivalry for NU basketball, so who is it? Let's go after them. Every school is looking for a geographic fit to create those rivalries and the CAA should base expansion on the N/S divisional setup, with a focus on creating those natural rivalries.

The history of northeast college athletics is full of schools being incredibly petty with each other to the detriment of the collective

Its so foreign to someone like me who grew up in ACC land

There are teams I would rather have before UMBC thats for sure. Howard, Hampton, North Carolina Central? Pass.

If you have to bring in central to get greensboro, then fine, otherwise I think there are better fits. Stony Brook to me makes way too much sense, as does Boston University. I hope Hofstra has changed its stance on SBU.

(10-28-2021 10:18 PM)geewizNU Wrote:  

(10-28-2021 09:21 PM)jcohen42 Wrote:  

(10-28-2021 08:56 PM)geewizNU Wrote:  

(10-28-2021 10:50 AM)jcohen42 Wrote:  It's a natural basketball rivalry.

That has to be the softest and weakest "rivalry" in D1 hoops.

C'mon man, stop trying to sell us on UMBC and Baltimore college hoops. No one cares in crab city.

News flash: nobody cares about the CAA in general. You think any rivalry left in the CAA is significant? Wake up.

Why are you putting words in my mouth? You’re the one who brought rivalry. I didn’t. So WTF are you whining about?

UMBC isn’t a fit IMO. It’s my opinion. Don’t like it tough.

And my opinion is that UMBC is a fit. You don't have to like it either, but at the same time, the CAA isn't a desirable conference to be in. You have to manufacture fits, and if that means manufacturing a rivalry that doesn't yet exist, so be it. Being picky is how the CAA got into this mess in the first place.

Rumblings on the Tribe board that William and Mary, UNCW, Elon and CofC to the SoCon happening soon. Richmond to the SoCon for football only.

It would be unfortunate for the northern schools, but I couldn't blame the southern schools for doing it. That would be a nice, tight, regional conference, and should be fairly competitive as well. I'm more optimistic that the northern schools could survive now than I used to be, though; I think there are enough schools who would be interested in a Mid-Atlantic regionalized conference to sustain it.

That said, I haven't seen a source for those rumors, so those could be totally baseless. But it does sound like the southern bloc will dictate the conference's path forward.

As I have said, and I am sure many believe, the CAA is either proactive and acts first or its reactive (status quo) and will likely crumble. If the CAA doesnt go for a N/S split, it makes more sense to stay mid atlantic and let the southern schools go. That would mean the CAA can target AE schools and MAAC or even Patriot league schools to fill the conference out. I am ok with a new AE version 2 if that is how it goes, but my preference is to make small additions and make the N/S split work

(10-29-2021 11:54 AM)dan10 Wrote:  As I have said, and I am sure many believe, the CAA is either proactive and acts first or its reactive (status quo) and will likely crumble. If the CAA doesnt go for a N/S split, it makes more sense to stay mid atlantic and let the southern schools go. That would mean the CAA can target AE schools and MAAC or even Patriot league schools to fill the conference out. I am ok with a new AE version 2 if that is how it goes, but my preference is to make small additions and make the N/S split work

If this happens, IMO it has been in the works for awhile. The departure of the VA schools has created a huge geographical gap in the CAA, and it was only a matter of time before JMU left. If every school wasn't making plans for a post JMU CAA, they weren't doing their jobs. The pandemic only made the costs of a huge conference like the CAA even more perilous.

It's also interesting that the SoCon has been playing with only nine football schools and the SoCon has expressed interest in having a N/S division as well. The rumored additions are about as good as you could get for all involved.

No doubt, and unfortunately the caa leaders and school leaders mostly sat pat last time and it didnt end well for the CAA. One could only hope every school learned from that situation in preparation for this. I also have my doubts that very many did learn that lesson.

(11-01-2021 02:52 PM)dan10 Wrote:  No doubt, and unfortunately the caa leaders and school leaders mostly sat pat last time and it didnt end well for the CAA. One could only hope every school learned from that situation in preparation for this. I also have my doubts that very many did learn that lesson.

That’s so patently false. They had multiple scenarios - including Davidson and App State. As it was, they surprised everyone by pulling in Elon and Charleston, restabilizing the CAA.

All of you Debbie downers should provide just one example of a conference you admire, one that has had zero exits or never had to reboot at some point. Right now, it’s just the SEC. everything else trickles down.

(11-02-2021 12:03 PM)Sitting bull Wrote:  All of you Debbie downers should provide just one example of a conference you admire, one that has had zero exits or never had to reboot at some point. Right now, it’s just the SEC. everything else trickles down.

There’s the Ivy League obviously but the ties between those schools extend well beyond athletics. That conference’s configuration may outlast all of us.

(11-02-2021 12:03 PM)Sitting bull Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 02:52 PM)dan10 Wrote:  No doubt, and unfortunately the caa leaders and school leaders mostly sat pat last time and it didnt end well for the CAA. One could only hope every school learned from that situation in preparation for this. I also have my doubts that very many did learn that lesson.

That’s so patently false. They had multiple scenarios - including Davidson and App State. As it was, they surprised everyone by pulling in Elon and Charleston, restabilizing the CAA.

All of you Debbie downers should provide just one example of a conference you admire, one that has had zero exits or never had to reboot at some point. Right now, it’s just the SEC. everything else trickles down.

Davidson and App State were never receptive to a CAA invite, and in fact rebuffed invites and immediately went elsewhere. The mistake I see by the CAA was waiting until the moment JMU left to make a completely reactive move that may or may not work. The CAA had already moved drastically northward and it was obvious that when JMU left, the southern schools would be left on an island. College of Charleston had an expectation and agreement from the CAA that the southern side of the CAA would be increased and that hasn't happened. As a result, there is little reason for southern schools to remain in the CAA without major changes. It may be a plan was in place and it will be revealed shortly, but nothing concrete seems to be out there indicating a prior plan.

(11-02-2021 02:06 PM)82hawk Wrote:  

(11-02-2021 12:03 PM)Sitting bull Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 02:52 PM)dan10 Wrote:  No doubt, and unfortunately the caa leaders and school leaders mostly sat pat last time and it didnt end well for the CAA. One could only hope every school learned from that situation in preparation for this. I also have my doubts that very many did learn that lesson.

That’s so patently false. They had multiple scenarios - including Davidson and App State. As it was, they surprised everyone by pulling in Elon and Charleston, restabilizing the CAA.

All of you Debbie downers should provide just one example of a conference you admire, one that has had zero exits or never had to reboot at some point. Right now, it’s just the SEC. everything else trickles down.

Davidson and App State were never receptive to a CAA invite, and in fact rebuffed invites and immediately went elsewhere. The mistake I see by the CAA was waiting until the moment JMU left to make a completely reactive move that may or may not work. The CAA had already moved drastically northward and it was obvious that when JMU left, the southern schools would be left on an island. College of Charleston had an expectation and agreement from the CAA that the southern side of the CAA would be increased and that hasn't happened. As a result, there is little reason for southern schools to remain in the CAA without major changes. It may be a plan was in place and it will be revealed shortly, but nothing concrete seems to be out there indicating a prior plan.

But you’re assuming the JMU move was neither expected or planned for. I don’t believe that. JMU hadn’t even made an official announcement before the RTD already shared the CAA game plan. And it obviously includes addressing the southern flank (UNCG).

I’m not saying everything will work out as drawn out but it’s just not accurate to insinuate the the league doesn’t have multiple plans. My impression, similar to the last shakeout, there is a pecking order of options and you have to herd all the cats (CAA ADs).

These conversations just go in circles. The trickle down has just reached us in a very minor way. We could actually just stay same but I do think we will use this shift to actually bolster the set/up.

(10-28-2021 03:57 PM)Florida tribe fan Wrote:  

(10-28-2021 02:50 PM)82hawk Wrote:  What I find most interesting in the conference realignment discussion for CAA schools is the constant drumbeat of hopeful movement to the A10.

So, what's the difference? If full CAA members WITH football went to the A10, they'd still have to fund football. And they'd be a part of a conference that doesn't offer football. Oh, and there is the fact that half the A10 schools HAVE football teams, lol.

Maybe the better solution is to court the schools with the best basketball teams we can, whether they have football or not.

The A-10 has media revenues and garners at-large bids. It's probably easier to schedule Power 5 OOC games, even at home.

Presumably it's still worth it, but don't know how much fun it is for the fan base at these institutions. Can almost hear leadership at the next school invited telling the fans "Trust me, you'll love it honey; you're gonna be the Vanderbilt of the A-10."

Full disclosure, I'm an A-10 guy and I find FCS football to be a matter of convenience, not how you build a conference. CAA building their conference around basketball and then the FCS members just play in a league together with other FCS schools in difference conferences is the totally sound way to go because you're always going to have mixed/matched FCS schools.

The idea that the CAA "breaks up" over football viewpoints seems silly to me because literally every conference without FBS except the Ivy, SWAC and Big Sky have a mix of teams at different levels of football (or no football at all).

Now the news of four CAA members looking at the Big South... still doesn't change that viewpoint. Everyone in conference realignment is really quick to say "These 3 conferences should swap members and make better geography, similar philosophy, better leagues." That never happens because the members have to view each other as pure equals and they don't; everyone is going to act out of self interest. But CAA isn't going away, it will lose members with a different vision than the majority and they will be replaced by members who have a similar vision as the majority.

(11-02-2021 04:57 PM)JSchmack Wrote:  

(10-28-2021 03:57 PM)Florida tribe fan Wrote:  

(10-28-2021 02:50 PM)82hawk Wrote:  What I find most interesting in the conference realignment discussion for CAA schools is the constant drumbeat of hopeful movement to the A10.

So, what's the difference? If full CAA members WITH football went to the A10, they'd still have to fund football. And they'd be a part of a conference that doesn't offer football. Oh, and there is the fact that half the A10 schools HAVE football teams, lol.

Maybe the better solution is to court the schools with the best basketball teams we can, whether they have football or not.

The A-10 has media revenues and garners at-large bids. It's probably easier to schedule Power 5 OOC games, even at home.

Presumably it's still worth it, but don't know how much fun it is for the fan base at these institutions. Can almost hear leadership at the next school invited telling the fans "Trust me, you'll love it honey; you're gonna be the Vanderbilt of the A-10."

Full disclosure, I'm an A-10 guy and I find FCS football to be a matter of convenience, not how you build a conference. CAA building their conference around basketball and then the FCS members just play in a league together with other FCS schools in difference conferences is the totally sound way to go because you're always going to have mixed/matched FCS schools.

The idea that the CAA "breaks up" over football viewpoints seems silly to me because literally every conference without FBS except the Ivy, SWAC and Big Sky have a mix of teams at different levels of football (or no football at all).

Now the news of four CAA members looking at the Big South... still doesn't change that viewpoint. Everyone in conference realignment is really quick to say "These 3 conferences should swap members and make better geography, similar philosophy, better leagues." That never happens because the members have to view each other as pure equals and they don't; everyone is going to act out of self interest. But CAA isn't going away, it will lose members with a different vision than the majority and they will be replaced by members who have a similar vision as the majority.

What news of four CAA members looking at the Big South?

(11-02-2021 05:16 PM)Florida tribe fan Wrote:  What news of four CAA members looking at the Big South?

I was referencing the post further up this page:

(10-29-2021 11:29 AM)82hawk Wrote:  Rumblings on the Tribe board that William and Mary, UNCW, Elon and CofC to the SoCon happening soon. Richmond to the SoCon for football only.

(10-29-2021 11:29 AM)82hawk Wrote:  Rumblings on the Tribe board that William and Mary, UNCW, Elon and CofC to the SoCon happening soon. Richmond to the SoCon for football only.

That just leaves Northeastern, Hofstra, Drexel, Delaware, and Towson—is that the time to start talking merger with America East?