I have been reading up on different candidates, not sure which two southern schools will fit in nicely and will have reciprocal interest. It seems SoCon schools aren’t interested and CAA is not interested in Big South members. Will be interesting how this unfolds.

(01-23-2022 09:05 PM)82hawk Wrote:  

(01-23-2022 04:44 PM)ibby10 Wrote:  Towson/Baltimore is pretty northern… should be in northern division. CAA will add these three and will probably be in a holding pattern to see how the landscape shapes up.

Not sure how much of a holding pattern they will be in. With these adds a N/S divisional setup is now reality. The expansive geographic footprint of the CAA has been a roadblock for a lot of schools and now it's been fixed. With that gone, I know for a fact the goal was to get to 14. I see no reason we would go into a holding pattern with the momentum this will create. Strike while the iron is hot.

Now, what could happen is that some of the southern schools we have an interest in will go into a holding pattern to see how this shakes out. I could see that, but the CAA is ready to go.

(01-23-2022 10:28 PM)ibby10 Wrote:  I have been reading up on different candidates, not sure which two southern schools will fit in nicely and will have reciprocal interest. It seems SoCon schools aren’t interested and CAA is not interested in Big South members. Will be interesting how this unfolds.

(01-23-2022 09:05 PM)82hawk Wrote:  

(01-23-2022 04:44 PM)ibby10 Wrote:  Towson/Baltimore is pretty northern… should be in northern division. CAA will add these three and will probably be in a holding pattern to see how the landscape shapes up.

Not sure how much of a holding pattern they will be in. With these adds a N/S divisional setup is now reality. The expansive geographic footprint of the CAA has been a roadblock for a lot of schools and now it's been fixed. With that gone, I know for a fact the goal was to get to 14. I see no reason we would go into a holding pattern with the momentum this will create. Strike while the iron is hot.

Now, what could happen is that some of the southern schools we have an interest in will go into a holding pattern to see how this shakes out. I could see that, but the CAA is ready to go.

Monmouth and Hampton both play football in the Big South and Hampton also plays basketball in the Big South, so the statement that the CAA isn't interested in Big South schools isn't factually true. In fact, it increases the chances the CAA would go after other Big South schools since we just brought in two. Knowing the landscape of college athletics in NC pretty well, I can tell you that Campbell is a long time rival of UNCW and i'm sure we're pushing for them to join. And since UNCW is probably trying to lure UNCG, adding Campbell or NC A&T to the Southern division would be a huge enticement for UNCG to come on board from a rivalry and geographic aspect. UNCG and A&T are in the same city, and Campbell is 45 minutes from UNCG. The CAA would need to add both a football and a non football school as full members to get to 14, and I know that's the goal. Campbell or NC A&T would fulfill the need for a football school, and UNCG would fulfill the need for a non football school. If UNCG balks, I wouldn't be surprised to see High Point in the mix. Up and coming private school with an amazing new basketball arena and seemingly endless amounts of money to invest.

Right now, my gut is saying we end up adding A&T and UNCG.

A Southern division of Hampton, William and Mary, Elon, Campbell/NC A&T, UNCW and CofC would be very atrractive to UNCG.

I really think the UNCG talk is pipe dream territory at this point. They are in a stronger and more geographically compact conference than us. The SoCon doesn't seem like they're in a hurry to get rid of them, since they're a solid program that's coming off a run of a few years hovering around the top 100 mark. I don't see UNCG taking a downgrade in almost all aspects except institutional prestige unless the SoCon is pushing for them to add a football team.

Don't get me wrong, I think UNCG is one of the best potential adds for the CAA. But I have seen nothing to indicate that UNCG, or really any SoCon team, is interested in jumping.

(01-24-2022 10:05 AM)jcohen42 Wrote:  I really think the UNCG talk is pipe dream territory at this point. They are in a stronger and more geographically compact conference than us. The SoCon doesn't seem like they're in a hurry to get rid of them, since they're a solid program that's coming off a run of a few years hovering around the top 100 mark. I don't see UNCG taking a downgrade in almost all aspects except institutional prestige unless the SoCon is pushing for them to add a football team.

Don't get me wrong, I think UNCG is one of the best potential adds for the CAA. But I have seen nothing to indicate that UNCG, or really any SoCon team, is interested in jumping.

I don’t think it’s a pipe dream at all. Part of the reason SoCon has a strong basketball is UNCG. So let’s remove them from the equation… let’s compare SoCon basketball without UNCG to current CAA. Pretty comparable. And with UNCG, future CAA will probably be stronger.

Compact Geography is definitely a plus point for SoCon. But if CAA creates a 7 team southern division, then UNCG may need to travel north couple of times only. It doesn’t look that bad anymore.

You mentioned institutional prestige. And we may not think of it much. But it is very important to University presidents, boards, donors etc. They will be able to say they are rubbing shoulders with W&M, Delaware, Stony Brook, Northeastern etc. They will have fellow UNC rival at Wilmington. Elon down the road. SoCon has elite privates, and military colleges. But CAA has elite publics and privates.

The more I am researching, the more I think it has a very good chance of happening.

(01-24-2022 12:36 PM)ibby10 Wrote:  

(01-24-2022 10:05 AM)jcohen42 Wrote:  I really think the UNCG talk is pipe dream territory at this point. They are in a stronger and more geographically compact conference than us. The SoCon doesn't seem like they're in a hurry to get rid of them, since they're a solid program that's coming off a run of a few years hovering around the top 100 mark. I don't see UNCG taking a downgrade in almost all aspects except institutional prestige unless the SoCon is pushing for them to add a football team.

Don't get me wrong, I think UNCG is one of the best potential adds for the CAA. But I have seen nothing to indicate that UNCG, or really any SoCon team, is interested in jumping.

I don’t think it’s a pipe dream at all. Part of the reason SoCon has a strong basketball is UNCG. So let’s remove them from the equation… let’s compare SoCon basketball without UNCG to current CAA. Pretty comparable. And with UNCG, future CAA will probably be stronger.

Compact Geography is definitely a plus point for SoCon. But if CAA creates a 7 team southern division, then UNCG may need to travel north couple of times only. It doesn’t look that bad anymore.

You mentioned institutional prestige. And we may not think of it much. But it is very important to University presidents, boards, donors etc. They will be able to say they are rubbing shoulders with W&M, Delaware, Stony Brook, Northeastern etc. They will have fellow UNC rival at Wilmington. Elon down the road. SoCon has elite privates, and military colleges. But CAA has elite publics and privates.

The more I am researching, the more I think it has a very good chance of happening.

Remove UNCG from the equation, and the SoCon still has Furman, ETSU, and Wofford, three programs that have been stronger over the past 5 years than anyone in the CAA. UNCG switching would narrow the gap, but the SoCon would still be the stronger basketball conference.

UNCG may not need to travel north as much with divisions, but it's still more than they need to do now. Plus, now they'll have to travel north for other sports as well. Travel is an all-sports consideration, and is the additional travel worth the gain? Not to me.

Institutional prestige is the only thing that the CAA has going for it in the UNCG discussion. To me, that's not enough to result in a conference change, something that uproots every aspect of a school's athletic department. I'll be happy if I'm proven wrong, but I'm fairly confident that I won't be anytime soon.

To me UNCG is only in play if the SoCon tell them they have to add football.

From our own folks, I am thinking Campbell/A&T are the more likely plays in the pursuit to 16. I do think the first 3 are the blocks to make sure the league stays together in the ever-moving NCAA landscape. It is making sure that if a new division does come about, it wont fall back into a lower division. I think the league has achieved that, so from that standpoint I do think it becomes a waiting game. Get security then let some dominoes fall before making final moves.

Academically and in overall profile, SBU is actually an upgrade over JMU for the CAA. Welcome aboard Seawolves!

It's official. Hampton, Monmouth and Stony Brook joining on July 1. Scheduling/divisional setup still TBD.

https://twitter.com/caasports/status/148...75906?s=21

https://twitter.com/caasports/status/148...41953?s=21

https://twitter.com/caasports/status/148...75906?s=21

https://twitter.com/caasports/status/148...41953?s=21

(01-25-2022 09:28 AM)Sitting bull Wrote:  Academically and in overall profile, SBU is actually an upgrade over JMU for the CAA. Welcome aboard Seawolves!

Thank you! Super excited. Look forward to playing in the CAA.

MY prediction after these adds. CAA takes one with football and one without football to get to 14


With football - Campbell or NC A&T
Non football - UNCG or High point.

UNCG enjoyed success under Wes Miller. He's gone. They're trending in the wrong direction.

Let's pretend UNCG is a possibility (although most indicators point they're not).

Do we really want a down-trending UNCG in the CAA? What's the benefit there?

Seems presumptuous to say that there is no benefit to having a down-trending UNCG, considering UNCW recently went through a similar pattern with the departure of Keatts. Certainly, UNCG is better this year than UNCW was in their first post-Keatts season. For as long as UNCW is in the CAA, UNCG will always make sense as a potential add, even if it's probably not happening this go-around.

(01-25-2022 04:05 PM)82hawk Wrote:  MY prediction after these adds. CAA takes one with football and one without football to get to 14


With football - Campbell or NC A&T
Non football - UNCG or High point.

I really hope you are right.

It feels like the CAA would have liked to go to 14 right away, but no SoCon schools were interested.

Instead, the settled for 12 with Hampton taking JMU's slot and the northern block getting their 2 preferred schools.

Now that we do have 12 and solid divisions, the southern block needs to decide if it is ready to give up on SoCon schools and take the best available Big South schools.

Campbell would make a respectable member of the southern block and put CAA football at an even number of 14, allowing for divisions.

High Point or Winthrop would be fine to round out the division at #14, but it is ashame we missed the boat on UNCG when we had the chance because they fit the profile of a CAA south school much better than they do a SoCon school

Never forget university presidents are making these decisions and prestige of confrerence mates matters tremendously. The ACC didn't invite certain schools due to academics. The Ivy League is nothing but prestige. As sports fans we don't care, but for academic types like university presidents, academics is what they know and ultimately care about.

UNCG faculty and admin. would LOVE to rub shoulders with the Northern "elites" along with William and Mary. All the CAA hs to do is remove the cost barriers for coming to the CAA. Also, the loss of JMU means nothing to UNCG since they don't have football. But, if you could add NC A&T the CAA starts to look a whole lot better. And whether we acknowledge it or not, moving into a conference with two HBCU's in Hampton and A&T has appeal as well. There are a ton of good reasons to come to the CAA for UNCG now.

Also, the SoCon is slightly ahead of the CAA in basketball now, but that hasn't been historically true and the odds are in favor of the CAA jumping back ahead based on nothing more that the financial horsepower of the CAA schools compared to the SoCon. The future upside of the CAA is far, far greater than the SoCon in every sport and in every aspect, and it's not even close.

(01-25-2022 03:53 PM)ibby10 Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 09:28 AM)Sitting bull Wrote:  Academically and in overall profile, SBU is actually an upgrade over JMU for the CAA. Welcome aboard Seawolves!

Thank you! Super excited. Look forward to playing in the CAA.

Although we were America East combatants for a brief period in the 2000’s, welcome to the CAA.

And don’t let those fools on the Basketball Forum tell you guys it’s a lateral move. The Colonial will always be better than the America Least. I don’t care how many teams this league may lose or gain.

(01-27-2022 02:47 AM)geewizNU Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 03:53 PM)ibby10 Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 09:28 AM)Sitting bull Wrote:  Academically and in overall profile, SBU is actually an upgrade over JMU for the CAA. Welcome aboard Seawolves!

Thank you! Super excited. Look forward to playing in the CAA.

Although we were America East combatants for a brief period in the 2000’s, welcome to the CAA.

And don’t let those fools on the Basketball Forum tell you guys it’s a lateral move. The Colonial will always be better than the America Least. I don’t care how many teams this league may lose or gain.

Are there people seriously arguing that it's a lateral move? The AE without Vermont would be a low-major conference, and now they're down to 8 teams. It's undeniably a step up, not only in men's basketball, but pretty much every other sport as well. The AE needs to worry about keeping pace with the MAAC.

(01-27-2022 10:28 AM)jcohen42 Wrote:  

(01-27-2022 02:47 AM)geewizNU Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 03:53 PM)ibby10 Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 09:28 AM)Sitting bull Wrote:  Academically and in overall profile, SBU is actually an upgrade over JMU for the CAA. Welcome aboard Seawolves!

Thank you! Super excited. Look forward to playing in the CAA.

Although we were America East combatants for a brief period in the 2000’s, welcome to the CAA.

And don’t let those fools on the Basketball Forum tell you guys it’s a lateral move. The Colonial will always be better than the America Least. I don’t care how many teams this league may lose or gain.

Are there people seriously arguing that it's a lateral move? The AE without Vermont would be a low-major conference, and now they're down to 8 teams. It's undeniably a step up, not only in men's basketball, but pretty much every other sport as well. The AE needs to worry about keeping pace with the MAAC.

See for yourself…

https://www.basketballforum.com/threads/...ve.692996/