Now that many have chimed in, here are my picks.

WCC: If Gonzaga stays, they stay at 9.
C-USA: Add Stephen F. Austin to get to 10.
MAAC: Already mentioned they want to add two. Wagner and Robert Morris make the moves.
Big Sky: content at 10.
Horizon: adds Bellarmine and UMKC.
A-SUN: Adds NC Central.
Big South: Adds UT-Martin
Ohio Valley: Adds S. Indiana; football schools play as MEAC affiliates
AEC: Adds Merrimack and LIU
Southland: stays at 8 for now

I doubt Robert Morris leaves the Horizon.

(01-26-2022 06:57 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 08:47 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 07:58 PM)whittx Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 07:55 PM)schmolik Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 07:48 PM)Midwestan Wrote:  It will be interesting to see what happens to Gonzaga. The WCC accommodated the Bulldogs by cutting its conference schedule from 18 to 16 games so the Zags could schedule a couple of tougher non-conference opponents to replace 2 of the weakest WCC schools. Would they be willing to join the Mountain West Conference for basketball only (similar to Hawaii being in the MWC for football)? Would the West Coast Conference be OK with them leaving for just one men's and women's sport, but staying for the rest? Gonzaga and Brigham Young were said to be in talks to join the MWC a few years ago, but the deal fell apart because many MWC schools thought BYU burned too many bridges by leaving several years earlier.

Then again, Gonzaga could stay pat. The conference could stay with 9 members, or it could expand. Seattle University would seem to be a no-brainer here, although their campus facility for hoops only holds about a thousand fans. If the WCC wanted to go to 12, it could court religious-affiliated schools like Cal Baptist and Denver too, but I don't know how much interest there is from CBU and DU to leave their respective leagues.

Have Seattle, Cal Baptist, or Denver ever made the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament before? They're just an extra mouth to feed. The only benefit Seattle or Denver get is a market grab and Gonzaga probably has more fans in Seattle than the University of Seattle.

The WCC is better standing pat than adding an extra mouth to feed that doesn't add to the conference. Still think Gonzaga is better off leaving for the MWC.

Seattle went to a Final 4. Granted it was when Elgin Baylor was playing there but still...

They lost to Kentucky in the championship in 1958.
Loyola's history in the final 4 was almost as far back and the Atlantic 10 was interested.

Loyola's history in the Final Four was 2018! They also made the Sweet 16 last year (at my Illini's expense)! If your last Final Four was before I was born, pass.

I mean I guess the past 2 years have made 4 years ago seem like 4 decades ago, but yeah Loyola has really recent history in the Final 4.

(01-26-2022 10:43 AM)e-parade Wrote:  

(01-26-2022 06:57 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 08:47 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 07:58 PM)whittx Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 07:55 PM)schmolik Wrote:  Have Seattle, Cal Baptist, or Denver ever made the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament before? They're just an extra mouth to feed. The only benefit Seattle or Denver get is a market grab and Gonzaga probably has more fans in Seattle than the University of Seattle.

The WCC is better standing pat than adding an extra mouth to feed that doesn't add to the conference. Still think Gonzaga is better off leaving for the MWC.

Seattle went to a Final 4. Granted it was when Elgin Baylor was playing there but still...

They lost to Kentucky in the championship in 1958.
Loyola's history in the final 4 was almost as far back and the Atlantic 10 was interested.

Loyola's history in the Final Four was 2018! They also made the Sweet 16 last year (at my Illini's expense)! If your last Final Four was before I was born, pass.

I mean I guess the past 2 years have made 4 years ago seem like 4 decades ago, but yeah Loyola has really recent history in the Final 4.

Forgot they got to the final 4. Was thinking it was elite 8.

(01-26-2022 02:24 AM)Stugray2 Wrote:  SUU, Cal Poly, UCD, NoCo, UND were playing in the Great West Football, I think along with USD (South DaKota) who joined the Summit and MVFC. The others joined the Big Sky. The California schools were football only, staying in the Big West.

North Dakota was a weird one, as Big Sky's Fullerton had a crazy notion of making the conference a super conference of FCS, expanding into the Great Plains (North Dakota). North Dakota, which basically recruits students and players from the Plains and Upper Great Lakes, especially Minnesota, tried to sell the idea they were Western (mostly it seems to avoid playing in the same conference as NDSU). The geography was a disaster almost immediately, withe every single Big Sky AD complaining about the travel to Fargo. Eventually UND made the sensible decision they should have made five years prior, moving to the Summit and MVFC, as South Dakota did from the start.

The California football schools work fine, giving every school a trip to California where they recruit. And they do not create a basketball and Olympic schedule problem since they are Big West schools (with sports like Men's Volleyball and Water Polo that don't fit the Big Sky).

SUU was always seen as an institutional misfit, not really at the same standards as the others. I think SUU and UND got the message that they maybe didn't belong. They both made smart moves to go where they fit better.

NoCo is fine, Colorado is nice, helps some recruiting. There is neither a push them out nor a celebration having them. But as a 10th they make things work much better in scheduling. Put another way, the current setup is pretty much as good as it gets for the Big Sky, nobody is pushing to change it.

This is completely false. UND wanted to join the Summit/MVFC from the get-go. UND still had ongoing nickname issues with the NCAA and a lack of an MVFC invite left UND with no other option but to join the Big Sky. UND was expecting to join the Big Sky with USD, but USD received a last minute invite from the MVFC after UND accepted the Big Sky invite, and that is why USD was able to go the Summit/MVFC route, and it is also the reason UND started out on an island in the Big Sky. UND had no choice but to go to the Big Sky, as a MVFC invite wasn't coming (especially with the nickname issues), and they weren't trying to avoid NDSU at the D1 level whatsoever.

Also, had USD joined with UND, Fullerton very well may have succeeded, as NDSU and SDSU very likely could have joined UND/USD in the Big Sky when UMKC, ORU, Oakland, and Centenary left the Summit League. Fullerton and UND both kind of got screwed over by USD's last minute MVFC offer.

https://collegesportsinfo.com/2010/10/30...ld-follow/

(01-26-2022 06:57 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 08:47 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 07:58 PM)whittx Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 07:55 PM)schmolik Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 07:48 PM)Midwestan Wrote:  It will be interesting to see what happens to Gonzaga. The WCC accommodated the Bulldogs by cutting its conference schedule from 18 to 16 games so the Zags could schedule a couple of tougher non-conference opponents to replace 2 of the weakest WCC schools. Would they be willing to join the Mountain West Conference for basketball only (similar to Hawaii being in the MWC for football)? Would the West Coast Conference be OK with them leaving for just one men's and women's sport, but staying for the rest? Gonzaga and Brigham Young were said to be in talks to join the MWC a few years ago, but the deal fell apart because many MWC schools thought BYU burned too many bridges by leaving several years earlier.

Then again, Gonzaga could stay pat. The conference could stay with 9 members, or it could expand. Seattle University would seem to be a no-brainer here, although their campus facility for hoops only holds about a thousand fans. If the WCC wanted to go to 12, it could court religious-affiliated schools like Cal Baptist and Denver too, but I don't know how much interest there is from CBU and DU to leave their respective leagues.

Have Seattle, Cal Baptist, or Denver ever made the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament before? They're just an extra mouth to feed. The only benefit Seattle or Denver get is a market grab and Gonzaga probably has more fans in Seattle than the University of Seattle.

The WCC is better standing pat than adding an extra mouth to feed that doesn't add to the conference. Still think Gonzaga is better off leaving for the MWC.

Seattle went to a Final 4. Granted it was when Elgin Baylor was playing there but still...

They lost to Kentucky in the championship in 1958.
Loyola's history in the final 4 was almost as far back and the Atlantic 10 was interested.

Loyola's history in the Final Four was 2018! They also made the Sweet 16 last year (at my Illini's expense)! If your last Final Four was before I was born, pass.

Yeah, I agree. That was also during a time before the current Power Conference schools poured alot of money into basketball, so it wasn't uncommon to see a Seattle or a La Salle, or a CCNY in the Final Four.

(01-26-2022 09:22 AM)shizzle787 Wrote:  Now that many have chimed in, here are my picks.

WCC: If Gonzaga stays, they stay at 9.
C-USA: Add Stephen F. Austin to get to 10.
MAAC: Already mentioned they want to add two. Wagner and Robert Morris make the moves.
Big Sky: content at 10.
Horizon: adds Bellarmine and UMKC.
A-SUN: Adds NC Central.
Big South: Adds UT-Martin
Ohio Valley: Adds S. Indiana; football schools play as MEAC affiliates
AEC: Adds Merrimack and LIU
Southland: stays at 8 for now

Then you need to account for the dominos...

If the Summit loses UMKC, what would they do?
What does the MEAC do losing another member?
You have the Northeast Conference losing three members, which puts them at 7. What do they do?

(01-26-2022 12:47 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(01-26-2022 09:22 AM)shizzle787 Wrote:  Now that many have chimed in, here are my picks.

WCC: If Gonzaga stays, they stay at 9.
C-USA: Add Stephen F. Austin to get to 10.
MAAC: Already mentioned they want to add two. Wagner and Robert Morris make the moves.
Big Sky: content at 10.
Horizon: adds Bellarmine and UMKC.
A-SUN: Adds NC Central.
Big South: Adds UT-Martin
Ohio Valley: Adds S. Indiana; football schools play as MEAC affiliates
AEC: Adds Merrimack and LIU
Southland: stays at 8 for now

Then you need to account for the dominos...

If the Summit loses UMKC, what would they do?
What does the MEAC do losing another member?
You have the Northeast Conference losing three members, which puts them at 7. What do they do?

yup. and there is inevitably another curveball or two added that no one is expecting right now.

(01-26-2022 09:27 AM)curtis0620 Wrote:  I doubt Robert Morris leaves the Horizon.

Short of an A-10/CAA Football invite it won't happen.

(01-26-2022 12:47 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(01-26-2022 09:22 AM)shizzle787 Wrote:  Now that many have chimed in, here are my picks.

WCC: If Gonzaga stays, they stay at 9.
C-USA: Add Stephen F. Austin to get to 10.
MAAC: Already mentioned they want to add two. Wagner and Robert Morris make the moves.
Big Sky: content at 10.
Horizon: adds Bellarmine and UMKC.
A-SUN: Adds NC Central.
Big South: Adds UT-Martin
Ohio Valley: Adds S. Indiana; football schools play as MEAC affiliates
AEC: Adds Merrimack and LIU
Southland: stays at 8 for now

Then you need to account for the dominos...

If the Summit loses UMKC, what would they do?
What does the MEAC do losing another member?
You have the Northeast Conference losing three members, which puts them at 7. What do they do?

Summit may just add Augustana or stay at 9.
Chicago State goes to the MEAC to get back to 8.
The NEC would add New Haven and maybe one or two more D2 call-ups.

(01-26-2022 09:22 AM)shizzle787 Wrote:  Now that many have chimed in, here are my picks.

WCC: If Gonzaga stays, they stay at 9.
C-USA: Add Stephen F. Austin to get to 10.
MAAC: Already mentioned they want to add two. Wagner and Robert Morris make the moves.
Big Sky: content at 10.
Horizon: adds Bellarmine and UMKC.
A-SUN: Adds NC Central.
Big South: Adds UT-Martin
Ohio Valley: Adds S. Indiana; football schools play as MEAC affiliates
AEC: Adds Merrimack and LIU
Southland: stays at 8 for now

Why in the hell would UMKC, who just left the WAC less than 2 years ago, be ready to leave another conference for something like the Horizon? Are you for real?

(01-25-2022 07:48 PM)Midwestan Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 07:30 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 07:21 PM)AuzGrams Wrote:  Why is the WCC on the clock? Is Gonzaga leaving?

With BYU gone they're down to 9. Don't know that they want to return to a double round robin at only 9 or move down to 14 conference games. They'll probably add a team some time here in the next year.

It will be interesting to see what happens to Gonzaga. The WCC accommodated the Bulldogs by cutting its conference schedule from 18 to 16 games so the Zags could schedule a couple of tougher non-conference opponents to replace 2 of the weakest WCC schools. Would they be willing to join the Mountain West Conference for basketball only (similar to Hawaii being in the MWC for football)? Would the West Coast Conference be OK with them leaving for just one men's and women's sport, but staying for the rest? Gonzaga and Brigham Young were said to be in talks to join the MWC a few years ago, but the deal fell apart because many MWC schools thought BYU burned too many bridges by leaving several years earlier.

Then again, Gonzaga could stay pat. The conference could stay with 9 members, or it could expand. Seattle University would seem to be a no-brainer here, although their campus facility for hoops only holds about a thousand fans. If the WCC wanted to go to 12, it could court religious-affiliated schools like Cal Baptist and Denver too, but I don't know how much interest there is from CBU and DU to leave their respective leagues.

Couple comments on this. While private, Denver isn't religiously-affiliated, and there's considerable interest in leaving their current conference. The WCC is easily the best fit culturally, but geography remains their main challenge. If DU still had FBS football, they'd likely be the MWC's version of a Vanderbilt, Rice, or Tulane, but alas. The school has considerable resources, and they're committed to making basketball a success. They were on the cusp last decade with consecutive 20-win seasons with Joe Scott at the helm, and they drew 5,400 a game during the 2012 season where they lost the conference tourney final.

They're now trying to recover from the Rodney Billups disaster and the current coach - a former Stanford assistant - seems like a perfect fit. They're poised for the one of the biggest turnarounds in the nation, and they're mostly led by freshman. The resources and commitment are there, and if they can show some consistency the next few years, they'll be awfully appealing to the WCC.

(01-26-2022 09:22 AM)shizzle787 Wrote:  Now that many have chimed in, here are my picks.

WCC: If Gonzaga stays, they stay at 9.
C-USA: Add Stephen F. Austin to get to 10.
MAAC: Already mentioned they want to add two. Wagner and Robert Morris make the moves.
Big Sky: content at 10.
Horizon: adds Bellarmine and UMKC.
A-SUN: Adds NC Central.
Big South: Adds UT-Martin
Ohio Valley: Adds S. Indiana; football schools play as MEAC affiliates
AEC: Adds Merrimack and LIU
Southland: stays at 8 for now

C-USA will go after Missouri State, Chattanooga, UCA, EKU, NC A&T etc to try to go to 14 for safe numbers.

(01-26-2022 02:38 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(01-26-2022 09:22 AM)shizzle787 Wrote:  Now that many have chimed in, here are my picks.

WCC: If Gonzaga stays, they stay at 9.
C-USA: Add Stephen F. Austin to get to 10.
MAAC: Already mentioned they want to add two. Wagner and Robert Morris make the moves.
Big Sky: content at 10.
Horizon: adds Bellarmine and UMKC.
A-SUN: Adds NC Central.
Big South: Adds UT-Martin
Ohio Valley: Adds S. Indiana; football schools play as MEAC affiliates
AEC: Adds Merrimack and LIU
Southland: stays at 8 for now

C-USA will go after Missouri State, Chattanooga, UCA, EKU, NC A&T etc to try to go to 14 for safe numbers.

14 wasn't safe before. Should CUSA maybe look for a couple more to go to 16 (to be extra safe)? Or two more than that for some very double super safety at 18? Would that be enough? What if 11 schools left?

(01-26-2022 02:43 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(01-26-2022 02:38 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(01-26-2022 09:22 AM)shizzle787 Wrote:  Now that many have chimed in, here are my picks.

WCC: If Gonzaga stays, they stay at 9.
C-USA: Add Stephen F. Austin to get to 10.
MAAC: Already mentioned they want to add two. Wagner and Robert Morris make the moves.
Big Sky: content at 10.
Horizon: adds Bellarmine and UMKC.
A-SUN: Adds NC Central.
Big South: Adds UT-Martin
Ohio Valley: Adds S. Indiana; football schools play as MEAC affiliates
AEC: Adds Merrimack and LIU
Southland: stays at 8 for now

C-USA will go after Missouri State, Chattanooga, UCA, EKU, NC A&T etc to try to go to 14 for safe numbers.

14 wasn't safe before. Should CUSA maybe look for a couple more to go to 16 (to be extra safe)? Or two more than that for some very double super safety at 18? Would that be enough? What if 11 schools left?

C-USA should just invite everyone on David's list. And truly become Conference-USA+Canada

(01-26-2022 02:43 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(01-26-2022 02:38 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(01-26-2022 09:22 AM)shizzle787 Wrote:  Now that many have chimed in, here are my picks.

WCC: If Gonzaga stays, they stay at 9.
C-USA: Add Stephen F. Austin to get to 10.
MAAC: Already mentioned they want to add two. Wagner and Robert Morris make the moves.
Big Sky: content at 10.
Horizon: adds Bellarmine and UMKC.
A-SUN: Adds NC Central.
Big South: Adds UT-Martin
Ohio Valley: Adds S. Indiana; football schools play as MEAC affiliates
AEC: Adds Merrimack and LIU
Southland: stays at 8 for now

C-USA will go after Missouri State, Chattanooga, UCA, EKU, NC A&T etc to try to go to 14 for safe numbers.

14 wasn't safe before. Should CUSA maybe look for a couple more to go to 16 (to be extra safe)? Or two more than that for some very double super safety at 18? Would that be enough? What if 11 schools left?

Going to 14 is safer now because you have more, and there are not enough room at the inn in the other conferences except for MWC, but only 3 to go to 14 in case Boise State gets the invite to Big 12.

(01-26-2022 03:09 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(01-26-2022 02:43 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(01-26-2022 02:38 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(01-26-2022 09:22 AM)shizzle787 Wrote:  Now that many have chimed in, here are my picks.

WCC: If Gonzaga stays, they stay at 9.
C-USA: Add Stephen F. Austin to get to 10.
MAAC: Already mentioned they want to add two. Wagner and Robert Morris make the moves.
Big Sky: content at 10.
Horizon: adds Bellarmine and UMKC.
A-SUN: Adds NC Central.
Big South: Adds UT-Martin
Ohio Valley: Adds S. Indiana; football schools play as MEAC affiliates
AEC: Adds Merrimack and LIU
Southland: stays at 8 for now

C-USA will go after Missouri State, Chattanooga, UCA, EKU, NC A&T etc to try to go to 14 for safe numbers.

14 wasn't safe before. Should CUSA maybe look for a couple more to go to 16 (to be extra safe)? Or two more than that for some very double super safety at 18? Would that be enough? What if 11 schools left?

Going to 14 is safer now because you have more, and there are not enough room at the inn in the other conferences except for MWC, but only 3 to go to 14 in case Boise State gets the invite to Big 12.

That hardly seems worth the trade-offs. With 9 schools if you lose 1 you don't have to do anything. If you lose 2-3, then you can always invite someone from your list at that time.

America East- a lot of the current suggestions for the America East don't really address a real problem that the conference/league has: the lack of a Pennsylvania team. I'm sure Villanova would fit, but they would be insane to leave the Big East!! St. Francis (PA) is a Pennsylvania school in the NEC, but their enrollment is comparable to that of Hartford, IMO, and Hartford is leaving the AE. I was stumped on this one for awhile due to ccd saying that the AE didn't want any D2 call-ups, until discussion on the MAAC with DFW Hoya opened my eyes to a new possibility: one of the Pennsylvania Patriot League schools!! Lafayette & Lehigh are like UNC & Duke to the Patriot League-too much tradition to leave. But Bucknell doesn't have that, IMO, so maybe the AE should look at Bucknell.

(01-26-2022 04:01 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  America East- a lot of the current suggestions for the America East don't really address a real problem that the conference/league has: the lack of a Pennsylvania team. I'm sure Villanova would fit, but they would be insane to leave the Big East!! St. Francis (PA) is a Pennsylvania school in the NEC, but their enrollment is comparable to that of Hartford, IMO, and Hartford is leaving the AE. I was stumped on this one for awhile due to ccd saying that the AE didn't want any D2 call-ups, until discussion on the MAAC with DFW Hoya opened my eyes to a new possibility: one of the Pennsylvania Patriot League schools!! Lafayette & Lehigh are like UNC & Duke to the Patriot League-too much tradition to leave. But Bucknell doesn't have that, IMO, so maybe the AE should look at Bucknell.

I wouldn't leave the Patriot League for the America East.

(01-26-2022 06:31 PM)schmolik Wrote:  

(01-26-2022 04:01 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  America East- a lot of the current suggestions for the America East don't really address a real problem that the conference/league has: the lack of a Pennsylvania team. I'm sure Villanova would fit, but they would be insane to leave the Big East!! St. Francis (PA) is a Pennsylvania school in the NEC, but their enrollment is comparable to that of Hartford, IMO, and Hartford is leaving the AE. I was stumped on this one for awhile due to ccd saying that the AE didn't want any D2 call-ups, until discussion on the MAAC with DFW Hoya opened my eyes to a new possibility: one of the Pennsylvania Patriot League schools!! Lafayette & Lehigh are like UNC & Duke to the Patriot League-too much tradition to leave. But Bucknell doesn't have that, IMO, so maybe the AE should look at Bucknell.

I wouldn't leave the Patriot League for the America East.

Maybe you wouldn't, but I would, especially if I wanted to be in the CAA "fraternity"/conference.

A little OT, now I know why I like realignment so much!! It's like fraternity bid night. Prospective members talk to various fraternity members, express interest in the fraternities that interest them the most, and then wait to see who offers a bid. When I was in rush, I took at least a year to get to know all of the fraternities, then I expressed interest in Lambda Chi Alpha. When bid night came, I only got one bid, but it was from the fraternity I was interested in the most: Lambda Chi Alpha.