Unbelievable.

For all of you guys thinking the MAC could just improve top to bottom I don't see how its possible in this day and age. In the 80's and 90's before the days of internet recruiting there were more players out there that were diamonds in the rough future NBA players that would land in the MAC. There wasn't as many schools in D1 in the Midwest with Oakland, IUPUI, IPFW, the Dakota schools ect. competing along side the NIU's, Ball State's and Eastern Michigan's of the MAC. As the performance has gone down so has the attendance which in turn makes those lower tier MAC jobs less desirable. Then they turn to marginal players and cheating placing their programs further in the hole. The MAC has become top heavy in the last decade as has most mid major conferences (Horizon, WCC) which has been beneficial to the serious players in those conferences facing less competition within their leagues. I'd prefer to play basketball in a conference where winning the regular season means something in the way of an NCAA bid. That is the overall strength that you have in the MVC and A10. The MVC had a program on a different level than the MAC in Creighton but with them leaving it should effect recruiting negatively across the league. The A10 is losing key programs and also taking a step back from a 3-4 bid conference to more of a 2 bid conference but I feel confident they can maintain that as the top mid major conference in the East Coast. The A10 might be worth exploring for Ohio. That is the best alternative short of the ACC which will never happen unless our budget skyrockets. 

Creighton is a loss but the league has a bunch of programs that have been very good for a while.  This isn't a Gonzaga situation. This year was Creighton's first outright MVC regular season title since 2001.  Now obviously they have been the dominant program but Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Missouri State, Drake, and Southern Illinois (until the Lowery debacle) are all programs that have really made a mark in recent years.  Bradley and Illinois State have also had their moments.  In short, they survived the loss of Louisville, Tulsa, Cincinnati and Memphis. They will survive Creighton leaving.

Right, nothing to be proud of, but the MAC actually compares favorably to the WCC outside of BYU and Gonzaga, so it supports the argument that Ohio could rise up even as a member of the MAC as it stands. But I agree, of course, I'd rather have the rest of the league move up with the Bobcats.

They'll survive Creighton if they could add Ohio, Akron and Miami in a division to go in with Indiana St, Evansville and Southern Illinois. That would make 2 strong divisions in the MVC with Wichita State and Missouri State in recruiting. That would be a perfect fit for basketball and baseball but one  issue with the MVC I'm noticing is the women's sports. The MVC doesn't have Field Hockey while the A10 does. The travel costs are going to be overall lower in the A10 with all the schools a quick flight near metro areas. Taking Akron into the A10 with us makes more sense than linking up with the MVC.

Look at his comments on the last page.

That's what my "unbelievable" comment was aimed at.

Time to represent.

Cleveland

Watch parties.

Let s get it together

 

I think we are about to see a showing of bobcat nation domination in Cleveland this weekend.