VUGrad1314 wrote:It is already quite evident that the seeds of resurgence have been planted all over the Valley. I genuinely feel that Valpo is entering this conference on the ground floor. It is at the lowest point you will see it at for the foreseeable future. Missouri State, Illinois State, and Northern Iowa remain as strong programs. Bradley and Loyola's rebuilding efforts will begin to bear fruit this year. Southern Illinois is trending upward, as is Drake. Evansville looks like they've lost quite a bit. Indiana State should show improvement, and Valpo is entering with a lot of talent and should vie for the top of the conference in a year or two, and we may pick up some strong new teams soon. The Valley is already showing, and will continue to show, that it wants to be great even without Wichita State.
This comment aged well.
VUGrad1314 wrote:I think that this marks an era of opportunity for all MVC members. Now that the Shockes, a team that outspent every Valley member by at least 2:1 have graduated to a conference with a budgetary structure more befitting of their considerable means, every Valley team now has the chance to fill the vacuum created by their departure. This should result in increased administrative commitment and expenditure on basketball on the part of each school; as well as, dare I say, a stronger (better?!) top to bottom league. Losing the profile and the top 50 games Wichita State once provided will hurt and will not be good for TV contracts in the short run but I fully expect the league to land on its feet when the time comes to renegotiate in 2-3 years, especially if we land a couple of solid expansion schools in the meantime. Remember, KenPom STILL has this conference in the top 10 WITHOUT the Shockers, and the metric where Wichita State's departure deals its heaviest damage--RPI-- is purportedly being de-emphasized by the selection committee starting this year presumably in favor of metrics like KenPom. Wichita State's departure hurts, to be sure, but it is not the death blow people are making it out to be. Good luck to the Shockers in the AAC, but they shouldn't be worried about the Valley. The conference is going to be just fine and should still come away with a nice media deal going forward.
So did this one.