Updated 1/6/18: MVC Expansion Poll

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

Probably should double down on Chicago and take a flyer on UIC for #12 with Murray State.

horrible idea

[RacerJoeD]

Cue up the realignment machine... Gonzaga to the Mountain West?

[VUGrad1314]

Seems like that one's pretty much done. Good for the Bulldogs. And good for us as we may be able to schedule them and that conference's metrics will receive a nice shove upwards boosting our SOS. Now all that remains to be seen is what kind of bite the WCC wants to take out of the WAC. I have to assume they'll be adding GCU as that is their best shot at remaining relevant and recouping the lost strength and prestige, but maybe, especially with BYU probably looking for the exit and St Mary's as another possible defection candidate, they will embrace a 12 team model and take Seattle and Cal-Baptist. This way, if one or both of BYU and SMC leave, they'll still have 10 or 11 teams. I believe that both Seattle and Cal-Baptist have real potential and would be good fits for the WCC.

The WAC can absorb the loss of one school but with CSU-Bakersfield already having announced its decision to leave, I have to believe that other members are going to get nervous enough to seek more stable homes. UMKC will likely engage with the Summit League Utah Valley probably tries for a spot in the Big Sky joining Weber State and Southern Utah UTRGV probably looks for the Southland though the Summit could possibly be a landing spot for both UTRGV and Utah Valley as it appears to be shifting westward.

NMSU will try for the MWC but I doubt they'll gain much traction unless BYU gives up its independence in football They don't want the Big Sky The WCC won't take them. I think their choices dwindle down to the Summit the Horizon or the MVC but would Elgin really consider a program so far outside the footprint? Who would the corresponding add be? SFA? UTA? Oral Roberts? Would the other schools consent to such a massive travel increase? And what about Murray State?

[VUGrad1314]

Here are the links concerning Gonzaga and the Mountain West

https://twitter.com/MWCwire/status/977681715488534533

https://mwwire.com/2018/03/24/report-go ... two-weeks/

https://www.cbssports.com/college-baske ... two-weeks/

[valleyclimber]

MVC Commish Doug Elgin is going to equal a BIG fat fail unless he gets his head screwed on straight and gets Murray St. in the Valley ASAP. Holy cheese, adding the Racers should be an absolute no brainer as MSU would make the MVC even stronger.

All four Illinois schools (Loyola, SIU, BU and ISU) should be pretty darn good next season, and I have no doubt in my mind that Valpo is going to make a huge jump. Now add Murray St. to the mix and you have the makings of an MVC that could easily challenge for the #7 spot on the conference rankings.

Come to think of it, UNI should be decent, and I'd be surprised if HC Ford doesn't hit the ground running and have MSU in a competitive spot. Next season in the Valley is going to be crazy, and the MVC might have 6 or 7 teams in the top 100 (and at least a couple firmly inside the top 50). Think Drake takes a step back, but other than the Bulldogs, it should onward and upward and many of the Valley teams will be taking names.

As a longtime Valley fan, I hope Elgin opens his eyes with Murray St and gets the Racers in the fold. If he can't get this done, then Mr. Elgin needs to be shown the door.

ROCK ON MVC!

[VUGrad1314]

^ Seconded. He's been a very good commissioner for a very long time but if he can't see the importance of adding programs of Murray State's caliber in this era of college basketball then it's abundantly clear that the game has passed him by and his outmoded thinking will become a great hindrance to this conference, as it is wholly unsuited for the current climate of college basketball. The MWC CANNOT add Gonzaga without an aggressive response from the MVC if we want to remain competitive. If only Belmont were a more aggressive program.

[BEED]

I hope the MVC invites the Mules so they're stuck forever in 9-9 purgatory. Why would the MVC bog itself down with them? Look through the Mules' history...their success is tied entirely to the tomato can conference.

WKU owned the OVC and the Mules were everyone's favorite punching bag until top teams bolted. Look at the Mules when they play real teams...beatdowns to WVU. CUSA wins 4 years in a row with tougher matchups.

Mules will never win the MVC tourney and anchor the league. They'll be a crater in years to come. No more Starks or Miller. They should stay in the OVC to beat up on the 7 dwarves. Otherwise they'll be an easy win but an RPI killer.

[VUGrad1314]

And? Valpo's run atop the Horizon League started the last year Butler was a member and was no doubt aided by the fact that Butler had moved on (though we did win the last four meetings with the Bulldogs.), and while our season certainly wasn't anything to write home about, we were very competitive especially in the second half of conference play and contributed a win in the MVC-MWC Challenge Loyola was an also-ran for many years in the Horizon and struggled mightily in their first few years as a member of the MVC, now look at them. They've pulled off four tournament wins IN A ROW not in successive years, in the SAME year. They're on a run that will be talked about and remembered forever Being in the MVC and competing against MVC teams makes programs better. I expect that Valpo and Murray State will be no exception.

And, sorry, that Minnesota team MTSU beat last year was NOT better than WVU, and I'm not sure if this year's Shockers were either (the outcome would probably depend on who hosts.) Also, if CUSA was so great why did WVU have a greater margin of victory when they brought the thunder down on the Herd than they did against Murray State? Why was the MVC 8th in RPI ahead of a conference both Wichita State and Gonzaga have tried or are trying to get into (the MWC) while CUSA finished 15th behind a conference that may not exist in three years (WAC)?

Murray State is a proud program that has won consistently over decades despite multiple coaching changes. Their inability to win tournament games (which is hard to do anyway) is tied to the overall low quality of their conference. That would change if they were in the MVC. Time will tell if the same is true for MTSU, I don't yet trust WKU and am still wondering how they recruited as well as they did, while the rest of CUSA, outside of ODU and Marshall was terrible. Thank goodness the top teams got to pad their records against such awful competition. Didn't our 7th place team beat their 2nd place team?`(Yes they did).

[smidge34]

Dweeb is the biggest douchebag Worst In Kentucky Pillpopper fanboi on the web. The Pillpoppers are in the middle of their best season out of the last decade — and that one was a 16 seed PIG snicker, snicker — and finally has something to crow about, the Not In “the real” Tournament run. Congrats on your team’s performance so far in the consolation tournament dweeb lmao. Stanz will be on the first train out of town and y’all will be right back to same triple digit RPI killers y’all been the last decade. STFU and take your Pillpopping self back to Pillpopper Haven. We have a group of mostly like minded and respectful posters here and we don’t need your flaming, punk azz over here stirring up the hornets nest. Take a hike.

[RacerJoeD]

To translate, Beed is a troll from western Kentucky university and still salty they vacated their ‘71 season and the beat down we gave them the last time they had the guts to schedule Murray State.

Their team nickname is “Hilltoppers” but due to the inordinate number of drug arrests they have been called the pill poppers. Also, as they are based in Bowling Green, that has also been adjusted due to heavy attrition due to drug suspension to “Rolling Green”.

There are often some oblique references to farm animals when Racers talk about western due to an unfortunate incident involving a western fraternity, a goat, and hazing...

http://www.bgdailynews.com/news/wku-fra ... 87de3.html

Sorry to interrupt, please continue