Midwest BB Fan

I don't think a choice will exist. The BCS arrangement in football shows that the NCAA is toothless. The BCS shools will never share meaningfull portions of the television proceeds with non-BCS leagues. When they start negotiating the next TV contract (soon) to take affect after 2011, there will be a basketball tournament with rules dictated by the BCS conferences. It might end up being better for the top tier of non-BCS conferences because the new format will do away with the auto-bid going to teams like Morgan State. So rather than getting four at-large selections, non-BCS schools could get up to to 10-12 at-larges with the rest of the bids going to BCS schools.

Given that BCS leagues had the ability to set up it own championship series for football, I have begun to wonder what authority the NCAA has to market the basketball tournament. And if the NCAA does have the right, what authority does it have to dole the money out to just the tournament paticipants as opposed to all NCAA basketball programs that played in a given year. Is it legal for the NCAA to exclude Div 1 teams that played basketball in a season, but were excluded from the rournament based on a subjective process, from receiving any of the television proceeds. The end of the tournament as we know it is coming. The money has gotten to be too big. The BSC schools will not share the televsion money with over 300 Div 1 schools. So the BCS schools will eventually negotiate their own deal.

I think the A-10 is a great conference, but I think the the MVC is just as good, and better on some dimensions, when it comes to basketball. Since the major conferance realignment in 2004, what total body of work are you referencing besides Conference RPI, NCAA bids, NCAA results, and head-to-head results? All of those measures would indicate that the two conferences are practically at the same level of quality for basketball for the last 5 seasons. Again, I'm referring to true conference strength and not equating a conference position due to the level of a single program like Memphis in CUSA and Gonzaga in the Big West. I would put the A-10, MWC, and MVC is the first tier of conferences outside of the BCS leagues. The MWC, which is a pretty well run league, just signed a head-to-head agreement with the MVC for the next few years. With all the effort, the MWC is putting into achieving BCS-level stature, there is no way they would agree to such an arrangement if they did not view playing the MVC as something that would strengthen their non-conference schedules. Based on the typical school profile, I understand why SLU would not want to throw themselves into an academic relationship with the like of Ill St, Southern Ill and Northern Iowa, but that is based on academics and not quality of hoops. Perhaps the A10 could (or would be interested) in trying to pull in Butler, DePaul, and Bradley to create a six-team western division with X, Dayton, and SLU. The league could then slice off some of the east coast bottom dwellers, like Fordham.

Thank you. I love midwest basketball and pull for all midwest teams, regardless of conference affiliation. The MVC and the A10 are both great conferences for basketball. The typical school profile is different, but the basketball quaility is similar. As has been posted on other threads, it would be a dream come true if the midwest private schools could come together to form a new league. The only chance that happens is if the BE implodes due a schism between the football and basketball schools. Then several conferences would realign. SLU, X, Dayton, DePaul, Marquette, Bradley Creighton, Butler and Drake would be a great group of schools for tradition, rivalries and media market size.

I am a huge midwest basketball fan following the B10, A10, MVC, BE and B12 (parts) conferences very closely. The MVC might not be the best fit for SLU, but not because it is an inferior basketball conference. Most objective analysis would say that the MVC has been a stronger basketball conference 3 of the last 5 years (if you include this year). The A10 is better this year per rankings and RPI. but the A10 did not fare well in head-to-head play against the MVC this year. Head-to-head games this year with between the A10 and MVC with conference finish position in parenthesis: (2) Dayton lost at Creighton (1) 59-77 (5) St. Joe's lost at Creighton (1) 58-69 (5) Richmond lost at home to Bradley (4) 66-80 (9) St. Louis lost at So. Ill (5) 48-64 (10)UMass lost at So Ill (5) 73-80 (12) Charlotte beat So Ill (5) at Carbondale 66-64 Other than the Richmond - Bradley tilt, those games were at the MVC home, but most of the games were not close. For the period of 2004-05 thru 2007-08 MVC has had 10 NCAA bids (6 different schools); A10 has received 9 bids(5 different schools) MVC has had 4 Sweet 16 teams (3 different schools); A10 has had 1 Sweet 16 team There is lot more to choosing what conference to be in for the AD and School President than just basketball. The A10 might be the best conference for SLU to be part of. I don't think it would make sense for SLU to join the MVC as a 1 school package. I do think it would make sense, basketball-wise, for Butler and SLU to join the MVC as a two team deal. Bottom line is that the MVC and A10 are mid-majors and will probably remain competitive with each other for the next few years. The team with the marquee names (Xavier in the A10 this year and last year) and Creighton and SIU in the MVC in prior years will adjust outsider's perceptions on which conference is better on a year-to-year-basis