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Loyola Chicago joining A10


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18 minutes ago, Billy Ken said:

What about Belmont or Murray State? 

Hell no on Murray St.. 

I love the Belmont program.  They have sustained their success over multiple conferences and now multiple coaches.  A big part of me wants them in the A10 and definitely wants Nashville in the conference.  Unlike Loyola, Belmont would be a program that I would worry about their ability to make the financial commitment needed to compete in the A10. You would have to make sure that Belmont has the resources in place they will need to compete.

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16 minutes ago, brianstl said:

Hell no on Murray St.. 

I love the Belmont program.  They have sustained their success over multiple conferences and now multiple coaches.  A big part of me wants them in the A10 and definitely wants Nashville in the conference.  Unlike Loyola, Belmont would be a program that I would worry about their ability to make the financial commitment needed to compete in the A10. You would have to make sure that Belmont has the resources in place they will need to compete.

I’m hoping champions center is a signal to Big East that SLU is committed and serious about being in that conference and who cares about everything else! I hear ya on Murray St. 

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26 minutes ago, brianstl said:

Hell no on Murray St.. 

I love the Belmont program.  They have sustained their success over multiple conferences and now multiple coaches.  A big part of me wants them in the A10 and definitely wants Nashville in the conference.  Unlike Loyola, Belmont would be a program that I would worry about their ability to make the financial commitment needed to compete in the A10. You would have to make sure that Belmont has the resources in place they will need to compete.

Murray State is probably an MVC-joiner soon and they don't fit in any way in the A10. Not good enough, small town, have football, etc. 

Belmont is a great get for the MVC. Belmont is well heeled and spends a lot in athletics. Their basketball budget would be a top 5 budget in the A10. There is a ton of money at Belmont. I think Belmont was really content to just outspend and dominate in the OVC, but the OVC started falling apart and they found safe haven in the MVC. Definitely would be a fit in the A10 though. 

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From Gary Parrish

Loyola is currently 2-0 under first-year coach Drew Valentine and ranked 32nd at KenPom, which is higher than any current A-10 member. 

and more from Parrish

 

The Missouri Valley is ambitiously pursuing a plan to add multiple schools, sources told CBS Sports. The three schools in the mix are Murray State, UT Arlington and Kansas City. At this stage, it is expected they will eventually receive invites to join the Valley, with sources telling CBS Sports that Murray State and UT Arlington are considered the two strongest candidates.

There are some lingering questions with Kansas City's (formerly UMKC) facilities that need to be ironed out in the coming months to firm up its status as a legitimate candidate. Missouri Valley commissioner Jeff Jackson has toured all three campuses in recent weeks, according to sources, and there is a presentation tentatively scheduled for MVC presidents the week before Christmas, on Dec. 19. 

The invites aren't imminent -- meaning they won't officially happen in the next few weeks -- but there is clear progress being made toward expansion. It's not yet determined, should any of those schools be formally accepted, if they would join in 2022 or 2023. Murray State is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. UT Arlington is in the Sun Belt. In 2020, Kansas City rejoined the Summit League (where it was a member from 2007-2013) after leaving an ill-fated residency in the WAC. 

In September, the Valley announced Belmont as a future member, beginning in July of 2022, a move that was glowingly received. 

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To me getting Loyola was a slam dunk... Came out of nowhere.. and joining next year!!

Would like to see a play for Wichita State, and or Belmont , even though they just joined The Valley... But Butler was only in the A-10 for 1 season..

Wonder if the league will go to 3 - 5 teams divisions or just 1 ... 

Don't know what will happen to UMASS, saw they were wanting to find a home for their football team, others would remain A-10

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In their present state, without Porter, I'm not all that excited about Loyola from a competitive standpoint.  However, maybe this move pushes their profile upward into becoming a perennial contender in the A-10 like us, Dayton, VCU, the Bonnies, and Richmond.  Adding another one of those teams, if Loyola gets there, would be a big positive.

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https://www.si.com/college/2021/11/16/loyola-chicago-basketball-move-atlantic-10

Apparently Loyola does have some cash for their program. 

That period also saw significant new investments made in the Loyola program. The school unveiled a state-of-the-art practice facility following the Final Four run and have made other key investments in staffing and infrastructure necessary to compete. When Moser left Loyola for Oklahoma this past spring, Loyola reportedly offered Moser a compensation package upward of $2.2 million annually, a number competitive with high-major programs in the region. For instance, based on the most recent available tax forms, Northwestern coach Chris Collins earns approximately $2.8 million in annual compensation while former DePaul coach Dave Leitao earned around $1.4 million.

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Loyola-Chicago would've made the conference stronger in each of the past five years (and so far this season).

I understand concerns about whether Loyola can maintain this level of quality in the basketball program but it seems like the commitment and resources are there, the market is certainly there, and it seems like a high-floor addition to me.

Would love to steal Belmont and make it an even 16. I don't want to see the league even consider a 20-game schedule until and unless (and maybe even after) that happens.

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6 hours ago, Compton said:

Had to look it up. Nov. 27-28, 2009 against Iowa State and Notre Dame in the Chicago Invitational Classic

I was there with my wife (An Iowa State Alum) while we were visiting family in Chicago for Thanksgiving.  We lost, and it was an ugly game.  If I remember correctly, that one was played at UIC's arena.

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Gonzaga has been able to maintain its high level following it being Cinderella in the NCAA Tourney - and has kept winning and winning and winning.  Keeping its coach and reinvestment of monies earned has been critical but being able to dominate its conference and get a bid every year by qualifying for the Tourney each year has been just as big.   Xavier made the NCAA Tourney each year mostly by winning the MCC and then the A-10.   Butler dominated the Horizon and got its opportunity each year as well.  I recall several years when Butler was simply not a good team... but somehow they won their Conference Tournament and kept the  NCAA Tourney streak going.  And no one goes back and re-examines how/why a team made the Tourney -- just that they went... so many times ... so many times in a row...  George Mason and Davidson had their runs... and recently Chicago Loyola has had theirs.   

Xavier is no longer winning their conference/conference Tourney each year, but have been good enough to get "at large" bids.  Butler is trying as well, has name recognition, continues to receive the prior NCAA Tourney paychecks, has re-invested its monies wisely, has mostly hired good new coaches...  but Davidson and George Mason are shells of their past.  Chicago Loyola will likely be the same.   Nonetheless, I prefer mediocre team/program in the Midwest (and Chicago in particular) than another mediocre team/program on the East Coast.   

Welcome aboard Loyola!

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Like everything else, we are basing our thoughts about the addition of Loyola to the A10 based upon prior history. They have a new coach, they depend upon one player to win, or so it has been said. Who knows what they will do or achieve this year? We hope they stay strong but in reality anything can happen. I am very glad they came in not because they are a great team, which they may continue being going forward or not, but because it is a Midwest school in Chicago, and the geographical location is good for us. As far as their performance we better wait and see.

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The biggest issue to me,  they still only get about 2500-3200 (4900) to games after a remarkable 4 year stretch.  That is very, very underwhelming.  The arena ranks 10th in the A10 in size, and they would rank right around 9th in attendance. 

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8 hours ago, wgstl said:

The biggest issue to me,  they still only get about 2500-3200 (4900) to games after a remarkable 4 year stretch.  That is very, very underwhelming.  The arena ranks 10th in the A10 in size, and they would rank right around 9th in attendance. 

Hopefully they will draw well for the Billikens and Flyers.

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  • 1 month later...
On 11/17/2021 at 11:42 AM, HoosierPal said:

From Gary Parrish

Loyola is currently 2-0 under first-year coach Drew Valentine and ranked 32nd at KenPom, which is higher than any current A-10 member. 

and more from Parrish

 

The Missouri Valley is ambitiously pursuing a plan to add multiple schools, sources told CBS Sports. The three schools in the mix are Murray State, UT Arlington and Kansas City. At this stage, it is expected they will eventually receive invites to join the Valley, with sources telling CBS Sports that Murray State and UT Arlington are considered the two strongest candidates.

There are some lingering questions with Kansas City's (formerly UMKC) facilities that need to be ironed out in the coming months to firm up its status as a legitimate candidate. Missouri Valley commissioner Jeff Jackson has toured all three campuses in recent weeks, according to sources, and there is a presentation tentatively scheduled for MVC presidents the week before Christmas, on Dec. 19. 

The invites aren't imminent -- meaning they won't officially happen in the next few weeks -- but there is clear progress being made toward expansion. It's not yet determined, should any of those schools be formally accepted, if they would join in 2022 or 2023. Murray State is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. UT Arlington is in the Sun Belt. In 2020, Kansas City rejoined the Summit League (where it was a member from 2007-2013) after leaving an ill-fated residency in the WAC. 

In September, the Valley announced Belmont as a future member, beginning in July of 2022, a move that was glowingly received. 

Looks like the Murray State to the Valley move is being finalized.

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Too bad they are not here already.

Kenpom:

21 Loyola

45 Davidson

67 Bonnies

75 VCU

76 Rhody

77 SLU

93 Richmond

 

Net:

19 Loyola 

35 Davidson

63 Davidson

69 SLU

96 Rhody

100 GMU

 

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13 minutes ago, Compton said:

With Belmont, Murray State and Austin Peay gone the OVC is left with seven teams and no dominant programs. Time for SIUE to shine.

The current conference landscape is insane. It looks to me like more moves are imminent. A lot of under-the-radar conferences made moves while we were looking at the Valley, A10, and power conferences.

OVC: I think it's actually 8 with the addition of Little Rock to EIU, SIUE, Morehead State, SEMO, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, and Tennessee-Martin. Still doesn't feel sustainable.

CUSA: Losing 9 schools and adding 4. Liberty, Jacksonville State, New Mexico State, and Sam Houston State are in. Old Dominion, Marshall, Southern Miss, UAB, Florida Atlantic, Charlotte, North Texas, Rice, and UTSA are out. There will be 9 teams in the league after the moves. I don't get the ongoing existence of this league that never really made sense.

The American is a stronger but just as weird CUSA, basically: Memphis, Wichita State, ECU, Tulsa, Temple, Tulane, SMU, and South Florida, plus FAU, UAB, Charlotte, UNT, Rice, and UTSA.

Atlantic Sun: Liberty and Jacksonville State are leaving for CUSA, and Austin Peay is entering. This season, the ASUN is split into two divisions, East and West.

WAC: Added almost half the Southland plus Southern Utah from the Big Sky. New Mexico State is finally leaving, as is newcomer Sam Houston State, both going to CUSA. Chicago State is leaving without a destination (and should probably go down a division). The WAC was a weird grab bag of schools that recently moved up to D-I or otherwise couldn't get in anywhere else and now it's a Texas-heavy southwestern conference.

Sun Belt: Little Rock is out for the OVC, but the Sun Belt added James Madison (CAA) and Old Dominion, Marshall, and Southern Miss (CUSA). UT-Arlington is the only non-football school left and is still in talks with the Valley.

Southland: Already lost a bunch to the WAC and Incarnate Word is heading there next. They are getting Texas A&M-Commerce from D-II next year but I don't see how this 8-team league lasts.

Colonial: James Madison is leaving for the Sun Belt, motivated by football, so the league banned all JMU teams from competing in the conference tournament. Petty, but fair.

The America East (Hartford, leaving D-I), WCC (BYU, B12), and Big Sky (Southern Utah, WAC) all lose a team.

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55 minutes ago, Pistol said:

UT-Arlington is the only non-football school left and is still in talks with the Valley.

I don't see the appeal for the MVC. I guess the media market is the main attraction, but geographic coherence (and lower travel costs) seems more valuable than chasing phantom media dollars via a market's #4 D-I program (without including UT, Baylor, A&M, or Tech, who probably account for most of the eyeballs/attention).

The MVC has regressed by losing Creighton, Wichita St., and Loyola. But they've made the best of a bad situation by adding Valpo, Belmont, and now Murray St. Adding UTA seems like it'd be a break from that track record - being a white knight for no apparent reason.

UTA should look to the WAC or Summit.

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Dating myself but I remember when the WAC had Utah, New Mexico, UNLV, etc. It doesn't seem that long ago, i guess 20 years. How they morphed from the best non power conference to being made up of random newly promoted d-1 teams would be a fascinating read.

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1 hour ago, Pistol said:

The current conference landscape is insane. It looks to me like more moves are imminent. A lot of under-the-radar conferences made moves while we were looking at the Valley, A10, and power conferences.

OVC: I think it's actually 8 with the addition of Little Rock to EIU, SIUE, Morehead State, SEMO, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, and Tennessee-Martin. Still doesn't feel sustainable.

CUSA: Losing 9 schools and adding 4. Liberty, Jacksonville State, New Mexico State, and Sam Houston State are in. Old Dominion, Marshall, Southern Miss, UAB, Florida Atlantic, Charlotte, North Texas, Rice, and UTSA are out. There will be 9 teams in the league after the moves. I don't get the ongoing existence of this league that never really made sense.

The American is a stronger but just as weird CUSA, basically: Memphis, Wichita State, ECU, Tulsa, Temple, Tulane, SMU, and South Florida, plus FAU, UAB, Charlotte, UNT, Rice, and UTSA.

Atlantic Sun: Liberty and Jacksonville State are leaving for CUSA, and Austin Peay is entering. This season, the ASUN is split into two divisions, East and West.

WAC: Added almost half the Southland plus Southern Utah from the Big Sky. New Mexico State is finally leaving, as is newcomer Sam Houston State, both going to CUSA. Chicago State is leaving without a destination (and should probably go down a division). The WAC was a weird grab bag of schools that recently moved up to D-I or otherwise couldn't get in anywhere else and now it's a Texas-heavy southwestern conference.

Sun Belt: Little Rock is out for the OVC, but the Sun Belt added James Madison (CAA) and Old Dominion, Marshall, and Southern Miss (CUSA). UT-Arlington is the only non-football school left and is still in talks with the Valley.

Southland: Already lost a bunch to the WAC and Incarnate Word is heading there next. They are getting Texas A&M-Commerce from D-II next year but I don't see how this 8-team league lasts.

Colonial: James Madison is leaving for the Sun Belt, motivated by football, so the league banned all JMU teams from competing in the conference tournament. Petty, but fair.

The America East (Hartford, leaving D-I), WCC (BYU, B12), and Big Sky (Southern Utah, WAC) all lose a team.

It is really amazing how well the Sun Belt has been operated over the last decade.  

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5 minutes ago, brianstl said:

It is really amazing how well the Sun Belt has been operated over the last decade.  

They're one of the few true winners of the non-power conferences. Took every opportunity to get stronger.

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