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Max11 · Junior Joined: 19 Feb 2007 Posts: 260 Location: OH

Great news about Butler officially joining.

The next natural candidates after VCU and Mason would be several MAC schools (Ohio U and Miami come to mind), but I agree with IV that it is best for us to leave that alone while the football project is still fledgling.

I also prefer larger, state schools to the smaller private ones, but I can make an exception for a school like Butler, which has been on top now for a long time.

DEM · Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 7:38 pm Post subject:

^
You're right, next in line could be a few of the MAC schools, but UMass would need to be very careful of its position on that for the sake of the football program, as you and IV have noted.

As I've said before, I don't see many other programs beyond those and the 3 candidates mentioned that would do anything more than dilute the A-10. I guess Southern Illinois might be okay, but as somebody mentioned, their trajectory hasn't been too great lately. I think the A-10 should quit while ahead and stop after adding Butler, VCU, and GMU

Obadiah · Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 7:58 pm Post subject:

The MAC schools you mentioned would be interesting, but those schools are in bind because of football. If they tried to leave the MAC for the A-10, the MAC leadership would blackball them on football so they would have to find another place to land with their football programs. There are none.

The ironic thing about the MAC is that despite its basic weakness, the league holds together because the league has no really strong candidates to be lured away to any of the BCS leagues and the other non BCS leagues with football are even less attractive than the MAC.

xlgman · Hall of Fame Joined: 04 Feb 2004 Posts: 2741

I'm serious when I suggest that people should be mentioning Western Kentucky. They have a great basketball tradition as one of the winningest programs in history in terms of total wins and winning % and they've done well under a lot of different coaches over a long period of time. They've had some relatively recent NCAA success too and certainly have a core of long time dedicated fans who expect them to compete for NCAA bids. Good facilities - I think 8000 for basketball, recently overhauled with a dedicated practice facility. Public University with +/- 21,000. They do play FBS football but could possibly remain in the Sun Belt as football only, since the Sun Belt has had a history of letting teams mix and match. Plus the Sun Belt is already going through some team changeover...

They are a 4 hour drive from St. Louis, Butler, Xavier, and Dayton and could help to solidify the conference as a midwest power.

The A10 could do a lot worse than grabbing the perennial top teams from the Horizon (Butler), Sun Belt (W. Kentucky), and CAA (VCU and George Mason).

I also do not think having odd numbers of teams is a hurdle. Just stay in one division and play everyone at least once. Anything over 10 teams will be unbalanced no matter what you do and that ship sailed long ago.

Accumulate talent / programs. It's an arms race.

Remember the "BCS" schools will only keep growing so there will be fewer and fewer non-con games down the line. We'll probably need to go to an 18 game conf schedule eventually.
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ShotPutNC · Junior Joined: 05 Feb 2012 Posts: 633 Location: Amherst

GMU Fans are asking what is taking them so long to decide (if an offer is really on the table). A lot of speculation that CAA is sinking, especially if VCU follows ODU out the door which would hasten the departure of others. http://www.gmuhoops.co/forum/showthread.php?294-New-A10-Thread-the-other-is-just-massive-(ODU-to-C-USA-in-2013)/

VCU Fans seem to be a bit more upbeat on it then their GMU counterparts. They all are saying that regardless which they end up in they will be alright. But some posters seem to believe that the team cannot grow any further in the CAA. References to Butler giving up substantially more money to join the A-10. Some speculation that it could be a July 1 announcement on VCu so that the program can keep the latest payment from the NCAA before bouncing. http://www.vcuramnation.com/forums/threads/vcu-and-gmu-to-a-10-on-may-1st.8655/page-86

ShotPutNC · Junior Joined: 05 Feb 2012 Posts: 633 Location: Amherst

Also, I would like to see Xavier's (now secondary) mascot, Blue Blob, and Western Kentucky's mascot, Big Red, meet each other at half court. Two of the weirder ones in CBB.

sleepy sheep · Senior Joined: 01 Dec 2007 Posts: 939 Location: Boston

ktabz16 · Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 10:55 am Post subject:

western kentucky won't be considered because they have football aspirations that will scare off the a10.

MullinsManiac · Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 11:10 am Post subject:

Butler's a great move. But if more schools are going to be added, I'd still prefer the A-10 beef up its NYC presence by making a run at Iona or Hofstra.

uz2b-len · Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 11:27 am Post subject:

I liked the idea of Hofstra before I read some stuff on the a10 board about their lack of commitment to the hoops program.
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MikeUMA · Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 1:48 pm Post subject:

^
It should speak volumes that Tom Pecora left Hofstra to go to perennial A-10 bottom-feeder Fordham. Yeah, it was an upgrade in conference stature, but Fordham hasn't exactly shown a commitment to excellence either.

Quinn · Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 10:17 am Post subject:

Folks, lets just be sure to keep our logic hats on at all times. Times have changed in conference realignment. There will be no MAC schools considering the A10. There will be no Sun Belt schools considering the A10. WKU was once an A10 candidate and came close to joining (a shame they didn't join over Fordham or Lasalle). But they were an FCS football school then.

For the MAC and Sun Belt schools, it's all about remaining in FBS and doing the best they can to improve the television value of their conference. The Sun Belt is adding GA St. (Atlanta) to replace FIU, which might be a nenefit since now they have some access to Miami and Atlanta via FAU/GAst. They are also trying to replace North Texas with Texas St. for football and likely a final announcement that UT-Arlington will leave the WAC for the Sun Belt.

You're at no time going to see any schools in FBS conferences leave for a conference without FBS football. The only exceptions will be when a MWC school leaves for #14 in the Big East, like Boise St. and SDSU, and they need a non-football home for other sports. This is a rare exception because the Big East is quite a large step up in stature and football TV revenue, despite the Pitt/Cuse/WVU losses, due to the new markets coming in.

When we are talking about A10 candidates, the candidate pool is very easy to follow...because it's a small pool:

1) Horizon & CAA - Tier 1 schools: This would be Butler (who joined) as well as GMU, VCU and ODU (likely headed to CUSA)
2) Tier 2: group including Detroit, Siena, BU, etc. Note this is a HUGE step down from Tier 1. We're talking Tier 1 being A to A- type schools and Tier 2 being C schools...schools that as replacements would be much lower quality than any that depart.
3) Tier 3 schools would be the rest of the AE, CAA, MAAC, NEC, etc.

GMU and VCU to the A10? That would be great for all the normal reasons (Final Four runs, DC/VA penetration to go along with GW and Richmond, and the A10 HQ being in VA, it helps to take over the region as A10 Country.

But after that, there are no candidates that are worthwhile. The ones that WOULD be (Big East non-football) would have the leverage to take the best of the A10, so those schools are out of the A10 mix no matter what happens in the Big East.
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Quinn · Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 10:19 am Post subject:

NilesGold · Senior Joined: 08 Apr 2012 Posts: 1323

^ Doesn't Davidson fit the bill as a potential Tier 1 team that might be willing to move over?

Quinn · Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 1:13 pm Post subject:

^
Tier 1 for the CAA maybe, neck and neck Charleston. Great academics at Davidson and a great coach. But as a program, they are more on par with the middle of the pack A10 schools, not the elite. They play in the SoCon, so it's been easier to win (over programs like Charleston). But they have less to offer a conference like the A10, especially being so far outside the footprint.
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