New Conference Make-up?

[Dr. Blackheart]

From the GTown board...go big or go home. I actually like this move and make-up from the get go to get the best media deal and enough good teams for all Olympic sports (an issue with only 8-10 schools). I am sure this is mostly board speculation, but we keep hearing these schools mentioned one way or the other, including the Westies.

14 team league: 

East: Gtown, Nova, Providence, SH, SJU, Dayton, Xavier

West:  MU, DePaul, St. Louis, Creighton, Butler, Gonzaga, St. Mary's

http://hoyatalk2.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=26380&page=14

[🏀]

Drop the divisions, Dayton and SLU. Then sign some contracts.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Drop the divisions, Dayton and SLU. Then sign some contracts.

Divisions help the Westies with travel...SLU unites the Jesuits' hoop network and both bump up the other Olympic sports. In division play, play the other six twice, and six of the east division once (3 home, 3 away) with one rotating miss for 18 games. 

[🏀]

Divisions help the Westies with travel...SLU unites the Jesuits' hoop network and both bump up the other Olympic sports. In division play, play the other six twice, and six of the east division once (3 home, 3 away) with one rotating miss for 18 games. 

I understand the points of the the divisions, I just hate the idea. I especially hate geographic locations, I'd rather follow the B1G on this and split it up differently. What I really hate is some Crean-esque jerkface is going to start hanging banners about winning the Big Priest East division or vice-versa. That's what I really hate about divisions. Then we start talking about the West being stronger than the East, yadda yadda, bubble team, yadda yadda.

I just wanted to get Dayton out of the conference. Drop Dayton and no divisions. I like SLU, and would regularly make the trip to STL.

[NersEllenson]

Looks like a very plausible scenario - though would prefer to be in the East division looking at those teams  - but if you go divisions, you have to have some marquee value in both divisions and we, along with Gonzaga, and Butler would be the Big 3 of the West.  Whereas in the East you have Gtown, Nova, Xavier, and St. John's...

[ChicosBailBonds]

Drop the divisions, Dayton and SLU. Then sign some contracts.

We want to be like SLU

[Norm]

Georgetown, Villanova, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John's, DePaul, Marquette, Xavier, Butler, Creighton, St. Louis, VCU. Keep it at 12 - that's a good line up of olympic sports, especially soccer.

[JTBMU7]

Georgetown, Villanova, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John's, DePaul, Marquette, Xavier, Butler, Creighton, St. Louis, VCU. Keep it at 12 - that's a good line up of olympic sports, especially soccer.

This would be my choice as well. I understand the benefit of adding the west coast schools, but I fear their addition would just create another odd mix geographically. Besides, I have to assume that in 5-10 years they will both still be more than willing to join if the new conference is successful and looking to create a larger footprint. I say start small and relatively close to each other, the option to grow should present itself in the future.

[nathanziarek]

This would be my choice as well. I understand the benefit of adding the west coast schools, but I fear their addition would just create another odd mix geographically

Obviously I have no idea what's really on the table and what's just wishful thinking by fans, but I'm very much of the mindset that you only get one chance to make a first impression.

If there is even a waft of "mid-major" smell to this league at it's official announcement, we're in for a long and bumpy road. With the rumors flying around, it seems like there's almost no way for this new league to do anything but disappoint.

If adding a pretty major BB brand in Gonzaga helps raise the profile in those first few months of buzz, it's probably worth a little bit of geographical instability. It might even be worth subsidizing some West Coast travel.

Blah blah ... in my field almost everything comes down to perception, logic be damned. I think this announcement has to knock it out of the park...

[brewcity77]

Drop Dayton, add VCU, get it done. I like the idea of some non-Catholics so that it is our athletics and not our religion that defines us.

[chapman]

Georgetown, Villanova, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John's, DePaul, Marquette, Xavier, Butler, Creighton, St. Louis, VCU. Keep it at 12 - that's a good line up of olympic sports, especially soccer.

My picks as well.  Norm for Big Priest Conference commissioner.

[Norm]

My picks as well.  Norm for Big Priest Conference commissioner.

Sweet! I'll keep a suite with an open bar available at MSG for all MUSccop members to enjoy the conference tournament.

[Dawson Rental]

Over the last few days of conference talk a crucial fact has been overlooked.  Dudes, we've lost Old Dominion for women's field hockey!

[chren21]

Take a long look at 8 and tell me why we need more than this right away.  There is no conf championship game so divisions make no sense unless you are going to do away with the tourney idea and just invite the winners of each division for a championchip game.  That would not make $ sense.

Georgetown
Marquette
St. Johns
Villanova
Seton Hall
Providence
DePaul
Xavier

[Pakuni]

If you're going to sell this to the networks, having a few more large markets probably wouldn't hurt. Thus, St. Louis, Butler and Creighton.

[6Under20]

What is the most amount of conference games that can be played (18,20, 22)?  And what limits this?  I would like to be able to play home and home against every team.  I think it builds up rivalries the fastest and makes for an even inside the conference SOS.

[brewcity77]

Take a long look at 8 and tell me why we need more than this right away.

Because 14 conference games isn't enough?

[chapman]

Take a long look at 8 and tell me why we need more than this right away.  There is no conf championship game so divisions make no sense unless you are going to do away with the tourney idea and just invite the winners of each division for a championchip game.  That would not make $ sense.

Georgetown
Marquette
St. Johns
Villanova
Seton Hall
Providence
DePaul
Xavier

At 8 you're trying to sell 63 games including the conference tournament to a network.  That's just not much content to give.  At 10 you can give them 99 games, or at 12 you're offering them 119 games, and you add a few solid media markets (St Louis, Indianapolis).  So a 57% or 89% increase in worthwhile content to offer, by increasing the number of teams by 25% or 50%.    

What is the most amount of conference games that can be played (18,20, 22)?  And what limits this?  I would like to be able to play home and home against every team.  I think it builds up rivalries the fastest and makes for an even inside the conference SOS.

At 10 teams you're able to play home-and-home against everybody (18 games).  At 11 you're looking at 20 games, 12 at 22, which is impractical for OOC scheduling and an be a deterrent to SOS and RPI for the teams, so if it goes over 10 the benefit of playing everyone twice isn't worth it.

[Tums Festival]

We need to add the strongest programs we can to raise the overall league RPI. That's why we need Gonzaga and St. Mary's in addition to Butler, Creighton and Xavier. That would put us easily in the top 4 conferences in terms of RPI.

[muwarrior69]

Drop Dayton, add VCU, get it done. I like the idea of some non-Catholics so that it is our athletics and not our religion that defines us.

Keep Dayton and add VCU and UNLV for 16. The 5 football conferences will be probaly expand to 16 each.

[brewcity77]

We don't need football schools. Pass on UNLV.

[muwarrior69]

Then Wichita State.

[🏀]

St. John's president said the conference would be 10 or 12 teams. Knock it off with 16 team leagues.

[real chili 83]

Then Wichita State.

I'm shocked you would suggest that.

Ya, that's all I got. 

[noblewarrior]

We need to add the strongest programs we can to raise the overall league RPI. That's why we need Gonzaga and St. Mary's in addition to Butler, Creighton and Xavier. That would put us easily in the top 4 conferences in terms of RPI.

THIS!!!