Would you take Detroit Mercy

[Detfan23]

Would you invite UDM to join the Catholic Conference?  Their play has been improving and it would be another midwestern team in the heart of a strong market.  I know they are not great, but they play a better game than DePaul, Saint Johns, Providence, and Dayton (proposed team) as of right now.  Any takers? 

[Niv Berkowitz]

No! UD = Valpo. Would you take Valpo?

[Blackhat]

What's your basketball budget and prospects for improvement?

[chapman]

Win four of the next five Horizon titles and two NCAA games, show a large basketball investment, then we'll put them on the radar.

[MU82]

Furman won its last game, but I wouldn't take the Paladins, either!

Can we please get a history of recent excellence? We've got a great old/new conference. Let's not settle.

[Windyplayer]

Would you invite UDM to join the Catholic Conference?  Their play has been improving and it would be another midwestern team in the heart of a strong market.  I know they are not great, but they play a better game than DePaul, Saint Johns, Providence, and Dayton (proposed team) as of right now.  Any takers? 

Not a chance. They've had moderate success (I'm being generous) because of one player in Ray McCallum Jr. over the last three years and he only went to Detroit as a top 50 recruit because his dad is the head coach there. Detroit has a heck of a long way to go before the new Big East would ever remotely consider them as a conference member.  

[Warriors10]

This a joke?

I'd take all those teams you mentioned (maybe not DePaul) against Detroit any day.  Hell, you guys didn't even win the Horizon.

[bradley center bat]

They draw about 1,200+ per game.

[Norm]

I guess I'm the lone wolf here that would take UDM in the league if it was expanded to 14 teams.

I think it would be good for the league to have a presence in the state of Michigan. Detroit does not equal Valpo. The only media markets bigger than Detroit in the league are New York, DC, Chicago and Philadelphia. Detroit has had a better winning percentage than St. John's and DePaul and has as many NCAA entries as St. John's, DePaul, Providence and St. Louis over the past 10 years. They have a good chance of making the NCAAs again this season.

Again, I don't think they fit in a 10 or 12 team league, but I could live with them in a 14 team league.

[GGGG]

Jeez guys... The guy comes here from another school and asks his opinion and beat the guy down.

The answer to me is no.  Detroit's basketball budget is $2.5 million per this.

http://www.vcuramnation.com/forums/threads/a-10-expansion-candidates.11017/page-17

That is substantially less than the other C7 schools...including DePaul.  I mean, Marquette's basketball budget is something like $8-10 million.

[connie]

No (respectfully).

[Stronghold]

I want Creighton and St. Louis before any others

[Windyplayer]

This a joke?

I'd take all those teams you mentioned (maybe not DePaul) against Detroit any day.  Hell, you guys didn't even win the Horizon.

You would take DePaul over Detroit, no question. It's only a matter of time before DePaul regains some of its lost form and when it does there is going to be a huge market to support them.

[MU82]

I guess I'm the lone wolf here that would take UDM in the league if it was expanded to 14 teams.

I think it would be good for the league to have a presence in the state of Michigan. Detroit does not equal Valpo. The only media markets bigger than Detroit in the league are New York, DC, Chicago and Philadelphia. Detroit has had a better winning percentage than St. John's and DePaul and has as many NCAA entries as St. John's, DePaul, Providence and St. Louis over the past 10 years. They have a good chance of making the NCAAs again this season.

Again, I don't think they fit in a 10 or 12 team league, but I could live with them in a 14 team league.

Just because a team is in a marketplace, it doesn't mean it "delivers" the market to the league. For every 1,000 sports fans in Michigan, maybe 1 -- and that's probably being very generous -- cares about Detroit basketball.

It's the same reason we aren't pursuing Holy Cross to "deliver" the Boston market, Duquesne to "deliver" Pittsburgh, St. Mary's to "deliver" San Francisco, Florida International to "deliver" Miami, etc.

As it is, DePaul barely delivers Chicago, though at least it's a sleeping giant of a program that has been a big player in college basketball in my lifetime.

It's not the size of the market. It's the commitment of the school to the program as well as the program's likely success going forward.

[Eldon]

I love the prospect that Detroit would bring:  Big TV market, NBA/NHL facilities, and perhaps most importantly, great new grounds for recruiting.  UDM also has a little bit of tradition, plus they are small, urban, and Catholic.  

However, echoing what many have already stated, UDM does not seem too committed on hoops, evidenced by the meager $2.5M allocation.  

I would defer to any of the C7 ADs on whether these benefits outweigh the costs of diluting the league, but as I see it currently, I would be opposed to them being in a 12-team league with us (but would still take them over VCU).  However, I would be more willing to accept them in a 14 or 16 team league if, say, Fox demanded us to expand to that many teams.

[Groin_pull]

No chance. They bring nothing to the table—except the stench of a mid-major bottom feeder.

[Warriors10]

You would take DePaul over Detroit, no question. It's only a matter of time before DePaul regains some of its lost form and when it does there is going to be a huge market to support them.

I was talking about in a game, today...

[keefe]

the stench of a mid-major bottom feeder.

[Ari Gold]

[mu_hilltopper]

The fact this question is asked .. is befuddling.

We are kicking out teams like Central Florida, Houston, Southern Methodist, ECU, Navy and Tulane.  

Why would we take Detroit Mercy?  Because they are Catholic?   Yeah, that's not how the Big East rolls.

[swoopem]

Being from Detroit it would be cool, but there is no way they belong anywhere near us when it comes to bball.

I want VCU

[Norm]

The fact this question is asked .. is befuddling.

We are kicking out teams like Central Florida, Houston, Southern Methodist, ECU, Navy and Tulane.  

Why would we take Detroit Mercy?  Because they are Catholic?   Yeah, that's not how the Big East rolls.

Why is this befuddling? A fan of Detroit Mercy comes to the board to see what MU fans thought of them being in the new league, which I'm sure they'd like to be part of, as would many schools. As you can tell, most here are adamantly against it. Question answered.

[keefe]

I love the prospect that Detroit would bring:  Big TV market, NBA/NHL facilities, and perhaps most importantly, great new grounds for recruiting.  UDM also has a little bit of tradition, plus they are small, urban, and Catholic.  

However, echoing what many have already stated, UDM does not seem too committed on hoops, evidenced by the meager $2.5M allocation.  

I would defer to any of the C7 ADs on whether these benefits outweigh the costs of diluting the league, but as I see it currently, I would be opposed to them being in a 12-team league with us (but would still take them over VCU).  However, I would be more willing to accept them in a 14 or 16 team league if, say, Fox demanded us to expand to that many teams.

Having lived in Ann Arbor I can tell you that Detroit Mercy has zero traction in Michigan. Zero. And back then Detroit Mercy was actually competitive.

I do not think that being "Catholic" is a factor in consideration. Detroit does well in the Horizon League. They have found their home. Their quest has ended.

[Eldon]

Having lived in Ann Arbor I can tell you that Detroit Mercy has zero traction in Michigan. Zero. And back then Detroit Mercy was actually competitive.

I do not think that being "Catholic" is a factor in consideration. Detroit does well in the Horizon League. They have found their home. Their quest has ended.

And in Windsor?

[Norm]

Having lived in Ann Arbor I can tell you that Detroit Mercy has zero traction in Michigan. Zero. And back then Detroit Mercy was actually competitive.

I do not think that being "Catholic" is a factor in consideration. Detroit does well in the Horizon League. They have found their home. Their quest has ended.

Keefe, when was the last year you lived in Michigan?