Did The Bleacher Report Just Call MU (the the Big East) mid-majors?

[Tugg Speedman]

See the highlighted part ...  Technically the power five have 65 schools and the Big East has 10 so yes, they sign more players than the Big East.  But the way this was written it sounds like the Big East is no different from the Horizon league.

----------------------------------------------------------------

College Basketball Recruiting: Ranking the Top 20 Players in 2015 Class
By Brian Pedersen , Featured Columnist Apr 12, 2015

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2427200-college-basketball-recruiting-ranking-the-top-20-players-in-2015-class/page/11

11. Henry Ellenson


Position: Power Forward
Height, Weight: 6'10", 230 lbs
Status: Signed with Marquette


The majority of the top prospects each year end up going to teams in the five biggest conferences, but Henry Ellenson decided to buck that trend somewhat by signing with Marquette. It helped that his older brother, Wally, had transferred over from Minnesota.

The Wisconsin native is one of the most impressive post players in the country, but he'll be heading into college on the mend after he broke his left hand in the high school state semifinals in mid-March. Even with the injury, Ellenson scored 26 points and had 12 rebounds, but he's expected to miss six to eight weeks before resuming basketball activity.

Marquette finished 13-19 overall and tied for last in the Big East this past season, its first under coach Steve Wojciechowski, but with Ellenson's arrival, the Golden Eagles should be much improved.

[Oldgym]

[jficke13]

For goodness sake never click on, or link to, bleacher report. Starve the beast.

[wadesworld]

Exactly.

[The Equalizer]

See the highlighted part ...  Technically the power five have 65 schools and the Big East has 10 so yes, they sign more players than the Big East.  But the way this was written it sounds like the Big East is no different from the Horizon league.

----------------------------------------------------------------

College Basketball Recruiting: Ranking the Top 20 Players in 2015 Class
By Brian Pedersen , Featured Columnist Apr 12, 2015

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2427200-college-basketball-recruiting-ranking-the-top-20-players-in-2015-class/page/11

11. Henry Ellenson


Position: Power Forward
Height, Weight: 6'10", 230 lbs
Status: Signed with Marquette


The majority of the top prospects each year end up going to teams in the five biggest conferences, but Henry Ellenson decided to buck that trend somewhat by signing with Marquette. It helped that his older brother, Wally, had transferred over from Minnesota.

The Wisconsin native is one of the most impressive post players in the country, but he'll be heading into college on the mend after he broke his left hand in the high school state semifinals in mid-March. Even with the injury, Ellenson scored 26 points and had 12 rebounds, but he's expected to miss six to eight weeks before resuming basketball activity.

Marquette finished 13-19 overall and tied for last in the Big East this past season, its first under coach Steve Wojciechowski, but with Ellenson's arrival, the Golden Eagles should be much improved.

My God, you're right! I would have never caught this!

That must be the point of the entire article. I would have thought it was about where the top 20 players are going, but I now see the real intent was to point out that the Big East and the Horizon are equals.

Thanks for pointing it out.

[🏀]

Bleacher Report has legit writers. This guy is not:

Brian Pedersen is an on-call college football writer for Bleacher Report who also covers Major League Baseball, college basketball, NASCAR and Olympics.
Since 1995 the University of Arizona graduate has covered numerous sports and teams at all levels, including Arizona basketball, football and softball, minor league baseball and high school sports. He has nearly 19 years of experience in print media, including stints at two daily newspapers and one alternative weekly in the Tucson area. His freelance work has been published throughout the U.S.
Pedersen also contributes to AnteUp, a monthly poker magazine, focusing on events and issues related to Southern Arizona.

[KipsBayEagle]

I hate to break it to everybody but you could make a very strong argument that the big east is a mid-major conference.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I didn't read it that way.  There is the Power 5, which is what I think the guy was eluding to.  There is the non Power 5, which includes conferences that are high major, mid major, low major.

[Tugg Speedman]

I hate to break it to everybody but you could make a very strong argument that the big east is a mid-major conference.

Make it, and then I will tell you why you're wrong.

[mattyv1908]

Half of the current Big East members (Marquette, DePaul, Creighton, Xavier and Butler) were all playing in a mid major conference within the last 10 years.  When you regularly have national powerhouses leave the conference being replaced by schools from mid majors it's not unfathomable for some to consider the Big East as a mid major.

I think they're wrong in the assumption but time will tell.

[Tugg Speedman]

Half of the current Big East members (Marquette, DePaul, Creighton, Xavier and Butler) were all playing in a mid major conference within the last 10 years.  When you regularly have national powerhouses leave the conference being replaced by schools from mid majors it's not unfathomable for some to consider the Big East as a mid major.

I think they're wrong in the assumption but time will tell.

Half the current B1G plays basketball at a mid-major level, and has for several years ... Neb, NW, Iowa, Penn State, Rutgers, Illinois and Minnesota.

Does that make the B1G a mid-major conference?

[KipsBayEagle]

Make it, and then I will tell you why you're wrong.

If any power conference, and I do mean any, sent a invite to any one of our schools, that school including Marquette would leave so quickly it would make your head spin.  That is why we are a mid-major, just as the AAC is a mid major.  If a power conference extends an invite to anyone of those schools they are gone.  

Also, the power conferences all play football, we do not.  Historically this has been a trait of a mid major conference (a10, wcc).

Finally, all the power conferences are majority public state institutions.  We have none.

[KipsBayEagle]

Half the current B1G plays basketball at a mid-major level, and has for several years ... Neb, NW, Iowa, Penn State, Rutgers, Illinois and Minnesota.

Does that make the B1G a mid-major conference?

Nebraska was in the big 12 before joining the big ten.

Penn State and Rutgers were in the Big East when they were a power conference before joining the big 10.

What is your point?

[KipsBayEagle]

Ignore that above post, i misread your post.

[bilsu]

I hate to break it to everybody but you could make a very strong argument that the big east is a mid-major conference.

Without football we will always be a mid-major conference. We are one of the best basketball conferences and I would say we are a mid-major basketball conference until we can start putting teams in the final four.

[GGGG]

If any power conference, and I do mean any, sent a invite to any one of our schools, that school including Marquette would leave so quickly it would make your head spin.  That is why we are a mid-major, just as the AAC is a mid major.  If a power conference extends an invite to anyone of those schools they are gone. 

Also, the power conferences all play football, we do not.  Historically this has been a trait of a mid major conference (a10, acc).

Finally, all the power conferences are majority public state institutions.  We have none.

Any definition of "mid major" that includes the ACC is a bad definition.  By that metric, the B12 is also mid major because schools have left it as well.

[KipsBayEagle]

My bad, totally meant to put WCC there, correcting now

[mattyv1908]

Any definition of "mid major" that includes the ACC is a bad definition.  By that metric, the B12 is also mid major because schools have left it as well.

AAC - American Atheletic Conference NOT to be confused with the ACC - Atlantic Coast Conference.

[GGGG]

Without football we will always be a mid-major conference. We are one of the best basketball conferences and I would say we are a mid-major basketball conference until we can start putting teams in the final four.

I completely disagree on your first sentence.  Football is irrelevant to this discussion.  The second sentence makes is more relevant.  However the BE is a better basketball conference than some of the Power 5 so I don't think it is accurate.

[GGGG]

AAC - American Atheletic Conference NOT to be confused with the ACC - Atlantic Coast Conference.

Ah...just midread it.  It is still a bad definition.  Teams have left the ACC and B12 recently.  If Kansas were invited to the B10, they would leave as well.  That doesn't make them mid-major.

[KipsBayEagle]

I completely disagree on your first sentence.  Football is irrelevant to this discussion.  The second sentence makes is more relevant.  However the BE is a better basketball conference than some of the Power 5 so I don't think it is accurate.

How is football irrelevant to this conversation?  Bowl Championship Series Automatic Bids are what gave power conferences the label power conferences.  Conference realignment was based around football.  The reason the new big east came together is a mutual lack of football.  If not football, what would make a power conference?

[bilsu]

I completely disagree on your first sentence.  Football is irrelevant to this discussion.  The second sentence makes is more relevant.  However the BE is a better basketball conference than some of the Power 5 so I don't think it is accurate.

No it is not. Public perception is what determines if you are a major conference. MU and The Big East are no where on the sport scene until basketball starts.

[KipsBayEagle]

Ah...just midread it.  It is still a bad definition.  Teams have left the ACC and B12 recently.  If Kansas were invited to the B10, they would leave as well.  That doesn't make them mid-major.

I'm not denying a hierarchy in the power conferences.  What I would argue is that were a non-power conference school offered a spot in any power conference, they would jump, no questions asked, barring outlandish travel scenarios (i.e. gonzaga to the acc)

[#UnleashSean]

Half of the current Big East members (Marquette, DePaul, Creighton, Xavier and Butler) were all playing in a mid major conference within the last 10 years.  When you regularly have national powerhouses leave the conference being replaced by schools from mid majors it's not unfathomable for some to consider the Big East as a mid major.

I think they're wrong in the assumption but time will tell.

Cusa at the time Marquette was in it was not a mid major.

[KipsBayEagle]

Cusa at the time Marquette was in it was not a mid major.

Yes it was.