Wichita State Moves to the AAC

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RF1
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Wichita State Moves to the AAC

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It appears increasingly likely that the Wichita State Shockers are headed to the American Athletic Conference (AAC). The conference has only eleven members for sports outside of football (Navy is a football member only) and the thinking is the league would like 12 members for all sports. The Shockers do not have a football program so they would be a nice fit. WSU has seen that getting to the NCAA Tournament (see Illinois State) along with a decent seed is a tough prospect out of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). They would like to raise their profile and play in better league. Their addition would add further men's basketball pedigree to the AAC with 14 appearances in the NCAA Tournament (Final Four twice, Elite 8 four times, and Sweet 16 six times) and 10,000+/game home attendance.

Wichita State move to AAC growing more likely, ESPN report says
http://www.kansas.com/sports/college/wi ... 14303.html

AAC Current Membership
UConn
Temple
East Carolina
Cincinnati
Central Florida
South Florida
Tulane
Houston
SMU
Memphis
Tulsa
Navy** (football only)

The AAC and A-10 have been very close to one another in conference RPI and NCAA bids since the last round of conference realignment. The addition of the WSU might move the AAC permanently ahead if the A-10 doesn't improve itself.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by steviep123 »

A10 should step in and take Wichita State from them
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by the_one_mike »

Can we just trade St. Louis for UConn already? UConn makes absolutely no sense in that conference just as much as St. Louis has never made sense in the A10.

Being as 80% of the AAC are Midwestern/Southeastern cities St. Louis fits in with them perfectly just as much as UConn would fit in an Atlantic based conference... Pipe dream, obviously... but it drives me crazy how sensibility has gone out the window for the sake of building cash-cow leagues yet pretend like the kids on the team are "student-athletes" so they don't get paid.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by theblueram »

The A10 needs to do some addition by subtraction.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by ramster »

Wichita State is 360 miles directly north of Dallas. Geographically a better fit with SMU, Memphis, Tulsa, Houston and Tulane than they would have in the A10 I suppose. Tough having teams that are in a Conference for only 1 sport.

AAC Current Membership
UConn
Temple
East Carolina
Cincinnati
Central Florida
South Florida
Tulane
Houston
SMU
Memphis
Tulsa

Navy** (football only)
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by bigappleram »

theblueram wrote:The A10 needs to do some addition by subtraction.
Couldn't agree more. League has always reinvented itself, and it is time to do that once again. Duquesne and Fordham need to go.
Every team would benefit from more games with each other, than with either of these schools in 9 out of 10 years. They play in high school gyms. They average attendance below 2,500. They have not been relevant in decades. Down to 12 and remove sub 200 RPI games in most years.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by section(105) »

......maybe time for UMess to gets its wandering football team into a league, AAC and A-10 gets WSU.....love their mascot.....

My bad, I need to pay closer attention to their football!!
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by EastCTRam69 »

ramster wrote:Tough having teams that are in a Conference for only 1 sport.
NCAA rules require teams to join in all Olympic sports sponsored by a conference if not joining as a football school. So all of Wichita State's sports would join the AAC
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by theblueram »

bigappleram wrote:
theblueram wrote:The A10 needs to do some addition by subtraction.
Couldn't agree more. League has always reinvented itself, and it is time to do that once again. Duquesne and Fordham need to go.
Every team would benefit from more games with each other, than with either of these schools in 9 out of 10 years. They play in high school gyms. They average attendance below 2,500. They have not been relevant in decades. Down to 12 and remove sub 200 RPI games in most years.
Maybe impose severe monetary penalties when RPI is sub 200? That might work to push them out. I don't know why schools don't include negatives in a coaches contract. Like, if you are sub 200 RPI, you lose money.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by URI2006_Andy »

With or without WSU, the AAC is going to be slightly better than the A-10. Temple, UConn, Cincy, SMU, Memphis all really good programs that may be better than anyone in the A-10. I would love to get WSU in the A-10 but I wouldn't mind them going to the AAC If it means Dayton and VCU aren't considered.I think the A-10 would get better by implementing a flex schedule:

1. Play each team once (13 games)
2. Leave 6 games tentative until the end of the non-conference schedule.
3. Then the top 7 rpi teams play each other for a second time (6 more games, totaling 19).
4. The bottom 7 rpi teams play each other for a second time.
5. Then,for the conference tournament,the 7 teams in the bottom division play for 1 spot in the quarterfinals with the top 7 A-10 teams.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by PillPushr »

Probably not realistic, but if Wichita joins the AAC the A10 should move to cut Duquesne and Fordham and make a play for a couple MVC schools. Northern Iowa, Illinois State, Missouri State, or Indiana State would all be decent options in my mind.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by Rhode_Island_Red »

Going from the MVC to the AAC isn't much more than a lateral move. Both have lots of dead weight at the bottom.

As for the Atlantic-10, even if we hadn't made the NCAA this year I'd still be arguing to lose Fordham and Duquesne. Our teams would have better RPIs and we'd get more teams in the tournament each year -- more money prestige etc. for our league.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by RhowdyRam02 »

Going from the Missouri Valley to the American is a huge upgrade. Every conference has bottom feeders, the Missouri Valley doesn't have teams like UConn or Cincinnati for Wichita state to go up against. Also the American gets far more national exposure
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by rambone 78 »

No brainer there RR2......huge for Wichita State.

The A10 is going to have to make some changes in the next year years, or it will become a 1 or 2 bid conference.

Archie along with Wade has said that it's getting tougher and tougher to schedule good teams OOC...and Dan knows this too, he's said it's one of the hardest things about the job.

In the future coaches who have success at the mid major level will bolt for greener pastures more and more often....and sooner, while they are hot commodities. At least coaches who want to make the NCAAT consistently.

As we've seen lately, it will become harder and harder for mid majors to make the dance. And that's what the power conferences want.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by hrstrat57 »

I really wish Fordham could become relevant......

A NYC club in our league is important.

Why haven't they built a better/bigger building? Is a a space thing on campus?

Rose Hill is cute but c'mon so was Keaney and it held 2x the people.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by rambone 78 »

Fordham has plenty of money, but their administration doesn't care enough about winning.

A new arena is way down their priority list. They will never be consistently good with the ancient facilities they have.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

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rambone 78 wrote:No brainer there RR2......huge for Wichita State.

The A10 is going to have to make some changes in the next year years, or it will become a 1 or 2 bid conference.

Archie along with Wade has said that it's getting tougher and tougher to schedule good teams OOC...and Dan knows this too, he's said it's one of the hardest things about the job.

In the future coaches who have success at the mid major level will bolt for greener pastures more and more often....and sooner, while they are hot commodities. At least coaches who want to make the NCAAT consistently.

As we've seen lately, it will become harder and harder for mid majors to make the dance. And that's what the power conferences want.
With a couple more years of success, it's not out of the question to inquire the Big East about potentially joining. That would alleviate all the mid-major problems immediately. At the point of the Big East restructuring people thought it had lost power... so we aren't a crazy outlier program.

We have a built in rivalry with PC, and a program with early basketball history; add a track record of recent success and it's not that crazy an idea. Until the Butler years under Brad Stevens they had little to no basketball history... if we dance next year that brings us to double digit all time appearances. DePaul hasn't done anything in recent memory; Seton Hall and St. Johns are just finally getting their acts together. URI, in all reality, has a very similar tournament history as Seton Hall outside of their run to the championship in '88.

It seems like it could work to me. I'd love to think that's Hurley's goal with the growth of our program... he certainly has the network in New York to put the ask out.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by rambone 78 »

Nice thought Mike, but seriously doubt that would happen.

Private Catholic schools, no football.....us, public school with football.......well what passes for football.....

Of course if offered, URI would accept in a minute I would hope......

Dayton wants into the BE big time....and they are a currently a much better fit than we are...but X doesn't want them.....maybe St. Louis is a candidate.....PC would never vote us in, never.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by hrstrat57 »

Never.

What recruit would visit that dump up there with URI in the same league, same TV deal everything and choose PC.

Ummmm nobody.

Which is why I was shocked to read recently that PC hockey wants URI in the Hockey East.

So well I guess that messes up my point.....

:)
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

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hrstrat57 wrote:Never.

What recruit would visit that dump up there with URI in the same league, same TV deal everything and choose PC.

Ummmm nobody.

Which is why I was shocked to read recently that PC hockey wants URI in the Hockey East.

So well I guess that messes up my point.....

:)
"Which is why I was shocked to read recently that PC hockey wants URI in the Hockey East."

Is that true? (Not that URI is moving to D1)
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by RhowdyRam02 »

Villanova is in the same conference for football and Georgetown also has FCS football, so our program certainly wouldn't be an issue. They just won't band together with FBS schools.

That said, us to the Big East isn't happening. I can't see PC allowing us in and we don't add an extra market for TV deals
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

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rambone 78 wrote:Nice thought Mike, but seriously doubt that would happen.

Private Catholic schools, no football.....us, public school with football.......well what passes for football.....

Of course if offered, URI would accept in a minute I would hope......

Dayton wants into the BE big time....and they are a currently a much better fit than we are...but X doesn't want them.....maybe St. Louis is a candidate.....PC would never vote us in, never.
That "dropping football" scenario was a discussion that was just brought up in another thread. I sure hope that if were an option to join, and that one of the stipulations, we'd seriously consider it. I think Big East grade exposure and the subsequent growth in basketball would far surpass any of the negatives of cutting football.

Other than that, you're definitely right. It's not likely, but it's certainly possible. Maybe Bob Sr. can take out Coach K for a nice dinner and ask politely for an invitation to the ACC :lol:

I think you guys are overplaying the idea of PC not wanting us in though. An in-state rivalry with more media coverage would ultimately bring more revenue to both universities. Outside of the "we hate each other" thing, it actually seems like a good idea business-wise. Believe it or not, there's a LOT of kids that would still choose to be in the city over URI, no matter how beautiful it may be. Some people just don't appreciate the ocean like we do 8-)
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

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Man I wish we could get Wichita for the A10

Also agree Fordham and Duquesne need to go !!
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by rambone 78 »

I don't think the A10 will drop anybody unfortunately....Fordham is showing signs of life and they want a NYC area school.

But they should demand that Duquesne shape up......they should set goals that they need to meet over time.....or else.

We just have too many programs with dumps for arenas and not enough commitment to get better.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

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I don't understand why we don't ditch Fordham and take Iona. All These MVC schools are junk options compared to them or Siena. Id even take Fairfield before a MVC school.

Iona performs better the most a-10 bottom feeders despite playing in a crap league. IF you let them in the a10 they could get decent recruits and actually play defense!

Siena draws better then most a10 schools and gets a level of support from the local community most a10 members would love to have. Add them to the a10 and in 10-20 years they will be the next Dayton or Syracuse.

Sure Iona is not actually in NYC but people from outside that area are unlikely to know the difference between the Bronx and New Rochelle anyways.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

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EGram wrote:I don't understand why we don't ditch Fordham and take Iona. All These MVC schools are junk options compared to them or Siena. Id even take Fairfield before a MVC school.

Iona performs better the most a-10 bottom feeders despite playing in a crap league. IF you let them in the a10 they could get decent recruits and actually play defense!

Siena draws better then most a10 schools and gets a level of support from the local community most a10 members would love to have. Add them to the a10 and in 10-20 years they will be the next Dayton or Syracuse.

Sure Iona is not actually in NYC but people from outside that area are unlikely to know the difference between the Bronx and New Rochelle anyways.
Agree on all 3
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

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EGram wrote: Sure Iona is not actually in NYC but people from outside that area are unlikely to know the difference between the Bronx and New Rochelle anyways.
There's a difference? ;)
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by EGram »

I would love to ask the a10 commissioner guy why Fordham is in the a10 and Iona is out because I literally cannot think of how they are a better fit in anyway.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by ramster »

I know it's pretty common here to kick Fordham and Duquesne but it was not long ago we were there with them during the Baron to Hurley transition
For what its worth, the last 10 conference games we have played with Fordham we are 5-5 having lost the last 2
Kicking both schools out will result in two more teams then being at the bottom, there will always be bottom teams. Makes the RPI go up but does it really get more teams from the A10 in the NCAA's? Probably but not sure how many and how often

Look at the league Gonzaga plays in as a comparison. Many of these schools play in small arenas and do not get high attendance in those small arenas.

Yet, Gonzaga moves on, every year. Saint Mary's is tough generally and BYU gives some good competition but the A10 is stronger middle to bottom. But this league is typically between Gonzaga, St Mary's and BYU every year just as ours can be about Dayton, VCU and URI every year. The problem for URI is that we have not been one of the Top 3 - that is not Fordham and Duquesne's fault - only our own

I don't ever see the A10 throwing out long term members Duquesne and/or Fordham. They are better than URI in many sports other than basketball, much better in many. The restructuring of Leagues will more likely take place in big changes, maybe even the formation of a new league similar to how the New Big East or American Athletic Conference formed.

But if you really insist on kicking out Duquesne and Fordham I suggest you write to the Atlantic 10 Home Office and provide your reasoning. Posting about it over and over here is not going to get you anywhere, we already know where you all stand with this subject.

I think focusing on what we need to do to be a regular in the NCAA Tournament like Dayton and VCU have done the last several years is of paramount importance. Beat out the other 13 teams in the League on a regular basis just as Gonzaga does.

I never believed the speculation early in the year that the A10 would only get 1, maybe 2 teams in. Was it close getting 3? Sure, but we were closer to getting 3 than we were to getting 2. We did not even have a team in the Play-In Games.

If we want to beef up the schedule go play Houston, Valpo, Nebraska type teams on the road. The odds of getting Duquesne and Fordham thrown out are a million to 1 maybe 2 million to 1.

West Coast Standings
Gonzaga (17-1) 36-1
Saint Mary's (16-2) 29-5
BYU (12-6) 22-12
San Francisco (10-8) 20-13
Santa Clara (10-8) 17-16
Loyola Marymount (8-10) 15-15
San Diego (6-12) 13-18
Pepperdine (5-13) 9-22
Pacific (4-14) 11-22
Portland (2-16) 11-22
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by EGram »

Can we not pretend like URI sucking for a couple of years is the equivalent to Fordham?

We're talking about a school that was averaging less than 800 fans at home games earlier this year. A School that went over a decade without winning an A10 tournament game.

The A10 is a basketball conference. lets not pretend having Fordham basketball as a member is not an embarrassment.

Like anyone I would much prefer the Fordhams of the A10 committed themselves to improving the program. Not having to play so many RPi 200-300 schools in conference play would be a huge boon.

Sadly I think we are more likely to lose La Salle as they have been hit pretty hard financially and the new administration seems to be thinking of a move to the maac.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by Rhodymob05 »

Baron era we had a 20 win season streak and now we're A10 champs, so I agree with the above post and that just because we had a few bad rebuilding seasons doesn't make us Fordham or Duquesne. Also, their other sports are not much better than URIs. Look outside the Ryan and you'll find very competitive programs in Kingston.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by ramster »

Rhodymob05 wrote:Baron era we had a 20 win season streak and now we're A10 champs, so I agree with the above post and that just because we had a few bad rebuilding seasons doesn't make us Fordham or Duquesne. Also, their other sports are not much better than URIs. Look outside the Ryan and you'll find very competitive programs in Kingston.
In no way, shape or form am I trying to say we are Fordham or Duquesne.

I don't bring up kicking them out all the time, or ever. It comes up by others here all the time. Would be best to create a thread just for this subject as often as it comes up.

The Eastern 8 was founded in 1976 and only Duquesne, UMASS and GW were members of the original base that ultimately became the A10 - 41 years ago. Duquesne left for 1 year and joined the Horizon. URI joined in 1980, Fordham in 1995.

It might be likely that Fordham ends up joining the Patriot League anyway.

Gonzaga has qualified for the NCAA Tournament 19 straight years with a middle and bottom of a conference worse than the A10. Can we be Gonzaga like? Wouldn't every team like to be? But this shows what can be done even with small schools, with small arenas and small crowds. Just be the best in the Conference or one of the best.

Bottom line, I don't know of any conference that simply kicks out the low performers, maybe there are, please list them. Best bet is to write to the A10 Commissioner.

I'd focus on our own team because I don't see the A10 ever kicking out any teams, only adding as teams leave.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by RhowdyRam02 »

EGram wrote:Iona performs better the most a-10 bottom feeders despite playing in a crap league. IF you let them in the a10 they could get decent recruits and actually play defense!

Siena draws better then most a10 schools and gets a level of support from the local community most a10 members would love to have. Add them to the a10 and in 10-20 years they will be the next Dayton or Syracuse.
Iona has come to the Ryan Center two times in the last three years and I've never seen a school so dedicated to NOT playing defense. Tim Cluess' entire system is predicated on not playing defense so that his guys are fresh and in position for offense. I literally saw guys hanging back in the offensive end waiting for a pass like it was intramural street hockey while the rest of the defense tried to play 4 on 5 defensively.

Also, Siena has zero chance of being the next Syracuse.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by rambone 78 »

Iona could be a candidate, along with Siena....if the Gaels join the A10 they would have to recruit at a higher level to compete, which means Cluess or whoever's the coach would have to focus more on defense....in the MAAC they can get away with just playing offense if they are talented enough to do so....in the A10 they would get taken to the woodshed defensively by teams like us and VCU.....

Isn't Siena Jesuit? That would make them more of a fit for the BE down the line.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

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rambone 78 wrote:Iona could be a candidate, along with Siena....if the Gaels join the A10 they would have to recruit at a higher level to compete, which means Cluess or whoever's the coach would have to focus more on defense....in the MAAC they can get away with just playing offense if they are talented enough to do so....in the A10 they would get taken to the woodshed defensively by teams like us and VCU.....

Isn't Siena Jesuit? That would make them more of a fit for the BE down the line.

Both Iona and Siena are small Catholic schools. New Rochelle-NY based Iona, with about 3,300 undergrads, is affiliated with the Christian Brothers. Siena, located just outside Albany in Loudonville-NY, has 3,200 undergrads is run by the Franciscans (same order as SBU).

While all but one of the ten new Big East members are Catholic schools, they are run by several different orders and institutions. Only four are Jesuit.

Seton Hall - Archdiocese of Newark
Providence - Dominican
Villanova - Augustinian
St John's - Vincentian
Depaul - Vincentian
Xavier - Jesuit
Georgetown - Jesuit
Creighton - Jesuit
Marquette - Jesuit
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by ramster »

Siena and Iona would be among the smallest schools in the A10 with St Bonaventure and Davidson
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by rambone 78 »

Siena draws really well though and they have a big arena.....good resources for such a small school.

The A10 really has limited options to expand.

This has been discussed before, but maybe the CAA and A10 could join forces with the better programs from each forming a new league.

The leftovers could form a new, lower level league.

I know, probably never happen.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by the_one_mike »

rambone 78 wrote:Siena draws really well though and they have a big arena.....good resources for such a small school.

The A10 really has limited options to expand.

This has been discussed before, but maybe the CAA and A10 could join forces with the better programs from each forming a new league.

The leftovers could form a new, lower level league.

I know, probably never happen.
Unlikely but crazier things have happened. I'd liken that to the Big East/ACC mashup that happened... and, ironically, it's worked out pretty damn well for some of those Big East schools that were originally looking as if they were left in the dust.
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EGram
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by EGram »

The reason I mention Siena with Syracuse and Dayton is because like those two schools they are the only game in town in a moderately sized city and get outsized support as a result. They likely won't ever have the success of a team like Cuse but I don't see why they couldn't be a Dayton like program if in a better conference.

Siena might be a small school but they draw more to home games than most a10 schools already. Put them in the a10 an they would be among the leaders in attendance in a few years if the program had success.

Also the BE is not taking MAAC schools and the a10 is half small Catholic schools so it's not like schools like Iona or Siena would not fit.
Last edited by EGram 7 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
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class of 86
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by class of 86 »

The a ten is too big to not have a divisional format.Quite possibly so we can get cherry picked again and not have to scramble for replacements.Expanding into Boston and Albany markets could only help.Anyone can develop.A Manhattan or Iona would be sweet if only to shame Fordham to do something more......other than upset us.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by RhodysRelevant »

ramster wrote:I know it's pretty common here to kick Fordham and Duquesne but it was not long ago we were there with them during the Baron to Hurley transition
For what its worth, the last 10 conference games we have played with Fordham we are 5-5 having lost the last 2
Kicking both schools out will result in two more teams then being at the bottom, there will always be bottom teams. Makes the RPI go up but does it really get more teams from the A10 in the NCAA's? Probably but not sure how many and how often

Look at the league Gonzaga plays in as a comparison. Many of these schools play in small arenas and do not get high attendance in those small arenas.

Yet, Gonzaga moves on, every year. Saint Mary's is tough generally and BYU gives some good competition but the A10 is stronger middle to bottom. But this league is typically between Gonzaga, St Mary's and BYU every year just as ours can be about Dayton, VCU and URI every year. The problem for URI is that we have not been one of the Top 3 - that is not Fordham and Duquesne's fault - only our own

I don't ever see the A10 throwing out long term members Duquesne and/or Fordham. They are better than URI in many sports other than basketball, much better in many. The restructuring of Leagues will more likely take place in big changes, maybe even the formation of a new league similar to how the New Big East or American Athletic Conference formed.

But if you really insist on kicking out Duquesne and Fordham I suggest you write to the Atlantic 10 Home Office and provide your reasoning. Posting about it over and over here is not going to get you anywhere, we already know where you all stand with this subject.

I think focusing on what we need to do to be a regular in the NCAA Tournament like Dayton and VCU have done the last several years is of paramount importance. Beat out the other 13 teams in the League on a regular basis just as Gonzaga does.

I never believed the speculation early in the year that the A10 would only get 1, maybe 2 teams in. Was it close getting 3? Sure, but we were closer to getting 3 than we were to getting 2. We did not even have a team in the Play-In Games.

If we want to beef up the schedule go play Houston, Valpo, Nebraska type teams on the road. The odds of getting Duquesne and Fordham thrown out are a million to 1 maybe 2 million to 1.

West Coast Standings
Gonzaga (17-1) 36-1
Saint Mary's (16-2) 29-5
BYU (12-6) 22-12
San Francisco (10-8) 20-13
Santa Clara (10-8) 17-16
Loyola Marymount (8-10) 15-15
San Diego (6-12) 13-18
Pepperdine (5-13) 9-22
Pacific (4-14) 11-22
Portland (2-16) 11-22

WCC Attendance.png

hate to quote such a long post but its a good one...Can't believe Gonzaga plays in a 6k arena!
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by Rhodymob05 »

Take em, way to far away for the A10.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by Shaolin Swat »

Would've liked to see them in the A10. This move is going to strengthen the AAC giving them several quality programs (Cincinnati, UConn, Wichita St., Temple and SMU - until they wind up on probation again) at the top of the conference. Adding them to the A10 would have made for an even stronger top of the conference (Without including us, Dayton, VCU, and Wichita St. would make for an excellent set of marquee league programs)
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by ramster »

WSU is too far away and it's not like they considered the A10 anyway. Also not crazy about 1 sport only members.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by steviep123 »

ramster wrote:WSU is too far away and it's not like they considered the A10 anyway. Also not crazy about 1 sport only members.
you are right about the distance. But WSU will be in AAC for all sports. Same as if they came to the A10.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by ramster »

steviep123 wrote:
ramster wrote:WSU is too far away and it's not like they considered the A10 anyway. Also not crazy about 1 sport only members.
you are right about the distance. But WSU will be in AAC for all sports. Same as if they came to the A10.
Stevie,

This is from the Dallas morning news....
Is it a sure thing it's for all sports? Or do all sports come at a later date?

On Tuesday, multiple outlets reported that Wichita State was set to join the AAC as a basketball-only member for the 2017-18 season, a move that had been speculated for several weeks. And considering what both sides of this transaction are looking for, it's a no-brainer.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by RhowdyRam02 »

ramster wrote:WSU is too far away and it's not like they considered the A10 anyway. Also not crazy about 1 sport only members.
It's not happening, but I think Wichita State would be an ideal one sport member for the A10. You get all the benefit of their men's team without having to increase travel budgets to go out there for your non revenue sports.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by steviep123 »

ramster wrote:
steviep123 wrote:
ramster wrote:WSU is too far away and it's not like they considered the A10 anyway. Also not crazy about 1 sport only members.
you are right about the distance. But WSU will be in AAC for all sports. Same as if they came to the A10.
Stevie,

This is from the Dallas morning news....
Is it a sure thing it's for all sports? Or do all sports come at a later date?

On Tuesday, multiple outlets reported that Wichita State was set to join the AAC as a basketball-only member for the 2017-18 season, a move that had been speculated for several weeks. And considering what both sides of this transaction are looking for, it's a no-brainer.
I thought that all sports olympic sports needed to go with basketball, so that if W State moved conferences they'd take everything with them. Football wouldn't need to move if they had it. Hence why Navy is football only in AAC.
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Re: Possible Wichita State move to the AAC

Unread post by UCH21377 »

Shaolin Swat wrote:Would've liked to see them in the A10. This move is going to strengthen the AAC giving them several quality programs (Cincinnati, UConn, Wichita St., Temple and SMU - until they wind up on probation again) at the top of the conference. Adding them to the A10 would have made for an even stronger top of the conference (Without including us, Dayton, VCU, and Wichita St. would make for an excellent set of marquee league programs)

We should be VERY concerned about this. What if the AAC decides to go ahead and ramp up to 14 members for basketball? Dayton and VCU would be enticing wouldn't they? And a 14 team model is not bad, considering the movement to more conference games: two 7 team divisions, 19 game conference schedule. It scares me. UConn wants as many basketball schools as possible.
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