1/5 | George Mason | (POSTPONED)

[Rhodymob05]

URI not listed

[RhowdyRam02]

Why are we looking for a non-conference game instead of looking to schedule with Saint Louis, Duquesne, or St. Bonaventure, who have all had mid-week games cancelled as well? Seems to me like we should be scheduled against one of those three teams to have the biggest A10 schedule possible. Like Saint Louis plays Duquesne and we play Saint Bonaventure for the easiest travel for all four schools. Done and done.

Honestly, on a higher level, I'm disgusted with the conference and I'm not sure what the Atlantic 10 brings to the table for us anymore. It's been trending toward a 1 big league for years now, the average school looks nothing like us and is only getting further away with the addition of Loyola Chicago, our only natural rival in conference is UMass and they would bolt the A10 in no time if they got the right offer, it shows no demand to get weak links like Fordham to step up their game, in good times it refuses to be innovative with the schedule to help top teams improve their NCAA resumes, and in bad times like now it shows an inability to be flexible to adapt to changing conditions.

If we're going to be in a one bid, dead end league, why not just join America East and be with schools like Albany, Maine, New Hampshire, Stony Brook, and Vermont? If we want to cause some waves, why not join with VCU and Richmond and move to the CAA? I understand there is a ceiling for us since we don't have FBS football, have no real avenue to moving up to it, and will never get an invite to the Big East, but the A10 is a complete and total disaster for us right now and really brings nothing to the table over a different conference. Like are we really just going to sit around in a now terrible conference, wait for the top schools to be poached, and hope to be the top dog in a Dollar Tree, one bid, knockoff version of the Big East?

Rhody leaving the A10 to join the CAA or America East, you can't be serious.
VCU and George Mason left the CAA for the A10.
We just added Loyola that would strengthen our conference and you claim the inability of the A10 to be flexible and adapt to changing conditions.
Your statement makes no sense especially thinking that this addition wasn't a positive move.
I wouldn't mind another addition like that.

Reading comprehension is important. "If we're going to be in a one bid, dead end league..." which is what the Atlantic 10 is becoming, then yes, the Atlantic 10 stops being the right league for us and we're better off in a different one bid league.

People thinking Loyola is going to automatically be positive for the conference have their head in the sand. Before 2018 they hadn't made a tournament since 1985 and the coach that built the program is gone. They're just as likely to be Chicago Fordham as a good add for the conference

[RhowdyRam02]

What a clown post, saying we should DROP down to the America East.

The knowledge of some people here is absolutely amazing.

Again, reading comprehension is important

[RhowdyRam02]

Okay, so now you are actually putting the A10 at the same level as the CAA and America East. Really!!!

If one goes by what's posted on this board...doesn't seem like that much of a difference these days? A one bid conference is a one bid conference...are you saying there's big differences between one bid leagues?

We have a disappointing season so far in the middle of a Covid year and some feel this the destiny for the A10.
Not to mention one our top teams SLU loses arguably the favorite candidate for A10POY.
VCU also was without 2 starters, one for the year, the other most of the OOC schedule.

This season has been crazy between all the postponements, cancellations, missing players (Covid positive), last minute schedule changes and some feel this will be the benchmark now for the A10 going forward.

I am much more optimistic, looking at the talent going forward, plus the addition of Loyola/Chicago.
Can't even compare the competition in our conference to those mentioned earlier.
The A10 is still considered a top 10 conference by almost every insider.

Yes, but the trendline is sharply declining, and every year it's a different excuse why the conference underachieved. At the end of the day, we're turning into a one bid conference

[Jersey77]

Why are we looking for a non-conference game instead of looking to schedule with Saint Louis, Duquesne, or St. Bonaventure, who have all had mid-week games cancelled as well? Seems to me like we should be scheduled against one of those three teams to have the biggest A10 schedule possible. Like Saint Louis plays Duquesne and we play Saint Bonaventure for the easiest travel for all four schools. Done and done.

Honestly, on a higher level, I'm disgusted with the conference and I'm not sure what the Atlantic 10 brings to the table for us anymore. It's been trending toward a 1 big league for years now, the average school looks nothing like us and is only getting further away with the addition of Loyola Chicago, our only natural rival in conference is UMass and they would bolt the A10 in no time if they got the right offer, it shows no demand to get weak links like Fordham to step up their game, in good times it refuses to be innovative with the schedule to help top teams improve their NCAA resumes, and in bad times like now it shows an inability to be flexible to adapt to changing conditions.

If we're going to be in a one bid, dead end league, why not just join America East and be with schools like Albany, Maine, New Hampshire, Stony Brook, and Vermont? If we want to cause some waves, why not join with VCU and Richmond and move to the CAA? I understand there is a ceiling for us since we don't have FBS football, have no real avenue to moving up to it, and will never get an invite to the Big East, but the A10 is a complete and total disaster for us right now and really brings nothing to the table over a different conference. Like are we really just going to sit around in a now terrible conference, wait for the top schools to be poached, and hope to be the top dog in a Dollar Tree, one bid, knockoff version of the Big East?

Rhody leaving the A10 to join the CAA or America East, you can't be serious.
VCU and George Mason left the CAA for the A10.
We just added Loyola that would strengthen our conference and you claim the inability of the A10 to be flexible and adapt to changing conditions.
Your statement makes no sense especially thinking that this addition wasn't a positive move.
I wouldn't mind another addition like that.

Reading comprehension is important. "If we're going to be in a one bid, dead end league..." which is what the Atlantic 10 is becoming, then yes, the Atlantic 10 stops being the right league for us and we're better off in a different one bid league.

People thinking Loyola is going to automatically be positive for the conference have their head in the sand. Before 2018 they hadn't made a tournament since 1985 and the coach that built the program is gone. They're just as likely to be Chicago Fordham as a good add for the conference

Again, what makes you think the A10 will become a 1 bid league and are you just going by this 1 season?
History certainly doesn't dictate that.
How can you even compare the talent level and programs in our conference to those you had mentioned?

I do think Loyola/Chicago was a nice addition.
They certainly seem competitive this season without Porter Moser and play a good OOC schedule.
Besides they are a good geographic fit for Dayton and SLU.
Adding the Chicago market also doesn't hurt.

You brought up the Fordham comparison, don't recall them going to the Final Four and Sweet Sixteen in recent history.
Loyola brings in instant credibility.
Do you think we need to expand to try and keep up with the P6 conferences?

[RF1]

I posted this on the A-10 Outlook thread about the ongoing downward trend of the conference:


The A-10 has very much been trending downward in NCAA bids and wins in recent years. It has received only two bids in each of the last two tournaments played and was win less each year. The league's last NCAA victory was by URI over Oklahoma back in the 2018 Tournament. The further consolidation of control by the power leagues and introduction of new metrics has hurt the A-10. If the league were to ever consistently become a one bid conference, there would no longer be many benefits for URI to be a part of it. The tv payout is not really significant and the NCAA unit distribution payout is becoming lower by the year. The league has a high cost of operation. Its members spend a lot on its most significant sport - men's basketball. Coaches salaries and operation costs are relatively high. The league has evolved over the years to cover a very large geographic area that requires much travel for ALL its sports programs which can be costly. This is exacerbated for a member such as URI on the extreme edge of the conference footprint.



A-10 NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY SINCE 1990
YEAR | BIDS | UNITS | WINS | TEAMS (SEEDS)
==========================================================================================================
2021 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2020 - SBU (9), VCU (10) FORFEIT
2019 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2019 - VCU (8) , SLU (13)
2018 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2018 - URI (7), St. Bonaventure (11), Davidson (12) 3
2017 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2017 - Dayton (7), VCU (10), URI (11) 3
2016 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2016 - Dayton (7), Saint Joseph's (8), VCU (10) 3
2015 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2015 - VCU (7), Davidson (10), Dayton (11) 3
2014 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 2014 - Saint Louis (5), VCU (5), UMASS (6), George Washington (9), Saint Joseph's (10), Dayton (11) 6
2013 | 5 | 12 | 7 | 2013 - Saint Louis (4), VCU (5), Butler (6), Temple (9), LaSalle (13) 5
2012 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 2012 - Temple (5), Saint Louis (9), Xavier (10), St. Bonaventure (14) 4
2011 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2011 - Xavier (6), Temple (7), Richmond (12) 3
2010 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2010 - Temple (5), Xavier (6), Richmond (7) 3
2009 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2009 - Xavier (4), Temple (11), Dayton (11) 3
2008 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2008 - Xavier (3), Saint Joseph's (11), Temple (12) 3
2007 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2007 - Xavier (9), George Washington (11) 2
2006 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2006 - George Washington (8), Xavier (14) 2
2005 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2005 - George Washington (12) 1
2004 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 2004 - Saint Joseph's (1), Xavier (7), Dayton (10), Richmond (11) 4
2003 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2003 - Xavier (3), Dayton (4), Saint Joseph's (7) 3
2002 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2002 - Xavier (7) 1
2001 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 2001 - Saint Joseph's (9), Temple (11), Xavier (11) 3
2000 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2000 - Temple (2), Dayton (11), St. Bonaventure (12) 3
1999 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1999 - Temple (6), George Washington (11), URI (12) 3
1998 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 1998 - Xavier (6) UMASS (7), Temple (7), URI (8), George Washington (9) 5
1997 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 1997 - Saint Joseph's (4), Xavier (7), URI (9), Temple (9), UMASS (11) 5
1996 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 1996 - UMASS (1), Temple (7), Virginia Tech (9), George Washington (11) 4
1995 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1995 - UMASS (2), Temple (10) 2
1994 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1994 - UMASS (2), Temple (4) George Washington (10) 3
1993 | 4 | 11 | 7 | 1993 - UMASS (3), URI (8), Xavier (9), George Washington (12) 4
1992 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1992 - UMASS (3), Temple (11), West Virginia (12) 3
1991 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 1991 - Rutgers (9), Temple (10), Penn St (13) 3
1990 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1990 - Temple (11) 1

[Jersey77]

I posted this on the A-10 Outlook thread about the ongoing downward trend of the conference:


The A-10 has very much been trending downward in NCAA bids and wins in recent years. It has received only two bids in each of the last two tournaments played and was win less each year. The league's last NCAA victory was by URI over Oklahoma back in the 2018 Tournament. The further consolidation of control by the power leagues and introduction of new metrics has hurt the A-10. If the league were to ever consistently become a one bid conference, there would no longer be many benefits for URI to be a part of it. The tv payout is not really significant and the NCAA unit distribution payout is becoming lower by the year. The league has a high cost of operation. Its members spend a lot on its most significant sport - men's basketball. Coaches salaries and operation costs are relatively high. The league has evolved over the years to cover a very large geographic area that requires much travel for ALL its sports programs which can be costly. This is exacerbated for a member such as URI on the extreme edge of the conference footprint.



A-10 NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY SINCE 1990
YEAR | BIDS | UNITS | WINS | TEAMS (SEEDS)
==========================================================================================================
2021 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2020 - SBU (9), VCU (10) FORFEIT
2019 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2019 - VCU (8) , SLU (13)
2018 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2018 - URI (7), St. Bonaventure (11), Davidson (12) 3
2017 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2017 - Dayton (7), VCU (10), URI (11) 3
2016 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2016 - Dayton (7), Saint Joseph's (8), VCU (10) 3
2015 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2015 - VCU (7), Davidson (10), Dayton (11) 3
2014 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 2014 - Saint Louis (5), VCU (5), UMASS (6), George Washington (9), Saint Joseph's (10), Dayton (11) 6
2013 | 5 | 12 | 7 | 2013 - Saint Louis (4), VCU (5), Butler (6), Temple (9), LaSalle (13) 5
2012 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 2012 - Temple (5), Saint Louis (9), Xavier (10), St. Bonaventure (14) 4
2011 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2011 - Xavier (6), Temple (7), Richmond (12) 3
2010 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2010 - Temple (5), Xavier (6), Richmond (7) 3
2009 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2009 - Xavier (4), Temple (11), Dayton (11) 3
2008 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2008 - Xavier (3), Saint Joseph's (11), Temple (12) 3
2007 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2007 - Xavier (9), George Washington (11) 2
2006 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2006 - George Washington (8), Xavier (14) 2
2005 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2005 - George Washington (12) 1
2004 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 2004 - Saint Joseph's (1), Xavier (7), Dayton (10), Richmond (11) 4
2003 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2003 - Xavier (3), Dayton (4), Saint Joseph's (7) 3
2002 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2002 - Xavier (7) 1
2001 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 2001 - Saint Joseph's (9), Temple (11), Xavier (11) 3
2000 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2000 - Temple (2), Dayton (11), St. Bonaventure (12) 3
1999 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1999 - Temple (6), George Washington (11), URI (12) 3
1998 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 1998 - Xavier (6) UMASS (7), Temple (7), URI (8), George Washington (9) 5
1997 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 1997 - Saint Joseph's (4), Xavier (7), URI (9), Temple (9), UMASS (11) 5
1996 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 1996 - UMASS (1), Temple (7), Virginia Tech (9), George Washington (11) 4
1995 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1995 - UMASS (2), Temple (10) 2
1994 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1994 - UMASS (2), Temple (4) George Washington (10) 3
1993 | 4 | 11 | 7 | 1993 - UMASS (3), URI (8), Xavier (9), George Washington (12) 4
1992 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1992 - UMASS (3), Temple (11), West Virginia (12) 3
1991 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 1991 - Rutgers (9), Temple (10), Penn St (13) 3
1990 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1990 - Temple (11) 1

All well and good, but this doesn't suggest to me that a 1 bid league will be the norm for the A10.
You also forgot to mention, that had there been a postseason in 2020 Dayton would of been a #1 seed.

I guess you must be more familiar with the A10 financials and logistics than McGlade and all the conference AD's.

[SGreenwell]

RF1, even in your list, there are as many 1-bid years (three) as there are 5-bid years, and as Jersey points out, things look different in 2020 if you have a one or two-seed Dayton in that list. Maybe the A-10 is in decline, but I don't really think there's enough of a trend yet to definitely say that. The conference averaged about 3 teams in the tournament for the 2010s, which isn't bad and better than the 2000s, although not quite as good at the 1990s, looking at that chart.

If anything, that chart suggests to me that we might be in a "down" wave, and we would expect the back half of the 2020s to feature 3 to 5 bids again. That kind of makes sense to me, given that the conference has lost a lot of *coaching* talent, and it's not clear if most programs have found The Guy to lead them back yet.

[rhodylaw]

RF1, even in your list, there are as many 1-bid years (three) as there are 5-bid years, and as Jersey points out, things look different in 2020 if you have a one or two-seed Dayton in that list. Maybe the A-10 is in decline, but I don't really think there's enough of a trend yet to definitely say that. The conference averaged about 3 teams in the tournament for the 2010s, which isn't bad and better than the 2000s, although not quite as good at the 1990s, looking at that chart.

If anything, that chart suggests to me that we might be in a "down" wave, and we would expect the back half of the 2020s to feature 3 to 5 bids again. That kind of makes sense to me, given that the conference has lost a lot of *coaching* talent, and it's not clear if most programs have found The Guy to lead them back yet.

I think this is the correct analysis - the concern is always that we won’t snap out of the downtrend. I don’t see that happening but it is a concern I guess.

[RhowdyRam02]

RF1, even in your list, there are as many 1-bid years (three) as there are 5-bid years, and as Jersey points out, things look different in 2020 if you have a one or two-seed Dayton in that list. Maybe the A-10 is in decline, but I don't really think there's enough of a trend yet to definitely say that. The conference averaged about 3 teams in the tournament for the 2010s, which isn't bad and better than the 2000s, although not quite as good at the 1990s, looking at that chart.

If anything, that chart suggests to me that we might be in a "down" wave, and we would expect the back half of the 2020s to feature 3 to 5 bids again. That kind of makes sense to me, given that the conference has lost a lot of *coaching* talent, and it's not clear if most programs have found The Guy to lead them back yet.

I think this is the correct analysis - the concern is always that we won’t snap out of the downtrend. I don’t see that happening but it is a concern I guess.

Correct, that is my concern with bigger conferences taking greater control of the sport. I also believe we will be losing more important members of the conference as conference shakeups continue to happen, especially the Big East expansion in a couple of years. Eventually there aren't enough quality programs to plug the holes and the conference suffers overall. Finally, I think our continued insistence on adding schools instead of subtracting and creating a more cohesive and competitive conference will be our ultimate downfall

[Rhody15]

What a clown post, saying we should DROP down to the America East.

The knowledge of some people here is absolutely amazing.

Again, reading comprehension is important

General basketball knowledge is important when posting on a basketball message board.

You literally said “why not just join the America East”

[RhowdyRam02]

What a clown post, saying we should DROP down to the America East.

The knowledge of some people here is absolutely amazing.

Again, reading comprehension is important

General basketball knowledge is important when posting on a basketball message board.

You literally said “why not just join the America East”

So you're still hot garbage at reading comprehension

[SGreenwell]

RF1, even in your list, there are as many 1-bid years (three) as there are 5-bid years, and as Jersey points out, things look different in 2020 if you have a one or two-seed Dayton in that list. Maybe the A-10 is in decline, but I don't really think there's enough of a trend yet to definitely say that. The conference averaged about 3 teams in the tournament for the 2010s, which isn't bad and better than the 2000s, although not quite as good at the 1990s, looking at that chart.

If anything, that chart suggests to me that we might be in a "down" wave, and we would expect the back half of the 2020s to feature 3 to 5 bids again. That kind of makes sense to me, given that the conference has lost a lot of *coaching* talent, and it's not clear if most programs have found The Guy to lead them back yet.

I think this is the correct analysis - the concern is always that we won’t snap out of the downtrend. I don’t see that happening but it is a concern I guess.

Correct, that is my concern with bigger conferences taking greater control of the sport. I also believe we will be losing more important members of the conference as conference shakeups continue to happen, especially the Big East expansion in a couple of years. Eventually there aren't enough quality programs to plug the holes and the conference suffers overall. Finally, I think our continued insistence on adding schools instead of subtracting and creating a more cohesive and competitive conference will be our ultimate downfall

I don't think your concerns are completely unwarranted, to be clear. However, the idea of preemptively moving to a weaker conference also strikes me as kind of silly and self-defeating though, like when URI football almost went to the NEC. If, for some reason, the Atlantic 10 dissolves in the future, I don't think URI is going to have an issue finding a new, smaller conference to play in, whether that's the Atlantic East, MAAC or something else. That level is so small-time, it doesn't really matter if we're playing Vermont or Fairfield - fan interest is going to bottom out anyway. There's no upside to do that move ahead of time.

I think the A-10 has done well with adding schools in the past 10 to 15 years. Not everyone loves the George Mason addition, but it was defensible at the time, and its not like they've been a millstone either. (Eight full seasons, four above .500.) It's not like the teams involved aren't *trying* to win, or they're just happy to field a team - coaches get fired when they don't perform.

[Rhody15]

Yup, adding Loyola sure looks like a terrible choice! Getting worse and worse by the game.

Rhody should definitely look to join a worse conference in the coming years.

[Taylor Swift]

Again, reading comprehension is important

General basketball knowledge is important when posting on a basketball message board.

You literally said “why not just join the America East”

So you're still hot garbage at reading comprehension

Come on, dude. You're on one post telling a guy he's ugly. You're here trashing someone's reading comprehension. I fail to see where you get off even thinking that you can say things like this to people? Were you last picked all the time and no dates so this is your revenge? Grow a pair.

First and foremost changing conferences is an absolutely ridiculous idea. The basketball team is lethargic = let's change conferences? Ridiculous. Simply not the right choice when thinking about the other athletic programs.

[Obadiah]

I don't think the poster who boxed himself into a "let's join America East" position really meant to go there. Sometimes the frustration of following this program makes you say and do things that are not really representative of what or how you think. Who knows!

But on the subject of conference alignment, here's a perspective - out of the 32 conferences nationally, there are 8 conferences with Northeast footprints and ranking them by the power rating shows the following:

Rank	Conference	  Geographic Span

#2	Big East	  Northeast to Midwest
#9	Atlantic 10	  Northeast to Midwest and South
#16	CAA	          Northeast to South
#17	Metro Atlantic	  Wholly Northeast
#22	Ivy	          Wholly Northeast
#28	America East	  Wholly Northeast
#29	NEC	          Wholly Northeast
#31	Patriot	          Wholly Northeast

The top three ranked conferences all have footprints beyond the Northeast. While those with footprints wholly in the Northeast are among the worst conferences in the country. Some have objected to the large footprint of the A-10 and are enamored with a small geographic base for costs, etc, but that feeling in conrtrary to trends in college athletics of the last 20 years. If anything URI has to think big. No company, no organization, no institution of any merit downsizes to greatness.

Yes, I think there is more work to do on members, but I think the A-10 is fine and if Loyola Chicago is any indication, it is headed in the right direction.

[Taylor Swift]

Absolutely! I was excited to hear about Loyola Chicago being added to the conference. Looking forward to flying out there to see a Rhody away game there.

[Rhody72]

Conference reputation is an important recruiting tool. If URI was in the BE, we would attract the interest of better players. If URI was in the AE, many of the players we currently recruit would not be interested in us.

[bigappleram]

The A10 is one of the best mid major conferences out there. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. A long track record shows that isn’t changing anytime soon. Be one of the top programs in one of the best mid majors and we will be fine. It’s the first part we are missing right now.

[reef]

We are in a down cycle right now but there’s no reason we can’t get back to about 3 bids in the next 3-5 years

[Rhody15]

Conference reputation is an important recruiting tool. If URI was in the BE, we would attract the interest of better players. If URI was in the AE, many of the players we currently recruit would not be interested in us.

Ya don’t say..

[RhowdyRam02]

I don't think the poster who boxed himself into a "let's join America East" position really meant to go there. Sometimes the frustration of following this program makes you say and do things that are not really representative of what or how you think. Who knows!

But on the subject of conference alignment, here's a perspective - out of the 32 conferences nationally, there are 8 conferences with Northeast footprints and ranking them by the power rating shows the following:

Rank	Conference	  Geographic Span

#2	Big East	  Northeast to Midwest
#9	Atlantic 10	  Northeast to Midwest and South
#16	CAA	          Northeast to South
#17	Metro Atlantic	  Wholly Northeast
#22	Ivy	          Wholly Northeast
#28	America East	  Wholly Northeast
#29	NEC	          Wholly Northeast
#31	Patriot	          Wholly Northeast

The top three ranked conferences all have footprints beyond the Northeast. While those with footprints wholly in the Northeast are among the worst conferences in the country. Some have objected to the large footprint of the A-10 and are enamored with a small geographic base for costs, etc, but that feeling in conrtrary to trends in college athletics of the last 20 years. If anything URI has to think big. No company, no organization, no institution of any merit downsizes to greatness.

Yes, I think there is more work to do on members, but I think the A-10 is fine and if Loyola Chicago is any indication, it is headed in the right direction.

As I said, if we're going to be in a one bid conference, which is what the Atlantic 10 is trending to, then the Atlantic 10 isn't the right one bid conference for us to be in. I'm not saying we should apply for the America East today, but long term it might be a reality we need to look into. Seems fairly straightforward. Also, if we moved with VCU and Richmond to the CAA, I would imagine that the CAA would be equal to or better than the Atlantic 10 in short order. Any time you take the 1st or 2nd best program and two top half programs from the 9th ranked conference and move them to the 16th ranked conference it's going to cause a shakeup to conference strength and television deals. I'm not nearly as bullish on the Atlantic 10 past the next five years, or Loyola Chicago, as other people. It is what it is and time will tell

[RhowdyRam02]

The A10 is one of the best mid major conferences out there. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. A long track record shows that isn’t changing anytime soon. Be one of the top programs in one of the best mid majors and we will be fine. It’s the first part we are missing right now.

Isn't changing anytime soon? It has already changed. Where we were consistently the top conference behind the big football conferences and Big East, and occasionally ahead of some of them in the odd year, now we are consistently behind other mid major conferences and our NCAA bids have gone down drastically since 2011 to 2013. Pretending this is just a cyclical thing and not a permanent change inherent to the change in the national college sports landscape and poor conference leadership is just denying the truth

[Jersey77]

I don't think the poster who boxed himself into a "let's join America East" position really meant to go there. Sometimes the frustration of following this program makes you say and do things that are not really representative of what or how you think. Who knows!

But on the subject of conference alignment, here's a perspective - out of the 32 conferences nationally, there are 8 conferences with Northeast footprints and ranking them by the power rating shows the following:

Rank	Conference	  Geographic Span

#2	Big East	  Northeast to Midwest
#9	Atlantic 10	  Northeast to Midwest and South
#16	CAA	          Northeast to South
#17	Metro Atlantic	  Wholly Northeast
#22	Ivy	          Wholly Northeast
#28	America East	  Wholly Northeast
#29	NEC	          Wholly Northeast
#31	Patriot	          Wholly Northeast

The top three ranked conferences all have footprints beyond the Northeast. While those with footprints wholly in the Northeast are among the worst conferences in the country. Some have objected to the large footprint of the A-10 and are enamored with a small geographic base for costs, etc, but that feeling in conrtrary to trends in college athletics of the last 20 years. If anything URI has to think big. No company, no organization, no institution of any merit downsizes to greatness.

Yes, I think there is more work to do on members, but I think the A-10 is fine and if Loyola Chicago is any indication, it is headed in the right direction.

As I said, if we're going to be in a one bid conference, which is what the Atlantic 10 is trending to, then the Atlantic 10 isn't the right one bid conference for us to be in. I'm not saying we should apply for the America East today, but long term it might be a reality we need to look into. Seems fairly straightforward. Also, if we moved with VCU and Richmond to the CAA, I would imagine that the CAA would be equal to or better than the Atlantic 10 in short order. Any time you take the 1st or 2nd best program and two top half programs from the 9th ranked conference and move them to the 16th ranked conference it's going to cause a shakeup to conference strength and television deals. I'm not nearly as bullish on the Atlantic 10 past the next five years, or Loyola Chicago, as other people. It is what it is and time will tell

RowdyRam, I think you should really backoff on your continued comments that the AE or CAA can eventually become a feasible landing spot for URI.

We are not going to advance our program by going backwards under any circumstances.
Believe me VCU and Richmond will not consider moving to the CAA, besides VCU has already been there done that.

Not sure why you keep saying the A10 is trending toward a 1 bid conference.
You can't base that on just this current season, history doesn't back that up.

[Rhody15]

RowdyRam doubling down about applying for The America East in a few years, yet I need to improve my “reading comprehension,” when multiple posters have the same thoughts as me.

Imagine what dropping down a conference would do to interest, revenue, TV appearances, recruiting, etc.

You sound like you have little to no basketball knowledge continuing to push The America East narrative.

Also would love to now why you’re not bullish on Loyola.

And spare me the “well they were bad before Porter Moser” reasoning.