What A10 Seed Will Rhody Have Come March 12th

[adam914]

I guess if you could pull that off it would be great, but as I said in my previous post it'd be risky and I'm skeptical it'd be as easy as it sounds.

[Jersey77]

I guess if you could pull that off it would be great, but as I said in my previous post it'd be risky and I'm skeptical it'd be as easy as it sounds.

Yes, very very doubtful the teams would breakoff to form a new conference.
I think those programs should be more concerned with upping their game, making the best of their OOC schedule, and putting themselves in a position for an at-large.

[theblueram]

You have to at least make the pitch. I bet a guy like Tom Ryan could pitch a new league to a media partner and get more per team than what McGlade got.

[SGreenwell]

I guess if you could pull that off it would be great, but as I said in my previous post it'd be risky and I'm skeptical it'd be as easy as it sounds.

I would also add - This isn't something that would be in McGlade's purview anyway. She was hired to be the commissioner of the Atlantic 10, not some breakaway league. If those schools want to start some new league, it'll be a conversation between their presidents and athletic directors, and definitely not involve whoever the commissioner of the Atlantic 10 is.

In hindsight, I think the Atlantic 10 basically had two choices when conference realignment really started to pick up - To add schools in an attempt to get some up-and-coming programs in the ranks, or to find some way to get rid of the really small schools. Like you said, I'm curious if any conference has actually done the latter - essentially, expelled members that are otherwise in good standing. Since it almost never happens, I suspect it's really hard to do. I couldn't find a copy of the bylaws online - there was a brief discussion of them here - so it would probably require a FOIA request to various agencies to try to get your hands on them.

The linked thread mentions that it's a 3/4 vote to add schools, so assuming it is the same to kick a school out, I think it might be a moot point anyway. Depending on how you cut it, that would require 11 or 12 votes, and there's a good chance it would inspire some expensive litigation.

[Jersey77]

You have to at least make the pitch. I bet a guy like Tom Ryan could pitch a new league to a media partner and get more per team than what McGlade got.

I wouldn't bet on that.

[adam914]

You have to at least make the pitch. I bet a guy like Tom Ryan could pitch a new league to a media partner and get more per team than what McGlade got.

First off we don't know that someone hasn't made that pitch. We're just guessing either way.

But I'm also skeptical that anyone else would have much success pitching a new league to a media partner. Outside of maybe Dayton and VCU, what's the draw there for the media partner? I don't think any media partners are clamoring for the chance to broadcast games from teams like Richmond, URI, UMass, Davidson, St. Joe's. etc.

In other words I don't think the only thing holding us back from a bigger media deal right now is just that we have teams like Fordham, St. Bonaventure, GW, LaSalle and Duquesne holding us back. The top of the conference probably isn't attractive enough to warrant much more of a media deal either. And I think the days of deals like the NBE got at the time are probably long gone. They got lucky on timing with that one. It sucks, but I think that's just the reality of the situation if we're being honest with ourselves.

[theblueram]

You have to at least make the pitch. I bet a guy like Tom Ryan could pitch a new league to a media partner and get more per team than what McGlade got.

First off we don't know that someone hasn't made that pitch. We're just guessing either way.

But I'm also skeptical that anyone else would have much success pitching a new league to a media partner. Outside of maybe Dayton and VCU, what's the draw there for the media partner? I don't think any media partners are clamoring for the chance to broadcast games from teams like Richmond, URI, UMass, Davidson, St. Joe's. etc.

In other words I don't think the only thing holding us back from a bigger media deal right now is just that we have teams like Fordham, St. Bonaventure, GW, LaSalle and Duquesne holding us back. The top of the conference probably isn't attractive enough to warrant much more of a media deal either. And I think the days of deals like the NBE got at the time are probably long gone. They got lucky on timing with that one. It sucks, but I think that's just the reality of the situation if we're being honest with ourselves.

Probably right Adam. Just throwing out thoughts on what turns this conference around.

[Jersey77]

You have to at least make the pitch. I bet a guy like Tom Ryan could pitch a new league to a media partner and get more per team than what McGlade got.

First off we don't know that someone hasn't made that pitch. We're just guessing either way.

But I'm also skeptical that anyone else would have much success pitching a new league to a media partner. Outside of maybe Dayton and VCU, what's the draw there for the media partner? I don't think any media partners are clamoring for the chance to broadcast games from teams like Richmond, URI, UMass, Davidson, St. Joe's. etc.

In other words I don't think the only thing holding us back from a bigger media deal right now is just that we have teams like Fordham, St. Bonaventure, GW, LaSalle and Duquesne holding us back. The top of the conference probably isn't attractive enough to warrant much more of a media deal either. And I think the days of deals like the NBE got at the time are probably long gone. They got lucky on timing with that one. It sucks, but I think that's just the reality of the situation if we're being honest with ourselves.

Probably right Adam. Just throwing out thoughts on what turns this conference around.

WINNING, PERIOD.

[Blue Man]

Has a conference ever dropped teams before? I can't think of any but maybe its happened and I'm not remembering. How would that even work?

I guess you could put in some kind of minimum requirements to be a member of the conference and give current members a certain timeframe (5 years or something) to meet them or find a new home. Still seems like something much easier said then done.

You could try to break off and form a new conference, but that could also be very risky in the current college athletics landscape. Teams like Dayton, VCU, St. Louis and even UMass could see that and decide they might as well just move to another more established conference rather than bother with a new conference trying to form.

Bottom line in my opinion is that this is all way easier to just speculate about on a message board then it is to actually execute in real life. College athletics is a very unique environment and a lot more goes on behind the scenes then most people are ever privy to.

Yeah I agree. It would be innovative and different requiring actual visionary leadership.

All we seem to innovate and do differently is the day off for our men's basketball tournament, while not changing our women's.

And yes, it's easier to speculate on here - so that's what I'm doing.

I think you nailed it though in your second point. That seems like a logical first step. But there is a huge gap between 2/3 of the A10 (in terms of overall program standing) and the bottom third.

The Big East was successful because they identified similar schools with similar aspirations and support for basketball, formed a conference, and have kept it small. They brought back one former Big East charter member, who is the reigning national champion, and have rejected others who have asked to join.

The A10 is a hodgepodge. The top third has name brand, nationally competitive (Dayton, VCU), and invested/supported/capable high major programs (St Louis, Richmond, URI).

The 2nd third is comprised of programs that have had success under a coach, but don't really have the infrastructure to sustain that success without said coach (St Bonaventure, Davidson, St. Joes, UMass, we can even throw Loyola in here if it makes people feel better).

The bottom 3rd is a combination of programs that either just don't have D1 basketball as a competitive priority for them, or flat out suck and are embarrassments. Be it their arena, fan base, infrastructure, investments, or just the fact that for whatever reason they can't get a roster of good kids to want to play and stay there. GW and George Mason feel closer to the top of this group, and Duquesne, La Salle, and Fordham just flat out don't belong.

If you had a 10 team A10 right now with those top 2/3, I bet you they average more bids with better seeds year in year out than the current 15 team A10 does.

[adam914]

The problem is, just saying "be a visionary" sounds great but is meaningless in practice. I wish it was as simple as a commissioner waking up one day and deciding they want to be innovative and a visionary. But I've still yet to hear anything compelling enough to make me think any of this would actually work. I wish it would!

If I am Dayton, VCU or St. Louis, whats in it for me? That's where I see the problem. Those schools are likely looking to leave at some point already anyway whenever the opportunity presents itself, so I don't think forming a new conference with just the top 2/3 of the A10 would entice them enough to stay if/when there are better options out there. I think that's all you could hope for, that they have no other options.

Also, I don't really view what happened with the NBE as being especially innovative or visionary. They were losing some of their top schools because of football so they took what was left and raided a couple other conferences to add to it. They just had the added benefit of starting from a better position than the A10 would in terms of national exposure and brand. I can get on board with the idea that them staying small has probably helped so far, but would staying small have worked for the A10? Most of the bottom 3rd of the conference are early members of the "modern" A10 or have been in the conference for a long time, so you could argue that without adding some of the schools that we have the A10 would actually be a worse conference then it is now.

[RhowdyRam02]

Just going from the sound of the comments from others I was getting the impression some thought this was the first year of this.

One of the good things that McGlade has maintained is the A10 Championship Game on Sunday afternoon. That’s a good plus for the A10.
What the driving force was to get Friday as a media day and off day for the players I don’t know.
We do know Dayton refused the NIT saying their players were banged up.

Don’t know the extent media impacts the schedule resulting in the Friday off day.

Agreed with the last tourney game, I think it's great.

I'm struggling to rationalize anything about this Friday off day though.

If your team is that banged up - 1 rest day before 1 or 2 more games isn't going to make an impact. And not to go all "this generation is soft" but Archie took a team with 6 scholarship players and won 3 games in the A10T, the play in game, the first round game, and lost a close one in the "second" round on the following Sunday. 5 games in 7 days, 6 games in 9.

But they also bailed on the NIT with the rest day built in there last year. So it had no affect.

The "rest" day can also impact the rhythm your team could be playing with if they're rolling.

IDK, I don't think any of us can give an actual positive to why they do it this way. The "rest" day just seems like a stupid cop-out because teams play 3-4 days in a row in these tournaments every year. It's part of the magic. You can catch fire and ride a hot streak so anyone can win. This off day changes that dynamic.

Does anyone have anything positive that the Battlaxe has done? Because the list of bad is getting longer by the day.

How about VCU and Davidson since you asked about anything positive?

I really didn't want to continue to go back and forth on this but since you posed the question.
And I really don't care either way what the membership ever decides what to do with her,

Jury still out on Loyola but unlike you, I am good with them.

The members seemed to be pretty happy with how the media negotiations went because it got overwhelming passed very quickly.
Dr. Spina (Dayton) Chair of the Presidents Council called it "a strong and exiting outcome for the A10".

As far as the A10T format, it doesn't really matter to me one way or another and I don't think it is that big of a deal.
Besides, I would usually stay over at the kids.

Please tell us what the vote was and how long the negotiations took

[rambone 78]

Our game with Fordham will tell us a lot.

We suck again and 5-9 not's happening

[Jdrums#3]

Our game with Fordham will tell us a lot.

We suck again and 5-9 not's happening

Right on, Bone. FU at home Wednesday is a big game for this team.

There is an opportunity to win 3 of the next 4 (with 3 of the games at home) and leave these last two debacles behind IF - and it’s a big if - Archie and the staff can gets this team’s head out of its ass real fast.

Let’s go, Rhody! Wake the heck up!

[RF1]

After the last two games I am feeling more confident in my vote as one of the six (15 percent) that chose the option for PIG seeds 10 through 15. This team is just too inconsistent to expect much from it. Hopefully they end up closer to 10th than 15th for some improvement from last year (14th).

[ramster]

Our game with Fordham will tell us a lot.

We suck again and 5-9 not's happening

Right on, Bone. FU at home Wednesday is a big game for this team.

There is an opportunity to win 3 of the next 4 (with 3 of the games at home) and leave these last two debacles behind IF - and it’s a big if - Archie and the staff can gets this team’s head out of its ass real fast.

Let’s go, Rhody! Wake the heck up!

Fordham beat St Bonaventure by 6 at St Bonaventure last Saturday. Not like beating Fordham this Wednesday night will be easy.

[Jdrums#3]

Our game with Fordham will tell us a lot.

We suck again and 5-9 not's happening

Right on, Bone. FU at home Wednesday is a big game for this team.

There is an opportunity to win 3 of the next 4 (with 3 of the games at home) and leave these last two debacles behind IF - and it’s a big if - Archie and the staff can gets this team’s head out of its ass real fast.

Let’s go, Rhody! Wake the heck up!

Fordham beat St Bonaventure by 6 at St Bonaventure last Saturday. Not like beating Fordham this Wednesday night will be easy.

There are no easy games for this team, Ramster, after the showing of the last two games. Our chance of winning depends on which Rhody team shows up against Fordham: Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde.

[section(105)]

Maybe if we score first, we have a chance?

[reef]

Yeah hard to know which team shows up I’m expecting a war !

[section(105)]

I guess we’re not as good as the UMass, Davison games etc. and not as bad as last two beat downs. That puts us in midland range. Overly simplistic, but…….

[Jersey77]

Still a little shell-shocked from our last 2 performances.
When was the last time we lost back-to-back conference games by over 30 points?

Anyway, Archie needs to have this team on track for Wednesday's game.

On a good note we are probably going into the easiest 4-conference game stretch of the season.
Also, our A10 schedule going forward looks pretty favorable at this point.

[SmartyBarrett]

I don't put too much into these models because it's such a small sample, but FWIW, the math has Rhody trending towards the 9 seed.

[steveystuds06]

[bigappleram]

Interesting answer about our defensive ability and compete level. Basically owned that it's not there.

[adam914]

Interesting answer about our defensive ability and compete level. Basically owned that it's not there.

Yeah agreed, kind of concerning that its still an issue 18 games in to the season. Same with the repeated comments about the teams mindset/confidence issues.

[Jersey77]

Interesting answer about our defensive ability and compete level. Basically owned that it's not there.

Yeah agreed, kind of concerning that its still an issue 18 games in to the season. Same with the repeated comments about the teams mindset/confidence issues.

Last question was about Zek's current play, no mention of any injury by Archie.

He is just basically in a funk right now, needs to step up on defense and rebounding, and hopefully his offense will come around once he gains confidence.

[reef]

Yeah watching this now , one thing I’ll say about Arch is he clearly gets IT

No one I’d rather see leading this group besides Coach Arch !