Yes, Drake's hegemony in the league is unquestionable.

I also miss Arch Madness. Our fans were MUCH more engaged with Arch Madness than the A-10 Tournament that only some can get to.

Personally, I thought we were much better set-up in the MVC than in the A-10. Drake filled the void vacated by us. If we hadn’t moved, that’s probably us in Drake’s spot these last few years. We were set-up to be a long-term power in the MVC. Whereas, we’re set-up to be in that “second group” in the A-10. Sure, there’s a bit more money in the A-10…but all the schools we’re competing against to get those 1-2 bids are also getting that money. Dayton/SLU/VCU are always going to be at a financial advantage over us.

I think we’d make the NCAA Tournament twice as often in the MVC than in the A-10, if I’m being perfectly honest.

I agree the fan experience was better at Arch Madness. And if this was 2020 instead of 2025 I might be more inclined to seriously consider whether you’re right on the rest. But it’s not five years ago, and college sports is undergoing a seismic shift with NIL and revenue sharing that is going to be a lot easier to adjust to in the A10 than it would’ve been in the Valley. Had we not made the move, we don’t have the roster we have now, or the recruits we have coming in next year. I think the difference in money is and will be more than just “a bit”, and I honestly wouldn’t be shocked if Drake and/or Bradley see the writing on the wall and try to make a similar move soon, despite their historic ties to the conference. It’s sad, but it’s reality.

separate from the A-10 v MVC discussion...I am guessing that when the NCAA gets their ....together and comes up with a fair payment system and doge has stopped yanking federal money from universities that schools will have a better idea of where they are headed long term and we will see another period of alignment. Dont know if anyone has been paying attention but we barely have a track and field team anymore....we only compete in a few distance events,,,,maybe one relay , no field events....This is all NIL bball sacrifices.. You really have to wonder if schools like Creighton will ever get tired of the travel, or Depaul the view from the bottom....I think there will be seismic changes to the structure of college sports in the next 10 years.

Arch Madness is unique because it starts off the tournament season. I still watch it. It is a good level of basketball, but the A10 has better players and a better reputation. We don't have the traditions or the rivals, yet. However, the longer we stay in the A10 and remain relevant - we will develop the traditions and rivalries. Remember, we were only in the MVC a few years. The last three years have impacted the A10's ability to get multiple bids. We had injuries. Dayton and VCU were inconsistent. The way I see it is the A10 will get two bids this year. However, if the teams were more consistent or the league wasn't tough from top to bottom - then there would be more bids.

W/r/t bids, A10 and MVC are in a somewhat similar position this year. If Drake didn't win yesterday, they'd be a bubble team. Since they won, the MVC is a one-bid league. If VCU doesn't win the A10 tourney, they'd be a bubble team. If VCU wins, A10 is very likely a one-bid league.

I think it says a lot about the current state of affairs in college basketball when a 29-4 MVC team (assuming they lost yesterday) and a 26-7 A10 team (assuming we beat VCU in semis), both with solid metric, are bubble teams. Years ago, they'd be locks. It's so difficult to get an at-large nowadays outside the power conferences. Even in the "premier" mid-majors.

Despite Drake's run, they don't get in without winning the MVC tournament. Drake's net and Kenpom are close to 60. In comparison, Indiana St was 29 last year and didn't get in. VCU has a stronger case than Drake this year at 30 and 31. Dayton may be higher ranked than Drake at the end if they get to the A10 finals. Inmo, if VCU makes it to the finals, they are in. If they lose in the semis, it is problematic if some lower tiered power conference teams make a run in their tournament.

The current state of affairs in college basketball is just depressing. What would get you a 5-8 seed as a mid-major 10-20 years ago puts you on the bubble today.

If you take the top 10-15 mid-majors this year and compare their RPI and NET, you’ll notice the vast majority of them have a way better RPI than NET. I have a hard time believing NET wasn’t installed to cook the numbers for P5 schools.

My suspicion is the goal is to eventually lock up all at-large selections to 5-6 conferences with a bone or two thrown to teams outside that group. I don’t trust the networks or P5 ADs at all.