Whoa

That’s quite the Tuesday bombshell.

If I’m UIC, i’m on the phone immediately to the MVC Presidents reminding them of how great the Chicago media market is for the conference.

So..... Um... Just.... Wow? This ...... Is... NEWS.

This obviously isn't the big jump we were hoping for. It's not the Big East or the AAC, but the A-10 is a legit multi-team conference every year.

Plus, teams that win in that conference get respect. Xavier was a 1 seed when they were in the conference, Dayton would have been a 1 seed if not for COVID, Saint Bonaventure was a preseason top-25 and that never happens in the Valley except for us and Witchita State an even then it's only if you have like 5 returning seniors from an elite season.

Not to mention we'd be playing a ton of schools with Final Four history from this century like VCU and George Mason.

To give a better idea of the jump that we're making by moving to the A-10 here's the average KenPom ranking of MVC schools versus A-10 schools:

George Mason: 153
Rhode Island: 92
Saint Louis: 99
Saints Joesph's: 213
Saint Bonaventure: 33
Fordham: 260
UMass: 101
Davidson: 74
Dayton: 93
LaSalle: 222
Richmond: 75
Duquesne: 187
VCU: 119
George Washington: 226

A-10 average: 139

Drake: 53
Missouri State: 83
Southern Illinois: 136
Northern Iowa: 138
Indiana State: 185
Evansville: 193
Bradley: 199
Illinois State: 210
Valparaiso: 256
Belmont (they'll be here next year): 67
Murray State (Rumored): 116
UT-Arlington (Rumored): 271
UMKC (Rumored): 224

MVC average: 164

Last year, even with two-top 25 schools, The A-10 was 8th among all conferences in KenPom and the MVC was 11th. Now you remove us, and that difference becomes even more stark.

The A-10 has 6 of the 100 best schools in the country, the MVC has 3. UMass just missed the cut to make it 7 at 101. Even on the side of the coin, the A-10 has 3 teams ranked 200th or worse in KenPom, the MVC will like have 4 next year if the rumored adds of UMKC and UT-Arlington go through.

We upgraded here. It may not have been the huge upgrade that we wanted, but it is an upgrade.

This was totally off my radar. 100%. And such odd timing. We had been talking about MVC expansion, the very improbable Big East expansion including us, hoping that Dayton & St. Louis would come over to the MVC from the A10, etc.

Just a few weeks ago, we were talking about how stacked the MVC is going to be this year, with four teams (Loyola, Missouri State, Drake, and UNI) in the top 100 vying for the title. I wonder if the meltdown in the first week of the season with UNI and Missouri State losing winnable home games, Valpo really faltering, the Belmont decision, etc. had anything to do with making the deal or when it was announced....

I suppose this was a move for the A-10 to keep St. Louis and Dayton in the fold. Or maybe to get us signed up for the A10 before the Big East snags them.

The A-10 is a much better landing spot for us than the soon to be watered down, football driven AAC. I hope at least one of St Louis or Dayton, preferably both, stay on board to give us at least some sort of regional rival.

Also consider that the A-10 has been a short term springboard for other schools. Mainly Butler. Not saying we’ll do the same thing, but it gives us more of a chance to prove ourselves to those on the East Coast.

Do you think this will improve the Ramblers' chances of scheduling better preseason games?

One immediate standout to me:

- 24 at large bids for the A10 in the last 10 years
- 5 at large bids for the MVC in the last 10 years

We also fit academically and school makeup. Obviously not geographically and I will really miss Arch Madness. But buckle up, this will be some fun basketball

This might be one of the biggest benefits, IMO. But I thought the same thing when we went to the MVC.

Conincidentally, I was looking at Fordham's non-con schedule just yesterday and wondering how-- after being so terrible for so long, and having a tiny, ancient gym smaller than ours-- they got a really good non-con schedule. I figured it was a combination of being in the A10 and a slightly higher budget. We'll find out pretty soon, I guess...

Im not sure what other jump people would have had in mind. The Big East isnt ever going to be an option for us while DePaul is there. The American is collapsing as we speak. Getting in a basketball first conference with a strong Catholic presence and good media reputation is absolutely a home run.

Doesn't the A10 need 16 teams for an even number? 2 divisions?

East:
Loyola
Saint Louis
Dayton
Duquesne
La Salle
St. Bonaventure
St. Joseph's
? 8th team