I am not so sure the MVC is better than the A10 without Dayton.

Other than Dayton, the A10 has 6 KenPom topp 100 squads (Richmond, SLU, Rhode Island, Davidson, VCU and Duquesne. The MVC has one total KenPom top 100 team (UNI).

Dayton is currently ranked No. 3. Their stock has has never been higher if they are looking to make a move. They’ve finished in the top 75 the last ten years. That does pose an interesting question about who the A-10 would want to bring in to replace them if they left. I would venture to say we might be on the list of possible candidates, but one thing is for sure - other teams fans wouldn’t want us. If they Dayton left and we came in it would be MVC 2.0 for us. We were not Creighton then, and they’d all say we are no Dayton.

The question is would we even want to go if invited?

We are better than LaSalle, Duquesne, George Washington, Fordham , Saint Bonaventure, Saint Joe’s, and probably UMass.

I think we would be competitive with Davidson, George mason, Rhode Island. VCU and Saint Louis would be the anchor schools. I just don’t know that the expanded travel budget would be with the move.

I still say there’s no better place for us than the MVC. If we are looking to improve i would rat her spend more money here, than more money trying to compete in another conference.

I know that it’s a made-up issue right now, but I hope we have been thinking about what our options might be if dominos start to fall with conference realignment.

With all of the young talent in the MVC, I could easily see it being rated equal to or higher than a Dayton-less A10 over the next few years from a metrics standpoint. It’s happened more than once before. The only real advantage could be with perception and scheduling. Power conference teams don’t want to schedule mid major schools in part due to a belief that it will hurt their strength of schedule ranking, especially if they lose. But the A10 has always been perceived as an in-between conference where most teams won’t hurt you. That’s not always true (See St Joe’s, among a handful of other a10 teams this year), but that’s the thought. The MVC used to be that way, and I think can get back there if the improving trend of most schools continues.

I wouldn’t be shocked at all if they invited us. For a similar reason why the MVC did: the Chicago market.

Obviously, it’s all about who you play, but the valley finishes with four teams this year with 20+ win records, and Valpo with 19. Only three teams finish below .500, and our worst team beat Kentucky. Say what you want about auto-bids, but there’s no denying the league is competitive and good. Loyola, UNI, Bradley, and even Drake were built to be able to win a first round game against probably anyone in the tournament except one and two seeds. This is not the horizon league where everybody is vying to get a chance to get the crap kicked out of them.

I’m not going to throw out any sources but what I’ve heard from people within the organization is that Watson is interested in moving the program to the A-10 if given the opportunity.

Just pointing out. A-10 average NCAA Tournament teams in the last decade 3.5/yr. MVC Average 1.3/yr. If Dayton win's the conference tournament they may be the only team this year, but Richmond is righ on the bubble and VCU and Rhode Island were in the conversation before some late season drop offs.

Some team is going to the Big East to be the 12th in the league when UConn goes there to make 11. Will it be Dayton? Will it be St. Louis? Will it be someone else?

It almost certainly won't be Loyola, because DePaul does not want any competition in its own market.

If it's Dayton going to the Big East, I think we need to make a play to St. Louis to join the MVC with Murray State.

A 12-member MVC with St. Louis and Murray State is likely a lot better than a 12-member A-10 without St. Louis and without Dayton (the closest school to St. Louis) most years.

In terms of conference leadership, I think the MVC and A-10 are about equal. The A-10 has higher budgets (partly because of higher travel costs?) but the MVC has higher average attendance. In terms of other sports, the MVC would be a huge factor in men's soccer if St. Louis joined, and the conference is strong in women's basketball, stronger than the A-10. Adding St. Louis to the league would also add another top market for advertising and TV.

I think this is how you make the MVC better... by picking off likely schools from other conferences where they shouldn't be in the first place, and growing the league's revenues and overall strength, rather than waiting for miracle wallflowers.

Just curious if anyone knows how the Biliken fan base feels about their membership in the A-10?
Also after a little study of Murray St....I like em.....they will require another flight for the Ramblers as they are pretty much the same distance as Springfield Missouri
Thought there might be a psychological factor for SLU as well.....they felt they were moving up when they left the Valley....would they feel not so hot ..coming back?
But if not SLU as a matching private school....then who ?
or is there a private school looking to leave the Valley?
12 teams will put an end to a perfect home and away conference schedule

While I do think the A-10 is a better conference (more $, more bids, etc.), the teams don't really get me excited like some Valley teams do. I think it is easier to sell LU fans on attending home games vs Bradley, ISUr, Valpo, UNI, SIU than the likes of Duquesne, La Salle, Richmond, Rhode Island. Only teams in the A-10 that would have me fired up to see against Loyola on a yearly basis are Dayton and SLU because of historical rivalries and the Midwest Catholic connection.

I hope that it’s true that Steve Watson is at least considering options for the future. That’s a good sign if that’s the case. If Loyola was being considered decided not to go, would there be any concern that a team like Bradley might get invited and leave? If that were the case and if we didn’t go Bradley would, i would rather go to the A-10.

The bottom line is - I like the valley the way it is, and wouldn’t hate hate getting Murray State, even if it meant getting a subpar school with them (UW-Milwaukee). But if Dayton leaves the A-10 and they decide they are gonna take a Valley team, regardless of whether it’s Loyola, Bradley, or another team, I say it needs to be us.

I don’t see any way SLU decides to move to the Valley. I’ve seen rumblings on their message board and the overwhelming consensus is “Hell No.”.