It's okay.

roggirl has been about as anti-MVC as you can get from the beginning. At least she's consistent. I don't fully understand why she hates the MVC so much, but she does. She'd rather Loyola compete in a weaker conference that had schools in big cities that nobody cared about.

I know attendance isn't everything, but it sure does help in a lot of areas.

MVC:
Wichita - 10,732
Bradley - 6608
Drake - 3,726
Evansville - 4,546
Illinois St. - 4,842
Indiana St. - 5,946
Loyola - 1,928
Missouri St. - 5,217
UNI - 4,693
SIU - 5,223

AVG - 5,346

Horizon:
Cleveland State - 2,236
Detroit - 2,472
Green Bay - 3,979
UIC - 3,010
Milwaukee - 2,847
Oakland - 2,142
Valpo - 2,833
Wright St. - 4,117
Youngstown St. - 2,326

AVG - 2,885

And I know the Valley numbers were pretty down compared to most years as most of the teams were down quite a bit. I'm guessing that these numbers will start to climb back up to where they used to be in the near future as teams improve. I can't speak for the Horizon as I've never really followed it at all. Other than to look for teams that we could add to get to 12 or replace a leaving member. But it wasn't that long ago when Bradley was averaging around 9k, ISU was over 8k, SIU was over 7k and so on. All three of those schools have hit some rough times recently but can build back up. MSU, if they could ever get things moving again, could average over 7k as well.

Large attendance doesn't guarantee anything, but it does show that they're supported which usually means they have financial backing which means they can spend more on coaches and facilities and all of the other things that go with it. This all helps when it comes to recruiting which helps winning which helps put butts in seats and open wallets. It's the circle of life so to speak.

So yes, you got to travel to bigger cities and play in front of smaller crowds. I would guess that the kids would rather play in front of the crowds of the MVC over the Horizon. Even in HS, it was exciting and more fun to play in a packed and loud gym as opposed to an empty one where everything echos. The MVC isn't perfect and I think a number of schools could do more and get better, but I would think that it offers much better opportunities for your student athletes. Larger crowds, more TV exposure, higher level of competition. I do understand that it may be a bit of a negative for your alumni that leave the Chicago area. I don't know where your alumni population spreads. But for your Chicago fans, there are plenty of relatively close trips to follow your team on the road. For us in Wichita, MSU is a 4 hour drive and I think Drake is around 6. Everything else is pretty much 8 or more by car. Luckily, I hear Chicago is a cheap flight out of ICT so that helps some.

I can go pull up RPI histories if needed. I do like my numbers.

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The Roundhouse

Skatey ! Your point FOUR is well taken , BUT it is NOT us who are taking the cheap shots. We are told that Creighton had to put up with the nonsense--They, from OMAHA, a mid to large town with a fine Sports and Military as well as food industry-- My own feeling is that these smaller town folks from towns who USED to have some top tier success are just being what they are. Each and every one has a fine History of HOOPS--even MOST have been dancing recently.
We are the NEWBIES --They will get over it.
My question--A-10--Would folks turn out for Duquesne vs LUC or St Joe vs LUC ?? Maybe --but I would guess not in any greater degree than what is happening with us and the VALLEY

We were set back badly when Milt and Earl went down plus loss of Christian--Injuries occur but I wager not the kind that hurt us so badly. STILL we have a fine team that will now get better and better. This will help our attendance, except perhaps from those undergrads who are truly lacking in Loyalty--Too busy texting I guess.

Only thing I would offer to our "Pals" from the other towns--" beat us on the court--cheer mightily for Panthers . Bears whomever--Keep cheap shots to a minimum--Remember we are not yet on top of our game--but soon will be, and then what ?

Bravo, Nate. Agree with it all. I'll bet there are a lot more SIU grads in Cook, Lake, and DuPage Counties than the rest of the state. There used to be a place called Saluki Bar on Ohio near State Street that catered to SIU grads. My boss in the 90s, and the Chicago/Midwest NPR correspondent I talked to once (Sheryl Corley) were both Bradley grads/fans. Probably 60% of the students at ISU are Chicago area kids.

I don't think start times are determined by anything other than tradition. Games routinely start at 8 p.m. for TV, or if there's a men's/women's double header. It may be set at 7 pm to have the games be finished well before the evening TV news at 10, but pro sports starting at 7 (Cubs, Sox, Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Wolves, etc.) all end at 10 p.m. or even later. One thing that's incomprehensible for a lot of MVC rivals is how difficult the rush hour is. They simply can't imagine it. Just in the city limits of Chicago the entire population of Iowa is compressed into its 220 square miles; Cook County has the population of the state of Missouri (including St. Louis/Kansas City and their suburbs) compressed into 950 square miles. And the inner region (Cook, Lake, DuPage, Will) has more than the entire metro population of all the 9 other MVC metro areas combined in a 30 mile radius. You can read the figures, but it's still hard to grasp when you live in a place where it never takes more than 15-20 minutes to drive across town at the busiest time of day.

Wait, Saluki Bar closed?! That's sad to hear, I liked that place.

This may be a silly question--but does anyone know if you have to actually live in the 48th Ward to take advantage of this deal? I'll be in town for the first time in months and will be headed to my first home game this year. Would love to pick up a few tickets for $5. I can't imagine anyway that it would be enforceable but just checking.

I'm sure you'll be fine. If not, I live in the 48th, and I can be your sponsor.

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MBB Scholarship Chart

Why worry about what the other boards are saying? If you don't like it, don't go there.
For me the Valley has been a breathe of fresh air.
I have made several road games and the fans be it in Terre Haute, Peoria, Normal have all been friendly and helpful with directions, places to eat.
For me the Valley is very professionally run. Doug Elgin cares about what is good for the league. He works very hard. Can you say the same about LeCrone?
The Archmadness is an exciting event and I enjoy the format. I know I have no interest in Cleveland St/Milwaukee on tv today but I do know that Drake/Missouri State on ESPN3 will trump the Blackhawks because Loyola has a vested interest in the outcome of that game.
While the fans in the Horizon were friendly as well, I am glad to be out of the Horizon except for one thing.
Youngstown was the furthest venue at 440 miles and most road trips were Thursday/Saturday so you could make it a mini vacation and see two games.
Valpo, UIC, Butler and Milwaukee could all be handled in one day even during the week. (Butler was a stretch). But I would not trade game proximity for the well run Valley. I also prefer Saturday to Sundays and the Wednesday games are a killer if you travel for business but I understand the tv reasons.
From what I have seen so far of our new AD, I think we will move Loyola forward to making sure the resources are spent in the right areas to enhance the fan experience so I think attendance will improve. The AD realizes that it is a part of his job to raise revenue. That has never happened at Loyola.
Trash talk is part of the price of athletics. Sometimes it crosses the line but so what?