What Team(s) Does HL Backfill With?

Grand Canyon and NM State would immediately bump the Horizon up quite a bit. They are probably the only schools that can do that, and they are interested only because they're trapped in the mess of the WAC with no other good options. Denver has been good at times and certainly has potential, too.

I wonder what the estimates are on added travel. It strikes me as one of those instinctive fears that in reality aren't really so bad. For non-revenue sports we're basically talking 1 trip out west every other year. Probably not bad for recruitment, either--you'll get to see the Grand Canyon! A divisional concept would even allow that for revenue sports. And while Las Cruces is kinda out there, it's not like flying to Phoenix or Denver is difficult.

Question: Why So Indy over IUPUI?

For me, it's because USI is a more selective university when it comes to admissions and their athletics programs are better across the board than IUPUI's. They know what it takes to win and they win across the majority of their athletics which means they hire good coaches and recruit well. They have a little bit of money as well.

Agreed except for the fact that the NCAA is now going to be distributing monies based on academics as well, according to Commissioner LeCrone which was one of the criteria he mentioned when looking for another school. So with the change in NCAA units distribution, academics now have something to do with expansion decisions.

Robert Morris has been to the NCAA Tournament eight times. Green Bay and Milwaukee alone have been to nine.

We know why USI is being considered. People look at USI and see NKU.

Here's the problem, in a timeline:

2008 - NKU opens what is now known as BB&T Arena, a 9,000-seat facility
2011 - NKU accepts invite to the Atlantic Sun, announces plans to reclassify to Division I
2012 - NKU reclassifies to Division I on July 1st, begins four-year period of reclassification
2015 - NKU accepts invite to the Horizon League effective July 1st
2016 - NKU finishes its last provisional school year
2017 - NKU men's basketball, the #4 seed in the Horizon League Tournament, defeats #5 WSU by 5, #9 YSU by 10, and #10 MKE by 6 to claim HLT Title

Now, if Southern Indiana follows the exact same track:

2018 - USI opens the brand new expansion of the Physical Activities Center, a 4,300-seat arena
2021 - USI accepts invite to the Atlantic Sun, announces plans to reclassify to Division I
2022 - NKU reclassifies to Division I on July 1st, begins four-year period of reclassification
2025 - NKU accepts invite to the Horizon League effective July 1st
2026 - NKU finishes its last provisional school year
2027 - NKU men's basketball wins Horizon League Title

It perfectly lines up. USI's expansion of the on-campus PAC will not be finished until next year. They're going to be opening it exactly 10 years after NKU opened the Bank of Kentucky Center (now BB&T Arena).

NKU was a great add in 2015. But this is like you guys talking about adding NKU in 2007. They had four more D-II tournament appearances after 2007 before they made the move to D-I in 2012.

Would you consider NKU to be a good add in 2007? 2008? 2011?

Adding Southern Indiana and getting them to Division I should be the Atlantic Sun's problem. They're the 26th-best conference in the RPI. They're a low-major. This is a low-major's job, bringing programs into D-I.

If you're seriously considering USI for the HL in the next few years, you're not talking about elevating the conference. You're talking about weakening it.

Hey that fits the narrative you have been trying to drive home but I also think it is misguided. Plus it doesn’t really fit with the comments from LeCrone, if what BigDWSU is hearing is accurate.

Here is why it is misguided. You have from 2017 to 2022 as some sort of limbo that USI would be building their building and thinking about making a move. It may or may not take that long. However, they could make their move without as much waste in it. Most of the NKU scenario taking 9 years comes from 4 years of thinking about making a move. That is four years that can be cut out.

LeCrone mentioned maybe going to ten members in 2017-18 but most likely in 2018-19. He then hoped to expand to 12 in 2019-20. Let’s use this timeline for USI.

So in 2017-18 it would be RMU but they can’t figure out football and LaCrosse so they wait until 2018-19. The new building for USI is opening in 2018-19. By 2019-20 they will be up and running with both phases of their facilities expansion.

2018/19 - USI accepts invite to the Horizon League, announces plans to reclassify to Division I

2019/20 - USI reclassifies to Division I on July 1st, begins four-year period of reclassification

2022/23 - USI finishes its last provisional school year

2023/24 - USI men's basketball wins Horizon League Title

A few other thoughts. The years before they make a move obviously don’t matter to making the league weaker. It is all about what they do in year one through 4 of their transition that matter. On paper that is the only time where they could have a hard time and not have the lure of the big dance to recruit their way out of it. To me this isn’t that big of a risk. They have a solid program and like I mentioned they options. I think for sure they have to redshirt every player at least once during the first four years of transition. They have to give kids the chance to have as many appearances in the big dance as possible. They could recruit D1 kids looking to move to D2 in 2018/19. These kids have no chance at the big dance if they go to D2 so they might not care about not being able to go to the dance while the school is in transition. The thing that stands out to me is that USI is within 3 hours of Indy, Louisville, Cincy, Nashville and St. Louis. That is five markets they could potentially recruit. I know there is lots of competition but I find it hard to believe that if placed in the HL they couldn’t find enough HL level players and be 200 or better in RPI during their transition years and thus not an anchor. I don’t think anyone thinks once they are a full D1 member they will be a bad program.

Adding USI directly from DII is a job for a smaller league, not one that aspires to be a multi-bid/top-10 league. There are multiple schools in or adjacent to the footprint that have the potential to enter the league and contribute from year 1. Evaluate them and make what you think is the best choice. Allow USI, like NKU, to aspire to Horizon League membership.