Post by kevinudm on Jul 19, 2019 21:28:04 GMT -6
Chuck makes a lot of good points regarding why UIC would be a reasonable add for the MVC. It's a good university, a big and growing school and the athletics are trending up.
Having said that, it also has some downsides. It's got no history of basketball success and has never won an NCAA Tournament game or NIT game. It's generally been a middle-of-the-pack performer in the Horizon League, and not just in basketball. And a limited fan base; it's the fourth most popular college team (after Northwestern, DePaul and Loyola) in a city that doesn't much care for college sports.
But it seems like the question of upgrading conference affiliation is moot anyway, at least in the near term. No current member of the MVC is likely going anywhere anytime soon and the MVC is uninterested in expanding beyond ten.
The Big East is in no hurry to find a twelfth member and may not want one at all. Their selection of UConn was a stunner and it showed that the traditional list of BE expansion candidates (Dayton, Saint Louis, Loyola) was all wrong. The BE was a lot less interested in "institutional fit" than was supposed, and was looking for a candidate with a basketball pedigree, an ability to finish in the top half of the league, an ability to draw TV viewership and an ability to bring fans to MSG.
VCU could conceivably be a Big East candidate, particularly now that the BE has already added a public institution. But even if that were to happen, the A10 would be unlikely to poach the MVC of Loyola or anyone else. When the A10 lost two midwestern schools (Butler and Xavier) they added mid-Atlantic schools (Davidson and George Mason). They're just not looking to the Midwest.
So it seems unlikely that the MVC will have any openings in the foreseeable future. Which could give UIC time to continue implementing its current game plan and perhaps becoming a consistent winner within the Horizon League. Then if opportunity knocks in the future, they could be ready.
Having said that, it also has some downsides. It's got no history of basketball success and has never won an NCAA Tournament game or NIT game. It's generally been a middle-of-the-pack performer in the Horizon League, and not just in basketball. And a limited fan base; it's the fourth most popular college team (after Northwestern, DePaul and Loyola) in a city that doesn't much care for college sports.
But it seems like the question of upgrading conference affiliation is moot anyway, at least in the near term. No current member of the MVC is likely going anywhere anytime soon and the MVC is uninterested in expanding beyond ten.
The Big East is in no hurry to find a twelfth member and may not want one at all. Their selection of UConn was a stunner and it showed that the traditional list of BE expansion candidates (Dayton, Saint Louis, Loyola) was all wrong. The BE was a lot less interested in "institutional fit" than was supposed, and was looking for a candidate with a basketball pedigree, an ability to finish in the top half of the league, an ability to draw TV viewership and an ability to bring fans to MSG.
VCU could conceivably be a Big East candidate, particularly now that the BE has already added a public institution. But even if that were to happen, the A10 would be unlikely to poach the MVC of Loyola or anyone else. When the A10 lost two midwestern schools (Butler and Xavier) they added mid-Atlantic schools (Davidson and George Mason). They're just not looking to the Midwest.
So it seems unlikely that the MVC will have any openings in the foreseeable future. Which could give UIC time to continue implementing its current game plan and perhaps becoming a consistent winner within the Horizon League. Then if opportunity knocks in the future, they could be ready.