GW Hoops / Conference Realignment

**Posted by GW18** 7/23/2021 11:03 am

It's looking like Oklahoma and Texas are heading to the SEC. Unless the Big 12 members all leave and the conference dissolves, my guess is they take at least 2 AAC schools to replace them. My guess is that the Big 12 extends invitations to UCF, Houston, Memphis, and Boise State. The AAC would then be down to eight basketball and football members and most certainly they would look to add back some members. I can see them adding four schools (two non football and two full members). The full membership school could be something like Liberty, UAB, Marshall, or Charlotte. The non football members is where I see the A10 being affected. If they add two non football schools, it's foreseeable that programs like VCU, Dayton, Davidson get a call. Of course, this could all fall flat and OU and UT stay in the Big 12, but if they do leave we could see a long list of domino's falling as a result!

Last edited by GW18 (7/23/2021 11:03 am)

**Posted by BC** 7/24/2021 8:08 am

I think we need an anti-trust investigation of the power 5. And the ESPN-SEC relationship needs a congressional investigation (with 0 southerners on the committee.)

**Posted by PKGW** 10/20/2021 4:39 am

Per ESPN reports, looks like no A-10 school
Is moving to the AAC. Charlotte, North Texas, Rice, UAB, Florida Atlantic and UTSA will be making the move.

**Posted by ColonialNY** 10/20/2021 7:10 am

With those teams moving into the AAC, Temple looks more and more like a huge outlier in that conference. Time for them to come home to the A-10 just like UConn did with the Big East!

**Posted by The Ross-Man!** 10/20/2021 2:34 pm

ColonialNY wrote:
With those teams moving into the AAC, Temple looks more and more like a huge outlier in that conference. Time for them to come home to the A-10 just like UConn did with the Big East!

Assuming football is the biggest revenue generator at Temple like it is at most schools, no chance, sadly.

**Posted by Gwmayhem** 10/20/2021 3:15 pm

My guess is that the A10's biggest threat (and I'm not sure there's a close second) would be if the Big East had an interest in becoming a superconference. Without big time football, this would be more of an ego play than anything else, as in if the SEC becomes 16 schools and say other conferences get to that number or close to that number, then the Big East may feel it can't stay at 11 and feel relevant.

To get to 14, you could add Dayton (which Xavier might object to though the two co-existed for many years in our conference) and SLU which could join a west division along with Butler, Creighton, DePaul, Marquette and Xavier. This adds the 23rd and 65th largest US markets for the conference. You would then need one more school for the eastern region and that could theoretically be either Davidson (#22 largest market), VCU or Richmond (though it would more likely be VCU, #56 largest market) or as a longshot, UMASS (116 in market size but the way these things sometimes get figured, the flawed logic might be that with BC out of the conference, UMASS will bring the Boston market back into play, even if this in reality would have a marginal impact). Of course to reach 16, then Dayton, SLU, Davidson, VCU and UMASS could all go, with one of these schools designated as a west division school.

**Posted by The Ross-Man!** 10/22/2021 12:17 pm

Gwmayhem wrote:
My guess is that the A10's biggest threat (and I'm not sure there's a close second) would be if the Big East had an interest in becoming a superconference. Without big time football, this would be more of an ego play than anything else, as in if the SEC becomes 16 schools and say other conferences get to that number or close to that number, then the Big East may feel it can't stay at 11 and feel relevant.

To get to 14, you could add Dayton (which Xavier might object to though the two co-existed for many years in our conference) and SLU which could join a west division along with Butler, Creighton, DePaul, Marquette and Xavier. This adds the 23rd and 65th largest US markets for the conference. You would then need one more school for the eastern region and that could theoretically be either Davidson (#22 largest market), VCU or Richmond (though it would more likely be VCU, #56 largest market) or as a longshot, UMASS (116 in market size but the way these things sometimes get figured, the flawed logic might be that with BC out of the conference, UMASS will bring the Boston market back into play, even if this in reality would have a marginal impact). Of course to reach 16, then Dayton, SLU, Davidson, VCU and UMASS could all go, with one of these schools designated as a west division school.

Let's say this happens - what's next for the A10? raiding the CAA/America East? Not fun to envision

**Posted by The Ross-Man!** 1/25/2022 3:13 pm

The CAA is adding Hampton, Monmouth, and Stony Brook. https://www.nj.com/setonhall/2022/01/monmouth-stony-brook-hampton-officially-join-the-colonial-athletic-association.html

Sounds like the MAAC will be lookin to expand now, too. Maybe NJIT can leave the A-Sun?

**Posted by ColonialNY** 1/25/2022 6:19 pm

NJIT already moved out of the A-Sun. They are in America East now. America East is interesting if Stony Brook leaves. Thanks to Pikiell they had become one of the top teams in the conference with Vermont. Not sure who will compete with Vermont now. Also, Hartford is in that conference and already announce they are headed to D-3. Perhaps Vermont will be looking to move in the near future and becomes an A-10 possibility?

**Posted by Tennessee Colonial** 1/26/2022 3:11 pm

For some reason Vermont always have good teams. It's amazing that Monmouth, in my time a small local college, who my HS's varsity use to scrimmage, is now is in the CAA. Times have changed.

**Posted by Joel Joseph** 1/26/2022 4:08 pm

What year was that when Monmouth was knocking off all the blue-bloods early in the season only to be knocked off by GW early in the NIT?

**Posted by Tennessee Colonial** 1/26/2022 5:59 pm

The year we won the NIT. Hofstra (by a hair) at home, at Monmouth, Florida at home because the UF court was being renovated, and the blowout wins against San Diego State (revenge game against the Fab 5 coach) and Valpo. Mike L put Yuta on Monmouth's great scoring point guard and shut him down. Last year we had a good team.

**Posted by BM** 1/26/2022 6:20 pm

Tennessee Colonial wrote:
Last year we had a good team.

Won 20 games with NBA players Cavs and Yuta the next year. I’d call that team good.

**Posted by BGF** 6/30/2022 1:45 pm

This is crazy news but makes sense in this power/money-driven college world. This is one of those major dominos and I can easily see this being the destruction of the Pac-12.

If I'm the Big 12 right now, I'm looking at Stanford, Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State to create a 16-team Big 12 once Texas and OU finish their SEC migration. That would leave 6 teams in the Pac 12, without a whole lot of good options. Their TV package would fall apart, the Big 12 would become a better conference than it is now, and we'd be left with a Power-4 set of conferences.

Should be interesting to see how this plays out.

B.

**Posted by The Dude** 6/30/2022 2:05 pm

Rumor has it they are deep in discussion to both join the Big 10 in 2024.

How much consolidation is too much? Old rivalries, geographical considerations, all seem to always lose out to the almighty dollar. Rutgers vs UCLA, a 3000 mile apart "Big10" matchup!

It would also really carve out a massive hole in the Pac12 which is already a weakened Power 5 in both football and hoops.

**Posted by GW0509** 6/30/2022 2:09 pm

Once again football is going to screw up basketball.

Once the super leagues are formed, what incentive is there for the big boys to schedule any games against the A10's of the world? Just play teams from the NEC, 1-2 MTEs amongst themselves, and then their conference schedules. I think it makes it almost impossible for the A10 to get 4+ teams in the tournament.

Last edited by GW0509 (6/30/2022 2:09 pm)

**Posted by BC** 6/30/2022 2:21 pm

you're kidding, right?

**Posted by BGF** 6/30/2022 2:24 pm

BC, this is real, or reportedly so. I posted this in the General Discussion area earlier, but my feeling is this is going to be the death of the PAC 12 as a Power-5 conference. If I'm the Big 12 right now, sitting at 12 schools once Texas and OU join the SEC, I go after Stanford, Utah, and the two Arizona schools. That would leave the PAC 12 with just 6 schools.

**Posted by BC** 6/30/2022 2:42 pm

As a westerner, I think this is crazy, but what do I know.

**Posted by GW Alum Abroad** 6/30/2022 6:26 pm

I hope everyone who let the (loud)mouthpieces at the networks convince us that, instead of having teams play a season that ended satisfyingly with a bowl trip, we "needed" a National Championship game (because we members of the public are too mentally limited to debate, discuss and appreciate on any level other than a definitive "yes-no" dichotomy) are happy now. Basically, we now have schools with teams (a group GW is in), teams with schools (see umASS, WVU, etc...) and pro franchises (SEC and Big10).
College sports are dead, except where TV money pays for the illusion it still exists. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.
[Will the remains of the Pac12 poach Nevada-Reno, San Diego St and (perhaps) Hawai´i, or will some schools (Oregon, ASU, Colorado) get snatched by either the Big10 or SEC with the other pieces of the carcass getting absorbed by the Mountain West and Big Sky?]

Last edited by GW Alum Abroad (6/30/2022 6:43 pm)