Belmont to the Valley

[CyCarp]

Sounds like it's expected to happen. Very nice.

https://www.midmajormadness.com/platform/amp/2021/9/24/22691320/conference-realignment-belmont-bruins-ohio-valley-mvc-missouri-valley?utm_campaign=midmajormadness&utm_content=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&__twitter_impression=true

[BCPanther]

GREAT add. Best possible outcome for the league.

Sounds like they're coming alone for now and we can go to a 20 game league schedule.

Couldn't be happier!

[PantherAlum09]

Sounds like it's expected to happen. Very nice.

https://www.midmajormadness.com/plat...mpression=true

Oh wow. That will be a nice boost for the strength of the conference.

[CyCarp]

Assuming this is really happening, I wonder if they add two to get to 12 or stick with 11.

[PantherAlum09]

Who else would potentially be in play?

[BCPanther]

Assuming this is really happening, I wonder if they add two to get to 12 or stick with 11.

I think the end is actually 14.

The OVC is dead so Murray has to go somewhere with high level basketball and a place to park football. There's only really one option for them because they don't fit in the new ASun.

Little Rock and Arlington are getting kicked out of the Sun Belt because they don't play football and, again, they don't really fit in the new ASun. Plus, they get Missouri State off their island.

[UNIAlum95]

That's great news. Glad to hear we are being proactive about the league membership.

[clenz]

This is going to be the 14 team league we have all wanted for a few years.

Belmont and Murray are going to up the quality of the league and force the top to get even better.

This is going to be a top 7/8 league with 3 or 4 bids yearly. A head of the MWC and par/ahead of A10.

They Valley then becomes the Conference of ****ed up abbreviations We already have ISUR and ISUB. We would have to add BUB (Blue for Belmont) and BUR (Red for Bradley) and then MUSU for Murray and MOSO for Missouri

[Panther AC]

Big plus for the new MVC commissioner!

[Gboom23]

Love it! This makes me laugh so hard at Wichita State moving to the American. They make the move, have nothing to show for it, and will be in a worse basketball league than the Valley. Hahahahahahaha!

[BCPanther]

Love it! This makes me laugh so hard at Wichita State moving to the American. They make the move, have nothing to show for it, and will be in a worse basketball league than the Valley. Hahahahahahaha!

It's GLORIOUS!

[UNIAlum95]

Well let's not get ahead of ourselves yet. We have one critical piece but we don't know when or if any of those other chips will fall our way.

[clenz]

Well let's not get ahead of ourselves yet. We have one critical piece but we don't know when or if any of those other chips will fall our way.

UTA has been known for months. That smoke started back in January and it's not just a small thing of smoke. It's been a pretty thick cloud.

UALR also doesn't have a home, and while there hasn't been a ton of them being linked to the Valley there isn't much else out there for them. The ASUN is so big at this point with their football expansion it doesn't make a ton of sense. OVC is dead and needs FB schools. American won't touch them. Their best bet is either the HL expands their geography big time (seems unlikely) or the SLC is real desperate (though they OVC and SLC seem destined to merge).

Belmont plus those 2 is 13. We aren't running a 13 team league. A 14th is needed and from rumors current, and past, it's either Murray or ORU. I think the choice between the two (assuming both would say yes) is pretty clear

[DownGoesKansas]

This is going to be a top 7/8 league with 3 or 4 bids yearly. A head of the MWC and par/ahead of A10.

This seems like extreme optimism to me. Like I hope its true but I would be worried about watering down our payouts with minimal return.

[ofpantherandman]

Does anybody really want Arlington and Little Rock? I get that they'll try to apply the Loyola formula there - ok - but is 14 better than 12 at this level, with these schools? I'm not sure. If you get to 14 with Murray, Wichita and SLU, that's one thing, but getting there with Murray, Little Rock and Arlington is quite another.