(04-07-2017 11:59 PM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  Add Valpo(or UIC),Murray,AND Belmont to make twelve.

SOUTH

--Murray
--Belmont
--Evansville
--Indiana St.
--Missouri St.
--Southern Illinois

NORTH

--Illinois State
--Bradley
--Loyola
--Valparaiso(or UIC)
--Drake
--Northern Iowa


Travel partners,strength in tradition good Rpi schools,Nashviile and Chicago.

You could also still use the scheduling/travel advantages w/o strict divisions.18 game schedule or other models.

Illinois St beat writer tweeted he's heard Belmont wants in MVC "badly". Mark Adams tweeted the list he's heard most often, and in order, 1 Belmont 2 Murray 3 Valpo. Belmont rejected MVC 4 years ago so who knows what to believe.

From afar, it seems logical the MVC would leak the 11 team Valpo/Murray model to pressure Belmont. But that would require that conference to be strategic which is hard to imagine.