(06-16-2017 09:34 AM)chargeradio Wrote:  CSU is still contracted for another year in the WAC, so any announcement won't be made until Spring 2018.

It is a five year commitment. It is not really a contract. Chicago State had to pay a $450,000 entry fee to join the WAC and there was a five year commitment. Neither the WAC nor Chicago State have given any indication that the relationship is ending and it will like likely roll over, like it will for every other school. The WAC is in no position to ask any school to leave.

Chicago State has new leadership, but the new leadership can't move forward without a state budget. The state budget crisis has cost them about $40 million over the past two years in funding. This is to happening to all public schools in Illinois.

Chicago State has had zero APR penalties since joining the WAC. They are hurting the WAC with their RPI in basketball, but they are not the worst D1 school in Illinois. That honor would belong to either Western Illinois or SIUE. Chicago State had an RPI of 318 last season, Western Illinois 325 and SIUE 334. Chicago State swept a home-and-home from WIU the past two seasons. They also beat WIU in average attendance last season, 1,046 to 777.

For revenue, Chicago State got about $500,000 from money games in basketball from 2015-2016. Add their cut from the NCAA Tournament revenue of at least $250,000 and it is not hard to see why they would not want to drop down. Also, they have a ten year old 7,000 seat arena that was built and paid for by the State of Illinois, the Jones Convocation Center. They are not dropping down from D1.