(12-08-2017 07:05 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(12-08-2017 03:38 AM)NoDak Wrote:  

(12-08-2017 03:26 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  Murray State is good for basketball, but for the MVC to find a quality of school with good men and women's basketball? Omaha and UMKC do not cut it. It weakens their RPI. I would not be surprise that Missouri State might be lobbying for Arkansas Tech to join. Their RPI is better than several D1 schools in basketball. It is not far from Russellville to Springfield. It is just a few hours bus ride. It does gets you into another state that is southern. MVC is better well known name than the Southland. Arkansas Tech could slide their football program as number 12 to the MVFC. Arkansas Tech have went to post season with most of their sports.

The MVC considers itself too good for DII moveups. Look to the Southland or the OVC for that.

Missouri State was D2 before they moved up to MVC. Evansville was like D3 when they moved up to join them. They had no issues in the past moving schools up from lower levels, and have paid off for them. I just think it is just hear say by some people that the MVC won't bring D2 schools up. They would take someone who do have better athletics. As it is, before Valpo joined, they added schools that really sucks in sports. As it is, The Wonder Boys/Golden Suns sent their men and Women's basketball teams to post season tournament, their baseball went to post season, their football team went to post season (this tear, they went to the Live United Bowl in Texarkana to play Pittsburg State and lost 48-31. Pittsburg State came back from a 24 points deficit to win.), some of their other sports also went to post season. The 3 key sports in the MVC are men's basketball, women's basketball and baseball. Tech do need to add a few more sports for them to be able to comply to D1 rules. Swimming is one that they could add, track and field, and women's soccer. They have the facilities to have those sports.

It is very obvious that you do no research, do you know how?

Missouri State left the MIAA in 1981, spent 1 season as a D1 Independent then was in the Association of Mid-Continent Universities for 8 years before joining the Valley. Evansville was in the College Division/D2 until 1977, spent 2 seasons as a D1 Independent then was in the Midwestern City Conference for 15 years before joining the Valley.

Arkansas Tech's success in D2 means nothing for D1. The opposition is 100% different. Tech may have a good RPI now but that does not mean we will have a good RPI in D1 because we are playing a D2 schedule and for basketball that means 22 conference games and only 4 or 6 non-conference games. I'm tired of having to say this; ATU has absolutely no desire for D1. We formed a new conference to cut travel costs and missed class time. Now you want us to join a conference where all the other members are out of state? We are not going to join a conference where we have to send each of our teams to Indiana and Iowa 2 or 3 times a year and where we have to join another conference for the football team that includes at least 1 trip to the Dakotas every year. We would be the smallest public school in the Valley and our facilities are far inferior to those in the MVC and MVFC. The football stadium would be difficult to improve since it has a dorm attached on one side. Tech would need to add at least 4 sports for D1 and, no, there are no facilities currently in place to house those sports. We are happy in D2 and the costs of being an irrelevant D1 school is way too high.