Belmont would be in the western division of the socon so their travel is fine

West: Belmont, etsu, utc, Samford, Mercer, wcu

If team 12 was Tennessee tech even better

(03-09-2017 07:28 PM)dxdtdemon Wrote:  

(03-09-2017 02:41 PM)insomniaisevil Wrote:  I liked the idea of Belmont and Lipscomb being a new travel pair and coming over to the Horizon.

I'm not sure who logical candidates are for the Horizon if they want to go to 12. They have such nice, clean travel pairs now, so you'd have to look at 2 schools that work as a group.

If the Atlantic 10 falls apart, how about Robert Morris and Duquesne?

That's an interesting direction that I hadn't thought of. Going east with the conference. This would be good for Cleveland and Youngstown.

I'm not sure if it's good for the league though. Robert Morris has played pretty good basketball the last few years, but Duquesne? Not as much.

Is the HL wanting to go to 12 even w/o Belmont?

I've said Robert Morris but I don't think Duquesne will leave a multi bid league like the A10. IPFW is a better option than IUPUI.
What about Morehead St.? Or a Niagara/Canisius combo from western NY?

(03-10-2017 05:37 AM)Fresno St. Alum Wrote:  Is the HL wanting to go to 12 even w/o Belmont?

I've said Robert Morris but I don't think Duquesne will leave a multi bid league like the A10. IPFW is a better option than IUPUI.
What about Morehead St.? Or a Niagara/Canisius combo from western NY?

The league seemed to have their eyes on Belmont for a while. I think the idea was clearly to upgrade the conference and add a new market. Especially with Lipscomb being an easy travel partner who seems to be on a bit of an upswing.

IPFW and Morehead both seem like ok options. With NKU in the league now, the conference is a group of 5 very easy travel pairs. That's what makes expansion harder. Robert Morris would be a good choice if there was a school to go with them. Morehead might be a decent option as well...if they had a partner. Niagara/Canisius might be too far and wouldn't help the basketball as much.

(03-09-2017 07:46 PM)NoDak Wrote:  

(03-09-2017 07:37 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(03-09-2017 07:22 PM)NoDak Wrote:  

(03-09-2017 06:54 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(03-09-2017 06:38 PM)NoDak Wrote:  NC and SC have more music students that can afford Belmont than Kentucky and rural Tenn. Belmont is a significant feeder school to the Country and Christian music industry in Nashville.

The OVC is a blue collar first generation college student league that doesn't fit Belmont's students or profile. The SoCon leans white collar with many similar institutions.

Belmont and Lipscomb moved to DI's Atlantic Sun together, but when Belmont got the OVC invite they parted ways. Trevecca Nazarene would have liked to join them earlier, but maybe can upgrade now. All three are very different church related schools in America's Protestant Rome, Nashville.

I am well aware of all three - I used to live in Nashville, knew many Lipscomb and Belmont students.

You have no factual basis for your other claims, other than a WAG.

Just because the SoCon has a few privates, doesn't mean it is worth doubling travel. Belmont has worked hard to grow beyond it's Southern Baptist roots, and lessening the association with hard-line evangelical schools like Lipscomb and Trevecca (who is too small for DI, to begin with) is part of that.

Samford is Baptist rooted as is Belmont, but still chose to get out of the OVC ten years ago to go SoCon. Belmont will make the same decision. SoCon>OVC>ASun.

Samford was on the edge of the OVC. Not in the middle. Again, a WAG that you are no clue about.

I know, Belmont to the WAC! Along with North Dakota!!

Shows you lost the argument. Thanks!

Sorry MplsSioux, I responded with facts, you with WAGs, and failed to refute anything. But like your other login/twin, you are incapable of recognizing when you lose.

dbackjon: "I responded with facts, and failed to refute anything."


.... OK!

What time of year would something like this be announced?

(03-09-2017 09:56 PM)insomniaisevil Wrote:  

(03-09-2017 07:28 PM)dxdtdemon Wrote:  If the Atlantic 10 falls apart, how about Robert Morris and Duquesne?

That's an interesting direction that I hadn't thought of. Going east with the conference. This would be good for Cleveland and Youngstown.

I'm not sure if it's good for the league though. Robert Morris has played pretty good basketball the last few years, but Duquesne? Not as much.

Actually Duquesne was a part of the HL (then called the MCC- Midwestern Collegiate Conference) along with LaSalle, so there was an eastern tilt until they all left shortly after the '95 merger from the old MidCon. The Privates didn't want anything to do with Publics and a high influx (6- UIC, Wright State, Cleveland State, Green Bay, Milwaukee and Northern Illinois) at that.

(03-09-2017 04:11 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  Talking about Bellarmine, they are one of the top teams in D2 in men's basketball, and they hinted at something about going to D1. Could they get an invite to D1 to join the Southern Conference? It would put them in Louisville, Kentucky to play games at since they already have Bellarmine as an affiliate.

Bellarmine needs to look at what Northern Kentucky did (a former GLVC member together at the DII level) and follow that example. Louisville as a city would embrace a second team. I haven't heard anything in a couple years about Bellarmine making the move up. They are starting a DII football team.

(03-11-2017 02:00 AM)army56mike Wrote:  

(03-09-2017 04:11 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  Talking about Bellarmine, they are one of the top teams in D2 in men's basketball, and they hinted at something about going to D1. Could they get an invite to D1 to join the Southern Conference? It would put them in Louisville, Kentucky to play games at since they already have Bellarmine as an affiliate.

Bellarmine needs to look at what Northern Kentucky did (a former GLVC member together at the DII level) and follow that example. Louisville as a city would embrace a second team. I haven't heard anything in a couple years about Bellarmine making the move up. They are starting a DII football team.

Bellarmine seems to be taking a non-NKU path. While NKU built athletic structures for an eventual and smooth move to D1 (beautiful soccer structure and basketball arena), the Knights seem content at the D2 level. Instead of building a 7,000-8,000 seat basketball facility because the current one seats less than 3,000, they're trying to start up football, which would create a huge problem in trying to move up. So I think Bellarmine will be D2 for the foreseeable future.

(03-11-2017 03:13 AM)Chuck_A Wrote:  

(03-11-2017 02:00 AM)army56mike Wrote:  

(03-09-2017 04:11 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  Talking about Bellarmine, they are one of the top teams in D2 in men's basketball, and they hinted at something about going to D1. Could they get an invite to D1 to join the Southern Conference? It would put them in Louisville, Kentucky to play games at since they already have Bellarmine as an affiliate.

Bellarmine needs to look at what Northern Kentucky did (a former GLVC member together at the DII level) and follow that example. Louisville as a city would embrace a second team. I haven't heard anything in a couple years about Bellarmine making the move up. They are starting a DII football team.

Bellarmine seems to be taking a non-NKU path. While NKU built athletic structures for an eventual and smooth move to D1 (beautiful soccer structure and basketball arena), the Knights seem content at the D2 level. Instead of building a 7,000-8,000 seat basketball facility because the current one seats less than 3,000, they're trying to start up football, which would create a huge problem in trying to move up. So I think Bellarmine will be D2 for the foreseeable future.

Would agree that fb at Bellarmine means staying at DII. Southern Indiana had talked about moving up ten years ago, but nothing happened.

I guess if push came to shove, there is Broadbent Arena and Freedom Hall at the Kentucky Exposition Center for Bellarmine to play basketball. Broadbent would be more appropriate as it can seat about 6,000 for basketball.

What if SoCon took Lipscomb along with Belmont to ease travel concerns?

Belmont, Lipscomb, UTC, ETSU, Mercer, Sanford

VMI, UNCG, WCU, Furman, Wofford, Citadel

That's not bad travel at all