(01-31-2017 06:13 PM)NoDak Wrote:  http://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/4...s-programs

With the latest ND budget cuts, UND is facing a 6.9% cut. The sports need to be announced by middle of February. Would expect that they will be M/W tennis and possibly M/W swimming. We meet Title IX and baseball was cut earlier. We have 20 sports now, which is way too many.

Meanwhile at NDSU, they will need to cut 12.2% out of their budget, as they haven't announced cuts to this date. NDSU only has 16 sports.

No universities in North Dakota need to sponsoring swimming, golf, or tennis as varsity intercollegiate sports. Those are sports where, with what little participation there is from North Dakota youth, if you're good you go into the club/private route.

Not sure about UND and cutting MW Golf, MW Swim, MW Tennis, and how that balances your budget cuts, but for NDSU I doubt that cutting MW Golf will solve the cuts. More than likely, I could see them needing to cut baseball too.

Problem is that would drop NDSU to 13 sports. I believe 14 is the minimum, with 6 men's/8 women's being one option. So then, you'd have to keep W Golf. Perhaps then, it will be M Golf + Baseball that is cut at NDSU.


Wouldn't bother me a bit to see baseball go at NDSU. The RedHawks are hugely popular and NDSU baseball usually isn't competitive. The men's sports that matter at NDSU are: football, basketball, wrestling, and track.

(01-31-2017 11:57 PM)Mav Wrote:  The most that could happen from this is IPFW and IUPUI further pursuing Horizon League membership.

This could very well happen, if the MVC lose both Wichita (to the AAC) and (as a result) Missouri St (to the Sun Belt), then the MVC takes two from the Horizon.

I'd be just fine with that, moving ever closer to an upgraded, DI version of the NCC.

(02-01-2017 12:46 AM)Shox Wrote:  At that point the Dak 4 own the conference.

They already do.

(02-01-2017 12:46 AM)Shox Wrote:  One of SCSU and Minnesota State would be a lock to move up, my guess would be Mankato, but SCSU would be more willing to drop football to do it.

Don't forget about Duluth, market-wise and as a research school (much higher than St Cloud and Mankato). Plus the U would probably love to get rid of Duluth football, in exchange for letting them go DI.

But at any rate, I seriously doubt either of the MNSCU flagship schools are in any position to consider a move-up, even with dropping football.