(04-15-2021 06:04 AM)solohawks Wrote:  Potential public private pairs the MVC could expand with

UIC & Detroit - Strengthen the MVC in the Midwest including core market of Chicago

Murray State & Belmont - Arguably the strongest private school addition with its basketball strength and major market. Murray is also a solid hoops school

UNK & Bellarmine - A gamble on two up and comers in basketball friendly markets of Cincy and Louisville

UTA/UMKC & ORU - If it's UTA you are getting in a new major southern market. If it's UMKC you are giving Missouri St some backup and expanding presence in a core state. ORU has shown potential and Tulsa market would be a good MVC add

Omaha & Denver - Omaha got mentioned in a previous expansion opportunity and Denver would be a good partner if the MVC wanted to go West

UMKC dropped out of the Summit and went to the WAC partially because they couldn't keep up with the Summit's level of competition. And before any of you WAC fans start talking about how they're even, that wasn't the case when they left and that remark was from UMKC's athletic department upon announcing their departure. The WAC has made great progress in the last 10 years, and I wouldn't be shocked if that factored into UMKC's return to the Summit. If they're worried about being Summit material, they're definitely not MVC material.
Denver doesn't get the level of support or have the level of success that the MVC wants from its members. It's a lacrosse, soccer, and hockey school. They don't have a history of getting it done on the court.
Omaha's perpetually in a budget crunch, and while they just have a shiny new baseball and softball stadium, they don't get much support or have much success on the court, either. They have MVC-level facilities, but not MVC-level performance.
Bellarmine is basically a call-up. They won't do call-ups.

Keep in mind with the rise of streaming and cord-cutting, markets are mattering less and less, and fanbases and fit are returning to being the top indicators of who to add and not to add.