(12-17-2020 12:59 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  Party time for UTRGV. Lucked out big time. I am just curious to know the “whys” of the move and how much “trouble” the SLC is in

The Texas 4 had outgrown the Southland. Not to the extent Texas State-San Marcos did back in the mid-2000s, but still. To put it simply, the Louisiana schools just don't spend on athletics. I believe Nicholls State's basketball budget is just north of 800k annually. Most of the facilities in Louisiana are below standard (not that Sam's or SFA's are anything special) and they don't seem very interested in expanding on or improving their standing in the college athletics landscape.

Oh, and you've gotta mention the Southland's whole mishandling of the expansion in 2013. Adding HBU was a mistake... and UIW doesn't really do much for the league either. Why would a school like Sam, with a $20 million athletic budget and 22k students what to share a conference with a baptist school that has 2,000 students and a football stadium with a CVS pharmacy looming over it. Anyways, leadership at SFA apparently got fed up with that. They've been wanting to leave for a while. Now it's happening.