akronzip Wrote:Basketball talent is a lot harder to come by, and not to mention there are well over 300 division 1 teams. Keep in mind that we are in Ohio. People love their football.
I know the Akron athletic department is devoting a lot more to football, as are several other MAC schools. The stadium project is going to lock us up financially for a while as far as upgrading other sports.
I have to respectfully disagree with you regarding the basketball vs football talent issue. What you say may in fact be true in Ohio but in the other MAC states there are as many quality hoops HS stars as football if not more.
The past 3 years the state of Illinois has had more HS hoops players receive D1 scholarships than D1A football. Yep hoops has 200 more programs however we're comparing 13 rides for hoops vs 85 for football. Two to three talented players can make a basketball team a winner, you'll need at least 10 to 12 for football IMO.
It takes quite a bit less $ to fund a winning hoops program than football so that alone makes hoops an easier way for a "mid major" to compete with the "BCS Programs". Look what the MVC has done this year with 4 tourney bids the same as the ACC, PAC 10 and Big 12. The $ that conference will get and exposure playing on free nationwide network TV vs the cable exposure more MAC programs get for football is a significant difference.
While the states that MAC programs are in have large numbers of D1 hoops programs to compete with for talent:
Ohio 13 (I believe)
Indiana 10
Illinois 12
Michigan 7 (which isn't that many for a state the size of Michigan)
Total 42
Not sure how many PA & NY have but likely quite a few.
There are some surrounding states that are underrepresented in D1 hoops programs for the amount of talent they have:
Minnesota 1 (one program for a state with 5 M people)
Wisconsin 4 (3 of which have been quite successful, Marquette has been in a final 4 within the past 5 years, WI made it to the Elite 8 last year and UW Milwaukee to the Sweet 16)
Missouri 5 (Missouri St has had multiple Tourney Bids in the past 10 years and deserved another one this year, U Missouri has significant hoops tradition, St.Louis finished tied for 3rd place in the 14 team Atlantic 10)
Colorado 2 (2 programs for a state that's in the top 25 in population) Neither program has done much but U would think a city the size of Denver would produce some hoops talent. I didn't count AFA.
That's 12 programs for 4 quite populous states.
Bradley which is in this year's tourney has 2 from MN and a 3rd MN player will be on their roster next year. The opportunity is there for the MAC to improve significantly in hoops w/o spending exorbitant dollars.