Tom in Lazybrook
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RE: Atlantic 10 Expansion: New Perspective
(03-13-2013 12:00 AM)solohawks Wrote: (03-12-2013 11:16 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote: (03-10-2013 10:57 PM)Louis Kitton Wrote: We've talked at some length about the A10 and what they should be trying to do with reloading after basketball schools head to the Big East.
If we assume that it will in fact be Xavier, Butler, Dayton and St. Louis to the Big East that will effectively gut the western wing of the conference. What is also troubling for the A10 is that UMass is interviewing for a spot in the A12.
Here is an idea: The A10 decides to go with George Mason as we all expect they'll be selected. GMU makes too much sense as a huge 31,000 student school right in GW's back yard. After that the A10 adds Delaware (good academic school) and here is the surprise, Buffalo & Ohio from the MAC. The idea would be that Delaware would also join the MAC FB only and so the MAC would have an Eastern wing of Delaware, Buffalo, UMass and Ohio all playing in the conference FB only.
Buffalo has ambitions to grow to 40,000 students and in a quality east coast basketball conference like the A10 could get a lot of alumni out of the woodwork with St. Bonaventure, UMass and URI on the schedule. They would support the A10 tournament at the Barclay Center well in NYC. The program has shown some success in the MAC and would likely be middle of the pack in tha A10.
Ohio outdraws the next MAC school in basketball by a 2 to 1 margin and has made recent runs in the NCAA tournament. The school can put 12,000 in the house for conference big games and would look great on TV. They would bring the Columbus and WV markets to the A10. A fish that is big enough to be worth reeling in.
Ohio, Buffalo, UMass and Delaware then if accepted to the A12 down the road can do so FB only while having a safe landing spot in the A10 for other sports. For example, UConn and Cincinnati are picked up by the A10 then Ohio and UMass could join the A12 FB only.
To some of the ideas of the A10 adding Valpo & Loyola from the Horizon or Illinois St and Indiana St from the MVC......goofy. Why should the A10 go that far west for members that don't carry (or even have) their own market. Xavier & Dayton were big time exceptions. Indiana St should not be looked at the same way.
I think I'm one of the very few A-10ers in here.
First, Umass can interview, but the A-12 is a FOOTBALL conference. They have football at UMass, but taking them would involve quite an investment by the A-12. Could happen, but I'm not so sure that's on the table.
Second, the A-10 is not interested in adding teams that play football. PERIOD. Buffalo plays football.
The candidates for A-10 expansion are as follows
1) George Mason - in footprint, looking to leave, good basketball, no football
2) Hofstra - see above. The team we SHOULD have taken instead of Fordham
3) Drexel
4) BU or Northeastern
5) Sienna
If Davidson were interested, we might be willing to talk. The A-10, even after losing Butler, STL, Dayton, Charlotte, Xavier, and Temple still has 10 teams. So adding GMU and Hostra would do the following
A-10 South - VCU, GMU, GWU, Richmond, LaSalle, Duquesne
A-10 North - URI, UMass, Hofstra, Fordham, St Bona, St Joes
If we want 14, we add a Boston school and Drexel. Both of those get placed in the North and St Joes gets shifted to the South.
Either way, that's still a 2-3 bid league most years. Not a bad landing place.
Tom, Hofstra over Stony Brook?? Curious as to why.
I would take GMU and Stony Brook assuming Butler, Xavier, Dayton, St. Louis leave and Richmond and VCU stay.
VCU, Richmond, GMU, GW, La Salle, St. Joe's
Fordham, Stony Brook, UMass, URI, St. Bony, Duquense
South Division is great for travel and travel partners make cross division travel cake. North Division gives you two teams in NYC, 2 teams in NE, Pittsburgh, and St. Bony. If Umass leaves then you take Northeastern to keep the Boston/Massachusetts presence.
Stony Brook plays football. We're not kicking out our existing football teams, but we don't want to ADD more potential future problems.
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