Vermont has fielded quality basketball teams for decades, including the upset of Syracuse in the tourney in 2005. They are also working on a $95M new arena (Link). Is it possible for them to join the A10 sometime on the future?

Maybe at some indeterminate point but the big issue up front is the A10 is overstuffed at 14 teams. They are in no hurry to add or even backfill if they lose 1-2 schools.

It's a strange one to think about, but eventually they might be able to get a call up. It'll depend on what teams end up moving out in the next round of realignment and how many it involves.

UMass would be the closest team to them, and it's 180 miles between the campuses (UVM is really far north). So if 3 teams leave the A10, and one of them isn't UMass, that might be the best scenario for them to be able to go up. Otherwise the next closest teams would be URI at 260 miles, followed by Fordham at 300 miles. Those are the only ones that come in around that range, the rest are just under 400 miles away or more.

If any of the northern contingent is among the 3 to leave (assuming 3 is the magic number to go for expansion here), then a team further south might be looked at instead.


However, Burlington is beautiful and everyone should go visit.

(08-07-2019 03:08 PM)e-parade Wrote:  It's a strange one to think about, but eventually they might be able to get a call up. It'll depend on what teams end up moving out in the next round of realignment and how many it involves.

UMass would be the closest team to them, and it's 180 miles between the campuses (UVM is really far north). So if 3 teams leave the A10, and one of them isn't UMass, that might be the best scenario for them to be able to go up. Otherwise the next closest teams would be URI at 260 miles, followed by Fordham at 300 miles. Those are the only ones that come in around that range, the rest are just under 400 miles away or more.

If any of the northern contingent is among the 3 to leave (assuming 3 is the magic number to go for expansion here), then a team further south might be looked at instead.


However, Burlington is beautiful and everyone should go visit.

Maybe if 4+ A10 schools are poached, Vermont could be added along with Maine or New Hampshire, as both were members of the A10 football conference in the mid 2000s.

Would the AAC considers them along with VCU and Dayton? AAC could shed western schools and get good east coast football and basketball school.

Vermont to the CAA maybe, that's far more realistic. They need to make at least one Sweet 16 before advancing to the A-10.

Maine and UNH? Seriously? At least UVM is typically good in basketball and no flight risk, having no football program. What do the others bring? Small yet big and empty states? The A-10 needs to consider what helps them keep a Final Four threat each season.

(08-07-2019 04:49 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  Would the AAC considers them along with VCU and Dayton? AAC could shed western schools and get good east coast football and basketball school.

The American Athletic Conference letting Houston, Memphis, and Cincinnati leave in order to add a non-football Vermont.



This has got to be your best troll job yet!

(08-07-2019 02:18 PM)BraveKnight Wrote:  Vermont has fielded quality basketball teams for decades, including the upset of Syracuse in the tourney in 2005. They are also working on a $95M new arena (Link). Is it possible for them to join the A10 sometime on the future?

George Mason, which has had little success in the A10 after reaching heights in the CAA that UVM hasn't in America East, has an athletic budget nearly 25% higher than UVM.

UVM's nearest metro area is Montreal, 2 hours away, where they don't care about NCAA sports. The airport is tiny. The entire state of Vermont has 600,000 people.

UVM is where it should be.

George Mason wasn't even clearly the best team in the CAA the year they went to the Final Four before a fluke (granted, also a commendable and gritty) run to the Final Four. Vermont has been a better program with a less memorable climax and grand accomplishment.

A-10 plays CBB tourn in Brooklyn
A-10 needs Hofstra, Stoney Brook, Siena

(08-07-2019 10:28 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  George Mason wasn't even clearly the best team in the CAA the year they went to the Final Four before a fluke (granted, a commendable and gritty) run to the Final Four. Vermont has been a better program with a less memorable climax and grand accomplishment.

They also spent a whole heck of a lot more on athletics than UVM at the time, without spending a huge chunk of it on hockey. I don't understand where a huge pool of money is going to come from to finance a move that far up the ladder. Vermont is a state that uses its limited tax dollars from a small tax base to provide social services to its citizenry and a good education to its students, both K-12 and collegiate. This isn't Alabama, where you can pour state money into athletics and let academics crumble, and have a worse childhood mortality rate than Sri Lanka, without having electoral consequences.

Also, as mentioned above, UMaine and UNH are laughable non-starters. After the UMass football debacle, and UConn's failure to lauch a P5 football team, I think we've seen the last of northeast public schools taking massive swings at jumping up in the collegiate athletics world.

(08-07-2019 03:44 PM)BraveKnight Wrote:  

(08-07-2019 03:08 PM)e-parade Wrote:  It's a strange one to think about, but eventually they might be able to get a call up. It'll depend on what teams end up moving out in the next round of realignment and how many it involves.

UMass would be the closest team to them, and it's 180 miles between the campuses (UVM is really far north). So if 3 teams leave the A10, and one of them isn't UMass, that might be the best scenario for them to be able to go up. Otherwise the next closest teams would be URI at 260 miles, followed by Fordham at 300 miles. Those are the only ones that come in around that range, the rest are just under 400 miles away or more.

If any of the northern contingent is among the 3 to leave (assuming 3 is the magic number to go for expansion here), then a team further south might be looked at instead.


However, Burlington is beautiful and everyone should go visit.

Maybe if 4+ A10 schools are poached, Vermont could be added along with Maine or New Hampshire, as both were members of the A10 football conference in the mid 2000s.

UVM is the only public in New England that could even be in the discussion here. UNH and Maine have a history with UMass football, and that's it. UVM doesn't have a history with any of the A10 really, but they at least are consistently good (but not great).

I'm ignoring hockey here, since all these teams have hockey together, but then again we all also have hockey with Boston College, and that's not getting anyone into the ACC any time soon.

(08-08-2019 07:09 AM)ccd494 Wrote:  

(08-07-2019 10:28 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  George Mason wasn't even clearly the best team in the CAA the year they went to the Final Four before a fluke (granted, a commendable and gritty) run to the Final Four. Vermont has been a better program with a less memorable climax and grand accomplishment.

They also spent a whole heck of a lot more on athletics than UVM at the time, without spending a huge chunk of it on hockey. I don't understand where a huge pool of money is going to come from to finance a move that far up the ladder. Vermont is a state that uses its limited tax dollars from a small tax base to provide social services to its citizenry and a good education to its students, both K-12 and collegiate. This isn't Alabama, where you can pour state money into athletics and let academics crumble, and have a worse childhood mortality rate than Sri Lanka, without having electoral consequences.

Also, as mentioned above, UMaine and UNH are laughable non-starters. After the UMass football debacle, and UConn's failure to lauch a P5 football team, I think we've seen the last of northeast public schools taking massive swings at jumping up in the collegiate athletics world.

"UMass football debacle"......We won 4 games last year!!!!!

(08-07-2019 04:52 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  Vermont to the CAA maybe, that's far more realistic. They need to make at least one Sweet 16 before advancing to the A-10.

I don't know that the CAA really does anything for Vermont other than put their teams on planes more often. The geography and institutions in America East all make a lot of sense for Vermont to associate with, and if you're a one-bid conference either way you're better off being geographically compact. If Vermont had a chance at the A-10 (and I think the A-10 would need a serious round of defections before they expand again) then sure, but CAA seems functionally lateral for Vermont.

UMBC has greater potential.

(08-09-2019 12:58 PM)NJ2MDTerp Wrote:  UMBC has greater potential.

Perhaps, but they have a long way to go. They've only been to two NCAA tournaments since moving up from D2. An historic upset and a fun social-media presence does not a burgeoning mid-major power make. If the A-10 is a stretch goal, which I presume it is for most non-football D1 East Coast schools, a stop in the CAA would bolster their case, but that's going to be a hard sell with Towson already in the neighborhood.

(08-09-2019 12:56 PM)Bogg Wrote:  

(08-07-2019 04:52 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  Vermont to the CAA maybe, that's far more realistic. They need to make at least one Sweet 16 before advancing to the A-10.

I don't know that the CAA really does anything for Vermont other than put their teams on planes more often. The geography and institutions in America East all make a lot of sense for Vermont to associate with, and if you're a one-bid conference either way you're better off being geographically compact. If Vermont had a chance at the A-10 (and I think the A-10 would need a serious round of defections before they expand again) then sure, but CAA seems functionally lateral for Vermont.

Serious defections, but only if those defections are certain universities. But yeah, completely this post.

Also it would need to be timed well. If they lose their coach and suddenly aren't the best in class of their conference on a yearly basis by the time the A-10 might need to expand, they might not even get a glance.

(08-07-2019 10:38 PM)templefootballfan Wrote:  A-10 plays CBB tourn in Brooklyn
A-10 needs Hofstra, Stoney Brook, Siena

The A-17 isn't happening.

The lack of a winning team at Fordham (one NCAA bid since 1971) hurts the Brooklyn tourtnament.

(08-09-2019 06:59 PM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  

(08-07-2019 10:38 PM)templefootballfan Wrote:  A-10 plays CBB tourn in Brooklyn
A-10 needs Hofstra, Stoney Brook, Siena

The A-17 isn't happening.

The lack of a winning team at Fordham (one NCAA bid since 1971) hurts the Brooklyn tourtnament.

Fordham would be much better served competing for Patriot League titles than they are in the A-10 basement. There are very real reasons they should look at that move as a positive for the school rather than a demotion.