MSUDuo wrote:I guess I don't under the love in adding a school in a state with 7 D1 schools compared to schools that are the premier item in their state.
Yes, Kentucky is 8 times larger than ND but Im guessing that ND is sitting on a lot more money than Kentucky is.
The thing to remember with the DoE numbers is that they are a year or two old. The most recent numbers are FY15/16. They were a transition D2 team at that point - yes they were "technically" D1 transitioning, but until a team gains full D1 status I call them D2. They weren't granted full D1 status by the NCAA, even if a forgone conclusion, until August 9, 2016. Yep, less than a year ago. It's going to take 2 years to see what their budget this year was. By then who knows what it could be.
NKU would be/is a long play addition, should that be the route. They are investing in facilities across the board. This should, in theory, help with recruiting players and coaches. They won the HL tournament in their first year. Had an RPI of 87 (85 on Warren Nolan). Second most wins in the HL. Same number of wins as Valpo. The long play potential on NKU is pretty damn solid, if actualized.
1. The hang up is can/will they go to MVC funding levels if needed?
2. They had 24 wins, but played an SOS of 190 and an OOC SOS of 148. That might be good by a couple MVC teams standards but it does boost their win total...a lot. They were 6-8 vs Nolan's top 200 and 16-3 vs 201+. So we know they dominate bad teams - which some MVC teams don't/can't do on a regular basis. They were 5-1 vs teams 101-200, which is nice, but 1-7 vs the top 100.
3. Can they sustain it? We don't know what their funding level looks like moving forward, but at the level it's currently known at they might at a low major level, but not at a mid to upper mid major level.
NKU isn't my first choice, but if the selection has to come from that list (and I voted other) I would go NKU and take the long play.
Murray State is the short term, and potential long term, addition of value. Northern Kentucky would be the team you take to build over a few years while hoping that other MVC programs like Bradley, Southern Illinois, try to get back to what they once were (or even close). The scary thing about that method is Bradley can't seem to get anything right. Drake is horrid and always will be. Southern Illinois is about where Barry is going to get them, and in Illinois do they have the funds to hire a better coach to take the next step? Illinois State turns their roster over faster than Kentucky. Evansville gonna Evansville. It's a penny in a wishing well move. If it works it'll work big. If not, well, we're boned.
I don't hate the idea of UTA or UALR, which are rumors I've heard, but I' not in love with them as I don't know they wouldn't jump back to the Southland or Sun Belt if/when they got a chance.
I'm pretty bullish on Stephan F Austin, which you could say the same about jumping back to a southern based conference for them, but they have more basketball commitment than almost any other MM.
The Dakota's are perfect if we got to 14. There's just so much potential baggage to a move that involves them, and I'm not even talking budget/football. SD and ND watched the DSUs move up without the UxDs and the rift it created. They've all fought extremely hard to get paired back up together. I have a hard time believing the ND or SD state legislature is going to let SDSU go anywhere without USD and the same for ND with NDSU and UND - especially with the little brother of each (USD/UND) state seeming to have more pull in the state legislature. On top of that NDSU/SDSU are pretty hooked togehter. As much as they are rivals they formed a bond back in about 2002 when they both started the D1 process. They did it together. They found conference homes together. They made sure that they always had a partner through the move. Now that they've both been D1 for a decade is that partnership still there? I don't know, but I wouldn't bet against it barring a drastic invite for one of them - MWC, AAC, maybe MAC...which aren't coming.
If we could pick one to go with Murray State I'd go SDSU. It's closer travel, they have a longer basketball history, the renovation they have planned for their arena is going to be signifantly better than the multipurpose room NDSU built. Since 2012 SDSU has the highest average RPI in the Summit. 2 of the last 5 POY award winners, and the most recent is still in school and will be a JR this year - 25ppg, scored 51 in a game, etc... They've won 3 of the last 5 regular season titles, 4 of the last 6 post season titles (was runner up in one of the other two years), had the SL tourney MVC 4 of the last 6 tourneys. No idea how that would translate to the MVC, but if picking one of the Dakota's it's them. Plus their fans are the lesser of two evils of the two, by a long shot.
UW-M would be fantastic, if they could ever get their crap together in their athletic department. They have the potential, but NKU is going to actualize that potential long before UW-M does.
I'm over Belmont at this point. If they want to be the biggest Yorkie in the pen that is the OVC, then so be it. They don't appear to have an active fan base. I don't trust them once Rick Byrd is gone given their apparent lack of interest in heavy investment moving forward. They've also finished no worst than 3rd in the last 17 years with 11 regular season titles (big plus). However, they've missed the NCAAs 3 of the last 4 years even with that success, never been passed the second round of the the NIT, and never won a NCAA tournament game. At some point you start to wonder if they are built to dominate low major teams and then can't beat anyone outside of the low major. They have 8 total top 100 RPI wins in OOC since the RPI began in 2003, and 5 of those came between 2012-2014. I didn't count their losses but it was over 20 I remember skimming. That isn't a program I want moving forward.
The problem is there isn't a "perfect" 12th. There's a great 11th, but there isn't a 12th to match.
