UIC, VALPO, LOYOLA, UM-KC - Favorites for MVC membership

[BrewCityItalian]

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/03/31/4154451/umkc-to-get-missouri-valley-conference.html

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/blog/eye-on-college-basketball/21983753/missouri-kansas-city-gets-looks-from-missouri-valley

UMKC is also moving back to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_Auditorium_(Kansas_City,_Missouri) this upcoming season.

some fan reaction - http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=172&f=2481&t=11429629&p=1

Looks like some of the Valley schools pushing for UMKC. Not surprised.

UMKC was gonna go to the WAC, which to me is a better conference in the MVC eyes than the Horizon.

KC is in the heart of the Valley, as conference offices are in St.Louis.

as for UIC, Loyola and Valpo.

UIC has the Chicago Market ( they want to get into that market), and Valpo has basketball and the Indiana Schools.

Loyola to me seems a bit odd.

My money is on a 1 or 3 team expansion -

Milwaukee has the bigger athletic budget than any of those schools, but location , and media market not as big as Chicago, and does not own or play at the Cell and is way way way behind all of these schools in regards to facilities ( if we get the cell owned its bigger than renting it), and baseball is a joke.

Personally, I feel the move back to the Klotsche has destroyed any opportunity of getting MVC membership in July, even if we move back to the Cell for the upcoming 13-14 season.

Overall, Lovell dropped the ball bigtime, as he is not committed to athletics, and the Lacrone / Geiger tag team has screwed Milwaukee.

If we had our act together, it would have been super easy to have KC, UIC and Milwaukee and make the decision as easy as 1-2-3

The leadership on this campus sucks , as evidenced since Haidet has left, and under Lovell's term.

Horizon League forever -MILWAUKEE !

[BrewCityItalian]

enjoy your 5k's lovell

[illwauk]

I'm hoping for a one-team expansion this year, and a two team expansion next year. If that happens, we may still have a shot, depending on how quickly Amanda Braun can get things done. I don't doubt her ability to accomplish what she needs to, but will she have enough time?

[MU/Panther]

I would think the MVC stays at 10 schools.

[Jimmy Lemke]

I don't think the MVC is against the idea of 12 schools. They've been talking about going to 12 for awhile now.

[illwauk]

Something else to consider... the MVC probably isn't as stable as everyone thinks. Granted, I'd still have Milwaukee join if it were up to me (because f**k the H-League and f**k LeCrone), but's rapidly coming to light how unsustainable scholarship football programs are at the FCS level. Schools that have such programs are under more pressure than every to move up to the FBS level or scrap football altogether, and as we all know, football is whats been driving all this realignment in the first place.

In other words there are five MVC schools that could soon be pining to join the MAC, and I would especially watch for Northern Iowa and Missouri State to make such a jump. Granted I could be full of sh*t, but I did call UIC joining the MVC.

[Jimmy Lemke]

I just can't see the MAC accepting five new schools...if they did, however, YSU might join. I don't know if Kent State and Akron would be so anti-YSU if the conference grows to 18.

[illwauk]

I doubt all five will jump either, but if I had to put money on it, I'd bet one or two probably will.

[Jimmy Lemke]

Get this: Missouri State mentioned as a possible school to jump to Conference USA and FBS:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/blog/jeremy-fowler/22030790/conference-usa-weighing-16-team-model

This would drop the MVC to 8. I seriously doubt they'll stay at 8, so that would bring their need to 10.

In my opinion, I don't think MSU will make the jump. But speculation is fun!

[MU/Panther]

Missouri State, oh boy.

[Jimmy Lemke]

Everyone and their mom saying Loyola to the MVC. Still surprised that it wasn't UIC. Could ours and Rob Demovsky's reports have swayed MVC? Fans weren't too happy about UIC.

[lutzow10]

Seriously though? Loyola? Really? I can understand them not wanting us, but Loyola? Are they smoking something? Good luck with that MVC...

[Jimmy Lemke]

It's all about facilities. FACILITIES!

[lutzow10]

If its about facilities and UIC got passed up i am dumbfounded. That is the part that has me shocked. Go for a school in a subpar gym that had its last big accomplishment in basketball in the 60s over a school that has beautiful facilities in multiple sports and in my opinion is a much better overall pick than loyola, in UIC. How does that make any sense? If they are taking both it changes things but if not then they are on the loopy gas over at MVC headquarters.

[Jimmy Lemke]

Loyola just redid all of its basketball facilities.

[Jimmy Lemke]

What about this?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Goal of any new valley school-- demonstrate commitment to improve athletics. Look how much we have grown since being admitted. @<a href="https://twitter.com/lscrantonnl">lscrantonnl</a></p>&mdash; Clif Smart (@ClifSmart) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClifSmart/status/318856894112477184">April 1, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[royalty414]

I will miss Loyola. Those were some really fun trips. I wish them the best in the MVC.

[lutzow10]

I don't think the gentile is all that special. I am not bashing loyola or its facilities. I am simply saying that in comparison to UIC i dont understand why loyola was picked over them. Uic has a beautiful basketball arena, practice facilities, and a beautiful baseball stadium. And they are in the process of getting a new baseball field. My point is why did the mvc pick loyola over a school that is in better shape at the moment and that seemed to fit better than Loyola?

[lutzow10]

On a side note. I did enjoy traveling to Loyola. It was easy to be loud and it was fun going back and forth with their student section.

[JGPanthers]

If I could choose one of UIC, Valpo or Loyola to lose to the MVC, it would be Loyola. Replacing them with Oakland improves our league. Question is, who is school #10?

[MU/Panther]

I really hope the HL keeps UIC. We need to have a Chicago school in the league for recruiting.

[Jimmy Lemke]

MUPanther couldn't be more accurate. Losing UIC would be seriously detrimental to recruiting. Look at how much all of us recruit Chicago.

You'd have to think #9 is Oakland. After that, who knows? I'd consider hanging tight at eight - bigger piece of the pie - but unfortunately we need to lessen the weight of programs like YSU, who drag us down for a long time. I know those fans could say the same about us this year, but seriously, f*ck them we've been an anchor in this conference once in the past 14 years. Hell, even when we were 9-22 in 2006-07, we finished 7th.

Milwaukee gets back to the Cell and gets back to the 18+ win mark annually, this conference is better. Personally, I'm going to be pissed if we don't challenge for a League title next year. Loyola was a team that would always beat us no matter how good we were at any given time.


Milwaukee/UIC/Green Bay/Valpo/Detroit/YSU/CSU/WSU

That isn't a weak conference. Losing Loyola, even without adding anyone, boosts us - they were "so much better" than Milwaukee and finished 222 in the RPI. Take that out and this conference is elevated.

[MU/Panther]

I thought the HL would be asking schools to come join in March. I can't believe nothing has been said since Butler has left.

[Jimmy Lemke]

I thought the HL would be asking schools to come join in March. I can't believe nothing has been said since Butler has left.

I think what you have is a tenuous situation for different conferences, so Belmont et al don't want to say yes and miss out on an opportunity.

[MU/Panther]

I think what you have is a tenuous situation for different conferences, so Belmont et al don't want to say yes and miss out on an opportunity. OK, what is the wait on Oakland.

[Jimmy Lemke]

OK, what is the wait on Oakland.

I wonder as much myself. I'm assuming the conference wants to make a big statement by adding two schools (or four) together, but I'm not sure that's the best plan.

To me, the best plan is to spread it out - as soon as you get a new member, announce it. That way, you get multiple news cycles talking about the Horizon League.

[MU/Panther]

That and you give that one school it's day in the spotlight.

[Jimmy Lemke]

That and you give that one school it's day in the spotlight.

Bingo.

I saw that Loyola promised to boost its athletics budget to $15 million to get into the MVC. How about raising your budget to that while you're still in the Horizon instead of being penny-pinching jerks?