The Catholic Seven leave the Big East

[UWMandSDSU]

Re: The Catholic Seven leave the Big East

Could Denver be out the door before they make it to the Summit.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...enver/1973937/

[FargoBison]

Re: The Catholic Seven leave the Big East

Could Denver be out the door before they make it to the Summit.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...enver/1973937/

Denver leaving is about the worst thing that could happen to the Summit considering Oakland's status.

[YanktonJack7]

Re: The Catholic Seven leave the Big East

Could Denver be out the door before they make it to the Summit.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...enver/1973937/

If Denver leaves, the Summit might really have to consider UND, UNC, MSUM, etc.

Belmont, and Loyola (Ill) also getting consideration as well as Oral Roberts, but they are seen as a long shot. Interesting.

[FargoBison]

Re: The Catholic Seven leave the Big East

I still don't quite understand why UNC would leave the Big Sky in the first place.

[propar80]

Re: The Catholic Seven leave the Big East

I have a ??? How does this Catholic 7 automatically just receive an auto NCAA tournament bid? Is there a conference that has a bid folding or has folded??

[FargoBison]

Re: The Catholic Seven leave the Big East

I have a ??? How does this Catholic 7 automatically just receive an auto NCAA tournament bid? Is there a conference that has a bid folding or has folded??

The Catholic Seven is the Big East, they paid off the football schools to retain the name and all the conference's history.

The football schools may have to wait a few years to get a bid, not sure how the new rules work.

[YanktonJack7]

Re: The Catholic Seven leave the Big East

I still don't quite understand why UNC would leave the Big Sky in the first place.

Good point. But if Denver leaves, the Summit would be at 8 teams. If Oakland also leaves, then it's at 7, which would really cause alarm. I was just throwing some schools out in the region. I have no idea if UNC, UND, MSUM, SCSU would even consider the Summit.

[jacksfan29]

Re: The Catholic Seven leave the Big East

Auto-bid conferences don't merge. The NCAA automatic qualifier is seen as too important. Witness the contortions the WAC is going through to maintain their status (or, for that matter, the contortions the Mid-Con went through to do the same).

Maybe "merge" is the wrong term I was trying to use. If the Summit loses too many members to the Horizon and/or MVC does the Summit go away and the remaining teams move into a depleted Horizon which has also been picked over by the A10?

As for the notion mentioned in this thread numerous times of the Summit approaching UNC. Unless UNC drops football UNC is not coming east. There is no invite into the MVFC waiting for them. The football poor eastern schools would never agree to the addition of a Colorado school.

[filbert]

Re: The Catholic Seven leave the Big East

If I had to put money on the MVC inviting one, Denver or Belmont, I'd bet the Valley would go with Belmont. It has a better overall men's basketball pedigree than Denver, and it's MUCH closer to the footprint of the conference (which treasures being a bus league), and Denver has a truly weird set of sports, and everything I've heard indicates that they're not inclined to add sports. That's one of the reasons why they jumped to the Summit--TSL didn't require them to add any sports.

[joeboo22]

Re: The Catholic Seven leave the Big East

Don't be surprised if Northern Colorado drops football, It has kinda quieted down but 2-3 years ago it was a pretty hot rumor. The economy has come back some, and maybe legalizing weed will help them recruit, but some of the higher ups weren't too happy with the success (or lack there of) Northern Colorado football since going D-I. Also both CSU and CU have spent a ton of money on new coaches, their alum and boosters would love for Northern Colorado to drop football so they don't even have to worry about them.

As for Denver, I think they are no doubt on the consideration list for the Valley, but if its them or Belmont I think Belmont is quite a bit higher on the list, remember that Creighton was the far north/west school, and Denver is a solid 6 hours further (remember bus league in non-basketball sports). And if I'm not mistaken Belmont has baseball, Denver doesn't. Creighton has baseball.

Say what you want about the NCC, but UNO, UND, NDSU, SDSU, USD, and UNC have all gone D-I and none have fallen on their face and I don't think any of them are regretting the decision to go D-I. Now if Augie, and Crookston and Bemiji and SCSU and MSU-M all went D-I then I'd agree its a bad D-I conference, but if 1 or 2 of them went up, and UNC and UND joined the Summit, I have no problems with it.

I agree that football is the wild card, or elephant in the room, the issue that causes problems. There are solutions, one being that the Big Sky kept their football programs, I'm not sure how that would work or if they would agree to it, or if the schools would agree to it. Another option would be the Summit taking over the MVFC conference, again not sure how the MVC schools would take that situation. Other option would be just try to add them, see if they would be for it? Scheduling gets more difficult every year, maybe they would be more open to another conference game, IDK.

[filbert]

Re: The Catholic Seven leave the Big East

Actually, one of my evil little thoughts I have from time to time is for the Summit League, if forced again to uplift a D-II school, to invite from Minnesota Concordia-St. Paul instead of one of the state schools.

[NorCalJack]

Re: The Catholic Seven leave the Big East

Well I don't think Denver makes much sense for the MVC. Denver sponsors Hockey, Men's and Women's skiing, Men's and Women's Lacrosse and Women's Gymnastics. The MVC keeps touting themselves as a Basketball Conference and they want there members to focus on Basketball, so they don't want to see resources being used on Hockey, Skiing, Lacrosse and Gymnastics. These all draw resources from Basketball. They also don't sponsor Baseball, Softball or Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field. Baseball is a big sport for the MVC and so is Track & Field with the Drake Relays.

I just get the feeling that sport writer's just write stuff for the sake of writing stuff. But I just don't believe that Denver is even on the radar for the MVC.

[JackJD]

Re: The Catholic Seven leave the Big East

filbert: always the contrarian.

Actually, St. Paul Concordia consistently puts out a good product and if they went up to D-1, I think they'd recruit to that level very quickly.

[joeboo22]

Re: The Catholic Seven leave the Big East

Well I don't think Denver makes much sense for the MVC. Denver sponsors Hockey, Men's and Women's skiing, Men's and Women's Lacrosse and Women's Gymnastics. The MVC keeps touting themselves as a Basketball Conference and they want there members to focus on Basketball, so they don't want to see resources being used on Hockey, Skiing, Lacrosse and Gymnastics. These all draw resources from Basketball. They also don't sponsor Baseball, Softball or Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field. Baseball is a big sport for the MVC and so is Track & Field with the Drake Relays.

I just get the feeling that sport writer's just write stuff for the sake of writing stuff. But I just don't believe that Denver is even on the radar for the MVC.

I'm not sure, I do agree that Belmont at least on paper is leaps and bounds ahead of Denver, now maybe Denver will say we will add track and field, baseball and softball. Then maybe it changes.

I do agree with the article that they prefer to add only 1 school and that school be a private school. I'm not sure why they are writing off Oral Roberts though, maybe they want to stay away from the school or they don't want to get back into Tulsa as a conference.

It will be interesting though.

[gojacksgo]

Re: The Catholic Seven leave the Big East

Wasnt it right at or around the Summit tourney that we found out UNO was being added to the league? Maybe we will find out more in the coming weeks if we have any future members.