ORU Announces Return to Summit League

[SanDakotaState]

Re: ORU Announces Return to Summit League

Awesome news! Bring in another solid basketball program to the Summit and maybe we can make this league into a 2 bid league. This move will probably help make Denver decision to stay in the Summit a lot easier.

[YanktonJack7]

Re: ORU Announces Return to Summit League

Gene Taylor was on WDAY Radio tonight and I caught a little bit of it. He said that with NDSU, SDSU, DU and ORU that the Summit is becoming a attractive league and that they might be able to attract a good school or two to come join because the league is becoming more attractive. When asked if Douple would want to get to 10 teams, Taylor said that he probably will want to get to 10 and maybe even 12 teams. So this is huge for the future of the conference. I loved the battles with Dominique Morrison and ORU at Frost Arena.

[joeboo22]

Re: ORU Announces Return to Summit League

I'm not shocked, I had heard things from people who had ties to the Athletic Department late summer that there was a rumor ORU was sending feelers out about returning to the league. I am a little surprised about the timing, it is about the same time Denver announced, but I figured they would wait until spring to announce. I'm wondering if the timing has to do with another member thinking about officially asking for acceptance. Throw ORU in and the league is a little more attractive to a UALR, UND, UNC, or a Southern School.

It makes baseball a little harder, but makes the conference much stronger, stronger conference, more money, more money= better facilities, better athletic programs.

[JimmyJack]

Re: ORU Announces Return to Summit League

Good news! Apparently there are a bunch of ORU fans on their board who are experiencing a time warp and are speaking longingly of Oakland and Valpo. SDSU/NDSU/Omaha/Denver/ORU and, yes, USD (particularly when their new arena is up and running) will make a great conference core of solid D1 basketball programs. Add UND, maybe a Minnesota school or two, and you have a really nice, geographically-linked core of 8 or 9 teams.

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: ORU Announces Return to Summit League

This may sound crazy, but I hope Douple has at least talked to Wichita State. They would be a perfect travel partner with ORU.

They can't be real happy with the MVC sans Creighton (virtual 1 bid league). Take WSU out of the MVC, and how much better is the MVC than the Summit (not much)? Plus factor in that the Summit could really make a play with the MVFC schools, and a multiple bid Summit League would emerge.

[KUlawJack]

Re: ORU Announces Return to Summit League

This may sound crazy, but I hope Douple has at least talked to Wichita State. They would be a perfect travel partner with ORU.

They can't be real happy with the MVC sans Creighton (virtual 1 bid league). Take WSU out of the MVC, and how much better is the MVC than the Summit (not much)? Plus factor in that the Summit could really make a play with the MVFC schools, and a multiple bid Summit League would emerge.

Yes, it sounds crazy. Wichita State would never consider it. Their fans think they should be in a bigger league than the MVC already. They'd have their pitchforks out.

[jackdaniel]

Re: ORU Announces Return to Summit League

Add UALR to what we've got already,there will be years when these teams can man some pretty good teams.Should lift the conference RPI and prestige and help us attract similar if not better future members.We've got the ball rolling in the right direction.

[FargoBison]

Re: ORU Announces Return to Summit League

I definitely think announcing ORU right now is a move to get another school that is thinking about moving on board. Would love to add UALR or Northern Kentucky.

[Kemo]

Re: ORU Announces Return to Summit League

Yes, it sounds crazy. Wichita State would never consider it. Their fans think they should be in a bigger league than the MVC already. They'd have their pitchforks out.

This is correct. Wichita State wouldn't even consider the Summit unless something monumental happened.

The Shockers' issue is, they think they are too good for the MVC, yet don't have a more prestigious conference that would take them. Their lack of football makes either the Big 12 or the MWC a no-go, and their location makes them an extreme outlier for the prestigious basketball-centric conferences (Big East/WCC). Wichita State's best hope is that they can somehow convince the Big East that they would be a good travel partner with Creighton, but I see that as a long shot since they are a public school and the Big East is a made up of exclusively private institutions.

[jack power]

Re: ORU Announces Return to Summit League

I definitely think announcing ORU right now is a move to get another school that is thinking about moving on board. Would love to add UALR or Northern Kentucky.

With ORU leaving,i'm guessing the Southland will make a run at UALR also.

[RowdyRabbit]

Re: ORU Announces Return to Summit League

JimmyJack, use your collective WSU/SDSU powers and get on this Wichita St to the Summit thing.

[JackJD]

Re: ORU Announces Return to Summit League

I definitely think announcing ORU right now is a move to get another school that is thinking about moving on board. Would love to add UALR or Northern Kentucky.

As long as we're speculating, I wonder if there is some discussion going on in the back office at the Summit League, about a school more in ORU's region...examples could include UALR or Northern Kentucky on FargoBison's wish list. We know one of the reasons ORU left the Summit was to try to find a tighter travel footprint. The Southland's continued expansion was running counter to the tighter footprint notion so ORU came back to the Summit. Inviting UND as suggested by some, seems counter to the tight footprint idea.

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: ORU Announces Return to Summit League

Yes, it sounds crazy. Wichita State would never consider it. Their fans think they should be in a bigger league than the MVC already. They'd have their pitchforks out.

I knew all this, but I hope he has at least made the call. Stranger things have happened.

The last two teams to join are Denver and ORU. Established, fairly well respected programs with good RPI.

I don't see the Summit taking on a DII or UMKC-like project that will instantly hurt RPI. We have really good momentum right now. Adding the right schools to get the league to 12 would just about guarantee multiple bids at least half the time.

Adding a football school could really increase leverage with football playing MVFC schools.

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: ORU Announces Return to Summit League

As long as we're speculating, I wonder if there is some discussion going on in the back office at the Summit League, about a school more in ORU's region...examples could include UALR or Northern Kentucky on FargoBison's wish list. We know one of the reasons ORU left the Summit was to try to find a tighter travel footprint. The Southland's continued expansion was running counter to the tighter footprint notion so ORU came back to the Summit. Inviting UND as suggested by some, seems counter to the tight footprint idea.

Wichita is 2 hours (all interstate), from Tulsa...

[Jacks-02]

Re: ORU Announces Return to Summit League

How about this for a crazy outside the box scenario?

ORU gets us to 9.
UNC would get us to 10.
UALR would get us to 11.
UND would get us to 12.

Travel Partners
ORU/UALR
UNC/UD
UND/NDSU
USD/SDSU
IUPUI/IPFW
UNO/WIU

UNC/UND get invites to MVFC and it goes to East/West Divisions

MVFC West
UND
NDSU
USD
SDSU
UNC
UNI

MVFC East
WIU
SIU
ISU
ISU
YSU
MSU

This gives the Big Sky an out from their terrible travel with UNC/UND and allows MVFC to go to a 8 game league schedule where you play 5 against your division and 3 against other division. Games against other division would rotate every 2 years.

Thoughts?