Summit League to Visit USD

[bisonbacker]

Re: Summit League to Visit USD

Heads are hanging pretty low up in Siouxland right now. Conference snub and now Idaho buying out the contract. Lots of unanswered questions for them up there right now. Doesn't look like the move was as well planned out as some of the Sioux fans were led to beleive.

[EQguy]

Re: Summit League to Visit USD

Doesn't look like the move was as well planned out as some of the Sioux fans were led to beleive.

Not hard to believe considering the turnover they have had right after making the move.

[zooropa]

Re: Summit League to Visit USD

Heads are hanging pretty low up in Siouxland right now. Conference snub and now Idaho buying out the contract. Lots of unanswered questions for them up there right now. Doesn't look like the move was as well planned out as some of the Sioux fans were led to beleive.

But they can use the buyout money to pay for a guarantee game with Dakota Wesleyan or the School of Mines

(my best memory of SDSM&T: the Hard Rockers were losing badly to the Jacks and the Jacks were kicking off to start the second half. Adam Vinatieri booted a field goal on the kick off. Not only was it a touchback, the football went bouncing off into the trees north of Coughlin because they didn't have the net up.)

[BTownJack]

Re: Summit League to Visit USD

Matt Zimmer's (a sports writer for the Argus) take on the USD situation in his blog post today:

* Big news locally this week, too, with USD taking a step closer to getting an invite to the Summit League and USF booking a couple games with UND.

Stu and Terry have both weighed in on the USD-Summit thing, so I’ll just add that, while I’m all for SDSU having success at the D1 level, and have been particularly impressed with their football and women’s basketball teams, I think the Summit League -as of right now - is pretty weak. It seems more minor than mid-major to me. There are GPAC gyms that draw bigger crowds than some of those in the Summit apparently do.

Despite the struggles of the SDSU men, I would argue that SDSU and NDSU are the best things going for the Summit League. Bringing in a similar institution like USD (and UND, if they get the nickname thing figured out) will make it a better league. Then again, I don’t know that SDSU fans are actually against adding USD. Maybe that’s just a perception being thrown out there.

And yes, I think the rivalry needs to be revived. I know a lot of the SDSU die-hards say they don’t need it, and I believe them when they say that. But die-hards often forget that you have to cater to the casual fans, too, and the overwhelming majority of people in the state want that rivalry back (by the way, I know about the dumping in the locker room story. I think it’s funny. Horrible, but funny. To me that’s not a good enough reason to not want to play somebody).

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[MontanaRabbit]

Re: Summit League to Visit USD

Matt Zimmer's (a sports writer for the Argus) take on the USD situation in his blog post today:

I would have to disagree with his fact at saying the Summit is weak. I believe we are in the middle of the pack as far as conference go.

[jackrabit1]

Re: Summit League to Visit USD

I think Matt was touching on other factors like attendance, and prestige. When you have conference schools in metropolitan areas larger than either of the Dakotas and draw ONLY 700 fans, it's not encouraging.

[91jack]

Re: Summit League to Visit USD

I would have to disagree with his fact at saying the Summit is weak. I believe we are in the middle of the pack as far as conference go.

I think he is referring to attendance. If he's referring to the teams on the court, he's way off. The line about the GPAC is why I think this.
I know that USD's Women aren't playing anybody and they aren't as good as last year but look at their attendance. They probably average about 750 fans per game so far this year. The Men might be averaging 1,100(at most). A game against SDSU will bring in 5 times that many. I do think they will draw better the next few years when they play DI teams. They should be in the top 3rd or so in attendance but I think they'll only get big crowds against SDSU, NDSU and UND. There might be a couple other games but not many.

[KUlawJack]

Re: Summit League to Visit USD

I think Matt was touching on other factors like attendance, and prestige. When you have conference schools in metropolitan areas larger than either of the Dakotas and draw ONLY 700 fans, it's not encouraging.

That is a terrific point to make. We and NDSU are flagship institutions of our respective states garnering the most coverage and possessing the most in ways of tradition. Many of the other teams in the Summit battle against serious obstacles in regards to recognition and tradition. I don't want to be seen as putting their programs down by any means, but Centenary isn't going to get more headlines than LSU as UMKC won't get near the attention that KU gets in Kansas City. Not to mention that Oakland has to battle against a couple of pretty tradition rich programs to the west and southwest of them in Detroit even if they do field very competitive and impressive teams year after year. I guess that is a fact that our conference will battle against always.

[2002jack]

Re: Summit League to Visit USD

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/...df?MOD=AJPERES


http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/...oc?MOD=AJPERES


Average attendance for Men's and Women's basketball. The Summit is #20 for women and #22 for men. Not total crap, but not great either.

[Jacks-02]

Re: Summit League to Visit USD

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/...df?MOD=AJPERES


http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/...oc?MOD=AJPERES


Average attendance for Men's and Women's basketball. The Summit is #20 for women and #22 for men. Not total crap, but not great either.

For women's games the league averaged 872 per game, which was apparently a new record.

[FargoBison]

Re: Summit League to Visit USD

The Bisonator has the league's average attendance at 2,258 so far this year, which is decent and an improvement from last year. At least in Fargo, league games are starting to match what we got for NCC games on the men's side.

On the women's side I think the league would do all teams a huge favor if they stopped playing Monday games, I really like the idea of mirror scheduling(men are on the road, women are at home). NDSU would do itself a favor if it would go back to playing doubleheaders, but the school seems set against it.

[zooropa]

Re: Summit League to Visit USD

The Bisonator has the league's average attendance at 2,258 so far this year, which is decent and an improvement from last year. At least in Fargo, league games are starting to match what we got for NCC games on the men's side.

On the women's side I think the league would do all teams a huge favor if they stopped playing Monday games, I really like the idea of mirror scheduling(men are on the road, women are at home). NDSU would do itself a favor if it would go back to playing doubleheaders, but the school seems set against it.

1) I don't like mirror scheduling, because I love the doubleheaders. With the current structure, every home weekend is a doubleheader weekend. Also, I don't think a 5:00 Thursday doubleheader game (or a 6:00 Thursday) doubleheader with the men would be any better attended on the W side than a Monday game.

2) My understanding is NDSU sells separate M&W season tickets so they can't do doubleheaders.

3) M & W travelling together makes it easier for beat writers to cover both teams.

[Grizzled_Jack]

Re: Summit League to Visit USD

Having attended three commuter D1 schools: Georgia State, UWM and (transitional) SIUE, I think there's no doubt that the UxD's would, of course, draw more and probably help the Summit--frankly I never attended a game at any of those schools, nor knew anyone else who did.

However, I'd prefer any play be put off for several years. I was shooting for mid-twenties but I'd settle for a decade from now. Let's let the whole thing die down-- what's wrong with them staying in the Great West?

Don't you think there's a good chance that the xDSU's would try to veto any such membership move? Attendance isn't everything.

[FargoBison]

Re: Summit League to Visit USD

1) I don't like mirror scheduling, because I love the doubleheaders. With the current structure, every home weekend is a doubleheader weekend. Also, I don't think a 5:00 Thursday doubleheader game (or a 6:00 Thursday) doubleheader with the men would be any better attended on the W side than a Monday game.

2) My understanding is NDSU sells separate M&W season tickets so they can't do doubleheaders.

3) M & W travelling together makes it easier for beat writers to cover both teams.

I wish NDSU would get with the picture and stop fighting doubleheaders, maybe next year they will see the light.

[FargoBison]

Re: Summit League to Visit USD

Don't you think there's a good chance that the xDSU's would try to veto any such membership move? Attendance isn't everything.

NDSU won't, if we got caught it would be over. Chapman fired, Taylor fired, and good luck fighting for more state funding. UND has their fair share of power in the state, especially within the legislature.