So what conference do ya'll want?

[silkamilkamonico]

This is hypothetically speaking for basketball.  

I know we don't get to choose and right now we're not in a position to be picky, but how do you SDSU fans feel about conference affiliations for basketball?

I'm bringing this up because the majority of NDSU fans are so hung up on the Big Sky because of the supposed 'football tradition' and natural rivalries.

IMHO, it would be for the best if NDSU/SDSU did not get an invite to the Big sky, and I'm speaking in terms of basketball.

It is in my opinion that the Big Sky is a lousy (with all due respect) basketball conference.  I can't ever remember a team from the Big sky being ranked, or even winning a game in the NCAA tournament.

With alot of mid-major talk throughout the college basketball season, you never here a team from the Big Sky being brought up.

The midwest is a better recruting area for both schools, and even though it would be harder to break ground because the teams are more competitive, I think it would be in the best interest for both basketball programs.

Let me hear your opinions on basketball conference, I respect the basketball knowledge at this place, and who knows, maybe I'm completely wrong and way off base.

[filbert]

Re: So what conference do ya'll want?

Mid-Con.

The Big Sky has made it abundantly clear that the Dakota schools are not wanted.

The Mid-Con's new commissoner is the former AD at Southern Utah.

The Mid-Con is where any future NCC D-I upgrades will wind up, in all likelihood.

My guess is in the next couple of years, the Mid-Con will take SDSU, NDSU, and either Utah Valley State (to give a travel partner with Southern Utah) or IPFW, and become a 12-team league. My guess would be Utah Valley State, for the travel partner reason:

MidCon/12 members:
Oakland-IUPUI
Valparaiso-Chicago State
Western Illinois-UMKC
Oral Roberts-Centenary
Southern Utah-Utah Valley State
SDSU-NDSU

UND and three other NCC upgrades to D-I could bring about a sixteen-team Super-Mid-Con:

East:
Oakland
IUPUI
Valparaiso
Chicago State
Western Illinois
UMKC
Oral Roberts
Centenary (or IPFW)

West:
NDSU
UND
SDSU
Southern Utah
Utah Valley State
Plus three of the following NCC schools: USD, UNO, St. Cloud, Minnesota State and Minnesota-Duluth

This alignment would also bring about a nine-team GWFC, which is ideal for football scheduling:
NDSU
UND
SDSU
Southern Utah
Cal Poly
UC Davis
plus the three other NCC upgrades.

(Note that the whole 16-team Mid-Con scenario assumes that UND will be upgrading to D-I--I think it's only a matter of time. On the other hand if they don't move up (odds less than 20% IMHO) I don't see any other NCC school moving up in the near term.)

The sixteen-school basketball league is pretty undesirable for a lot of reasons (difficult to schedule a full round-robin, lots of teams after one NCAA autobid, etc.) We'll see how successful the Big East is as a megaconference in the next couple of years. Those schools of course don't have to worry so much about the autobid. If they have success (i.e. Tournament teams by the bushel) then you may see other conferences look to go to a megaconference structure. We'll see.

The conference we want to be in is the Valley. That's ten years and/or three or four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and/or several conference realignment spasms down the road, though.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: So what conference do ya'll want?

I'm just not that excited about the Big Sky anymore. I really think the best option is a Missouri Valley/Gateway combo. I really think Western Ky is going to depart the Gateway which will leave 7 schools in this football conference and possibly an opportunity for the State U's. In terms of Basketball and the majority of our other sports my preference would be the Missouri Valley. I know this is a longshot, but I think to renew regional play with the likes of UNI,Drake and Creighton would do a lot more for our programs and fans than the Big Sky. One of the things I miss about the NCC is the ability to drive to some away games which you can do to Cedar Falls,Des Moines and Omaha. When you look at the balance of the Missouri Valley Bradley,Evansville,Ill State,Indiana State,Missouri State,Southern Ill and Wichita State these are quality institutions. Maybe if the State U's can gain admission they could split into a two division 6 team conference. I would next take the Horizon and then Mid-Cont. I just don't see the Big Sky expanding east until they lose a few of the schools on the West coast like Sac State and Portland State.

[Jacked_Up]

Re: So what conference do ya'll want?

Mo Valley would be great. But any conference with a Midwestern flavor would be nice. Heck with the Big Sky.

[fezzador]

Re: So what conference do ya'll want?

So has UND expressed interest in going D-I, or is that just the most logical choice available? I havent' heard anything one way or the other...

The Big Sky is reserved for western institutions and while the Dakotas are arguably Western states, both NDSU and SDSU are on the wrong end and not counting each other, are hundreds of miles away from the nearest opponent (I think NDSU's closest match is MSU and that's 750 miles away, SDSU's is Northern Colorado and that's also 750 miles away).

MVC makes a lot of sense as Omaha, Des Moines, and Cedar Falls are all within 8 hours of Brookings, and many of the Mid-Con schools (at least the ones from Illinois) are considerably closer than those of the Big Sky.

[filbert]

Re: So what conference do ya'll want?

UND's got an official D-I study going on, and their fans have some serious D-I envy over rival NDSU's move up. If UND goes, I don't see the NCC surviving.

I agree geographically about SDSU/NDSU needing a midwestern conference rather than a western conference.

SDSU and NDSU's big problem is that their peer institutions (i.e. statewide Land-Grants) are the Big 10 and Big 12 schools to the east/south, or, looking west, the MWC/Big Sky/Pac 10 schools.

[fezzador]

Re: So what conference do ya'll want?

The reason why state schools of smaller populated states such as Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho survive and even thrive in such stiff competition is that they're basically the only four-year public institution in the state. That's definitely the case for Wyoming, I think Montana only has UM and MSU, and I'm not too sure about Idaho.

The thing about South Dakota is that not only does it have USD and SDSU, but it has Northern State, Black Hills State, Dakota State and the School of Mines all being funded by the state. If schools like NSU and DSU never existed, closed down, or even became satellite schools of the two main SD schools, rest assured we'd have had two Division I schools (possibly even at least one in I-A) long ago.