SLUDrew

The decision to switch the tournament to Brooklyn was made while Temple was still in the conference. By adding Butler and losing Temple there is a clear "power shift" to the midwestern schools. Wouldn't we all agree that at this time, and understanding that things can certainly change, maybe the four "biggest programs" in the conference will be in Ohio, Indiana and Missouri?

The point of all this is not to take shots at the other programs in the conference. I am well aware that until this year SLU hasn't been much more than a blip on the college basketball radar. However, SLU has made a clear financial commitment to winning, as has Butler, X and UD. Some of the eastern schools have yet to make such a commitment

Muddy Waters

Yeah, but Archie Miller has put himself in an excellent position for a contract extension and significant pay raise a year from now, while Jim Baron will soon be flipping burgers for a living.






Indeed.

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A10fan2

dunkin donuts.jpg

Miller is more of a donuts guy than McD's I guess. His recruiting prowess is becoming as "legendary" as the 1988 Boston Celtics.

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Muddy's from 2009

He has since made the same "prediction" this year. CLASSIC

a10nick

Xavier, or its President, Fr. Michael Graham, S.J., did not hire Bernadette McGlade. It required a vote of the League's Governors (or Board of Directors). One would imagine that if Xavier had made the unilateral selection, it may have been a person from the midwest rather than one whose ties were strictly from the East Coast (Georgia Tech's Athletic Department and the ACC's Commissioner's office --- 2 years as Asst. Commissioner and 9 years as Associate Commissioner).

Based on the "squeaky wheels" among the Xavier fanbase and major contributors to the Athletic Department, the composition of the A-10 would look a bit different now than it does had Xavier held the power of decision-making that some are claiming in this thread. You can bet that AD Bobinski and Fr. Graham are the recipients of numerous phone calls and emails and suggestions at cocktail gathering relative to the strengthening of the membership of the A-10 Conference. Calls for improved minimum standards, timetables for compliance, and set repercussions for failure to meet those standards in the required time would certainly now be in place. Failing that, contraction of the League back to 10-12 members through a penalty-less placement process into geographically-relevant leagues with that are more in-tune with the members' athletic financial commitments, facilities, and sponsored sports would seem likely to have been effected by the "iron hand" of a Xavier "Warlord."

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I just want the team I support to be in a stronger conference. I'd prefer it to be a stronger A-10! To me that would mean every member would have at least 2 trips to the NCAA Tourney and 5 winning seasons during each 10-year cycle. It would also be great for every program to seriously challenge for a league title (either regular season or Tourney) at least once during that same period of time.

paulxu

This has a certain symmetry. If you only beat Dayton at their place by 5, then your job is in danger. If you are the Dayton coach, and can hold Rhode Island under 90 and lose by less than 6, you get a contract extension.

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...he went up late, and I was already up there.

res

I have been reading the comments of some of our western friends for a long time now and, of course, those in this thread. I must admit, my initial reaction was not positive. However, after long and careful thought, I have started to see that their position is the correct one and in any case inevitable. In excited anticipation of adding Butler and its fans to our conference and our board, I have decided to throw my unconditional support to the Manifest Destiny of the A10's western axis. On behalf of the west, I now lay out my unconditional demands. If they are not met, my western friends are pulling out and... Well, I haven't quite figured out that one yet, but just keep it in mind. We mean business. Herewith, my demands:



Demand No. 1: Move the A10 offices to the geographic midpoint of our midwestern betters. That appears to be somewhere between Fruitdale and Morgantown, IN just west of state route 135.

Demand No. 2: Move the A10 tournament permanently to nearest suitable venue. That appears to be a wash between Banker's Life Fieldhouse in Indy and Assembly Hall in Bloomington. (Alternatively, the tournament can cycle among Cintas, Hinkle, Chaifetz and the Sewer.)

Demand No. 3: The Commissioner will be determined by a vote of the governors of the states of Indiana, Missouri and Ohio. The governor of Ohio shall be given 1 1/2 votes recognizing the 1 1/2 Ohio institutions in the league.

Demand No. 4: The Conference shall be split into two divisions. The Western Division shall consist of St. Louis, Butler, Xavier and Dayton. The rest of the schools will comprise the Eastern Division. Each team in the west shall play the others 5 times annually and be awarded one forfeit win against an Eastern Division of its choice for a 16-game schedule. The Eastern Division can do what it wants because nobody cares anyhow.

Demand No. 5: The four Western Division Teams will be seeded one through four in the conference tournament based on regular season results. Should an Eastern Division team happen to win the conference tournament, the result shall be invalidated and the championship awarded to the Western Division division team deemed by the Commissioner least likely to receive an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament. Until further notice, Eastern Division teams will be allowed to accept bids to the NIT and other tournaments of no consequence.

Demand No. 6: A separate message board will be set up for fans of the four Western Division teams. This board will be strictly moderated to prevent unauthorized users. Muddy will be limited to 60 characters and one image per post, five posts per day. Snipe will be banned at the mere hint of humor. Fans of the Western Division teams will still be allowed to post on the existing basketballforum.com board. Per current practice, Snipe and Muddy can continue to post anything they damn well please.

That's all I've got for now.

tman

Sorry, I quit reading after I

res

Don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight.

bostonspider

There does seem to be a littl ebit of hubris from some of our western friends. Now I think Xavier has the earned the right to bask in our adulation, and have a strong say in the future of our conference. The other "powers" have not yet proven much in my mind. Yes Dayton packs their arena, and that is awesome, but they have not really been a consistent winner in conference, and they have not really been a tourney stalwart either, though their win in 2009 was nice. SLU has done even less since joining the A10, but seems to be on the right track, if Majerus' health holds up. It seems to me that there are numerous eastern schools that are as focused and invested in their basketball as the midwestern teams (minus Xavier), including Richmond ($25 M renovation of Robins Center upcoming), St. Joe's (newly rebuilt Hagan Arena), GW (major renovations at Smith Center). The last 6 conference tournament champions have come from the eastern schools. So SLUDrew, I think you need to cool it. SLU has had one good year, so pipe down until they have had a few more and actually do "own" the A10..

marcusmv3

Can't believe some of the western members' fans are still bitching about playing our conference tournament for the next 5 years in a brand new NBA arena in the middle of a rejuvenated downtown Brooklyn, surrounded by hoops fans. The new location will be a success and will garner some high profile attention for our conference, as well as steal some thunder from the BEast tourney.

So we still want to go back to the US Bank Arena? 20 people in the seats for the 1st and quarterfinal games that did not include the western members? Or in a member's own gymnasium? Even more Busch league...

res

Quite so. And thus I find it telling that Xavier posters have refused, for the most part, to join in this western crusade.

El Shaqtus

Anything that makes the league better is fine with me. Temple is a big loss, but Butler would be a nice replacement.

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Mom, thanks for everything.

RIP Coach Rick Majerus 12/1/12. You were the one that said it was OK to think big at SLU. You were right.

KVBL Lexington Kings

SLUDrew

I think everyone is blowing what I said WAY out of proportion. First off, I admitted that SLU was hardly a blip on the college basektball radar before this season, and making a round of 32 doesn't necessarily change that. There are teams in our league that have been to elite eights and final fours this past decade so I would be a moron to state that SLU now "runs the league."

My point was the SLU, UD X and Butler would SEEM to not only be the western most schools in the A-10 but also play in the biggest arenas, in front of the largest crowds, with the highest paid coaches. They are proving that they are all heavily invested in improving their respective programs and I am hoping they get to continue the home and homes with each other (SLU, X and UD) and begin a home and home with Butler when they come on board.

marcusmv3

I don't think you need to worry about that, Drew. You typically get your closest 3 opponents (or overall most geographically concise pod of 4) for your home & home series in a 14-member A10, so you can be assured it will be Butler, UD, and Xavier (in '13-'14), just as Fordham had Bona, URI, and Temple this past year (we will probably get UMass or St. Joe's once Temple leaves). In a potential 16-member A10, we just play 2 more opponents overall changing the conference schedule to 18 games from 16.

jdm2000

As an X fan, I am excited about the tournament being in NYC. I'd be open to it being somewhere like Cleveland or Pittsburgh, though I generally would prefer a city where no one is the "home team." (No disrepsect to Fordham, but NYC is such a big draw that it's obviously not the same as if it were played in, say, Charlotte.)