Horizon League Expansion

[Willie]

There has been a lot of speculation about Butler leaving for the A-10 and who the HL will try to replace them with. I know most fans just think we will go with Oakland, but I think the HL would be smart to look ahead a bit and add multiple teams to try to get the conference to 12. That would allow the conference to have 2 divisions for easier travel and it would give us the chance to add multiple programs with a baseball team so that we do not have to worry about losing our automatic bid to the NCAA tournament again. Here are the programs that make the most sense to me:

Oakland
Current conference: Summit
RPI the last 5 years: 141, 53, 52, 122, 169
NCAA appearances: 05, 10, 11
Facilities: Athletics Center O’rena, seats: 4055, 2012 attendance: 3346
Budget: 10 million
Location: Detroit, MI

Robert Morris
Current conference: Northeast
RPI the last 5 years: 100, 100, 129, 109, 132
NCAA appearances: 82, 83, 89, 90, 92, 09, 10
Facilities: Sewall Center, seats: 3056, 2012 attendance: 1477
Budget: 13 million
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Drexel
Current conference: CAA
RPI the last 5 years: 66, 74, 146, 133, 238
NCAA appearances: 86, 94, 95, 96
Facilities: Daskalakis Athletic Center, seats: 2300, 2012 attendance:2185
Budget: 16 million
Location: Philadelphia, PA

Murray State:
Current conference: OVC
RPI the last 5 years: 22, 117, 57, 148, 189
NCAA appearances: 64, 69, 88, 90, 91, 95, 97, 98, 99, 02, 04, 06, 10, 12
Facilities:
Budget: 13 million
Location: Murray, KY

Morehead St
Current conference: OVC
RPI the last 5 years: 166, 77, 84, 141, 233
NCAA appearances: 56, 57, 61, 83, 84, 09, 11
Facilities: Johnson Arena, seats: 6500, 2012 attendance: 2241
Budget: 7.5 million
Location: Morehead, KY

Belmont
Current conference: Atlantic Sun
RPI the last 5 years: 58, 51, 135, 124, 76
NCAA appearances: 06, 07, 08, 11, 12
Facilities: Curb Event Center, seats: 5000, 2012 attendance: 2012
Budget: 8 million
Location: Nashville, TN

Northern Kentucky
Current conference: Atlantic Sun
RPI the last 5 years: NA (D2)
NCAA appearances: NA (D2)
Facilities: Bank of Kentucky Center, seats: 9400, 2012 attendance: 1796
Budget: 5.8 million
Location: Highland Hts, KY

[Bomber]

I think the HL will try to add Oakland. I doubt that LeCrone is forward thinking enough to try to add more than 1 school.

[CincyDrummer]

I would be extremely upset if Northern Kentucky was under consideration.

[Big D]

Apr 30, 2012 17:12:53 GMT -5 CincyDrummer said:

I would be extremely upset if Northern Kentucky was under consideration.

They were turned down for membership in the past. My guess is that we will just try to add Oakland. NKU only makes sense if we are adding multiple teams. They would actually make a good travel partner for us. We will end up being a travel partner with Valpo if we only add Oakland. NKU has good facilities. They do need to increase their athletic budget to get competitive in the HL and I wouldn't want to add them until they have proven them self at the D1 level for a few years.

[Glory Days]

Well, with the reported announcement coming tomorrow, I sure hope LeCrone has Butler's replacement lined up. The only thing worse than losing Butler is if LeCrone f's up the choice of the next team we invite to the HL. If he adds a Valpo type team, he should be able to keep his job. If he brings in another YSU type team, I think he should be beaten and then fired. Oakland seems like the obvious choice. Let's all hope he isn't nearly as stupid as we all think he is and hope that he has been working on this for some time already.

[Class of '79]

I've been thinking about this for the last few days. I really hope the HL tries to make a big splash and add 3 teams: Oakland, Belmont, and Murray State. Belmont and Murray State don't fit our geography the best, but I think it would be doable if we split the HL into north south divisions. The north would be UWGB, UWM, Detroit, Oakland, CSU, and YSU. The south would be Murray State, Belmont, Valpo, UIC, Loyola, and WSU. Those are 3 teams I could get excited about adding. If we only add 1 team, I hope it's Oakland.

[Big D]

I expect the HL will only add one school: Oakland. I really wish we would make a ballsy move and add 3. I would try to add Oakland, Drexel, and Robert Morris or Oakland Murray State, and Belmont. Either one would expand the size of the HL and result in the HL going to east/west divisions or north/south divisions. I think we would have a better chance attracting Oakland, Robert Morris and Drexel.

[thatbaldraiderfan]

Aside from our hopes of the HL adding Oakland, is there any real talk or evidence that the league will add Oakland?

[Black PantherU]

In the conference call, Lecrone said the rule was a school could veto within 25 miles. Detroit is 20 miles from Oakland. He then said that veto could be overwritten if the remaining members voted unanimously for the team.

In the past, Detroit called on bros Loyola and Butler to help them out. If Detroit still wants no part of Oakland and Loyola still defends them, then Oakland is out.

[Hoops Junkie]

Oakland 'definitely interested' in move to Horizon League

www.detroitnews.com/article/20120502/SPORTS0203/205020437/Oakland-definitely-interested-move-Horizon-League?odyssey=tab

[Nutt House]

I think I'll puke if we invite IUPUI or IPFW.

[WrightStateFan]

I'd fire LeCrone now before he has a chance to screw this up. Just look at the A-10 to see what hiring a good Conference Commish can do for you. The year after the A-10 hired their Commish they got their TV deal to broadcast their league championship game on CBS. Now they are on the verge of adding 3 teams that have made it to the final four recently. LeCrone is an idiot. I could see him recommending that the HL add IUPUI, IPFW, and Chicago St.

[Piqua Raider]

I wish I could say this is a chance for WSU to step up to the challege of being the next top team in the HL, but Donlon seems to have a harder time keeping a roster together than Schillings did. He needs to get his ship in order.

[Raider Grad]

May 2, 2012 18:51:19 GMT -5 Hoops Junkie said:

Oakland 'definitely interested' in move to Horizon League

www.detroitnews.com/article/20120502/SPORTS0203/205020437/Oakland-definitely-interested-move-Horizon-League?odyssey=tab

Well, we know that Oakland is interested. Hope LeCrone can get this done quickly. Then we can take a little time to selectively add 2 more teams that can potentially help elevate the HL.

[mrose]

I'm not a LeCrone fan, but he's screwed no matter what he does--It's just a matter of the severity of "screwed." No commish, in any conference (BCS included), can replace a team that has been to the National Championship twice in the last 4 years. Granted, Temple is a difficult school to replace, but the A-10 still has the Philadelphia media market along with other schools with National name recognition. LeCrone can't replicate that. He lost Indianapolis. He lost the only school with National name recognition. And, he can't replace the school he just lost within another major media market or a national name.