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Post by mrose on Jan 22, 2013 13:28:25 GMT -5
I think UDM fans have soured on Ray McCallum Sr. and they're not going to give props to another team for beating them. Granted, I think they're down a couple of players, but coming into the year I wouldn't have been surprised if Detroit cracked the top 25 at some point in the season. Now, they're in 4th place, a half game behind Green Bay.
Ray Ray didn't look like a potential NBA draft pick at all last night and I thought their defense was bad at times. Now, I would like to give BD all the credit for making the Titans D look porous and taking Ray Ray out of his game, but I think there's more to it than that.
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Post by mrose on Dec 26, 2012 15:37:29 GMT -5
FWIW, I read a couple of comments here referring MSJ as a Div. II school. They are not a D-2 school...they are Div. III and I believe they've only played D-3 schools so far this year in compiling their 5-5 record.
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Post by mrose on Dec 17, 2012 20:58:44 GMT -5
Well, then, who are the “fans” you would like to market to?
Are there not WSU fans in the Cincinnati market? I’ve already pointed out, there are many WSU alumni, students, and faculty in the Cincinnati market that reside in northern Warren, Butler and Clinton counties. That’s our backyard—I don’t care what any freshman marketing major says.
We can’t just target UD fans—that would be asinine. Would that task not become much more difficult if the Flyers’ become part of a new Big East? Of course it will, you’ve already acknowledged how difficult it is currently.
Wright State will have to cast a larger net in a bigger pond---not a small net in a small pond—to attract more attention of the casual fan.
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Post by mrose on Dec 17, 2012 19:55:45 GMT -5
Comparing UC vs. OSU football to Wright State basketball vs. other southwestern Ohio basketball programs isn’t even on par with comparing Apples to other table fruit. There’s no comparison to OSU football.
If Wright State does what you suggest, Raider Up, then the program will never resonate with people outside of Fairborn—unless we become a perennial top 25 program. To suggest we shouldn’t market in areas with Div. I programs that have “more history and success” than WSU is naïve. In fact, if we were to use that as our guideline we wouldn’t even market in Fairborn as that territory belongs to UD—a school with “more history and success.”
So, that leaves us with Celina and St. Mary’s (which is really UD territory), along with a Lake Campus to market to; which is a fraction of the Cincinnati market and further away.
Technically, the cincy market stretches up to the southern Montgomery and Greene county lines. Should WSU ignore Springboro?
Heck, I know quite a few faculty and students reside in Warren, Butler, and Clinton counties.
How many people who follow WSU watch FOX sports (Cincinnati), WKRC CBS Channel 12, WCPO Channel 9 (ABC), WXIX 19 (FOX), and listen to Cincinnati radio stations such as WLW, WCKY, WEBN, 96 Rock, etc., etc.? I bet it's in the thousands--and the potential WSU audience is in the tens of thousands.
I don’t believe anybody is advocating a billboard sign off of Vine Street, but it’s just as ridiculous to ignore the cincy market completely since it’s technically in our backyard.
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Post by mrose on Dec 11, 2012 21:05:38 GMT -5
I think it will happen. I believe we'll see the first super-conference announced before July 1, 2013 that is comprised of the current A-10 members (less Charlotte) and the 7 B-ball only members of the Big East (MU, DePaul, SHU, VU, GU, PC, SJU) along with UConn and Cincy for a 24 team league. Temple, UConn, and Cincy will join UMass football in the MAC giving the MAC a 16-team football conference.
This merger will give the basketball side of the Big East a sense of comfort in that the new conference will be one of the top 5 and the football side the same footing they'll have in the leftover Big East begining in 2014. Additionally, there will be a geographic fit.
I would expect the 4 FBS schools to be short-term waiting for an ACC or Big XII invite and to work out a prearranged exit deal.
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Post by mrose on Dec 3, 2012 14:34:32 GMT -5
Hmmm. The BG media guide says the series record is 4-6 while the WSU guide says they series is 5-6 (WSU wins vs BGSU wins).
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Post by mrose on Nov 19, 2012 13:35:24 GMT -5
I'm not sure if the PAC-12 Network feed back here is the Wright State/Utah game. The Network is really just regional Networks (sort of like Fox Sports) and it looks like the WSU game is just being televised locally in Utah on PAC-12 "Mountain." The National feed on the PAC-12 Networks for this coming Saturday is Arkansas Pine-Bluff at Washington State.
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Post by mrose on Jun 7, 2012 16:55:09 GMT -5
Put me in the no faith column too. I see Oakland as the only positive addition. Robert Morris would be good too, but I'll handicap their odds at joining the Horizon at 80 - 1. Morehead State at 30 - 1 and either Western Illinois, IUPUI or IPFW receiving invites from LeCrone & Company at 3 - 1.
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Post by mrose on Jun 6, 2012 15:26:10 GMT -5
Lots of great possibilities being discussed and all well thought out.
Maybe I missed it, and excuse me if I did, but I'm surprised Davidson hasn't been mentioned. With the exception of Detroit, Cleveland State, and Youngstown State they are closer to the rest of Horizon members than Drexel and basically the same distance as George Mason (within 40 or 50 miles).
They are part of a relatively large media market (Charlotte) and have well above average facilities. In years past they have played 1 or 2 games a year down at the NBA arena in Charlotte (usually hosting Duke or UNC) and they have great men's hoops tradition/history.
They have expressed they're happy right where they're at, in the SoCon, and enjoy being the big fish in the small pond. However, if the CAA were to pick off one or two of the SoCon football schools and maybe Charleston for b-ball then Davidson might want to rethink their relationship with the SoCon. And with that assessment maybe they'll find the Big South a better fit.
But, if the Horizon can entice a couple of other "southern" schools (i.e., Belmont, Murray State, and Morehead State) to join maybe we can pick-off Davidson too.
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Post by mrose on Jun 4, 2012 17:10:36 GMT -5
I agree 110% with everything you say about this subject Big D.
That said, let me toss a little curve ball and play devil's advocate.
It's no secret that UDM has expressed interest in joining the A-10. If memory is correct, they threw a bit of a fit when fellow catholic brethren of the MCC (UD, X, LaSalle, Duquense) joined the A-10 years ago without them.
SLU wants to see the conference move west, towards Saint Louis, and the addition of Butler was beneficial for many reasons--including geographic proximity. Many of the current members of the A-10 have a mostly positive relationship with UDM and Loyola. UD probably wouldn't be in the A-10 if it wasn't for Xavier fighting to get the Flyers' included and the A-10 took a flier on Fordham solely on the media market.
So, all that said, what's to keep UDM or even Loyola from being ousted from the Horizon for not having baseball only to join the A-10? It's a crazy thought I know, but who the heck two years ago would have thought San Diego State would be in the Big East for football?
My guess is if UDM or Loyola were kicked out there are enough schools in the A-10 that would support their entry into the league if they agreed to upgrade programs. And, of course, if extended an A-10 invite both those schools would be invigorated to find new funds and make the promise to upgrade.
That would be rubbing salt in the wound and adding insult to injury by forcing UDM and Loyola out only to have the A-10 pick them up off the curb.
The A-10 would have two new large media markets to tout, SLU would be happy, and like long lost twins separated since the inception of the Great Midwest Detroit and Loyola would once again be joined at the hip with similar catholic/private schools.
Then what does the Horizon do?
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Post by mrose on Jun 4, 2012 13:43:04 GMT -5
UDM didn't add any net new women's scholarships. When they dropped baseball in 2004 they had 9 varsity women's teams and 7 men's (after dropping baseball) for a total of 16 sponsored sports. Today they have 17 varsity teams...one more on the men's side by adding lacrosse.
In addition, "financial reasons" to drop a male sport (the excuse CSU used) is simply code for saying "we can't afford to add a women's program." UNI used it when they dropped baseball too. The latest gov't figures I've seen (2010 year) show CSU with 30 more men's athletic 'ships than women. Based on Title IX they came to a fork in the road--either add ($$) women's teams or cut a men's team. Now, granted, CSU did have some additional costs with their baseball program as they played off campus about 30 miles away, but that additional cost paled in comparison to fielding a new women's team.
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Post by mrose on Jun 4, 2012 12:53:48 GMT -5
UDM did add other men's sports and they used up the "saved" baseball 'ships in 2009 when they added men's Lacrosse, but didn't add any new women's sports.
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Post by mrose on Jun 4, 2012 10:38:37 GMT -5
There's more to it than just having a current member re-start a baseball program. To add baseball institutions will have to add women's programs or increase current lady program 'ships, thanks to Title IX.
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Post by mrose on May 8, 2012 13:51:19 GMT -5
Raider Fanatic, that was me who you tried to "take to task" by saying the Horizon without Butler wouldn't be much better, if at all, than than MAAC. You're correct--15th is SO MUCH better than 18. Let's hang the banner in the Nutter--"Horizon League, The 15th best conference in the Land", and a one bid league just like all those leagues below us.
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Post by mrose on May 3, 2012 11:33:02 GMT -5
Add Northeastern and Hofstra to the list of schools in the CAA without football. Geographically it makes more sense for Drexel to join the NEC, America East, or MAAC and w/o Butler the Horizon RPI won't be much better (if at all) than the MAAC. Fordham is a bit of a different story and there are other reasons than having a member in the largest media market. It's one of 9 Catholic Institutions in the A-10, so there's a lot of non-athletic commonalities with the other members. Drexel has nothing in common with WSU, YSU, Valpo, UMGB, etc. In addition, many A-10 members have a strong Alumni base in the NY/NJ area. I highly doubt Horizon members have large alumni bases in NYC. The Big 10 has considered Rutgers for one reason and one reason only--$$$ Money $$$. By adding Rutgers cable providers would be "forced" to carry the Big Ten Network--That's a cash cow generating Millions of $$ for each school. In case you forgot, the Horizon Network is Free--It doesn't generate one red cent.
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