Memphis to A-10???

[brownlavender]

This is just a far fetched idea that i've been thinking about the past week. How about dropping the 4 worst teams from the A-10 ie... fordam, st. bonnie, Lasalle and Richmond and Getting Memphis to come to a stronger conference where they can actually be challenged. Having a conference with 10 strong teams rather then just 4 or 5 a year with 10 bad teams seems more appealing and more like a "Major" conference if you will. I think if the A-10 moved to a 10 team conference, it is called the A-10, and got rid of the losers that the A-10 could eventually contend with the bigger conferences on a yearly basis instead of every 5 or 6 years, i don't know if this is possible let me know what you think

[XU 87]

sounds good to me. I just wonder how Memphis feels about this. They seem to have a UNLV type program-ability to recruit top talent, play a good non-conference schedule, and then obliterate your bad league, all resulting in a top seed.

So Memphis may think "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Memphis would go to a big 6 conference in a second, particulalrly to play football. but I'm not so sure that they would have any interest in coming to the A-10. It's a better conference but it's not that much better. And their current conference obviously isn't affecting the basketball program.

One thing about Calipari- the guy knows how to build a program.

On further reflection, Memphis needs a football conference. No way they come to the A-10.

[xavierj]

Memphis will not move due to D1 football. Now I am in favor of having Lasalle move on and adding Butler. The A-10 does not need 3 teams from Philly and The Indy market and another closer rival would do well for the league and make travel a little easier on Xavier, Dayton & St. Louis.

[mhettel]

Love the idea. It will never happen.

-How do you get rid of 4 teams?
-losing 4, adding 1, leaves you with 11 teams????
-what to do with Memphis football?
-Geographically, they are a bit outside the footprint.

Why would Memphis do this?

Our BEST bet is for Memphis to continue to do well in CUSA and earn an invite to join the BE football schools, creating a breakup.

[muskienick]

I don't believe Richmond would be among the four programs that should leave the A-10 if you are talking about all the characteristics (and recent history) that would enter into that decision.

LaSalle and Fordham are a definite givens. Each has poor facilities and a lousy history in the League.

The other two would have to be from among:
St. Bonaventure (remoteness, lack of media appeal, and scandal)
Temple (that football thing again - and their current membership in the MAC for football)
George Washington (facilities)
St. Joe's (if Temple were to stay) - facilities, despite the promise of a small upgrade to Alumni
UMASS - There's talk of them going to D-1 football
Duquesne - the Dukes' recent improvement notwithstanding, they have middlin' facilities and a really bad history of success.

Face it. The only way Memphis comes to the A-10 is if it drops its football program completely or downsizes it to the current UD or UMass level. I don't see that as a probability. However, I think it would be a good move for the Tigers since their football has been pretty irrelevant for more than a decade.

I believe that Butler's program would improve overall if it were absorbed by the A-10. Its game attendances would increase by 1,000-2,000, especially if the Conference were improved by the subtraction of some and addition of others. And its recruiting would have a wider base from which to select.

A much improved A-10 could consist of the following:
EAST: Charlotte, GW, Richmond, St. Joe's, UMass, and URI (assuming GW's upgrade to Smith and St. Joe's upgrade to Alumni become a reality, Temple moves to the MAC full time, and Duquesne, LaSalle, St. Bonaventure, and Fordham find leagues where they can be more competitive)
WEST: Butler, Creighton, Dayton, Memphis, St. Louis, and Xavier (only three members of the EAST would have to make annual treks to St. Louis and Omaha, possibly getting both games done on a Thursday/Sunday or Wednesday/Saturday trip. (Assuming --- as I did above --- that Memphis stays in C-USA for football, Duquesne could remain in the A-10 as a member of the WEST.

The above would not require the split of the Big East along football-basketball lines for Xavier to have a much improved conference membership.

Give me five minutes. I'll have another Conference shake-up I like even better! It will probably involve me breaking up the Big East!

[Get Real]

On further reflection, Memphis needs a football conference. No way they come to the A-10.

Then why not just delete the post

[muskienick]

The football conference that Memphis needs is somewhere south of C-USA (as far as quality is concerned). They really need to either find a way to get into a better football conference and upgrade their program to the same level as its basketball, or they should bite the bullet and downgrade their football (as was stated earlier) to UD's and UMass's level and then get in a better basketball-driven conference.

[stophorseabuse]

Same thing I have said for about 3 years

West
X
UD
Butler
Duquesne
St. Louis
Western Ky
Creighton or S. Illinioss

East
Temple
SJ
GW
RI
Mass
Charlotte
Richmond?

every team either draws great, or is in a great market.

W. Ky, X, Creighton, Temple, UD, RI all have high quality facilities. with Butler, Rich, Mass, Charr. and SIU with above average facilities.

Pipe dream