glabedz
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I'm starting this thread 50% because I'm bored and 50% because I'm disheartened seeing Fordham lay another egg. "The epitome of brutality."
Anyways... let's chat about possible additions to the A-10 conference if there were to be movement in the near future. What teams would add the most value to the conference from a 1) passionate/large fanbase perspective, 2) team that wins a lot and could make the tourney perspective, and 3) fun places that you could travel to watch your favorite team play (bonus!) perspective??? Obviously, these schools have to also be realistic additions geographically, and the A-10 has to be a significant conference step up. As much as I'd like to convince Saint Mary's or Gonzaga to join... you get the point.
I'll start with a few that come to mind:
Charleston -- Finished top 150 in Kenpom the last 4 seasons and has been to 1 NCAA Tournament and 1 NIT during that time. Charleston is also a fun place to visit and makes sense in terms of the Carolinas expansion with Davidson. A-10 teams have played Charleston over the past couple seasons, and they always seem to be pretty competitive games. They also boast a neutral site win over Providence this season.
Belmont -- This would be a "cream of the crop" Mid-Major get if the A-10 was ever considering expanding / adding another team. Rick Byrd is no longer around, but the Bruins are still proving to be a consistent program that can make the NCAA Tournament without winning its conference title. Belmont doesn't have a top 100 Kenpom win this season, but they'll have a good shot against a neutral-site Alabama coming up.
Vermont -- Vermont would be a ton of fun to add from the perspective of a Bonnies-Vermont rivalry that extends beyond non-conference play, and quite frankly, this Catamounts squad has owned the Bonnies the past 2 seasons. This is a Mid Major team that's been in the Kenpom top 100 the past 4 seasons (including this year) and has a potential pro in Anthony Lamb. This team has proven it can consistently beat other solid Mid Majors and hang with Power 5 programs as well (gave UVa quite the scare this year). Not a great location to travel to, but geographically, it would make sense.
Buffalo -- This one is in a similar category as Vermont, as Buffalo has had some really good seasons (2 NCAA Tournament wins in the last 2 years is incredible). Not to mention, this team lost a lot of good players from last season and is till 105 in Kenpom with a road win over Depaul. I'd like this add.
Those are just a few that come to mind. I'd probably rank them as: Belmont, Vermont, Buffalo, Charleston. Any others that are pretty appealing?
Anyways... let's chat about possible additions to the A-10 conference if there were to be movement in the near future. What teams would add the most value to the conference from a 1) passionate/large fanbase perspective, 2) team that wins a lot and could make the tourney perspective, and 3) fun places that you could travel to watch your favorite team play (bonus!) perspective??? Obviously, these schools have to also be realistic additions geographically, and the A-10 has to be a significant conference step up. As much as I'd like to convince Saint Mary's or Gonzaga to join... you get the point.
I'll start with a few that come to mind:
Charleston -- Finished top 150 in Kenpom the last 4 seasons and has been to 1 NCAA Tournament and 1 NIT during that time. Charleston is also a fun place to visit and makes sense in terms of the Carolinas expansion with Davidson. A-10 teams have played Charleston over the past couple seasons, and they always seem to be pretty competitive games. They also boast a neutral site win over Providence this season.
Belmont -- This would be a "cream of the crop" Mid-Major get if the A-10 was ever considering expanding / adding another team. Rick Byrd is no longer around, but the Bruins are still proving to be a consistent program that can make the NCAA Tournament without winning its conference title. Belmont doesn't have a top 100 Kenpom win this season, but they'll have a good shot against a neutral-site Alabama coming up.
Vermont -- Vermont would be a ton of fun to add from the perspective of a Bonnies-Vermont rivalry that extends beyond non-conference play, and quite frankly, this Catamounts squad has owned the Bonnies the past 2 seasons. This is a Mid Major team that's been in the Kenpom top 100 the past 4 seasons (including this year) and has a potential pro in Anthony Lamb. This team has proven it can consistently beat other solid Mid Majors and hang with Power 5 programs as well (gave UVa quite the scare this year). Not a great location to travel to, but geographically, it would make sense.
Buffalo -- This one is in a similar category as Vermont, as Buffalo has had some really good seasons (2 NCAA Tournament wins in the last 2 years is incredible). Not to mention, this team lost a lot of good players from last season and is till 105 in Kenpom with a road win over Depaul. I'd like this add.
Those are just a few that come to mind. I'd probably rank them as: Belmont, Vermont, Buffalo, Charleston. Any others that are pretty appealing?
