2021-22 Basketball happenings around the American Athletic!

[wusphlash]

Decision Criteria

1. FOOTBALL
2. Everything else

That is our plight.

[SubGod22]

Is UNLV out of the picture?

I don't think UNLV would be in the picture unless they were wanting/getting 5+ from the MWC. And that would require BSU and SDSU to be a part of that picture. I think that is off the table until we find out what the Big12 is going to do here in a couple of years. If Boise and SDSU get left out, or the B12 decides not to expand more, the AAC can make another play at BSU and SDSU and then UNLV might become an option. Under that scenario I'm sure Fresno would be considered and maybe New Mexico.

[SubGod22]

Decision Criteria

1. FOOTBALL
2. Everything else

That is our plight.

The American isn't quite that drastic, even if other conferences are. Yes, football still gets top billing but Aresco has stated a number of times the importance of basketball as well. They're not going to add four football focused schools with horrible basketball.

You accept horrible basketball from AFA because it's AFA and brings another level of prestige and interest from the masses (TV). CSU has respectable basketball for the most part, but not great. But we're not getting great basketball from anyone. UAB also has a solid basketball program that could benefit from more exposure. Those are two teams that would be slotted into the middle of the conference standings most years. I'm not going to defend AFA basketball as they'd make USF and ECU look good. I think most of our programs are generally top 200 schools.

Option four is still a mystery. Liberty brings the most to the table athletically. Buffalo, who doesn't seem to be in the picture, I think would be a mid tier program in both sports as well. Marshall is another that would be in that realm. North Texas I think would fit that bill as well.

But you don't replace what you lost with better or equivalent options. You just do the best you can. Even the three leaving don't replace the two that the B12 left as a whole. Houston would compete right now at the top of the conference, but UCF would be mid and Cincy would be lower tier in basketball.

[Fake Gregg Marshall]

Interesting scenario I haven't seen discussed.

MWC + WSU, Zags, Memphis, SMU is second best option, only to a BE invite.

[WuTheOne]

Internet rumor has it that Gonzaga has shown interest in the MWC but nothing came of it - apparently Gonzaga lost interest. Gonzaga is the G5 equivalent of Notre Dame. Everybody wants them but nobody can get them.

I don't know if BYU departing changes anything at Gonzaga, but one thing is certain, the MWC has a MUCH better shot at landing them than the AAC.

If the AAC gets CSU and AFA and the MWC can swing Gonzaga, then the MWC is in a position to go after WSU, Tulsa, SMU, and maybe Memphis, but that's stretching pretty far east. This could get ugly as the MWC and AAC duke it out. They could actually poach each other.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

Ok name your realistic adds then?

Colorado state is in the upper tier of realistic adds.

Not even close. I already named at least four. Might as well go after Grand Canyon while we're at it. Been to the tourney more recent and probably on more of an uptick.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

Unless the MWC adds the NFC West, no AAC school is moving to the MWC.

Losing AFA and CSU won’t kill the MWC, but it will be in no position to get anyone from the AAC. It sure as hell wouldn’t make sense for us. The best they can hope for is UTEP and UNT. The MWC will duke it out with CUSA or maybe the WAC.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

Internet rumor has it that Gonzaga has shown interest in the MWC but nothing came of it - apparently Gonzaga lost interest. Gonzaga is the G5 equivalent of Notre Dame. Everybody wants them but nobody can get them.

I don't know if BYU departing changes anything at Gonzaga, but one thing is certain, the MWC has a MUCH better shot at landing them than the AAC.

If the AAC gets CSU and AFA and the MWC can swing Gonzaga, then the MWC is in a position to go after WSU, Tulsa, SMU, and maybe Memphis, but that's stretching pretty far east. This could get ugly as the MWC and AAC duke it out. They could actually poach each other.

MWC has tried to woo Gonzaga for YEARS. It's a completely one-sided pipe dream for the MWC that will never come to fruition. They simply wouldn't be able to pay the zags enough to make it close to intriguing.

[ShockTalk]

The American isn't quite that drastic, even if other conferences are. Yes, football still gets top billing but Aresco has stated a number of times the importance of basketball as well. They're not going to add four football focused schools with horrible basketball.

You accept horrible basketball from AFA because it's AFA and brings another level of prestige and interest from the masses (TV). CSU has respectable basketball for the most part, but not great. But we're not getting great basketball from anyone. UAB also has a solid basketball program that could benefit from more exposure. Those are two teams that would be slotted into the middle of the conference standings most years. I'm not going to defend AFA basketball as they'd make USF and ECU look good. I think most of our programs are generally top 200 schools.

Option four is still a mystery. Liberty brings the most to the table athletically. Buffalo, who doesn't seem to be in the picture, I think would be a mid tier program in both sports as well. Marshall is another that would be in that realm. North Texas I think would fit that bill as well.

But you don't replace what you lost with better or equivalent options. You just do the best you can. Even the three leaving don't replace the two that the B12 left as a whole. Houston would compete right now at the top of the conference, but UCF would be mid and Cincy would be lower tier in basketball.

Did you just compare CSU (maybe more favorably) to Cincy?

[California Shocker]

Interesting read.
not sure if someone else already posted this article.
Memphis is a mid-major. Lol

https://mwwire.com/2021/09/19/conference-realignment-is-no-longer-pending-its-here/

[shockerfan34]

While I'm not sure AFA/CSU is a home run pair, I find it a pretty good start and makes alot of sense for th conference.
Basketball aside, if you can't see the value of adding Air Force to the conference, you'll probably need to consider thinking a little harder. This is a no brainer for the league.


CSU on the other hand is a well respected university in a state neighboring Kansas, has made investments into it's facilities, is in a rapidly growing state, has a great town to visit. The results on the court aren't excellent but they should at least remain competitive in the AAC.

Meanwhile people would rather a private school with a small arena in rural Virgina who's biggest basketball success is a decent 3 year run in the ASUN and a single NCAA tournament win?

For as farflung as the AAC is, having regional schools like Tulsa, SMU, Memphis, CSU and AFA makes for a pretty good conference situation for right now.

[SubGod22]

Did you just compare CSU (maybe more favorably) to Cincy?

With the current state of Cincinnati basketball, I'm not sure they're that far off. But Cincy this season would probably be in the lower tier of the B12. They may get into the mid level of the AAC this year too. CSU should probably be in the mid tier of the AAC. Maybe lower mid, I haven't done my due diligence on where they stand at this very moment. But I do think over time, CSU would be above Tulane, USF and ECU and could compete at Tulsa like levels. But I also think USF should be better than they are, but they haven't shown it yet.

I'm not saying historically that CSU is on par with Cincy. And they probably won't be going into the future. Right now Cincy has some issues and I don't think would be overly competitive in this years B12. But the B12 is a pretty good basketball conference as a whole. As it stands right now, I think the American can compete much more favorably on the gridiron than on the court and the three schools taken would all compete just below OU in the B12 this year.

[OSShock]

I would rather have Nevada than UNLV. Good at football and good a basketball. UNLV sucks at football and okay at basketball.

[OregonShocker]

Decision Criteria

1. FOOTBALL
2. Everything else

That is our plight.

Not quite. I believe it is

1. TV MONEY
1a. Football (see above)
2. Everything else

So we have to make #2 generate enough #1 to allow them to ignore weakness in 1a. I don't see many additions that would do that save maybe Gonzaga.

[C0|dB|00ded]

There's nothing wrong w/ being in a football conference as long as it's P6. There's a trickle-down effect in quality of athlete to all sports. And budgets are bigger.

Any team moving up to the AAC will get an immediate boost. But nobody is going to replace Cincy in basketball. Houston is no big deal to me long-term. They are a flash in the pan. We created their entire run when we ***** slapped them by 193 at home. Samson shell-shocked during the postgame. Priceless.

UAB probably has some solid potential in basketball. Deep south = athletes.

CSU is a great school! Top animal oncology center in the world. They are going places...

Would love to get SDSU and the Nevada schools somehow...