OT: Gonzaga in Talks to Join the MWC

[NJRedman]

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket ... oin-league

The Mountain West Conference has been in discussions with No. 7 Gonzaga about joining the league, possibly by next season.

Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson said Wednesday he has spoken with six university presidents or athletic directors since August about joining the conference. Gonzaga was the only school he identified.

SIX?!?! I would imagine at least 3 being Zags, BYU and St. Marys. After that who knows. USF? Long Beach? New Mexico?

[GoldenWarrior11]

This would be huge for the MWC if it gets done. Sounds like BYU would come along too (non-football). This would cripple the WCC, and really put St. Mary's in a bind. If the MWC has spoken to six schools, my guess is that they were Gonzaga, BYU, New Mexico State, Rice, UTEP and Idaho. I really doubt St. Mary's is/was under consideration. I also think that Wichita State's addition to the American really helped spark Gonzaga's pursuit of an alternative conference, although I think the WCC wasn't as big as a conference hit as the MVC with Wichita State (minus Creighton).

Finally, I don't think this impacts the Big East at all. Any type of membership for Gonzaga in the Big East was a pipe dream for them anyways. Travel was always going to be the inhibitor, as the basketball success, institutional-fit and academics were aligned. While the MWC and AAC have boosted their basketball credentials, their moves were based on staying with the pack, and not being left further behind, rather than joining the group and being part of the power basketball conference structure. The Big East does not need to make moves in order to stay relevant. The schools' success on the court, and its continued efforts off the court, already speaks to that.

[ArmyVet]

What is the upside of moving for Gonzaga? They are the king fish in a small pool. Just played for a National Title and can recruit against major powers already.

[NJRedman]

What is the upside of moving for Gonzaga? They are the king fish in a small pool. Just played for a National Title and can recruit against major powers already.

You improve your RPI, you get tested before the tournament, you have traditional powers and will play in arenas instead of small gyms.

[ArmyVet]

What is the upside of moving for Gonzaga? They are the king fish in a small pool. Just played for a National Title and can recruit against major powers already.

You improve your RPI, you get tested before the tournament, you have traditional powers and will play in arenas instead of small gyms.

I would suggest that Gonzaga can play anyone, anytime they want. They have a "media darling" vibe and ESPN loves to show them.

Other than UNLV, I don't agree with the idea of the MWC having traditional powers and it has been decades since UNLV was one. St Mary's is probably better than anyone in the MWC year in and year out.

[stever20]

look at the conference games by quadrants-
in WCC- for Gonzaga-
tier 1- 1 game
tier 2- 2 games
tier 3- 3 games
tier 4- 12 games

in MWC- for Gonzaga-
tier 1- 3 games
tier 2- 5 games
tier 3- either 7 or 8 games
tier 4- either 2 or 3 games

just a HUGE difference there. Sure MWC has some bad teams, but with 12 teams/18 games- for a top team like Gonzaga, they wouldn't have to see those teams but once. Kind of similar to what we've seen the AAC do. Compared to the WCC where there are 4 sub 200 RPI teams, and with the Round Robin, Gonzaga has to see them 2x each. So 8 games. This year MWC has 3 sub 200 teams. So only 1 fewer team. But Gonzaga would have to only see those 3 teams 3 times.

[NJRedman]

What is the upside of moving for Gonzaga? They are the king fish in a small pool. Just played for a National Title and can recruit against major powers already.

You improve your RPI, you get tested before the tournament, you have traditional powers and will play in arenas instead of small gyms.

I would suggest that Gonzaga can play anyone, anytime they want. They have a "media darling" vibe and ESPN loves to show them.

Other than UNLV, I don't agree with the idea of the MWC having traditional powers and it has been decades since UNLV was one. St Mary's is probably better than anyone in the MWC year in and year out.

Okay, but they have more than the WCC. They play in bigger arenas and half the MWC don't have RPI's lower than 250. Gonzaga are media darlings but they have to play a conference schedule. They disappear after Christmas on the national radar until March.

[billybob]

What is the upside of moving for Gonzaga? They are the king fish in a small pool. Just played for a National Title and can recruit against major powers already.

You improve your RPI, you get tested before the tournament, you have traditional powers and will play in arenas instead of small gyms.

The MWC is currently 9th in RPI compared to 13th for WCC. I'd guess the MWC historically is always better RPI-wise compared to WCC. I'd guess the tv rights are much higher for the MWC vs. the WCC so Gonzaga will be making more money.

[ArmyVet]

What is the upside of moving for Gonzaga? They are the king fish in a small pool. Just played for a National Title and can recruit against major powers already.

You improve your RPI, you get tested before the tournament, you have traditional powers and will play in arenas instead of small gyms.

The MWC is currently 9th in RPI compared to 13th for WCC. I'd guess the MWC historically is always better RPI-wise compared to WCC. I'd guess the tv rights are much higher for the MWC vs. the WCC so Gonzaga will be making more money.

While all these points may be correct (not sure how much more money in TV rights because Gonzaga won't get the football portion which probably dwarfs the hoops portion), it's a minor step up at best in my opinion. I have to wonder if they made a call to the Big East offices one last time to see if there was any chance to join before accepting an MWC offer.

[GoldenWarrior11]

While all these points may be correct (not sure how much more money in TV rights because Gonzaga won't get the football portion which probably dwarfs the hoops portion), it's a minor step up at best in my opinion. I have to wonder if they made a call to the Big East offices one last time to see if there was any chance to join before accepting an MWC offer.

Stever would have this, but what would the RPI be for the MWC w/ Gonzaga vs. the WCC w/o Gonzaga?