MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I do wonder if UST is considering holding off a year, even if this DI jump is approved, and play 2020-21 as an independent DIII institution before then leaping to DI. That or just staying in DIII and finding a new home.

UST will stay in D3 and the MIAC for the 2020-21 season. The big problem presents itself when the 2021-22 school year rolls around, especially if there is a moratorium that is as short as January 1, 2021. Anything longer than that time frame really screws with UST's plans.

That was a typo on my part. At the time I posted, I had a lot of timelines per other stories I was working on in my head and I goofed the date. I am fully aware they are in the MIAC next season. I am talking about 21-22.

[tomt4525]

West Fargo Sheyenne 2020 Blake Berg Just committed to St Johns. Huge get for the Johnnies as Blake had 3 D2 offers.

[tomt4525]

BOLD 6'0" PG, Gavin Vosika, has committed to play basketball at St Johns.  This is a phenomenal recruiting class for the Johnnies.

[UWSAlum]

Most people have probably heard, but St. Scholastica to join the MIAC for 2021-2022 season. Macalester coming back for football as well.

https://csssaints.com/news/2020/5/27/general-st-scholastica-to-join-the-minnesota-intercollegiate-athletic-conference.aspx

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

The plan for UST to jump to D1 has been kind of approved ... it is now up to the entire Division I at the NCAA Convention in January.

UST could apply for a waiver to skip the exploratory year, but this puts a lot of things up in the air especially scheduling for 21-22 and beyond.

Not sure how UST feels about this as of yet: http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/division-i-council-proposes-pathway-diii-schools-become-di-members

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I honestly think this can't be what UST wanted ... not only is the vote punted down the road (again), but it leaves a lengthy period of time of being in no-man's land ... hard to recruit athletes when you have no chance at postseason opportunities - even if they are remote.

That and the scheduling issue... and my thinking about the challenges the financial downturn could create ... is this even worth the effort?

[jamtod]

I honestly think this can't be what UST wanted ... not only is the vote punted down the road (again), but it leaves a lengthy period of time of being in no-man's land ... hard to recruit athletes when you have no chance at postseason opportunities - even if they are remote.

That and the scheduling issue... and my thinking about the challenges the financial downturn could create ... is this even worth the effort?

This mirrors a lot of my thoughts on this. It's presented as a win, and in the long-run, maybe it is?
Maybe it's better to plan on a year of independent D3, try to schedule a few of the D1 Summit/Pioneer league teams for 2021-2022, and then begin with Pioneer League in 2022-2023. Delayed a bit, but at least you can know what to expect?

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I honestly think this can't be what UST wanted ... not only is the vote punted down the road (again), but it leaves a lengthy period of time of being in no-man's land ... hard to recruit athletes when you have no chance at postseason opportunities - even if they are remote.

That and the scheduling issue... and my thinking about the challenges the financial downturn could create ... is this even worth the effort?

This mirrors a lot of my thoughts on this. It's presented as a win, and in the long-run, maybe it is?
Maybe it's better to plan on a year of independent D3, try to schedule a few of the D1 Summit/Pioneer league teams for 2021-2022, and then begin with Pioneer League in 2022-2023. Delayed a bit, but at least you can know what to expect?

Yeah... I've wondered if an independent year, as challenging as that can certainly be, might be better than hoping it works out at the last minute.

[Gregory Sager]

Yeah... I've wondered if an independent year, as challenging as that can certainly be, might be better than hoping it works out at the last minute.

"Hello! Is this Sam Casey at Finlandia? Hi, this is Johnny Tauer over at St. Thomas. How're you doing, coach? Good. Listen, I've got a proposal for you. What would you say to Finlandia and St. Thomas playing a dozen games against each other in January and February of 2022?"

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Yeah... I've wondered if an independent year, as challenging as that can certainly be, might be better than hoping it works out at the last minute.

"Hello! Is this Sam Casey at Finlandia? Hi, this is Johnny Tauer over at St. Thomas. How're you doing, coach? Good. Listen, I've got a proposal for you. What would you say to Finlandia and St. Thomas playing a dozen games against each other in January and February of 2022?"

Didn't Thomas More even avoid the Finlandia trap?

I can think of a lot of schools that wouldn't mind scheduling UST including some wishing they kept them on their schedule (UST having such a tight window with MIAC scheduling makes that a tough job, sometimes).

[WUPHF]

"Hello! Is this Sam Casey at Finlandia? Hi, this is Johnny Tauer over at St. Thomas. How're you doing, coach? Good. Listen, I've got a proposal for you. What would you say to Finlandia and St. Thomas playing a dozen games against each other in January and February of 2022?"

Alternate proposal

"Hello! Is this Sam Casey at Finlandia? Hi, this is Johnny Tauer over at St. Thomas. Hey, if Finlandia is like everyone else, your courses are going to be online anyway.  I have some extra dorm space available from January-February.  How about playing a dozen games...?"

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

Yeah... I've wondered if an independent year, as challenging as that can certainly be, might be better than hoping it works out at the last minute.

"Hello! Is this Sam Casey at Finlandia? Hi, this is Johnny Tauer over at St. Thomas. How're you doing, coach? Good. Listen, I've got a proposal for you. What would you say to Finlandia and St. Thomas playing a dozen games against each other in January and February of 2022?"

Didn't Thomas More even avoid the Finlandia trap?

I can think of a lot of schools that wouldn't mind scheduling UST including some wishing they kept them on their schedule (UST having such a tight window with MIAC scheduling makes that a tough job, sometimes).

Why would UST want to schedule the dredges of D3 in 2021-22 or any D3 schools? They will play a full slate of Summit Conference games and should have no problem filling in the rest of their out-of-conference slate as there are plenty of mid-level and lower-level D1 teams looking for the "easy win" they would expect St Thomas to be.

Recruiting will be a challenge in the first few years of the transition, but there are plenty of JuCo guys looking for a scholarship for year 3 and 4 of eligibility that will consider UST, whereas now they do not look at a D3 option.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Yeah... I've wondered if an independent year, as challenging as that can certainly be, might be better than hoping it works out at the last minute.

"Hello! Is this Sam Casey at Finlandia? Hi, this is Johnny Tauer over at St. Thomas. How're you doing, coach? Good. Listen, I've got a proposal for you. What would you say to Finlandia and St. Thomas playing a dozen games against each other in January and February of 2022?"

Didn't Thomas More even avoid the Finlandia trap?

I can think of a lot of schools that wouldn't mind scheduling UST including some wishing they kept them on their schedule (UST having such a tight window with MIAC scheduling makes that a tough job, sometimes).

Why would UST want to schedule the dredges of D3 in 2021-22 or any D3 schools? They will play a full slate of Summit Conference games and should have no problem filling in the rest of their out-of-conference slate as there are plenty of mid-level and lower-level D1 teams looking for the "easy win" they would expect St Thomas to be.

Recruiting will be a challenge in the first few years of the transition, but there are plenty of JuCo guys looking for a scholarship for year 3 and 4 of eligibility that will consider UST, whereas now they do not look at a D3 option.

Summit League isn't actually going to want to schedule them if they are an independent DIII. DI conferences have their non-conference slates cleared through conference offices to make sure teams are doing their best to bolster metrics that help the conference with either at-large bids or seeding in the NCAA tournament ...

So I don't see the league helping UST until they are in the conference. It also doesn't help UST to play DIs in an independent schedule in DIII when they will be going up against the CAC (i.e. CNU and others) for the Pool B bid ... and playing a bunch of DIs would kill a Pool C chance.

This is of course a hypothetical that they would take this independent idea for 21-22.

And I haven't seen UST as the type of school that embraces the JUCO transfer idea. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't know if you want to change things that drastically. But, who knows...

[Gregory Sager]

Yeah... I've wondered if an independent year, as challenging as that can certainly be, might be better than hoping it works out at the last minute.

"Hello! Is this Sam Casey at Finlandia? Hi, this is Johnny Tauer over at St. Thomas. How're you doing, coach? Good. Listen, I've got a proposal for you. What would you say to Finlandia and St. Thomas playing a dozen games against each other in January and February of 2022?"

Didn't Thomas More even avoid the Finlandia trap?

Thomas More was far more centrally located, D3-wise, than is St. Thomas. With hardly any other D3 schools located to the north or to the west, UST has dramatically fewer scheduling options than Thomas More ever had.

I can think of a lot of schools that wouldn't mind scheduling UST including some wishing they kept them on their schedule (UST having such a tight window with MIAC scheduling makes that a tough job, sometimes).

That's exactly why I said "January and February." The MIAC is unique in this part of the country in having three game nights per week during those months. Of course, MIAC teams don't always play on Mondays, but it's an additional monkey wrench if you're a non-MIAC school trying to schedule a MIAC team in January and February. But, as you're well aware, trying to get any team that's in a conference to play you in a non-conference game in January or February is a headache.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Yeah... I've wondered if an independent year, as challenging as that can certainly be, might be better than hoping it works out at the last minute.

"Hello! Is this Sam Casey at Finlandia? Hi, this is Johnny Tauer over at St. Thomas. How're you doing, coach? Good. Listen, I've got a proposal for you. What would you say to Finlandia and St. Thomas playing a dozen games against each other in January and February of 2022?"

Didn't Thomas More even avoid the Finlandia trap?

Thomas More was far more centrally located, D3-wise, than is St. Thomas. With hardly any other D3 schools located to the north or to the west, UST has dramatically fewer scheduling options than Thomas More ever had.

I don't necessarily agree. If you look at where Thomas More is compared to other DIII institutions, there aren't as many to pick as you would imagine. There is only one other school in Kentucky, for example. And the Ohio schools weren't really interested in playing TMU.

UST I know has a lot of schools in Minnesota and especially in Wisconsin that would be interested in playing them. Dropping into ARC territory isn't horrible, either. I think UST would have a lot more suitors than you realize despite being located in Minneapolis.