MBB: Midwest Conference

[Just Bill]

Unless they are already D1 in hockey, that scenario can't happen.  The NCAA put a stop to schools being D1 in 1 sport and D3 in others.  Those D2 schools in Minnesota and D3 Colorado College that have D1 hockey programs are grandfathered in. 

You missed where I said SNC would move up to D-II.  That rule then wouldn't apply in ice hockey because there is no D-II championship. By default, all D-II schools with ice hockey play in the Division I championship.

[doolittledog]

I didn't miss where you said SNC would move to D2.  From what I have been told (which could very well be wrong information) was the NCAA would no longer allow a team to be D2 in all sports but hockey...even though there isn't D2 hockey. 

[Just Bill]

I didn't miss where you said SNC would move to D2.  From what I have been told (which could very well be wrong information) was the NCAA would no longer allow a team to be D2 in all sports but hockey...even though there isn't D2 hockey. 

That applies if there is a championship available to play. If SNC wanted to play D-I soccer and D-II in everything else they couldn't do it, because there is a D-II soccer championship. But since there's no D-II ice hockey they can play D-I.

Same thing happens in sports where there are no divisions. Lewis men's volleyball would be a good example. They are D-II but there is no D-II championship offered, so they play with the big boys. A few years ago, they actually made the Final Four.

[John Gleich]

Same thing happens in sports where there are no divisions. Lewis men's volleyball would be a good example. They are D-II but there is no D-II championship offered, so they play with the big boys. A few years ago, they actually made the Final Four.

Albeit with illegal players... they had to vacate pretty much everything from that season, if I remember correctly. 

LINK

[The Roop]

I don't think the Cornerstone Community Center, with a capacity of 2000, is going to attract many big name opponents for St. Norbert home games in DI hockey. Therefore, cost wins and they stay in DIII for everything.

[Gregory Sager]

I'm wondering with the addition of Cornell if the ACM schools will start voting as a block for more and more athletic restrictions with the hope that will piss off the St. Norberts of the conference and force them to look for another conference all on their own instead of the ACM schools actually telling them to leave.

That sounds plausible to me. It's extremely hard, if not actually impossible, to expel member schools from a conference without cause. In fact, the preferred way to perform this sort of exclusionary maneuver is to have everyone who wants a new setup (which in this case would be the ACM schools) exit the conference to start a new one, leaving the unwanted schools (i.e., Carroll, Illinois College, and St. Norbert) behind and holding the bag for a now-empty conference. It appeared to me that this is sort of what almost happened in New England with the CCC last year.

[AndOne]

Should the above ensue, and Carroll, Illinois College, and St. Norbert are left standing alone, would Carroll and SNC to the NathCon and Illinois College to the SLIAC make sense. It seems to me that geographically, this might be a rather natural fit. However, what about from a "philosophic" or financial perspective?
Just asking. 

[Just Bill]

I don't think the Cornerstone Community Center, with a capacity of 2000, is going to attract many big name opponents for St. Norbert home games in DI hockey. Therefore, cost wins and they stay in DIII for everything.

But the 10,000 seat Resch Center would. It's already hosted two NCAA Regionals.

I know it's not going to happen. I'm just saying the pieces could be in place if they wanted to make that kind of a move.

[Gregory Sager]

Should the above ensue, and Carroll, Illinois College, and St. Norbert are left standing alone, would Carroll and SNC to the NathCon and Illinois College to the SLIAC make sense. It seems to me that geographically, this might be a rather natural fit. However, what about from a "philosophic" or financial perspective?
Just asking. 

Bill's answer would seem to rule out the SLIAC for Illinois College:

At one time, I heard IC was looking to join the SLIAC, but the SLIAC looked at IC's new facilities and decided they wouldn't be a "good fit" (which loosely translates to, we're afraid they'll kick our ass).

I've also heard from more than one source that there's really no love lost between the two Jacksonville, IL schools, Illinois College and SLIAC member MacMurray College. If MacMurray doesn't have a good working relationship with the school on the other side of town, there's no way in the world that MacMurray would allow that crosstown school to join its league.

I would think that the NAthCon would be overjoyed to add Carroll and St. Norbert to its ranks, as both of those schools are financially stable, academically solid, and have good athletics facilities. They've also demonstrated a commitment to athletic success that is equal to, if not greater than, anybody's in the NAthCon. As for whether or not Carroll and/or St. Norbert would want to join the NAthCon, the pertinent question would be, "What choice do they have?" There really aren't any alternatives available aside from becoming independents, and nobody wants to be an indie anymore.

[Just Bill]

I'm not convinced the NathCon would want two more members just from the sheer numbers of it. That would mean 15 women's programs and 14 men's programs. Some members already feel the league is too large at 13 & 12.

And I'm positive the five Illinois schools would raise Cain at the mere thought of driving to DePere. They already think Lakeland College sits on the Arctic Circle.

[Gregory Sager]

I'm not convinced the NathCon would want two more members just from the sheer numbers of it. That would mean 15 women's programs and 14 men's programs. Some members already feel the league is too large at 13 & 12.

And I'm positive the five Illinois schools would raise Cain at the mere thought of driving to DePere. They already think Lakeland College sits on the Arctic Circle.

One word: Divisions.

[Just Bill]

I'm not convinced the NathCon would want two more members just from the sheer numbers of it. That would mean 15 women's programs and 14 men's programs. Some members already feel the league is too large at 13 & 12.

And I'm positive the five Illinois schools would raise Cain at the mere thought of driving to DePere. They already think Lakeland College sits on the Arctic Circle.

One word: Divisions.

If you have divisions, you still have to make those long trips.

If you have divisions with absolutely no crossover games, then IMO it's useless. Just make two conferences.

[Pat Coleman]

But you only have to make that trip every other year in a particular sport.

[The Roop]

I wonder if the University of Chicago could be courted (basketball humor) back into the MWC. It would save them lots on travel and give them access to a Pool A in football.

[Just Bill]

I wonder if the University of Chicago could be courted (basketball humor) back into the MWC. It would save them lots on travel and give them access to a Pool A in football.

Saving money has never been a high priority for the University of Chicago. If they just built a new library that uses robots to retreive your books, then how much do they really need to avoid a flight to Rochester?

Seriously, ROBOTS!

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/05/robot-powered-mansueto-library/