MBB: Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference

[Greek Tragedy]

When I went to Lakeland, I hated Concordia and continue to show them "they're #1" everytime I drive down I-43.

I would say either Concordia or Marian is a big rival for Lakeland, just my opinion.

The WIAC isn't as big of a recruiting rival as the MWC, I would think.  There are more MWC teams on this side of the state than there are WIAC teams (Whitewater is really the only Eastern team, this side of HWY 41).

The obvious difference between the WIAC and the LMC is public vs. private, costs etc.  But, trying to sell a LMC school over a MWC school is harder because they are all private and small.

Big Game Day this weekend!

MSOE bounces back and takes Concordia
Edgewood continues winning ways over MBBC
Dominican win vs. Marian
Lakeland whips WLC

Prior to that, Baptist takes down WLC tonight and Lakeland warms up for this weekend with a big win over Viterbo

[Greek Tragedy]

Greg Sager,

Would you know what teams are combining from the NIIC and the LMC or where we can find that information?

Would the MWC really had another team?

[keith45]

I think all of them, with the exception of MSOE and Clarke..HUGE CONFERENCE, very little non conference games

[Warrior_Fish]

Would you know what teams are combining from the NIIC and the LMC or where we can find that information?

Would the MWC really had another team?

Old School,

MSOE and Clarke are out.  Otherwise, everyone is in.  MSOE is making a good play at trying to get in the MWC.  I think they are playing this year for the hope and dream of winning the conference and tourney and showing the MWC that they can play with their teams.  To bad that Floyd will leave and Mikos will be gone so they will be be majorly limping into that conference.    SAD

WLC's biggest rival is Edgewood.  From Coach Larson showing them they were the #1 sixth man to the rompus edgedome.  I know WLC allum's that still cannot stand anyone or anything associated with them.

Lakeland's biggest rival is probably CUW.  From football and the cheese bowl to basketball and soccer, CUW and LC just do not get along. 

PEACE 

[Gregory Sager]

Would you know what teams are combining from the NIIC and the LMC or where we can find that information?

Would the MWC really had another team?

Old School,

MSOE and Clarke are out.  Otherwise, everyone is in.  MSOE is making a good play at trying to get in the MWC.  I think they are playing this year for the hope and dream of winning the conference and tourney and showing the MWC that they can play with their teams.  To bad that Floyd will leave and Mikos will be gone so they will be be majorly limping into that conference.    SAD

You forgot Eureka. The Red Devils will forsake the newly-merged entity and instead join the SLIAC next season.

And don't speak about MSOE joining the MWC as if it's a done deal, Warrior Fish. It isn't. For one thing, adding only one school would leave the league unbalanced at eleven members. For another, MSOE doesn't have a football program. The MWC is a fully-fledged football league, with all ten current members fielding teams on the gridiron. They may not want a non-football member. Finally, MSOE is a school that has a distinctly different profile than that of the ten current members. MSOE is a specialty institution, an engineering school that only offers four majors. The ten current MWC members are all liberal arts institutions. That may enter into the decision whether or not to accept MSOE into the fold.

OS, I don't know if the MWC would or will add another member or members. I do know that several schools are applying to join it besides MSOE.

[The Way]

The Way I See It

Lakeland takes it to Viterbo in one of those tweener games (playing a nonconference game in the middle of 2 conference games). The Muskies shot their fins off and won by about 15. I hope they are equally impressive this saturday as i take in the game first hand.

[Greek Tragedy]

OS, I don't know if the MWC would or will add another member or members. I do know that several schools are applying to join it besides MSOE.

I really don't know much about the goings on regarding the two conferences joining...I'm sure more later when all is official.  But, it did strike me a little strange that MSOE was applying to join the MWC.  I really didn't think the MWC would want another team to it's already big 10-team conference (where they dont' even play everyone twice), let alone adding just one team.  This isn't Division 1 where it's "cool" to have huge power conferences with 12-16 teams in it. 

[Gregory Sager]

I really don't know much about the goings on regarding the two conferences joining...I'm sure more later when all is official.  But, it did strike me a little strange that MSOE was applying to join the MWC.  I really didn't think the MWC would want another team to it's already big 10-team conference (where they dont' even play everyone twice), let alone adding just one team.  This isn't Division 1 where it's "cool" to have huge power conferences with 12-16 teams in it. 

That's a good point, OS. The MWC might bar the door to aspiring members out of a simple desire to keep the league at a manageable size.

[showtimeSmyHero]

Would you know what teams are combining from the NIIC and the LMC or where we can find that information?

Would the MWC really had another team?

Old School,

MSOE and Clarke are out.  Otherwise, everyone is in.  MSOE is making a good play at trying to get in the MWC.  I think they are playing this year for the hope and dream of winning the conference and tourney and showing the MWC that they can play with their teams.  To bad that Floyd will leave and Mikos will be gone so they will be be majorly limping into that conference.    SAD

You forgot Eureka. The Red Devils will forsake the newly-merged entity and instead join the SLIAC next season.

And don't speak about MSOE joining the MWC as if it's a done deal, Warrior Fish. It isn't. For one thing, adding only one school would leave the league unbalanced at eleven members. For another, MSOE doesn't have a football program. The MWC is a fully-fledged football league, with all ten current members fielding teams on the gridiron. They may not want a non-football member. Finally, MSOE is a school that has a distinctly different profile than that of the ten current members. MSOE is a specialty institution, an engineering school that only offers four majors. The ten current MWC members are all liberal arts institutions. That may enter into the decision whether or not to accept MSOE into the fold.

OS, I don't know if the MWC would or will add another member or members. I do know that several schools are applying to join it besides MSOE.

MSOE has 17 majors and 7 graduate programs.  Granted many are engineering related.  They may decide not to take MSOE because of football, but it wont be an academic reason.  I mean every confrence has teams that finish low in the conference. I dont think MSOE is going to be the bottom feeder in every sport in that league(if they get in).  Some sports they would win the title.

[showtimeSmyHero]

OS, I don't know if the MWC would or will add another member or members. I do know that several schools are applying to join it besides MSOE.

I really don't know much about the goings on regarding the two conferences joining...I'm sure more later when all is official.  But, it did strike me a little strange that MSOE was applying to join the MWC.  I really didn't think the MWC would want another team to it's already big 10-team conference (where they dont' even play everyone twice), let alone adding just one team.  This isn't Division 1 where it's "cool" to have huge power conferences with 12-16 teams in it. 

I think the odd number and size of the MWC are the biggest factors hurting MSOE.  Not football or academics.  If MSOE wins the championship this year and gets a NCAA spot - That would help. A win although unlikely would lock it up for me if i was on the board (although this is bigger than just mens bball, mens bball just gets the most pub).

[Gregory Sager]

My bad on the MSOE majors, Showtime. I was going by what a LMC insider told me. Serves me right for not going onto the MSOE website and looking it up myself. Let that be a lesson to all you young'uns. 

I was not implying that MSOE's academics were somehow substandard to those of the current MWC's members. I don't know how MSOE stacks up to those ten schools in terms of test scores, average HS academic rank, etc. What I was saying is that MSOE is different, not worse. An engineering school is a pretty different animal than a liberal arts school, and the current MWC membership may consider that enough of a pretext to deny MSOE's application. The current ten members are a pretty homogenous bunch, and administrators like that sort of homogeneity in athletic conferences.

I suspect, though, that the biggest drawbacks to MSOE's application are their lack of a football team, their odd-man-out status in seeking to become an eleventh member, and OS's point that a league that already has ten members may not be looking to get even bigger.

[The Roop]

The MWC spring meetings will be very interesting. I can't reveal exactly what I've been told but if things fall a certain way there might be as many as 15 teams involved. Based on that there could certainly be a split up with a completely new conference being formed.

[libero]

      Edgewood has also applied to the LMC. They are keeping it under wraps a little bit. They are not the only school who is going along with the merger, but has some reservations. The driving force behind the merger is FB. The goal is to become a strong football conference.  
    The question is, why did the LMC have to fold? The LMC held all the cards - AQ's in every sport (except FB). Competitive programs in every sport. A distinct name. (can you get more vanilla than the Northern Athletic Conference? Okay, maybe the Midwest Conference. . .) Eight (9 on the women's side) members and none of the disfunction of the NIIC. The LMC has 20+ years of history and has been a part of the NCAA III for almost 10 years. The NIIC members should have been made to join the LMC just like Dom. The original LMC schools folded pretty quickly. There is no reason why it had to give up it's name and rewrite all its bylaws, just to add Rockford, Aurora, Ben, and CURF.
  The merger will definitely hurt "specialty" schools like MSOE and MBBC, but I'm not sure what the Red Raiders gain by going to the MWC.

[libero]

There might be enough teams to keep the LMC alive. . .

[Pat Coleman]

This is a pretty quiet, obscure merger. There's been so little talk and almost ZERO news about it in the year-plus it's been on the table. But considering how little information the two source conferences and the member schools involved put out, I guess I can't be surprised.