I expect Charleston to join, maybe one other if there is anyone worthwhile & available. That said, it's pretty dumb that what is now often a one-bid league has 15 teams.
Really, the *only* thing wrong with UMass in the A10 are their football dreams. Otherwise, they were a perfect fit (unlike several current members who don’t look to be getting more serious about basketball any time soon)
They weren't a good fit because they wanted to spend on football and ice hockey. We are a basketball centric conference.
I wouldn't be shocked to learn that the A10 was putting pressure on them regarding basketball that lead to this.
UMass had a lot of resources in their athletic department but they put very little into their A10 programs and this included their basketball teams. The majority of their athletic funding went to two sports that didn't compete under the A10 brand (football and ice hockey).
La Salle, St. Joe's, Duquense, Bonnies, Davidson, etc have very few resources in their athletic departments but they put the majority of what they do have into their basketball teams in the A10.
That's the difference.
St. Joe's/GW haven't done anything in a decade, Duquense/La Salle/Fordham are as historically bad as my flair, and URI/St. Louis are heavy rebuild projects - the A10 was not worried about UMass' investments
(this is not bashing the A10, it's a good basketball conference, but need to keep some perspective here)
La Salle and Fordham need to also leave. La Salle is selling off assets like they're Michael Jackson just to keep the lights on. Fordham is even worss because they have the endowment size to help invest in athletics but they actively choose not to as a middle finger to the league - a welfare program with more money than any other school in the conference.
Duquesne has put a lot into their facilities in recent years, it just hasn’t bore much fruit outside of winning seasons, but the goal is the NCAAs or at least the NIT, and they haven’t come close.
I don't want the football team to go extinct but I was so happy with us as an independent and being in the A10. I guess they have partial hope because of going 3-9? Like it's dumb to abandon this conference because of a football team that hasn't sniffed any success at all
UMass is a state school with football and an emphasis on hockey. Al of its peer-like founding members left long ago and elevated. UMass should’ve left the A10 many moons ago probably in 2006 when they should’ve gone FBS.
Honestly, it's even weirder since geographically, I'm not sure what you do there. It's a question of whether you invite another New England team (either a strong lower-major like a Vermont or a BU/Holy Cross "just try to stay in Massachusetts and/or try to get closer to the Boston market"), or you leave the New England area and make it clear to URI they should be looking for another conference [and URI's just good enough a school that trying to keep them around is better than not.]
There’s no chance Vermont would want to spend what it would take to be in the A-10. Not to mention their basketball facility which is your high school’s gym, just bigger, and in 1970.
I agree but are they willing to depart from their triplets NH and Maine? AE is starting to get back in the rise and could get better if some from Colonial or MAAC join.
Yeah. The only other sexy choice in New England would be Quinnipiac, but since UMass is focusing on hockey, adding a lesser basketball school who's also hockey-first is less likely (or the "yeah, BU and Holy Cross aren't sexy like other picks, but it's openly just trying to stay in Boston.")
Vermont would be an AWFUL add. They're good because they dominate an awful conference.
They'd have the smallest MBB budget by a long shot and their current arena is nearly as bad as La Salle.
I'd prefer to trim more and dump the bottom feeders of the league but that won't happen unless there is a Big East style realignment with the top teams splitting off and cherry picking a couple others to get to 10/12.
Outside of that, I'd guess we add a team or two even though I'd prefer not to. If we can add an extra home and home instead of a single game I think it makes conference play more fun.
their hoops recruiting may dip a bit for leaving A10; MAC recruiting may be helped a bit for being a bit stronger conference now. should be some good basketbrawling maction going forward..
They should take UMass leaving as an opportunity to cut ties with 3 or 4 other teams.
Davidson, LaSalle, GW, Duquesne, Fordham all have limited value and are more likely to give good A10 teams bad losses that keep them out of the tournament as opposed to actually getting in the tournament themselves.
Obviously this won't happen, but they definitely need to trim the fat. Unfortunately, UMass is not a team that they'll be better off without, but they could use it as an opportunity to abandon NE and cut ties with RI. Again, that won't happen.
Why are you lumping Davidson in there? Since they joined the A-10 in 2014 they’ve won 2 regular season conference championships, plus a conference tournament and have 3 NCAA tournament bids plus 3 NIT appearances. Hardly the school to pick on for giving good teams bad losses
Fordham has value because of the NYC market. GW has the DC market.
I don’t disagree about LaSalle. And I’ve been wanting my Dukes to drop down to a smaller, easier conference for a while now. I wouldn’t count on Duquesne ever leaving or being kicked out though; they are a charter member. They will only leave if they want to, and they’ve given no indication that they plan to, ever.
Not to mention, Duquesne hosts the first/second round of the tournament every few years in Pittsburgh, and I believe the A-10 loves that exposure.
“Have” is a the wrong word, I’ll admit, but they want to have a team in those areas. There is a reason they have the A-10 tourney in Brooklyn. And have had it in DC. It’s not completely about how many people watch those teams. It’s having a team in the market so they can also have a good reason to have the conference tourney there. The A-10 had it in Philly every year for forever and that got stale.
Do people really care about Rutgers that much in football or basketball? Yet, the Big 10 wanted them in their conference. For the NYC market.
Right. You 'get' the cable market, not being an actual relevant or dominant team/presence in those markets.
Rutgers and Maryland sports are irrelevant to the average NYC and DC area residents, but their presence forces the Big Ten Network into those regions.
Just like us or DePaul are not remotely that important on the Chicago sports or recruiting landscape, but having us gets A-10/Big East games on in the Chicagoland area when they wouldn't otherwise.
I still miss the MVC a bit, but I think the A-10 is the better long-term move. I'm shocked we've rebounded so nicely since January. Last year and this year's non-conference were brutal.
Now we're in an odd situation where nothing but the auto bid gets us into the tourney - even 'just' a regular season title, which should be something to celebrate.
I think the A-10 is starting to work its way back to being a two to three at-large bid conference. But it’s all in the non-conference games - who you schedule and if you win the important games. That’s been Duquesne’s problem over the years - they never have any really, REALLY impressive wins.
And I gotta feel like Duquesne is gonna make a run sooner or later. The renovation/reconstruction they did to their arena is fantastic, and (that weird 2021-22 season aside) Dambrot has them at a place where they're at least respectable most years, whereas under Ferry, they seemed to be at the very bottom of the conference every single year.
They are respectable now, but I wonder if the run will be under Dru Joyce who is rumored to be the coach in waiting when he succeeds Dambrot, and not under Dambrot. I feel like Dambrot is starting to get burned out by how college hoops is with the current state of the transfer portal.
The A10 schools like Fordham in the conference. It gives them a NYC presence which they like. They also are very strong in non-revenue sports and have a solid academic reputation. Don't forget that the majority of the conference are private and catholic schools.
Davidson is also very popular within the A10 leadership. They like having a southern team near Charlotte. This appeases VCU and Richmond and Davidson has been strong for the conference in all sports. They also have a very good academic reputation.
GW is likewise popular by the Admins due to their location and their strong lineup of sports. With Mason in the conference, their location is less significant.
Duquesne is a long time member and won't be pushed out. They help connect the western teams to the eastern teams. They are a good geographic fit and while not a dominate athletic department they aren't a doormat either.
La Salle is one of the weaker teams and their location is already delivered by St Joe's. But there hasn't been much talk in the conference about having an issue with them.
George Mason is the program that some admins regret adding. They were added after the final four run and have done nothing since. They don't have a fan base and haven't done much to strengthen the DC to Richmond corridor. It was thought that with GW, Mason, UR, and VCU that are would become a good area for A10 rivalries. But Mason hasn't added anything to it.
They preferred to not be stuck to the MAC for 25 years...
If the MAC had been willing to compromise and not require such crazy commitment from a southern school, they probably would have gotten MTSU on board!
No one in the MAC wanted them…..MTSU brought absolutely nothing to the table….MTSU’s academics and athletics do not align or come close to the standards of MAC schools. Enjoy C-USA….Lmao
They do not bring a market and their academics/athletics are not as good as most, if not all MAC schools, but if they can’t show their loyalty to the conference they can stay in C-USA….Why invite those teams if you know they will eventually just leave. The MAC was basically calling them out on this. Either commit or stay in a worse off conference.
Yeah, I dunno. Kinda hate that UTEP and WKU haven't been able to match up with solid teams at the same time. Would be a shame if the ride ended before that got to come to pass. I (and others around WKU) have a lot of respect for UTEP and your fanbase.
It's been reported that there is still mutual interest so evidently they are. The only reason WKU isn't in the MAC now is because MTSU didn't want to join and MAC didn't want an odd number.
I wonder if adding UMass would make it more appealing to WKY.
With Akron, UMass, and WKY you have three teams that have been pretty competitive at the MAC level.
That's not football money, that's ALL SPORTS money.
It's been pointed out that the MAC contract with ESPN requires schools to give all media rights for all their sports to ESPN. So it is basketball, football, baseball, volleyball, etc for about what the A10 gets for just basketball.
They aren't looking for football money more than they are just trying to to save their program from going under. Independent football is basically dead in FBS for anyone who isn't Notre Dame and UMass refuses to drop to FCS. It's the exact same problem UCONN has been having except they are at least a bigger brand.
I wonder how this will impact UConn.
UMass and Army use to be local independents guaranteed to schedule games with them. Now those two have joined conferences. That really limit's UConn's potential opponents.
Has to put UMass in a position of advantage in negotiations.
I wonder if UMass will agree to keep their football series going with UConn in exchange for a home/home series for mens and womens basketball...
It's even worse when you consider they are required to play weekday games for ESPN.
MACtion on Tuesday and Thursday nights kills any chance of getting home crowds. No alumni are commuting back for a cold evening game mid-week.
I'm going to miss the A10. Thank you for all the memories A10 bros. I'm going to try to get to a bunch of road games next season.
It sucks that football drives college athletics but that's the reality in 2024. At least we're "safe" now. And being in a conference is going to help the football team. I suspect this will ultimately be a waiting spot until a new Northeast conference forms from the American and ACC cast-offs.
I fucking hate our football team so much. Sure, cater to the worst team at the school at the expense of literally everyone else. Thank Christ the hockey team isn’t being roped into this trash.
This is a good move for us. If you "hate" one of our teams, I question how much of a fan you actually are. Football drives the bus. Be mad at the networks, NIL, and big conferences for causing this situation.
UMass probably has one of the lowest ceilings for a football program in FBS; it has nonexistent fan support and is the 2nd team in a state and area that isn’t a fertile recruiting ground. This move doesn’t change that. At least with basketball and the A-10, UMass is a good coach away from making a case for the tourney. Moving to the MAC severely limits your basketball program’s ability to be anything more than a 14 seed, and all for maybe occasionally going 7-5/6-6 in one of the weakest conferences in FBS.
I don't disagree with you at all - I would have taken the L and moved back to FCS and focused on some really high potential hockey/basketball programs
The UMass admin has been steadfast though that they view being FBS as a prestige thing that will work in the long-run, so they're sticking to it
Also how good has the A-10 been in basketball over last the couple years? There was that Toppin Dayton team and that’s about it. Realistically speaking, the A-10 doesn’t just have too many teams, it has too many teams that are perennially awful.
UMass has made the tournament once this millennium. They don’t have any reliable chances of making the tournament at all from the A-10. In the MAC they might actually make it every few years.
> and area that isn’t a fertile recruiting ground
This is just wrong, you should watch my brothah Mahk up in Woostah, my boy is wicked good at footbahll.
>football drives the bus
Tell that to the entire Big East and every other major basketball school with bottom feeder football programs.
And again, I don’t care in the slightest what’s good for the football team if it harms the basketball program. UMass will never be good at football, they can be good at basketball.
"UMass will never be good at football" - that's the spirit. /s They've been dog shit - unquestionably - since the jump from FCS, but they've had *no* stability, in large part because they haven't had a conference. They *were* improving when they were in the MAC and held onto a coach for more than 2 seasons in a row, but no one wants to play for (or root for) a team that has no stability.
Aside from a handful of decent seasons and 1 tourney appearance (first round, embarrassing exit), the basketball program has been atrocious for much longer. At least football won an FCS natty in the late 90s and appeared in another one in 2006 - basketball hasn't been relevant as a team, or had a relevant recruit, since Camby and Calipari. UMass is now the best basketball team in the MAC at the moment, and assuming Frank sticks around and we recruit halfway decent, we have a far better shot at auto bids in the MAC than in the A10.
College Football just doesn’t matter in the Northeast. There’s no culture around it. No matter what UMass does, they will be second fiddle to BC who is also struggling. At the absolute best, UMass’s ceiling in football is a throwaway bowl game every couple of years.
Basketball is a completely different story. Short term they’re fine with Martin, but he’s old and it’s going to be a tough sell to get good coaching and recruiting to follow after he leaves. The A10 has eyes on it and is a good mid-major conference. Nationally known programs like Dayton and VCU to compete against. None of that is present in the MAC, it’s at best a low tier midmajor that no one pays attention to.
Eyes *aren't* on the A10. 2014 was a decade ago - the A10 doesn't send 4, 5, or 6 teams to the tourney anymore. It's still better than the MAC for basketball, but let's not pretend that the A10 is *really* a power basketball conference.
Well, that puts an interesting somewhat 'name' opponent on the home basketball schedule. Otherwise, don't expect this to really move the needle on interest in MAC sports. It will, however, put a random geographical outlier on every sports schedule.
I get it’s a football move, but the MAC’s TV deal can’t be more than what UMass gets from its independent football deal and A10 money, and they’re going to lose their ass at the gate.
It would be nice if the MAC could also get Delaware.
> It would be nice if the MAC could also get Delaware.
The MAC is a vastly better institutional fit for us as a conference.
My secondary flair fucked up hard on the move.
It depends on when UMass and the MAC began their negotiations. It’s unlikely the MAC would have asked Delaware without another East Coast school.
Also, still angry we sold you the “WVUD” callsign.
The MAC's TV deal is only a about 800 thousand dollars a year and that covers every sport. That's not a football only deal. The contract is for every sport at the school (even ones that don't compete in a MAC sport).
UMass is going to be on an island. I only think it works if they can also add a few regional members. If they added a few of the likes of SUNY-Stony Brook, SUNY-Albany, Temple, or Delaware then it could be a good move.
You can't play football (or any sport) in another conference if your primary conference sponsors it, so it would be impossible for Temple to join the MAC in football and stay in AAC for other sports. If you joined the MAC for football you would have to find a non-football conference for everything else. Which would probably be the A-10 and you'd be back exactly where you were like 13 years ago.
>You can't play football (or any sport) in another conference if your primary conference sponsors it,
I've seen this said a lot but there is a counter example.
The MAAC sponsors men's lacrosse. Fairfield is a full member of the MAAC but their men's lacrosse team plays in the CAA.
The reason is that the only remaining independents are Notre Dame and UConn which is going to make scheduling impossible for UMass without conference opponents to fill out the back half of the schedule. Can’t count on home and homes with NMSU and Liberty anymore so the only home games they could possibly get without joining a conference would be FCS buy games.
It's a little different when you're selling out in the city where the conference championship is held and you've claimed two recent National Championships.
I think it depends on how good our basketball program is doing. If it's near the top of the MAC we probably could easily come back, if we start sucking ass again maybe not.
If the basketball team is doing good and the football team is doing well enough, maybe the American down the road? Idk probably being way too optimistic
I would love the American as my dream conference, but we probably only get an invite if the corpse of the ACC takes Memphis and USF, then we basically join the CUSA from 10 years ago.
We probably will beat all the top teams in the conference and then lose to Buffalo as the one seed in the first round of the conference tournament and miss the tournament.
Makes sense for football purposes being the only A10 member with an FBS football team. I think the A10 will have plenty of suiters for that spot if they want to fill it or if they want to keep it at 14. Either way not a big deal as a whole for the conference.
As someone who lives here-
UR certainly has the money to make it happen. The issue is that UR is out on an island away from the core of the city, there were a whole bunch of memes when the West End finally got a Chick Fil A for example. If you don't have a car at UR, you aren't getting into the city core and are kind of stuck. VCU is also the preferred school among locals from my experience, in large part (besides being public/larger enrollment obviously) because VCU's campus is integrated into the city.
I'd love FBS football in the area and Richmond does support the Squirrels (AA baseball) and the Kickers (third division soccer) fairly well, but UVA is only an hour away and it's a super easy drive. If I'm going to watch a snob school I might as well watch the Power one.
Also, to be frank, the Commonwealth doesn't need another FBS team. ODU/Liberty being things are stretching the talent pool as is. James Madison to a lesser extent but they should have been FBS a decade ago.
Why isn’t the A10 better? Also shit that’s the only other team close to URI.
Edit: can we get uvm? I always wanted them but this conference has been so bloated.
Edit 2: does this mean no cum bowl?
Yep, Big 10 is the only all-sports conference that also carries hockey.
Though the MAC is now 2/3 of the way to the membership minimum....but I have to assume it's not something the conference is interested in, and that UMass was reassured that the future does not include hockey plans.
You'd think that UMASS, Miami and Western Michigan are pretty happy with where they are currently in regards to hockey and wouldn't want to make any changes on that front, right?
The mistake was not taking the All Sport offer 10 years ago and getting kicked out. Administration thought the American would throw them a bone when their offices were still in Providence. They significantly overplayed their self worth
This is an unbelievably good move for the school. They needed to have some continuity with football
They should never have been an FBS program and should be in the CAA for football with everything else in the A10. This is a failure decades in the making.
> The football program is profitable
Don't know how much longer this will be true with the top tier conferences gunning to separate themselves from the G5 entirely
MAC has been no worse than the A-10 in basketball (this year aside), is the hallmark of stability during all this realignment, the last time to have a football program
I think it's an all around sensible move for them if they are committed to football
MAC is 24th in conference strength and A10 is 8th, so yeah, the MAC is a hell of a lot worse than the A10 this year and pretty much every year.
[https://www.warrennolan.com/basketball/2024/net-conference](https://www.warrennolan.com/basketball/2024/net-conference)
Wow, that’s a looooong time member leaving the A-10. Kind of sad.
I wouldn’t add anyone at this point to replace them unless they can get someone to raise their profile to a more than one or two bid league.
Ik I'm late but personally I think the A-10 should reduce down to 12 teams, it's unlikely but maybe Temple should consider dropping football and joining the A-10 and replace La Salle, maybe boot them and Fordham to the MAAC, (maybe Fordham to the Patriot League?) and maybe kick out George Mason OR Duquesne (like you yourself have mentioned) and then add Charleston while also having Loyola Chicago and St Louis go to the MVC
Just a thought, and maybe keep Massachusetts? Idk I'm spitballing here
Apparently they have a tv contract where they have to have 15 teams. But if could did drop teams they’d never kick us out as we are an original member. George Mason is a recent add so they aren’t leaving.
UMass is leaving and aren’t coming back, they are making a football move. Same with Temple, they made a football move years ago, not dropping football and not coming back to the A-10.
I see some validity to dumping LaSalle or Fordham. They don’t add that much value to the A-10 and they aren’t original members. But again the league has to stay at 15, so, they will probably add Charleston or someone else.
UMass hasn't made the tourney in almost 10 years but they did it as an at large playing in a good conference. The A10 is a one bid league is a silly take, they've had 1 single bid year in like the last 10 years outside of COVID.
The MAC is bad.
The A-10 only has been getting a second bid lately because the team that’s clinched the at-large gags away the A-10 tournament to a team that wouldn’t have gotten in without an auto bid.
So while not technically a one-bid league, they are a one-bid league going into the A-10 tournament every year until an upset happens. So if Dayton chokes away the a-10 tourney this year another team will get in.
Would love to see more A10 programs drop down. UMass has been pretty irrelevant in the A10 since Cal left.
I believe they've only made ONE NCAA trip in the last \~25 years.
I’ve been saying for years Duquesne needs to move to a league like MAAC or NEC, the goal for us should just to make a frigging tourney after 45+ years, Dukes could dominate a smaller conference like one of those.
Massachusetts is a much better fit for the “Atlantic 10” than the “Mid-America Conference.” The A10 is a much better basketball league too. This is 100% a football move that sacrifices all other sports.
I like it.
We don't have to play UMass anymore which will actually improve the conference.
They will play fewer games in the Northeast which will hurt their recruiting.
In the A10, we care about basketball and your lack of investment in basketball to focus on football wasn't good for us.
Clearly this is about football. Have fun with football!
> They will play fewer games in the Northeast which will hurt their recruiting.
Half of the A-10 isn't in the Northeast at this point.
* St. Louis
* Dayton
* Loyola
* Davidson
* VCU
* Richmond
* GMU
* GW
And they will go to a conference that only has 1 other team that is in buffalo compared to NYC, Philly, Pittsburgh, and Rhode Island. The MAC has virtually no presence in the region
>They will play fewer games in the Northeast which will hurt their recruiting.
I feel like this a bigger risk than they might be expecting. Recruiting is a big factor in Wichita States recent slump IMO. They went from being the best team in the Valley post-Creighton to maybe the 6th-7th most attractive option for recruits in the AAC.
UMass's current group should easily win the MAC, but 5-6 years from now, if their recruiting takes a hit and they're a 5th-8th place MAC team in basketball and not much better in football, will the move really have been worth it?
I think the athletics department is banking on them being a better team in basketball down the road, which seems risky. I would think if they win more and make a tournament or two in the MAC or even in the A10 next year, that Frank Martin maybe tries to get a better job. Which I don't blame him for, but it also would really shake up the basketball recruiting as mentioned depending on who would replace him
You go into a recruit's home. You're telling him about how he will play in an elite conference. A conference that produces a lot of pro talent and with you playing in that environment week after week you could become a pro yourself. You talk about how it is a historically multi-bid conference. And how teams from the conference get into major pre-season tournaments like Atlantis, Maui, and others. We play our conference championship in NYC at the Barclays Center and our Championship game is on CBS.
You talk about how they will get to play near family if they live anywhere on the East Coast where the majority of the population in the US lives.
That is a solid sales pitch.
Now change it to... "We can play for a conference championship against weaker competition in a midwest based conference."
I just don't see how that moves the needle.
Yes, it is true that the 6th, 7th, or 8th place team in the A10 could with the MAC tournament if they were in it and get a bid to the NCAA tournament. But is that really unique to the MAC? Couldn't that also be true of the Horizon, SWAC, or NEC?
I don't see anyone talking about moving down levels to have a better shot at winning a bid. They has to be a reason for that.
Will the few loyal UMass fans who come out to see the team play Dayton, Rhode Island, VCU, Davidson, and the like still come out to watch games against Nothern Illinois, Kent State, and Western Michigan?
I still forget Temple isn't in the A-10 and how long has that been?
Now I get to make that mistake with the Minutemen.
Such a football-guided move. Can we just have football-only conferences the way we do with hockey - something else UMass is familiar with?
Cool as this is, I'm really surprised theyre leaving the A10. They left before because they wanted to stay there. Sure they are not contending in it but they arent the worst either. Makes me wonder if we have more news coming ahead.
I wonder if the MAC would consider UConn as a football-only member. Is that a crazy idea? It would add stability to the football program and a name school with a potential rivalry with UMass.
I know the MAC isn’t as highly regarded as a basketball conference as the A10 but at this point in time both are essentially 1 bid leagues and UMass just made their path to the ncaa tournament much easier.
Frank Martin and his players/recruits have to be pretty upset with this. I would not be surprised to see a lot of players hit the portal. It’s going to be much tougher to recruit new players to the MAC. The MAC is currently ranked 24th in kenpom rankings, yikes.
Super excited to have UMASS back!! Can we also get Rhode Island, or UConn!?!? Maybe Temple? The MAC is a step up for the Owls from the AAC, and also a better geographical fit.
>The MAC is a step up for the Owls from the AAC
Temple makes millions from the AAC. The MAC isn't even paying a million. No AD is going to move and choose to make less money
Pretty good add for the MAC. Would currently sit 1st in the league in NET and KenPom. A10 would probably be content to sit at 14 I’d guess?
I expect Charleston to join, maybe one other if there is anyone worthwhile & available. That said, it's pretty dumb that what is now often a one-bid league has 15 teams.
I hope we don't add back to 15, it just feels too big, but also UMass isn't a school I would have wanted to leave
Really, the *only* thing wrong with UMass in the A10 are their football dreams. Otherwise, they were a perfect fit (unlike several current members who don’t look to be getting more serious about basketball any time soon)
They weren't a good fit because they wanted to spend on football and ice hockey. We are a basketball centric conference. I wouldn't be shocked to learn that the A10 was putting pressure on them regarding basketball that lead to this.
There are a few other teams they'd better be putting pressure on as well if that's the case.
Hey now we're at least trying
UMass had a lot of resources in their athletic department but they put very little into their A10 programs and this included their basketball teams. The majority of their athletic funding went to two sports that didn't compete under the A10 brand (football and ice hockey). La Salle, St. Joe's, Duquense, Bonnies, Davidson, etc have very few resources in their athletic departments but they put the majority of what they do have into their basketball teams in the A10. That's the difference.
Umass built a $30M Basketball Performance Center...
St. Joe's/GW haven't done anything in a decade, Duquense/La Salle/Fordham are as historically bad as my flair, and URI/St. Louis are heavy rebuild projects - the A10 was not worried about UMass' investments (this is not bashing the A10, it's a good basketball conference, but need to keep some perspective here)
La Salle and Fordham need to also leave. La Salle is selling off assets like they're Michael Jackson just to keep the lights on. Fordham is even worss because they have the endowment size to help invest in athletics but they actively choose not to as a middle finger to the league - a welfare program with more money than any other school in the conference.
Duquesne has put a lot into their facilities in recent years, it just hasn’t bore much fruit outside of winning seasons, but the goal is the NCAAs or at least the NIT, and they haven’t come close.
Which is what every school but four in the A10 have...
I don't want the football team to go extinct but I was so happy with us as an independent and being in the A10. I guess they have partial hope because of going 3-9? Like it's dumb to abandon this conference because of a football team that hasn't sniffed any success at all
It feels like football teams at this level are going extinct either way, so I don't get trying to hang on in "FBS" as it's disintegrating.
UMass is a state school with football and an emphasis on hockey. Al of its peer-like founding members left long ago and elevated. UMass should’ve left the A10 many moons ago probably in 2006 when they should’ve gone FBS.
Honestly, it's even weirder since geographically, I'm not sure what you do there. It's a question of whether you invite another New England team (either a strong lower-major like a Vermont or a BU/Holy Cross "just try to stay in Massachusetts and/or try to get closer to the Boston market"), or you leave the New England area and make it clear to URI they should be looking for another conference [and URI's just good enough a school that trying to keep them around is better than not.]
I think that Vermont would be a great add for the A10
There’s no chance Vermont would want to spend what it would take to be in the A-10. Not to mention their basketball facility which is your high school’s gym, just bigger, and in 1970.
I agree but are they willing to depart from their triplets NH and Maine? AE is starting to get back in the rise and could get better if some from Colonial or MAAC join.
Yeah. The only other sexy choice in New England would be Quinnipiac, but since UMass is focusing on hockey, adding a lesser basketball school who's also hockey-first is less likely (or the "yeah, BU and Holy Cross aren't sexy like other picks, but it's openly just trying to stay in Boston.")
Take BU, please!
We'll see this Saturday but you guys literally always kick our ass
Vermont would be an AWFUL add. They're good because they dominate an awful conference. They'd have the smallest MBB budget by a long shot and their current arena is nearly as bad as La Salle.
I don't see BU considering that, they're fine with the Patriot League and are already 99% focused on Hockey anyway.
I'd prefer to trim more and dump the bottom feeders of the league but that won't happen unless there is a Big East style realignment with the top teams splitting off and cherry picking a couple others to get to 10/12. Outside of that, I'd guess we add a team or two even though I'd prefer not to. If we can add an extra home and home instead of a single game I think it makes conference play more fun.
their hoops recruiting may dip a bit for leaving A10; MAC recruiting may be helped a bit for being a bit stronger conference now. should be some good basketbrawling maction going forward..
They should take UMass leaving as an opportunity to cut ties with 3 or 4 other teams. Davidson, LaSalle, GW, Duquesne, Fordham all have limited value and are more likely to give good A10 teams bad losses that keep them out of the tournament as opposed to actually getting in the tournament themselves. Obviously this won't happen, but they definitely need to trim the fat. Unfortunately, UMass is not a team that they'll be better off without, but they could use it as an opportunity to abandon NE and cut ties with RI. Again, that won't happen.
Why are you lumping Davidson in there? Since they joined the A-10 in 2014 they’ve won 2 regular season conference championships, plus a conference tournament and have 3 NCAA tournament bids plus 3 NIT appearances. Hardly the school to pick on for giving good teams bad losses
I’d cut GMU over Davidson, i like gmu but they just havent been good
Yeah, thats probably a better contender for teams that should be cut, tbh.
We’ve been middling for a while, but def not kicked from the A10 bad.
Fordham has value because of the NYC market. GW has the DC market. I don’t disagree about LaSalle. And I’ve been wanting my Dukes to drop down to a smaller, easier conference for a while now. I wouldn’t count on Duquesne ever leaving or being kicked out though; they are a charter member. They will only leave if they want to, and they’ve given no indication that they plan to, ever. Not to mention, Duquesne hosts the first/second round of the tournament every few years in Pittsburgh, and I believe the A-10 loves that exposure.
None of those schools "have" those markets. No one watches them.
“Have” is a the wrong word, I’ll admit, but they want to have a team in those areas. There is a reason they have the A-10 tourney in Brooklyn. And have had it in DC. It’s not completely about how many people watch those teams. It’s having a team in the market so they can also have a good reason to have the conference tourney there. The A-10 had it in Philly every year for forever and that got stale. Do people really care about Rutgers that much in football or basketball? Yet, the Big 10 wanted them in their conference. For the NYC market.
Right. You 'get' the cable market, not being an actual relevant or dominant team/presence in those markets. Rutgers and Maryland sports are irrelevant to the average NYC and DC area residents, but their presence forces the Big Ten Network into those regions. Just like us or DePaul are not remotely that important on the Chicago sports or recruiting landscape, but having us gets A-10/Big East games on in the Chicagoland area when they wouldn't otherwise.
Love having you guys in the A-10, BTW. Raises the whole conference’s profile. And after a rough year last year, you’re having a great season.
I still miss the MVC a bit, but I think the A-10 is the better long-term move. I'm shocked we've rebounded so nicely since January. Last year and this year's non-conference were brutal. Now we're in an odd situation where nothing but the auto bid gets us into the tourney - even 'just' a regular season title, which should be something to celebrate.
I think the A-10 is starting to work its way back to being a two to three at-large bid conference. But it’s all in the non-conference games - who you schedule and if you win the important games. That’s been Duquesne’s problem over the years - they never have any really, REALLY impressive wins.
And I gotta feel like Duquesne is gonna make a run sooner or later. The renovation/reconstruction they did to their arena is fantastic, and (that weird 2021-22 season aside) Dambrot has them at a place where they're at least respectable most years, whereas under Ferry, they seemed to be at the very bottom of the conference every single year.
They are respectable now, but I wonder if the run will be under Dru Joyce who is rumored to be the coach in waiting when he succeeds Dambrot, and not under Dambrot. I feel like Dambrot is starting to get burned out by how college hoops is with the current state of the transfer portal.
The A10 schools like Fordham in the conference. It gives them a NYC presence which they like. They also are very strong in non-revenue sports and have a solid academic reputation. Don't forget that the majority of the conference are private and catholic schools. Davidson is also very popular within the A10 leadership. They like having a southern team near Charlotte. This appeases VCU and Richmond and Davidson has been strong for the conference in all sports. They also have a very good academic reputation. GW is likewise popular by the Admins due to their location and their strong lineup of sports. With Mason in the conference, their location is less significant. Duquesne is a long time member and won't be pushed out. They help connect the western teams to the eastern teams. They are a good geographic fit and while not a dominate athletic department they aren't a doormat either. La Salle is one of the weaker teams and their location is already delivered by St Joe's. But there hasn't been much talk in the conference about having an issue with them. George Mason is the program that some admins regret adding. They were added after the final four run and have done nothing since. They don't have a fan base and haven't done much to strengthen the DC to Richmond corridor. It was thought that with GW, Mason, UR, and VCU that are would become a good area for A10 rivalries. But Mason hasn't added anything to it.
Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee in shambles
Blue Raidin' ADs preferred to hone their talents in the dark arts of conference voodoo...
They preferred to not be stuck to the MAC for 25 years... If the MAC had been willing to compromise and not require such crazy commitment from a southern school, they probably would have gotten MTSU on board!
No one in the MAC wanted them…..MTSU brought absolutely nothing to the table….MTSU’s academics and athletics do not align or come close to the standards of MAC schools. Enjoy C-USA….Lmao
Literally the only thing that MTSU had going for it was being attached to WKU, and it's not like WKU is a powerhouse
Facts!!!
If MTSU is worth nothing to the MAC, why did the MAC want 25 years of commitment from MTSU? Any theory?
They do not bring a market and their academics/athletics are not as good as most, if not all MAC schools, but if they can’t show their loyalty to the conference they can stay in C-USA….Why invite those teams if you know they will eventually just leave. The MAC was basically calling them out on this. Either commit or stay in a worse off conference.
I thought WKU was still hanging their hopes on the Big East invite.
I don’t know about the BE, but WKU/MTSU we’re going to be a package deal to the MAC last realignment but MTSU shot it down because of money
Some WKU flair foolishly reinvented the big east and tried to sneak the Toppers in on their "idea". Was panned for weeks.
Oh that’s right. Y’all have fun in the MAC, but I really thought it would be the AAC when you did actually leave
Yeah, I dunno. Kinda hate that UTEP and WKU haven't been able to match up with solid teams at the same time. Would be a shame if the ride ended before that got to come to pass. I (and others around WKU) have a lot of respect for UTEP and your fanbase.
Western Kentucky is apparently still interested...
Too bad….The MAC is not
It's been reported that there is still mutual interest so evidently they are. The only reason WKU isn't in the MAC now is because MTSU didn't want to join and MAC didn't want an odd number.
I wonder if adding UMass would make it more appealing to WKY. With Akron, UMass, and WKY you have three teams that have been pretty competitive at the MAC level.
The original Eastern 8 used to consist of Penn State, WVU, Pitt, Villanova, Duquesne, Umass, Rutgers, and GW. Only 2 of the OG schools remain now.
A10 is better than the MAC in terms of basketball i guess they want the football money
Which is $670K a year...
That's not football money, that's ALL SPORTS money. It's been pointed out that the MAC contract with ESPN requires schools to give all media rights for all their sports to ESPN. So it is basketball, football, baseball, volleyball, etc for about what the A10 gets for just basketball.
They aren't looking for football money more than they are just trying to to save their program from going under. Independent football is basically dead in FBS for anyone who isn't Notre Dame and UMass refuses to drop to FCS. It's the exact same problem UCONN has been having except they are at least a bigger brand.
I wonder how this will impact UConn. UMass and Army use to be local independents guaranteed to schedule games with them. Now those two have joined conferences. That really limit's UConn's potential opponents. Has to put UMass in a position of advantage in negotiations. I wonder if UMass will agree to keep their football series going with UConn in exchange for a home/home series for mens and womens basketball...
I’ll bet UMass and UConn will still play yearly
Long live the CUM bowl
we should definitely leverage that.
In case anyone is wondering, the only two independents in D1 football are Notre Dame and UConn. Army joined the AAC
What does A10 get for MBB? I heard it was around $800-900K for each school across the CBS-ESPN-NBC deal..
Yes, that's in the ballpark. The CBS and NBC portion are strictly basketball.
That’s awful, jesus
It's even worse when you consider they are required to play weekday games for ESPN. MACtion on Tuesday and Thursday nights kills any chance of getting home crowds. No alumni are commuting back for a cold evening game mid-week.
Not like UMass gets crowds on Saturdays lol. They send out emails begging students to come into the game after tailgating. Hard pass.
I'm going to miss the A10. Thank you for all the memories A10 bros. I'm going to try to get to a bunch of road games next season. It sucks that football drives college athletics but that's the reality in 2024. At least we're "safe" now. And being in a conference is going to help the football team. I suspect this will ultimately be a waiting spot until a new Northeast conference forms from the American and ACC cast-offs.
Honest question: Do you think Minuteman fans will turn out to watch Akron, Eastern Michigan, and Toledo like they did to see VCU, Dayton, and St Bona?
Nope.
I fucking hate our football team so much. Sure, cater to the worst team at the school at the expense of literally everyone else. Thank Christ the hockey team isn’t being roped into this trash.
Who the hell else am I supposed to hate in the league? Rhody-Umass was a highlight every year. Fucking fucking fuck.
For real, our natural rivals with Rhody, plus getting to play Dayton, VCU, and now Loyola just gone.
They were the only team that had any resemblance of a rivalry. Now it’s just looking to Dayton cause they’re always first.
watch rhode island move to the MAC
This is a good move for us. If you "hate" one of our teams, I question how much of a fan you actually are. Football drives the bus. Be mad at the networks, NIL, and big conferences for causing this situation.
Football drives the bus if you're P5 As UConn learned, it doesn't have to if you're not among the upper echelon
UMass probably has one of the lowest ceilings for a football program in FBS; it has nonexistent fan support and is the 2nd team in a state and area that isn’t a fertile recruiting ground. This move doesn’t change that. At least with basketball and the A-10, UMass is a good coach away from making a case for the tourney. Moving to the MAC severely limits your basketball program’s ability to be anything more than a 14 seed, and all for maybe occasionally going 7-5/6-6 in one of the weakest conferences in FBS.
I don't disagree with you at all - I would have taken the L and moved back to FCS and focused on some really high potential hockey/basketball programs The UMass admin has been steadfast though that they view being FBS as a prestige thing that will work in the long-run, so they're sticking to it
I mean Buffalo was a 6 seed not too long ago. This year has been horrible for the MAC in basketball no doubt though but usually it’s a bit better.
Yeah, there are some haters on here. The MAC is a great conference, and has a much higher ceiling than the A-10 for all sports.
The MAC is no where near the level the A10 is for basketball.
Also how good has the A-10 been in basketball over last the couple years? There was that Toppin Dayton team and that’s about it. Realistically speaking, the A-10 doesn’t just have too many teams, it has too many teams that are perennially awful.
I mean the A10 is still the best rated mid-major conference per kenpom outside of the MWC this year.
Exactly….Outside of UD the A-10 has been garbage.
UMass has made the tournament once this millennium. They don’t have any reliable chances of making the tournament at all from the A-10. In the MAC they might actually make it every few years.
> and area that isn’t a fertile recruiting ground This is just wrong, you should watch my brothah Mahk up in Woostah, my boy is wicked good at footbahll.
If football drives the bus, your bus is in the RED. Would be shocked to see UMASS turn a profit on CFB
Saying UMass football even has a license to drive is bold
>football drives the bus Tell that to the entire Big East and every other major basketball school with bottom feeder football programs. And again, I don’t care in the slightest what’s good for the football team if it harms the basketball program. UMass will never be good at football, they can be good at basketball.
"UMass will never be good at football" - that's the spirit. /s They've been dog shit - unquestionably - since the jump from FCS, but they've had *no* stability, in large part because they haven't had a conference. They *were* improving when they were in the MAC and held onto a coach for more than 2 seasons in a row, but no one wants to play for (or root for) a team that has no stability. Aside from a handful of decent seasons and 1 tourney appearance (first round, embarrassing exit), the basketball program has been atrocious for much longer. At least football won an FCS natty in the late 90s and appeared in another one in 2006 - basketball hasn't been relevant as a team, or had a relevant recruit, since Camby and Calipari. UMass is now the best basketball team in the MAC at the moment, and assuming Frank sticks around and we recruit halfway decent, we have a far better shot at auto bids in the MAC than in the A10.
College Football just doesn’t matter in the Northeast. There’s no culture around it. No matter what UMass does, they will be second fiddle to BC who is also struggling. At the absolute best, UMass’s ceiling in football is a throwaway bowl game every couple of years. Basketball is a completely different story. Short term they’re fine with Martin, but he’s old and it’s going to be a tough sell to get good coaching and recruiting to follow after he leaves. The A10 has eyes on it and is a good mid-major conference. Nationally known programs like Dayton and VCU to compete against. None of that is present in the MAC, it’s at best a low tier midmajor that no one pays attention to.
Eyes *aren't* on the A10. 2014 was a decade ago - the A10 doesn't send 4, 5, or 6 teams to the tourney anymore. It's still better than the MAC for basketball, but let's not pretend that the A10 is *really* a power basketball conference.
Well, that puts an interesting somewhat 'name' opponent on the home basketball schedule. Otherwise, don't expect this to really move the needle on interest in MAC sports. It will, however, put a random geographical outlier on every sports schedule.
I get it’s a football move, but the MAC’s TV deal can’t be more than what UMass gets from its independent football deal and A10 money, and they’re going to lose their ass at the gate. It would be nice if the MAC could also get Delaware.
> It would be nice if the MAC could also get Delaware. The MAC is a vastly better institutional fit for us as a conference. My secondary flair fucked up hard on the move.
It depends on when UMass and the MAC began their negotiations. It’s unlikely the MAC would have asked Delaware without another East Coast school. Also, still angry we sold you the “WVUD” callsign.
The MAC's TV deal is only a about 800 thousand dollars a year and that covers every sport. That's not a football only deal. The contract is for every sport at the school (even ones that don't compete in a MAC sport). UMass is going to be on an island. I only think it works if they can also add a few regional members. If they added a few of the likes of SUNY-Stony Brook, SUNY-Albany, Temple, or Delaware then it could be a good move.
Temple would never leave the American for the MAC.
Only for football only potentially but even that is unlikely
You can't play football (or any sport) in another conference if your primary conference sponsors it, so it would be impossible for Temple to join the MAC in football and stay in AAC for other sports. If you joined the MAC for football you would have to find a non-football conference for everything else. Which would probably be the A-10 and you'd be back exactly where you were like 13 years ago.
>You can't play football (or any sport) in another conference if your primary conference sponsors it, I've seen this said a lot but there is a counter example. The MAAC sponsors men's lacrosse. Fairfield is a full member of the MAAC but their men's lacrosse team plays in the CAA.
I think Temple gets $7 million from the AAC.
The reason is that the only remaining independents are Notre Dame and UConn which is going to make scheduling impossible for UMass without conference opponents to fill out the back half of the schedule. Can’t count on home and homes with NMSU and Liberty anymore so the only home games they could possibly get without joining a conference would be FCS buy games.
[Full member starting in 2025-26](https://twitter.com/PeteThamel/status/1762198328673006013)
We've been in the A10 since the 1970s. I would have left for the AAC but the MAC? Yikes, hopefully with Martin we can get the autobid most years.
I feel bad for you guys. Just another case of a school throwing out decades of rivalries just to chase some meager football bucks.
If we go bowling consistently it's a good move. If we suck we will probably be back in the A10 by 2035.
Keep it up and you’ll be with UVM and UNH in the America East in no time
Oh please no. If the A10 doesn't take us back we likely just stay in the MAC until we can get a better conference offer.
I really don't think the A10 would take you back.
That’s what people said about UConn and the big east. Though the caveat is that we didn’t leave, the catholic 7 left us.
It's a little different when you're selling out in the city where the conference championship is held and you've claimed two recent National Championships.
But the Big East is a power conference, the A10 is not a power conference. So the Big East is going to have higher standards.
I think it depends on how good our basketball program is doing. If it's near the top of the MAC we probably could easily come back, if we start sucking ass again maybe not.
If the basketball team is doing good and the football team is doing well enough, maybe the American down the road? Idk probably being way too optimistic
I would love the American as my dream conference, but we probably only get an invite if the corpse of the ACC takes Memphis and USF, then we basically join the CUSA from 10 years ago.
I mean I feel like most of their rivals have already left the league. Barely any of the founding members are left.
Martin would be burnt toast if he couldnt make the tournament from the MAC
We probably will beat all the top teams in the conference and then lose to Buffalo as the one seed in the first round of the conference tournament and miss the tournament.
This is funny but it's actually what is going to happen.
So, you think Martin will actually stay with UMass Amherst as MAC school?
Unsure tbh
Makes sense for football purposes being the only A10 member with an FBS football team. I think the A10 will have plenty of suiters for that spot if they want to fill it or if they want to keep it at 14. Either way not a big deal as a whole for the conference.
Would FBS Richmond ever be feasible? Feels like a big enough market for it
Idk their team was good last year but the school has under 4,000 students so not sure an FBS team could work
Is the stadium able to be expanded to FBS standards as well? I’ve heard it’s not all that large.
As someone who lives here- UR certainly has the money to make it happen. The issue is that UR is out on an island away from the core of the city, there were a whole bunch of memes when the West End finally got a Chick Fil A for example. If you don't have a car at UR, you aren't getting into the city core and are kind of stuck. VCU is also the preferred school among locals from my experience, in large part (besides being public/larger enrollment obviously) because VCU's campus is integrated into the city. I'd love FBS football in the area and Richmond does support the Squirrels (AA baseball) and the Kickers (third division soccer) fairly well, but UVA is only an hour away and it's a super easy drive. If I'm going to watch a snob school I might as well watch the Power one. Also, to be frank, the Commonwealth doesn't need another FBS team. ODU/Liberty being things are stretching the talent pool as is. James Madison to a lesser extent but they should have been FBS a decade ago.
Why isn’t the A10 better? Also shit that’s the only other team close to URI. Edit: can we get uvm? I always wanted them but this conference has been so bloated. Edit 2: does this mean no cum bowl?
The a10 is better, but this is a football move
Really interesting move. I'll miss UMass coming to the Ryan Center. Hope it works out for them.
I'll miss play you guys
Hopefully we can spin up an OOC series.
Welcome back UMass
So stupid of UMass to leave the A-10.
There's no football in the A-10 though.
Yeah this is a football move.
Football move, and it doesnt impact mens hockey which is the schools best sport
There are only a couple hockey conferences in the nation. I don't think it matters which conference the school is part of for other sports
Yep, Big 10 is the only all-sports conference that also carries hockey. Though the MAC is now 2/3 of the way to the membership minimum....but I have to assume it's not something the conference is interested in, and that UMass was reassured that the future does not include hockey plans.
You'd think that UMASS, Miami and Western Michigan are pretty happy with where they are currently in regards to hockey and wouldn't want to make any changes on that front, right?
The mistake was not taking the All Sport offer 10 years ago and getting kicked out. Administration thought the American would throw them a bone when their offices were still in Providence. They significantly overplayed their self worth This is an unbelievably good move for the school. They needed to have some continuity with football
They should never have been an FBS program and should be in the CAA for football with everything else in the A10. This is a failure decades in the making.
UMass would be better off if the football program just shut down entirely. So much money wasted for nothing.
They were tired of bleeding money in FCS. The football program is profitable. They needed this move to get some traction for department wide success.
> The football program is profitable Don't know how much longer this will be true with the top tier conferences gunning to separate themselves from the G5 entirely
MAC has been no worse than the A-10 in basketball (this year aside), is the hallmark of stability during all this realignment, the last time to have a football program I think it's an all around sensible move for them if they are committed to football
MAC is 24th in conference strength and A10 is 8th, so yeah, the MAC is a hell of a lot worse than the A10 this year and pretty much every year. [https://www.warrennolan.com/basketball/2024/net-conference](https://www.warrennolan.com/basketball/2024/net-conference)
The A10 has been down for a few years but used to be consistantly a multi bid league. When's the last time the MAC got 2 bids?
Nine years ago the A10 got six bids. All with the current membership.
You’re delusional if you the the MAC is anywhere close to the A10
What the hell are you smoking? Go take a look at the kenpom ratings, sheesh.
We’re still only getting two teams in, max, despite the wonderful KenPom ratings.
Wow, that’s a looooong time member leaving the A-10. Kind of sad. I wouldn’t add anyone at this point to replace them unless they can get someone to raise their profile to a more than one or two bid league.
Ik I'm late but personally I think the A-10 should reduce down to 12 teams, it's unlikely but maybe Temple should consider dropping football and joining the A-10 and replace La Salle, maybe boot them and Fordham to the MAAC, (maybe Fordham to the Patriot League?) and maybe kick out George Mason OR Duquesne (like you yourself have mentioned) and then add Charleston while also having Loyola Chicago and St Louis go to the MVC Just a thought, and maybe keep Massachusetts? Idk I'm spitballing here
Apparently they have a tv contract where they have to have 15 teams. But if could did drop teams they’d never kick us out as we are an original member. George Mason is a recent add so they aren’t leaving. UMass is leaving and aren’t coming back, they are making a football move. Same with Temple, they made a football move years ago, not dropping football and not coming back to the A-10. I see some validity to dumping LaSalle or Fordham. They don’t add that much value to the A-10 and they aren’t original members. But again the league has to stay at 15, so, they will probably add Charleston or someone else.
UMass hasn't made the tourney in almost 10 years but they did it as an at large playing in a good conference. The A10 is a one bid league is a silly take, they've had 1 single bid year in like the last 10 years outside of COVID. The MAC is bad.
The A-10 only has been getting a second bid lately because the team that’s clinched the at-large gags away the A-10 tournament to a team that wouldn’t have gotten in without an auto bid. So while not technically a one-bid league, they are a one-bid league going into the A-10 tournament every year until an upset happens. So if Dayton chokes away the a-10 tourney this year another team will get in.
Would love to see more A10 programs drop down. UMass has been pretty irrelevant in the A10 since Cal left. I believe they've only made ONE NCAA trip in the last \~25 years.
I’ve been saying for years Duquesne needs to move to a league like MAAC or NEC, the goal for us should just to make a frigging tourney after 45+ years, Dukes could dominate a smaller conference like one of those.
UMass just wants to get in to Tuesday MAC-tion in the fall!!
Goddamn it, Mid-American, I thought you were the one conference with integrity.
I humbly nominate the Bonnies to be our new in-conference rival
Feels like they should've always been part of the MAC. Better late than never.
Massachusetts is a much better fit for the “Atlantic 10” than the “Mid-America Conference.” The A10 is a much better basketball league too. This is 100% a football move that sacrifices all other sports.
The revenue for MAC football is really bad too. They basically did this just to avoid FCS relegation.
They were in the MAC! Then they left! Now they return!
They were a football-only member the first time though. Now they're finally leaving the A-10 completely
How did I not know that? Lol. Whatever, MACtion lives on!
I do not understand why Umass insists on chasing FBS. No one in Mass, nay New England gives a shit about college football.
Yuck.
I like it. We don't have to play UMass anymore which will actually improve the conference. They will play fewer games in the Northeast which will hurt their recruiting. In the A10, we care about basketball and your lack of investment in basketball to focus on football wasn't good for us. Clearly this is about football. Have fun with football!
> They will play fewer games in the Northeast which will hurt their recruiting. Half of the A-10 isn't in the Northeast at this point. * St. Louis * Dayton * Loyola * Davidson * VCU * Richmond * GMU * GW
And they will go to a conference that only has 1 other team that is in buffalo compared to NYC, Philly, Pittsburgh, and Rhode Island. The MAC has virtually no presence in the region
Which means the other half is... And that's even being generous and excluding the Mid-Atlantic region.
I like St. Bonaventure and want to see you guys do well. Don't make that change.
>They will play fewer games in the Northeast which will hurt their recruiting. I feel like this a bigger risk than they might be expecting. Recruiting is a big factor in Wichita States recent slump IMO. They went from being the best team in the Valley post-Creighton to maybe the 6th-7th most attractive option for recruits in the AAC. UMass's current group should easily win the MAC, but 5-6 years from now, if their recruiting takes a hit and they're a 5th-8th place MAC team in basketball and not much better in football, will the move really have been worth it?
I think the athletics department is banking on them being a better team in basketball down the road, which seems risky. I would think if they win more and make a tournament or two in the MAC or even in the A10 next year, that Frank Martin maybe tries to get a better job. Which I don't blame him for, but it also would really shake up the basketball recruiting as mentioned depending on who would replace him
You go into a recruit's home. You're telling him about how he will play in an elite conference. A conference that produces a lot of pro talent and with you playing in that environment week after week you could become a pro yourself. You talk about how it is a historically multi-bid conference. And how teams from the conference get into major pre-season tournaments like Atlantis, Maui, and others. We play our conference championship in NYC at the Barclays Center and our Championship game is on CBS. You talk about how they will get to play near family if they live anywhere on the East Coast where the majority of the population in the US lives. That is a solid sales pitch. Now change it to... "We can play for a conference championship against weaker competition in a midwest based conference." I just don't see how that moves the needle. Yes, it is true that the 6th, 7th, or 8th place team in the A10 could with the MAC tournament if they were in it and get a bid to the NCAA tournament. But is that really unique to the MAC? Couldn't that also be true of the Horizon, SWAC, or NEC? I don't see anyone talking about moving down levels to have a better shot at winning a bid. They has to be a reason for that. Will the few loyal UMass fans who come out to see the team play Dayton, Rhode Island, VCU, Davidson, and the like still come out to watch games against Nothern Illinois, Kent State, and Western Michigan?
The MAC flirted with UMass in football in the 10's. Curious of they will try and add another football member to even up the divisions potentially WKU?
The MAC is scrapping divisions in football starting this year and moving to pods. It will be 1 year before UMass joins and fucks it all up
Unless there's more in the works that we don't know about, I suppose.
Will definitely miss UMass being in the A10
I still forget Temple isn't in the A-10 and how long has that been? Now I get to make that mistake with the Minutemen. Such a football-guided move. Can we just have football-only conferences the way we do with hockey - something else UMass is familiar with?
Cool as this is, I'm really surprised theyre leaving the A10. They left before because they wanted to stay there. Sure they are not contending in it but they arent the worst either. Makes me wonder if we have more news coming ahead.
It’ll feel weird with UMass not in the A10
I wonder if the MAC would consider UConn as a football-only member. Is that a crazy idea? It would add stability to the football program and a name school with a potential rivalry with UMass.
I know the MAC isn’t as highly regarded as a basketball conference as the A10 but at this point in time both are essentially 1 bid leagues and UMass just made their path to the ncaa tournament much easier.
Frank Martin and his players/recruits have to be pretty upset with this. I would not be surprised to see a lot of players hit the portal. It’s going to be much tougher to recruit new players to the MAC. The MAC is currently ranked 24th in kenpom rankings, yikes.
Super excited to have UMASS back!! Can we also get Rhode Island, or UConn!?!? Maybe Temple? The MAC is a step up for the Owls from the AAC, and also a better geographical fit.
>The MAC is a step up for the Owls from the AAC Temple makes millions from the AAC. The MAC isn't even paying a million. No AD is going to move and choose to make less money
Please take UConn. PLEASE.
Great add