mainejeff
Climbing Mt. St. James
UMaine Sports Forum: https://umainesports.freeforums.net
Posts: 75
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Post by mainejeff on Apr 5, 2022 13:21:21 GMT -5
There for a long time were only six D1 schools in Massachusetts - Holy Cross, UMass, BC, Northeastern, Harvard, and BU. There will now soon be nine with UMass-Lowell, Merrimack, and Stonehill. I would further think it only a matter of time before Bentley makes it ten. Connecticut has followed a similar path. Just three with UConn, Yale, and Fairfield. Now seven after adding Hartford, CCSU, Sacred Heart, Quinnipac. Looks like it will remain at seven even with hartford dropping back down and the Univ of New Haven looks to take its place in D1. Even Rhode Island added Bryant to get to four with URI, PC, and Brown. The three northern New England states of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine remain stable with four D1 schools while the three southern states will soon have added about nine new members. Will SNHU, St. A's, St. Mike's and Franklin Pierce get D-1 fever, too? It's an epidemic. Hartford may not be the last team to move down. Higher Education is far from a stable industry. Someone needs to articulate and sell the D-2 raison d'etre. I think it's a grand division, not too hot not too cold, just like the porridge in Goldilocks and the Three Bears. But college administrators seem to think moving out of it to D-1 will be their salvation. Time will tell. It will also be interesting to see if longtime D1 stalwarts start fading as more aggressive D1 newbies such as Bryant, Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart start taking a bigger slice of the pie (recruiting, media attention, name recognition, donor $$$). When I was a youngster....Holy Cross was a big name in college sports.....now, not so much. Not just picking on HC though.....BU, Northeastern, Hofstra, Drexel, Lasalle, Iona, Siena, etc, etc. |
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Post by Wormtown Railers Fan on Apr 5, 2022 13:52:02 GMT -5
Globe is reporting Stonehill is moving to D1
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Post by bfoley82 on Apr 5, 2022 16:52:09 GMT -5
There for a long time were only six D1 schools in Massachusetts - Holy Cross, UMass, BC, Northeastern, Harvard, and BU. There will now soon be nine with UMass-Lowell, Merrimack, and Stonehill. I would further think it only a matter of time before Bentley makes it ten. Connecticut has followed a similar path. Just three with UConn, Yale, and Fairfield. Now seven after adding Hartford, CCSU, Sacred Heart, Quinnipac. Looks like it will remain at seven even with hartford dropping back down and the Univ of New Haven looks to take its place in D1. Even Rhode Island added Bryant to get to four with URI, PC, and Brown. The three northern New England states of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine remain stable with four D1 schools while the three southern states will soon have added about nine new members. Will SNHU, St. A's, St. Mike's and Franklin Pierce get D-1 fever, too? It's an epidemic. Hartford may not be the last team to move down. Higher Education is far from a stable industry. Someone needs to articulate and sell the D-2 raison d'etre. I think it's a grand division, not too hot not too cold, just like the porridge in Goldilocks and the Three Bears. But college administrators seem to think moving out of it to D-1 will be their salvation. Time will tell. Southern Conn could start discussing it too |
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Post by Wormtown Railers Fan on Apr 5, 2022 17:30:53 GMT -5
Hearing that Nichols is going D2
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Post by gks on Apr 5, 2022 19:05:53 GMT -5
Hearing that Nichols is going D2 They'd slide in nicely to the NE-10. Would do really well in men's hoop in that league. |
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Post by longsuffering on Apr 5, 2022 19:11:11 GMT -5
Nichols and Bryant probably had application overlap over the years. I thought of both of them as primarily business schools like Bentley and Babson but haven't kept up with their evolution. Nichols is moving up after success in basketball which is positive.
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Post by bfoley82 on Apr 5, 2022 22:02:06 GMT -5
I heard Merrimack and Mount St. Mary's are off to the MAAC...
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Post by bfoley82 on Apr 5, 2022 22:06:21 GMT -5
Nichols and Bryant probably had application overlap over the years. I thought of both of them as primarily business schools like Bentley and Babson but haven't kept up with their evolution. Nichols is moving up after success in basketball which is positive. Much different clientele between the two schools academically. Bryant average SAT score is 1120-1270 Nichols average SAT score is 840-1030. Bryant's graduation rate is 79 percent while Nichols is only at 51. |
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Post by longsuffering on Apr 6, 2022 1:14:56 GMT -5
Nichols and Bryant probably had application overlap over the years. I thought of both of them as primarily business schools like Bentley and Babson but haven't kept up with their evolution. Nichols is moving up after success in basketball which is positive. Much different clientele between the two schools academically. Bryant average SAT score is 1120-1270 Nichols average SAT score is 840-1030. Bryant's graduation rate is 79 percent while Nichols is only at 51. Good to know. I hope Nichols investment in FB and BB scholarships pay off for them. It will give Assumption a local rival. |
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Apr 6, 2022 12:19:34 GMT -5
I heard Merrimack and Mount St. Mary's are off to the MAAC... Merrimack to the MAAC sounds absolutely awful. Are they going to start playing football in the Big South too? Another thing that would be crazy...if Merrimack goes to the MAAC, you'd have 9 DI schools in the state, spread across 8 different conferences. Ironically, the conference we refer to as the "Pennsy" League would be the only DI league with two schools from MA. |
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Post by hc2020 on Apr 6, 2022 13:06:22 GMT -5
This seems like more of a plea than a sound argument in favor of developing a so-called rivalry…
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Post by longsuffering on Apr 6, 2022 20:47:41 GMT -5
I heard Merrimack and Mount St. Mary's are off to the MAAC... Merrimack to the MAAC sounds absolutely awful. Are they going to start playing football in the Big South too? Another thing that would be crazy...if Merrimack goes to the MAAC, you'd have 9 DI schools in the state, spread across 8 different conferences. Ironically, the conference we refer to as the "Pennsy" League would be the only DI league with two schools from MA. I hope Merrimack isn't gerrymandered into the PL for FB. Five Holy Cross OOC opportunities per year and six every fourth year fills up the FB hot stove league (Crossports) with discussion quite nicely. |
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Post by gerry on Apr 6, 2022 23:07:40 GMT -5
How could Merrimack go to the MAAC? They dumping their football program in the "Big South" as well? Also, the NEC gave them the opportunity to move up to D1. I'd like to think the conference put in a condition that the school commits to the conference for a fair amount of time in exchange for receiving an invitation to join the conference. The NEC wasn't really in need of expansion then as they are now, and they did Merrimack a solid by giving them a landing spot. The Mount has a similar profile to the other MAAC schools, though its remote location is likely the reason they aren't in the "Metro" conference. St. Francis-Brooklyn has been largely unsuccessful in basketball, but would fit the profile of the league. I'd also kick the tires on LaSalle. The school is broke, and cannot compete in the A10 with the Dayton's, SLU's, VCU's of the conference. A move back to the MAAC would give them a chance to compete, and would greatly reduce travel expenses for Olympic sports.
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Post by bfoley82 on Apr 7, 2022 1:09:51 GMT -5
How could Merrimack go to the MAAC? They dumping their football program in the "Big South" as well? Also, the NEC gave them the opportunity to move up to D1. I'd like to think the conference put in a condition that the school commits to the conference for a fair amount of time in exchange for receiving an invitation to join the conference. The NEC wasn't really in need of expansion then as they are now, and they did Merrimack a solid by giving them a landing spot. The Mount has a similar profile to the other MAAC schools, though its remote location is likely the reason they aren't in the "Metro" conference. St. Francis-Brooklyn has been largely unsuccessful in basketball, but would fit the profile of the league. I'd also kick the tires on LaSalle. The school is broke, and cannot compete in the A10 with the Dayton's, SLU's, VCU's of the conference. A move back to the MAAC would give them a chance to compete, and would greatly reduce travel expenses for Olympic sports. It isn't that wild as Iona, Siena and Fairfield are within a three hour drive of Merrimack. Even Rider and St Peter's aren't a terrible drive either. |
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Apr 7, 2022 6:41:50 GMT -5
How could Merrimack go to the MAAC? They dumping their football program in the "Big South" as well? Also, the NEC gave them the opportunity to move up to D1. I'd like to think the conference put in a condition that the school commits to the conference for a fair amount of time in exchange for receiving an invitation to join the conference. The NEC wasn't really in need of expansion then as they are now, and they did Merrimack a solid by giving them a landing spot. The Mount has a similar profile to the other MAAC schools, though its remote location is likely the reason they aren't in the "Metro" conference. St. Francis-Brooklyn has been largely unsuccessful in basketball, but would fit the profile of the league. I'd also kick the tires on LaSalle. The school is broke, and cannot compete in the A10 with the Dayton's, SLU's, VCU's of the conference. A move back to the MAAC would give them a chance to compete, and would greatly reduce travel expenses for Olympic sports. Totally agree. I know they've received a bit of a jolt recently with St. Peters' historic run and with Pitino at Iona, but the MAAC is a "has-been" league IMO -- a bunch of second and third-rate Catholic colleges. Fairfield has already been rumored to be have been considering possible moves elsewhere (CAA, A-East). If Merrimack goes anywhere, I would imagine it would be to the America East due to their relationships with the core members there from hockey. But as we've seen via the travails of Monmouth and now Bryant, when you leave the NEC, they push you out in football. Meaning they'd have to be willing to play football in the Big South/OVC. Forcing that move is not worth MAAC membership IMO -- at least Monmouth was a basketball school located in the MAAC footprint. As far as the MAAC looking at new members, St. Francis makes sense as would Le Moyne. Wagner fits the footprint but again might be unwilling to deal with football uncertainly. I don't see LaSalle dropping down -- losing A-10 membership isn't going to help the school become less financially broke. |
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Post by HC92 on Apr 7, 2022 7:14:11 GMT -5
I suspect the average MAAC hoop budget is materially less than the average A10 budget. So, they might be a little less broke but probably not enough to alter how long LaSalle is able to survive.
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Post by mm67 on Apr 7, 2022 7:34:50 GMT -5
How could Merrimack go to the MAAC? They dumping their football program in the "Big South" as well? Also, the NEC gave them the opportunity to move up to D1. I'd like to think the conference put in a condition that the school commits to the conference for a fair amount of time in exchange for receiving an invitation to join the conference. The NEC wasn't really in need of expansion then as they are now, and they did Merrimack a solid by giving them a landing spot. The Mount has a similar profile to the other MAAC schools, though its remote location is likely the reason they aren't in the "Metro" conference. St. Francis-Brooklyn has been largely unsuccessful in basketball, but would fit the profile of the league. I'd also kick the tires on LaSalle. The school is broke, and cannot compete in the A10 with the Dayton's, SLU's, VCU's of the conference. A move back to the MAAC would give them a chance to compete, and would greatly reduce travel expenses for Olympic sports. Totally agree. I know they've received a bit of a jolt recently with St. Peters' historic run and with Pitino at Iona, but the MAAC is a "has-been" league IMO -- a bunch of second and third-rate Catholic colleges. Fairfield has already been rumored to be have been considering possible moves elsewhere (CAA, A-East). If Merrimack goes anywhere, I would imagine it would be to the America East due to their relationships with the core members there from hockey. But as we've seen via the travails of Monmouth and now Bryant, when you leave the NEC, they push you out in football. Meaning they'd have to be willing to play football in the Big South/OVC. Forcing that move is not worth MAAC membership IMO -- at least Monmouth was a basketball school located in the MAAC footprint. As far as the MAAC looking at new members, St. Francis makes sense as would Le Moyne. Wagner fits the footprint but again might be unwilling to deal with football uncertainly. I don't see LaSalle dropping down -- losing A-10 membership isn't going to help the school become less financially broke. MAAC is a "has-been league." Has it ever been anything other than a mid-level has-been league? But, there were some good tough matchups. HC had its chance, did poorly - one co championship shared with LaSalle PL is a better fit on many levels not the least of which is school branding. Peace. |
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Post by bfoley82 on Apr 7, 2022 12:28:47 GMT -5
Totally agree. I know they've received a bit of a jolt recently with St. Peters' historic run and with Pitino at Iona, but the MAAC is a "has-been" league IMO -- a bunch of second and third-rate Catholic colleges. Fairfield has already been rumored to be have been considering possible moves elsewhere (CAA, A-East). If Merrimack goes anywhere, I would imagine it would be to the America East due to their relationships with the core members there from hockey. But as we've seen via the travails of Monmouth and now Bryant, when you leave the NEC, they push you out in football. Meaning they'd have to be willing to play football in the Big South/OVC. Forcing that move is not worth MAAC membership IMO -- at least Monmouth was a basketball school located in the MAAC footprint. As far as the MAAC looking at new members, St. Francis makes sense as would Le Moyne. Wagner fits the footprint but again might be unwilling to deal with football uncertainly. I don't see LaSalle dropping down -- losing A-10 membership isn't going to help the school become less financially broke. MAAC is a "has-been league." Has it ever been anything other than a mid-level has-been league? But, there were some good tough matchups. HC had its chance, did poorly - one co championship shared with LaSalle PL is a better fit on many levels not the least of which is school branding. Peace. What do you consider the Patriot League then? A conference that doesn't care about athletics? |
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Post by longsuffering on Apr 7, 2022 12:34:07 GMT -5
No, it's a "gonna be" conference.
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Post by mm67 on Apr 7, 2022 13:45:46 GMT -5
MAAC is a "has-been league." Has it ever been anything other than a mid-level has-been league? But, there were some good tough matchups. HC had its chance, did poorly - one co championship shared with LaSalle PL is a better fit on many levels not the least of which is school branding. Peace. What do you consider the Patriot League then? A conference that doesn't care about athletics? B - No. |
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Apr 7, 2022 15:14:42 GMT -5
MAAC is a "has-been league." Has it ever been anything other than a mid-level has-been league? But, there were some good tough matchups. HC had its chance, did poorly - one co championship shared with LaSalle PL is a better fit on many levels not the least of which is school branding. Peace. What do you consider the Patriot League then? A conference that doesn't care about athletics? A league of like-minded schools high-academic that also comes with the plus of sponsoring football, unlike the MAAC. And in spite of the fact that we don't care about sports, we're about even with the MAAC in Men's Basketball, competition-wise. |
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Post by longsuffering on Apr 7, 2022 16:04:56 GMT -5
The PL is a conference where schools care about their teams when they win and compete for a league championship and the auto bid to that sport's NCAA tournament?
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Post by bfoley82 on Jun 14, 2022 19:43:49 GMT -5
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Post by longsuffering on Jun 14, 2022 20:03:33 GMT -5
Bryant doesn't subscribe to the theory that tennis and golf are throw away sports like another college may or may not.
Awed by the travel expense, impressed by the commitment.
When a Southland team travels to play Bryant, they can play PC, URI, Brown, HC or UConn as well to make the trip worthwhile.
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Jun 15, 2022 8:19:23 GMT -5
Bryant doesn't subscribe to the theory that tennis and golf are throw away sports like another college may or may not. Awed by the travel expense, impressed by the commitment. When a Southland team travels to play Bryant, they can play PC, URI, Brown, HC or UConn as well to make the trip worthwhile. When it comes to these particular sports, the only real travel commitment is traveling to the site of the conference tournament. I don't think you have to play any head-to-head matches with conference members during the season. I'm sure the reason Bryant was brought in was because the Southland needed a school to ensure they have enough schools to maintain NCAA auto-bid in those sports. This is kind of like when Holy Cross Women's Golf competed in the Big South. We weren't flying the team to to Myrtle Beach every other week. They played their regular season tournament schedule mainly in New England and then went down there once a year for the conference championship. |
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