Conference Questions (TW)

[tmh8286]

Conference questions

By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer

6/27/2006

Two schools are leaving the Mid-Continent,which leaves ORU and the rest of the league pondering the future. NCAA Tournament berths are at stake as conference leaders look for replacements.

Adding members would strengthen position

Losing two schools in a 28-day span raised questions about the future of the Mid-Continent Conference.

Scattered over three time zones, is it coming apart at the seams? Is it time for Oral Roberts University to look for another conference?

"I don't see any reason for alarm," said ORU athletic director Mike Carter. "There are other schools that can be added. I think the Mid-Con is going to be stable."

But league officials were stunned in May when Valparaiso announced it would join the Horizon League after the 2006-07 academic year. Chicago State left in April, effective immediately.

Travel costs were the first factor Valpo cited. The Mid-Con stretches almost from suburban Detroit (Oakland) to Las Vegas (Southern Utah). Most of the Crusaders' new foes will be within a bus ride of their northwestern Indiana campus.

"From a purely selfish standpoint, I think they did us all a big favor," said Greg Kampe, Oakland athletic director and men's basketball coach. "That's one good basketball team you won't have to beat to get to the NCAA Tournament."

But the Mid-Con lost more than a marquee basketball school that won or shared nine Mid-Con titles and made seven NCAA appearances in a 10-year span (1995-04).

Without replacements, league membership would drop to seven by 2007, with only six core members -- the bare minimum to retain a conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Centenary, the league's seventh member, won't be considered for core purposes until completing its fifth year of Mid-Con participation in 2008.

Also at stake are the Mid-Con's automatic berths in baseball, men's tennis and men's and women's track and field. The league could have only five participating members in each sport by 2007 -- one less than required to retain an automatic bid in those sports.

NCAA access is the primary reason the Mid-Con and most other mid-major conferences were formed in the first place.

The baseball issue is of utmost importance to ORU, which has made nine straight NCAA appearances by winning the Mid-Con's postseason tournament.

League presidents are expected to start the process of expansion when they convene Tuesday in Chicago, chaired by ORU president Richard Roberts.

The presidents will examine information submitted by six schools seeking full membership -- Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Utah Valley State, Longwood (Va.) University and Texas-Pan American.

Dallas Baptist is a potential associate member in baseball -- the school's only Division I sport -- but will field a men's basketball team for the upcoming season. Central Arkansas, recently admitted to the Southland Conference, also seeks associate membership in some sports.

There is strong support within the league to add Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, North Dakota State and South Dakota State, although the latter two are provisional Division I members, not eligible for the Mid-Con postseason tournament until 2009.

There seems to be little enthusiasm for Texas-Pan American, situated so far south (Edinburg, Texas) that it is nearer to Mexico City than Tulsa.

No up and down votes are likely Tuesday, but site teams could be formed to evaluate the candidates. The presidents are expected to consider every possibility -- up to growing into two six-team divisions.

"Every option is on the table," said Mid-Con commissioner Tom Douple.

This isn't the first time the Mid-Con has had to restock. Born in the Midwest, the Mid-Con hasn't been as geographically cohesive since six schools left the 10-team league after the 1993-94 season to join what would later become the Horizon League.

For the 1994-95 season, the Mid-Con added Central Connecticut State, Buffalo (N.Y.), Troy (Ala.) State, Missouri-Kansas City, Northeastern Illinois and Chicago State -- and became a logistical nightmare.

"Then, it really was like you were flying almost from coast to coast to play conference basketball games," said UMKC head coach Rich Zvosec.

Zvosec hopes the league doesn't overreact by "adding every independent out there like we did before. I think our league has gotten better. Sometimes quality is better than quantity."

But a large expansion would guard against older members leaving the fold.

Southern Utah has made no secret of its interest in the Big Sky Conference. With schools in the western and coastal states, the Big Sky would be a better geographic fit for the Thunderbirds, who don't sponsor baseball or softball.

"Going to the Big Sky would create issues we haven't had to deal with," said Southern Utah athletic director Ken Beazer. "We actually have supporters who feel the Mid-Con gives us more exposure on the national stage."

Oakland has interest in the Horizon League, but Horizon member Detroit Mercy has blocked the Grizzlies before.

Centenary was considered for membership by the Southland Conference last year.

While bullish on their conference, Mid-Con officials recognize that movement is inevitable on the ever-changing landscape of college athletics.

"Nobody wants to see schools leave the conference, but institutional goals change," said Michael Moore, athletic director at Indiana-Purdue Indianapolis. "Individual institutions have to make their own decisions about what is in their best interest. This has been happening across the board."

When the Atlantic Coast Conference absorbed Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College, the shockwaves reconfigured the Big East and Conference USA (and enabled the University of Tulsa's move to C-USA from the Western Athletic Conference).

"Unless you're in one of the huge equity conferences (Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, etc.), I'm not sure any conference can count on remaining the same that far into the future," Moore said.

Carter said ORU hasn't considered another conference since joining the Mid-Con in 1997. Where would the Eagles go?

The Missouri Valley would be ORU's best geographic fit, and the Eagles have been interested in the past. But the MVC just finished a banner basketball season. It sent four teams to the NCAA Tournament and arguably deserved a fifth, with Missouri State being the highest-rated (ratings percentage index) team ever left out.

The Valley doesn't need ORU and has no plans to expand beyond its current 10-team roster, said conference commissioner Doug Elgin.

[tmh8286]

Tell me this - what would the motivation be for the Tulsa World to run THIS picture with THAT article???

[Dr. Cornelius]

Tell me this - what would the motivation be for the Tulsa World to run THIS picture with THAT article???

The margin of victory versus TU the past three years.

[mickeyb]

Tell me this - what would the motivation be for the Tulsa World to run THIS picture with THAT article???

I'm guessing some intern inserted the wrong archive image.  It'd be worth a call or email to the sports editor though ...

[Guest EagleBackr]

...the picture is not innacurate.  The caption describes the Mid-Con championship being played in Tulsa - not just ORU's performance in it.  Oakland won the Mid-Con tournament in Tulsa two years ago, which the photo depicts.  It may make us all nauseous, but it's not a mistake...

[tmh8286]

Yeah, not inaccurate, but . . .

As with my children, sometimes their judgment leaves something to be desired.

[ORU GRAD]

After thinking about this situation of ORU and staying or leaving the Mid Con, I have come to the conclusion that for me it makes more since to stay put and be the dominant leader and wait until the Valley or the Sun ask us to make a move. It will not be too bad if we add three schools this year for the 2007-08 season.  Also look to Texas area with the 2 schools and Utah Valley as an associate for the next two seasons. This way we can grow to the 12 figure if we want but have 10 schools for sure. Just a thought.

[mickeyb]

...the picture is not inaccurate.  The caption describes the Mid-Con championship being played in Tulsa - not just ORU's performance in it.  Oakland won the Mid-Con tournament in Tulsa two years ago, which the photo depicts.  It may make us all nauseous, but it's not a mistake...

Not that it would be wrong of the Tulsa World to put that picture in on purpose, but I would bet it was a mistake.  Especially with Caleb was on the front page. 

The most erroneous part of the had to be stating that fact that SUU doesn't sponsor baseball or softball.  Not only have the T-Birds been ORU's most consistant baseball competition over the years, but the softball team won the Mid-Con and played in the NCAA Tournament!

[richieoru]

Not that it would be wrong of the Tulsa World to put that picture in on purpose, but I would bet it was a mistake.  Especially with Caleb was on the front page. 

The most erroneous part of the had to be stating that fact that SUU doesn't sponsor baseball or softball.  Not only have the T-Birds been ORU's most consistant baseball competition over the years, but the softball team won the Mid-Con and played in the NCAA Tournament!

Ha, ha nice catch on that Mickey B I just read right through it and didn't think about how that was wrong, probably much like the TW editors did.

[tmh8286]

My point was not that it was inaccurate, but that the Tulsa World is ORU's hometown newspaper, that ORU has also won The Mid-Continent Conference Basketball Tournament, and that 1) to put up a pic of the Oakland win is rubbing salt in a still very sore wound, and 2) I would think that a newspaper covering a local school would choose to honor that team's success by using the home team's picture instead of a rival team that beat them in a previous championship in a heartbreaker of a game.  You could also make the point that with ORU's 2006 win, their picture would be of the reigning champs and therefore more current.

Maybe in the next article about the Big 12 they will put in a picture of some Texas players celebrating after last year's OU/Texas football game.