ORU82 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 We bring a school that has a history of competing in basketball as well as baseball and other sports. Secondly, we are located in a metroplex of about 500,000. Third, we already broadcast our games on television. Fourth, our basketball/athletic budget is actually on course with most of the other MVC schools and in some instances is better. Fifth, the University is financially sound and I believe is actually increasing in enrollment. Sixth, like most of the other institutions in the MVC, our emphasis is basketball and other sports, not football. Seventh, we fit well into the MVC's footprint. Finally, geographically speaking we reside in Wichita State's backyard as well as Missouri State's. All of the above is why in the end I believe that the MVC will extend an invitation to us, IF we make a committment to them to continue to support our athletics at the current level or commit to increasing the same. GO EAGLES! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcboy2000 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Excellent post 82! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Very informative article on the new challenges that LGBT issues present for Christian evangelical institutions. Great quotes from Christian higher Ed officials at Wheaton. http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/03/30/at-evangelical-colleges-a-shifting-attitude-toward-gay-students/Not meaning to jack this thread away from the excellent discussion about what WSU has accomplished, and the potential opportunity for ORU to be in the mix for the Missouri Valley (something that has been talked about, and dare I say longed for, as long as I've followed the program), I would like to say that the whole LGBT thing is REALLY difficult for some of us old timers, or at least this one, to take. It's discussion, and prominence, even into CHRISTIAN COLLEGE ATHLETICS, over the past year or so has been like a tidal wave. Five years ago, or even three, it would have never come up in a discussion of conference affiliations. Almost overnight it has become a potentially defining requirement. Younger folks, for a reason that I don't fully understand, are much more accepting, or at least understanding, of this concept. From my perspective it's a heartbreaking development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Shockers in the Final Four!?!?!?!?.......looks like they made the right decision with Greg Marshall.....and to think that Scott Sutton was under consideration for that job.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUalum Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 tmh - TV, movies, and the classroom...and people are kidding themselves if they think this isn't going to be a major problem for schools like ORU in the future (and not just in athletics...i.e Pell Grants, Fed Loans, etc.). Belmont is paying the Tennessee Bapist Convention millions of dollars to disassociate from them and no longer calls themselves a Baptist University. they now even have a school approved LGBTQ club on campus. back to sports... Sittler tweeted this morning..."Belmont will replace Creighton in MVC. Hoped for ORU" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOLO_Gold Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 Sittler may know what he's talking about, but CBS is reporting . . . While interest in UMKC was termed perhaps preliminary at best and in the early stages at the moment, the conference is actively seeking what most likely will be a Midwest replacement for Creighton, which announced earlier this month it is leaving for the Big East. Other schools mentioned for the Valley -- Belmont and Oral Roberts -- aren't believed to be serious candidates at the moment. http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/blog/eye-on-college-basketball/21983753/missouri-kansas-city-gets-looks-from-missouri-valley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUJason Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 UMKC? I don't believe that report at all. Unfortunately I believe that Sittler is well connected and is probably right. Belmont would be our main competitor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUalum Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 UMKC...that is a head scratcher, other than market size. who knows what will happen. i saw on the SDSU message board a long discussion about how ORU is looking to return to the Summit. i'm not sure where that came from, but it goes to show that all kinds of rumors are flying around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUalum Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 it sounds like they are pursuing TV markets (KC and Chicago)... UMKC to get Missouri Valley Conference visit March 31 By BLAIR KERKHOFF The Kansas City Star (excerpt) UMKC, which announced last month it was leaving the Summit League for the Western Athletic Conference, is on a list of schools Missouri Valley Conference officials plan to visit this week for membership consideration, The Star has learned. The others: Valparaiso, Loyola (Chicago) and University of Illinois-Chicago, all members of the Horizon League. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 The same UMKC that was close to completely closing down its entire athletic department five years ago? Very curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 UMKC doesn't play baseball plus they are an RPI drain. Sounds like a winner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 UMKC?...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Poor judgement by the MVC not to add either Murray St., Belmont, or ORU. Dropping down a class to chase TV shows really short term thinking. Media is already fragmenting so quickly by the time fiber rollouts hit in another 5-10 years who knows where we will be sitting. But as long as they are looking at UMKC, Valpo, or the Chicagos they can forget that 2nd bid. Small time thinking. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOLO_Gold Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 Poor judgement by the MVC not to add either Murray St., Belmont, or ORU. Dropping down a class to chase TV shows really short term thinking. Media is already fragmenting so quickly by the time fiber rollouts hit in another 5-10 years who knows where we will be sitting. But as long as they are looking at UMKC, Valpo, or the Chicagos they can forget that 2nd bid. Small time thinking. I agree 100% . . . unless they're anticipating a conference merger in the next few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUJason Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 What specifically do you mean by a conference merger? I can't believe that the majority of the university presidents/ADs think that UMKC will add anything competitively to the conference. If this happens, the UMKC president and AD should each get a significant bonus/raise. Honestly, this is incredibly embarrassing for the conference. Maybe Mike Carter should send a DVD to the MVC of the absolute dunk fest ORU put on UMKC on the road about 4 years ago when we ran them out of their own gym. This would be a major step back in perception for the MVC. If they are going to add UMKC then they should add Chicago State as well and really increase their viewership with the hundreds of thousands of fans that live and die with Kangaroo and Cougar's athletics. The message boards will start lighting up across the MVC schools and I would imagine presidents and ADs will start catching some heat over this. It will be interesting to see what happens. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOLO_Gold Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 Just taking a wild guess, I suppose. Let's say they have had preliminary talks with the Mountain West about creating a super conference; in the event that they merge, the addition of a major market would be appealing to TV execs---whoever the individual school is (UMKC or UIC) will not matter as much. Regardless it's a bad idea to add either one of those schools. Belmont has a good program but seems to matter very little in Nashville. MTSU, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee gather most of the attention and very little is left to Belmont and Lipscomb. Not to mention they still have to compete with Kentucky, Murray State, Western Kentucky and to lesser degrees--Eastern Kentucky and Morehead St. ORU has better attendance numbers, spends more money each year and competes regularly with the other state universities. It's a no brainer in my mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUJason Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Interesting thought although the Mountain West has football and MVC doesn't so they would seem like unlikely candidates to merge in that scenario. I wonder what final four participant Wichita State would think about adding UMKC. My guess is not much besides thanks for the 2 automatic wins that were just added to the schedule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUJason Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Certainly they will not choose UMKC, but even the thought of it feels like Tiger Woods realizing it is over with Elin Nordegren and stumbling into the local Village Inn on a bender to see what is available. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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