(04-03-2018 11:54 AM)Wedge Wrote:  

(04-03-2018 08:46 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(04-03-2018 01:38 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(04-03-2018 12:33 AM)stever20 Wrote:  It's going to be absolutely fascinating to see 10-15 years from now who made the right decision between Wichita and Gonzaga.

AAC likely gets raided by then while MWC is left untouched. Hard to compare.

We were told 5 years ago that the AAC would be raided by now.

Also, no guarantee the MWC is left untouched. No guarantee at all.

IMO, poaching isn't the issue. It's whether the difference between conferences in basketball is large enough to make the hassle of switching worth it.

Butler moved from the Horizon to the Big East. Wichita State moved from the MVC to the AAC.

Gonzaga appears to have concluded that the gap between WCC and MWC is not nearly as large as the gap between Horizon and Big East, or between MVC and AAC.

Also, the MWC having poorer TV coverage was a factor -- reading between the lines, Gonzaga wanted the MWC to give them a deal where their games are on ESPN channels even if the rest of the MWC is stuck on CBSSN, similar to Boise's deal for football, and the MWC wouldn't give Gonzaga the "Boise deal".

If so, they're thinking of the present and not the future. The MWC could put 6 at-large caliber teams in the Dance and then 2-3 teams in the NIT. The WCC will never put more than 5 teams in the top two tournaments.