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Date Posted:06:32:39 06/27/06 Tue Author: 89rabbit Subject: Re: Mid-Con expansion-revisited In reply to:
89rabbit
's message, "Re: Mid-Con expansion-revisited" on 11:49:35 06/25/06 Sun
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." . . .
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. . . . (read more)
