A Reader from Irvine's Column Wrote:"... I heard a very interesting rumor from a somewhat reliable source about a new mid-major basketball power conference forming in 2011. The teams that this conference wants are Memphis, Houston, UAB, Creighton, Xavier, Southern Illinois, UMass, VCU, George Mason, And Temple. If this is true, then this looks like it has the makings of being a very promising conference. Can someone check into this for me and and let me know? Thank You!!! "

Is this rumor correct? Has anyone here more familiar with UAB Athletics heard anything about this, or am I falling prey to an internet rumor?
If true, what would this mean for UAB Football and Baseball?

That's a freaking stacked basketball league! Hopefully our other sports could remain in C-USA.

I know this just a rumor, but it's fun to think about.

But that would be a terrible football conference. Can you form a basketball only conference but remain affiliated with CUSA for other sports? Sounds like a violation of NCAA rules and why would CUSA let us remain in football but take away basketball?

Quote: I heard a very interesting rumor from a somewhat reliable source

I heard from a highly unreliable source that the rumor was true.

braish Wrote:But that would be a terrible football conference. Can you form a basketball only conference but remain affiliated with CUSA for other sports? Sounds like a violation of NCAA rules and why would CUSA let us remain in football but take away basketball?

No NCAA violation. Army was a partial member and ECU was for a few years, but I seriously doubt CUSA would allow anyone to leave and have any sport still associated.

There is absolutely no way CUSA would cooperate to allow Memphis basketball leave the fold. It would kill CUSA basketball.

What about Chris? Has anyone seen him in class lately? Maybe he would know...

Anyone can make up any rumor they want. Check the boards of all the other schools listed... if the majority of these sites have messages about this, then maybe someone is good at spreading rumors.

"The teams that this conference wants are..."

How can a conference that does not exist want someone?

No truth to this at all. CUSA is intent on remaining an all-sports conference and will drop any member who takes any one sport elsewhere. As for UAB, we are committed to an all-sports affiliation as well, and to a strong football AND basketball conference (not to mention baseball, golf, soccer, etc.). Don't let yourselves get "Bob Stoned"

ICB Wrote:"The teams that this conference wants are..."

How can a conference that does not exist want someone?

You'd be surprised. Made up conferences are very needy.

Memphis Blazer Wrote:You'd be surprised. Made up conferences are very needy.

That made me laugh.

Isn't it the case that the only way you can be in one conference in one sport and another conference in a different sport is if they are different devisions? Like D1 in basketball, and 1AA in football?

Suede27 Wrote:Isn't it the case that the only way you can be in one conference in one sport and another conference in a different sport is if they are different devisions? Like D1 in basketball, and 1AA in football?

No.
South Carolina, Kentucky play football in the SEC, a division I conference.
However, they play soccer in CUSA, also a division I conference.

It is not going to happen, but it is not because it can't.

Memphis Blazer Wrote:

Suede27 Wrote:Isn't it the case that the only way you can be in one conference in one sport and another conference in a different sport is if they are different devisions? Like D1 in basketball, and 1AA in football?

No.
South Carolina, Kentucky play football in the SEC, a division I conference.
However, they play soccer in CUSA, also a division I conference.

It is not going to happen, but it is not because it can't.

Not necessarily as Georgetown, Villanova are D1 in BB but 1AA on football & in a diff conference in each & there're many others like the Ivy League schools the same way. But in our case I don't think this'll happen as we'd either merge w/ SunBelt teams w/ some going to BE & western teams moving to western conferences.

Memphis Blazer Wrote:

braish Wrote:But that would be a terrible football conference. Can you form a basketball only conference but remain affiliated with CUSA for other sports? Sounds like a violation of NCAA rules and why would CUSA let us remain in football but take away basketball?

No NCAA violation. Army was a partial member and ECU was for a few years, but I seriously doubt CUSA would allow anyone to leave and have any sport still associated.

There is absolutely no way CUSA would cooperate to allow Memphis basketball leave the fold. It would kill CUSA basketball.

Kentucky and South Carolina are C-USA members in soccer.

Not only unfounded but retarded for all the reasons outlined.

A "stacked" basketball conference without the side effect of ruining all your other sports could be done by adding 4 no-football schools to C*USA and using the Big East style of play (which outside of football is a 16 team conference).

That's a load of old crap.

Memphis Blazer Wrote:There is absolutely no way CUSA would cooperate to allow Memphis basketball leave the fold. It would kill CUSA basketball.

Memphis, UAB, AND Houston...

CUSA roundball would dry up and blow away.

UAB Band Dad Wrote:That's a load of old crap.

+1

South Carolina and Kentucky play soccer in CUSA because the SEC does not sponsor men's soccer. If they did, they would play there. But there is no NCAA rule that says you have to have all your Division 1 sports in the same conference...just that no sane conference would allow a team to take a sport somewhere else if the conference sponsored a championship in that sport (Big East & Notre Dame excepted).

The rule is that if you have one Division 1 sport, then all of your sports must be Division 1 (1-AA in football counts). So Villanova can have D1 basketball and D1-AA football, but they could not have DII or DIII football and still keep D1 basketball.

Crazy talk is what that is.

Someone needs to lay the crack pipe down..............

It's total nonsense made up by a basketball fan who just threw together the best non-BCS programs from the eastern "high-majors". Clearly someone didn't get the memo that football dictates conference alignments, not basketball. From the A10 perspective, I can tell you that Xavier is just counting the days until the Big East splits and they can join the basketball side, and Temple can't switch conferences in other sports without blowing their relationship with the MAC in football. UMass... eh, we might do something like this, especially if there was a FBS football conference attached that we could move up into, but the selection of teams clearly isn't intended for that. Give us and Temple a call though if for some reason Memphis, UCF, ECU, Houston and UAB want to break away from CUSA and form a new all-sports conference.

blazr Wrote:The rule is that if you have one Division 1 sport, then all of your sports must be Division 1 (1-AA in football counts). So Villanova can have D1 basketball and D1-AA football, but they could not have DII or DIII football and still keep D1 basketball.

I don't know the exact rule, but that's not quite it. I believe how it works is that you can play one sport above your division, provided that one sport is not men's basketball or FBS football (the money sports). There are definitely Division II schools playing at the Division I level in other sports, such as hockey and lacrosse. I don't follow baseball but I bet there's some there too.

LastMinuteman Wrote:

blazr Wrote:The rule is that if you have one Division 1 sport, then all of your sports must be Division 1 (1-AA in football counts). So Villanova can have D1 basketball and D1-AA football, but they could not have DII or DIII football and still keep D1 basketball.

I don't know the exact rule, but that's not quite it. I believe how it works is that you can play one sport above your division, provided that one sport is not men's basketball or FBS football (the money sports). There are definitely Division II schools playing at the Division I level in other sports, such as hockey and lacrosse. I don't follow baseball but I bet there's some there too.

Dallas Baptist is a DII school that plays DI baseball. The C*USA board even floated them as a potential baseball member to help our scheduling situation. I believe you're also right about Hockey and Lacrosse.

If the BE split doesn't occur in 2010-2011, do you think schools such as Xavier, Dayton, Butler, St. Louis, Creighton, Witchita, etc... would consider joining C*USA in all-sports except football? I am not for expanding football or splitting the football revenues any further, but the complaints about non-revenue sports having to travel are frequent, and there are some schools that would really help basketball.

Well, I don't think the BE split will occur until 2013 at the earliest, because that's when their current television contract expires. If they don't split up then, I think Xavier, Dayton and St. Louis would still hold tight in the A10. All other things being equal, the reason they wouldn't switch is that they're all Catholic schools, and the Catholic schools hold the power in the A10. Xavier practically runs this conference, which isn't a good thing since they don't need to worry about the A10's sustainability after the BE breaks up, they'll be the first ones launching the escape pods. In a Greater CUSA, they'd be outvoted by the public universities. Plus you've already punted non-football members once, that's going to weigh on the minds of any potential member who doesn't play football. Charlotte's going be like, "we went to all the trouble to start a football team and now you're just taking anybody??"

That league will not happen. But, it would be nice regarding basketball.