FargoBison

As long as they add the right schools it should just create more revenue. UNC would be a huge addition, every cable network in NC would need to add the Big 10 to their channel lineup. Plus UNC hoops is a big deal, which means more money from ESPN and CBS when those contracts are renewed. UVA doesn't have as big of an impact when it comes to revenue but academically it would be a huge addition.

I think Siena could be an option down the road, I just think the C7 would want to see them prove themselves in a better conference like the A10 first. They have been pretty bad over the past few years. I could see the same going for Detroit, except I don't think Detroit has really done much since the 90s which is why I really doubt them being added. I think that is part of the reason why the schools only wanted to go to 10 schools. They don't want to add a so-so program but Fox is pushing them to go bigger so they have more inventory. The crazy thing about realignment, that writer says that and ESPN says this on basically the same day...Who do you believe? http://espn.go.com/c...fer-sources-say

That article kind of loses its credibility when the writer starts talking about adding Siena and Detroit to the Catholic Seven League, never going to happen. ESPN had a completely different take on what they were going to do. Seems to be that Butler and Xavier are the only sure things right now, both of those schools have been caught touring other Catholic Seven facilities. Plus they are still battling with Fox over have 10, 12 or even 14 teams.

Watch the interview(Dom posted it), GT never really called out the Big Sky.

Because we were fresh out of DII, had five conference games and absolutely zero leverage in getting good teams to play us in Fargo. I think there was some sort of agreement between the ADs that if you honor that deal...NDSU will do another home and home with MSU. The buyout for our future game with Montana is something like $250k. I don't care about the buy out, if they never wanted to play the game they should have said so earlier. That is why this was a dirty move, you don't string a school along like this. It is bush league and I would even say it if some school pulled this stunt on UND.

They'll make $150k by doing this and that isn't putting what NDSU was willing to pay them into the equation. GT is mad because he is now put in a tough spot, if MSU had done this the right way he wouldn't have to worry about vastly overpaying to get some scrub team to come up here. He will never deal with MSU again, he can rip away for all I care. There are other FCS and Big Sky school that are much easier to deal with.

I didn't agree with that outburst, it was embarrassing. This though I fully agree with. His peers gave him some kind of award this summer, he most be more well respected than you think.

Stringing us along and buying this game out now is dirty. I fully endorse every word that GT said. There isn't an AD in the country that would think less of him for it. Each and everyone of them would be pissed. There is a way you go about buying out games and this isn't it. Bush league move.

I don't have the issue with the buyout or them wanting a money game but you do this in October, you don't wait until most of the teams are finishing their schedules to drop this kind of bombshell. It's bush league. There really aren't a lot of options, it is a battle to get teams to come up here when we have time to get things worked out and now every team still looking for a game knows we are desperate.

Yeah we'll likely play a MEAC/SWAC/NEC team, pay them $250k and the game will be over by halftime. UNI and Illinois State are our only good home games. This game had potential and there was also potential for future games with MSU down the road, can't believe their AD would handle things this way.

You don't do this in February, that is what Gene is talking about. Other teams have bought us out and he has never said that before. I'm guessing the MSU AD promised him this game would happen and Gene took him at his word, now he gets this bomb dropped on him when there aren't many scheduling options left on the table.

Well I don't think there is a board where he isn't getting raked over the coals...Unless he is banned from it.

Replace Sac State/Portland with UCD and Cal Poly(football affiliates) and it looks good. NMSU is another option that would be intriguing.

Even Bresciani has had issues with Douple.

Well he did claim ND residency at one point. All I can say about this realignment is I get more confused the more I think about it. Apparently UMKC has wanted to leave since last year but for some reason they stuck around until now but now suddenly want out. The relationships of the dakota three could definitely be strained depending on how this plays out.

Lakesbison will be the governor of ND before the MVC adds a school that has never had an RPI under 300 and zero history of success.

I'm fully aware of that.

And UMKC is gone....let the speculation of what is going to happen next commence.... https://twitter.com/...644125500813312

It sounds like this spring. If NDSU was in any other state but ND ground probably would have been broken by now.

I don't know what would happen down in SD, there could be political issues at play that I'm glad NDSU doesn't have to deal with. That said I think there is a lot movement still to come once the Catholic Conference gets things figured out. The BSA isn't really an issue anymore since it will be fixed.

The NCC was a lot like the Big 10 of DII, teams would beat on each other all season long and then they would run out of gas in postseason. The conference was obviously taking in some low-major DI talent and had some great teams.

NDSU only plays local teams.

My point was NDSU attracted a bunch of elite DII recruits(if you want to call them that) because we were going DI and that is where they wanted to be, put them all on the same team and let them play together for five years. Then with some luck the bulk of those recruits lived up to the hype, most schools don't hit three home runs in one recruiting class but NDSU did. I'd also argue that if there were more mid-major schools in the area those players are DI recruits(especially Woodside and Nelson), there were no low major conferences around here at the time..just the Big 10, Big 12, Horizon and MVC. But now of course NDSU, SDSU, USD and UND have filled that gap.

There is no chance NDSU's entire team from the Wooside era would have been together if NDSU was in DII, I'm not even sure if anyone outside of Moorman is even on the team if NDSU was DII and there is no way they'd be on the same team somewhere else in DII. Then you have other key contributors like Andre Smith and Mike Tveidt who definitely wouldn't have been on the team or playing in division 2 for that matter. Plus I'd almost guess that Nelson would eventually have gotten a DI offer from some mid-major school. He had a pretty good senior season, he was only Mr. Basketball. As for SDSU...Wolters had 5 or 6 scholarship offers, including one from an MWC school and Dykstra was a pretty solid recruit from Iowa(he was an Iowa State commit at one point). Those are their two best players. As for those results you mentioned, they are exhibition games.Who cares, they mean next to nothing. Put an elite DII team in the Summit and they'd probably finish around .500 or a bit worse. From the difference in athletes, coaching to travel there would be a lot to adjust to for a DII team. Sure they can hang for one game and maybe even win against a decent team but one game doesn't mean much in basketball.

Well the last player who was charged with a DUI in the summer was kicked off the team.