If Big Ten Offers UND Should They Join?

[dakotadan]

A very popular devil know around the world while we've been hanging out in D2, spending our time with schools called St Cloud State and just switched our nickname to the same thing as thousands of junior highs around the country! 

[ClassB]

This is absurd. Look at attendance numbers in the NCHC, and out-of-conference records. I understand that SCSU is as strong as its ever been, and we are in the middle of a 14-year unprecedented level of success (think consistency), but the NCHC is loaded top-to-bottom. Look at teams like Miami, CC, Denver, Duluth who, if not for NCHC conference play, are probably sitting well above .500. These are good teams.

I value the Minnesota and Wisconsin rivalries, but lets remember who turned their back on who. There will be salty Sioux fans for a long time over Minnesota and the NCAA's treatment of UND during pre-transition and transition years. NCHC is 10x the conference that the B1G hockey conference is.

If anything, I would have the NCHC admit some bottom dwellers, which has been stated by others previously, in order to protect the integrity of the teams already here. I don't think we should switch conferences just to play Minnesota and Wisconsin, I'd rather we wipe the floor with them in the post season.

[Siouxman]

As someone who travels to most away hockey series, moving to the B1G would be a killer for UND fans that like to travel with the team (metaphorically speaking, not on the same transportation).  Do we want to see UND playing in the conference tournament in Detroit every other year?  If UND did join, our travel to away games would pretty much drop to almost nothing for conference games.  We hit every place in the WCHA except Anchorage (it was in the plans when the NCHC came) and we have hit every NCHC location.  We would not be hitting B1G arenas.  So far this year the only road series we have not seen have been Bemidji (we were still in Maine for the Icebreaker), Vermont (We were just getting home from the Icebreaker and couldn't see two trips out east), and CC (we just got home from the Icebreaker).  We will be in Denver and hope to hit Omaha if we can find decent price tickets.  We would have zero interest in that much travel to Penn St., Ohio St., Michigan, and Michigan St.  Minnesota and Wisconsin would still be destinations.  I believe the B1G would not be popular with the traveling crowd.

[ClassB]

11 minutes ago, dakotadan said:

A very popular devil know around the world while we've been hanging out in D2, spending our time with schools called St Cloud State and just switched our nickname to the same thing as thousands of junior highs around the country! 

The nickname is on us -- administration poorly managed the situation and we let the Hawks name be chosen. SCSU deserves nothing but our respect. I would rather be the face of the hockey world than the face of the biggest farce in all of sports (B1G hockey).

[Cratter]

10 hours ago, nodak651 said:

I'm pro NCHC, but I'm afraid that if we got an offer, which we won't, UMD, ONO, or Denver would be bolting, and the NCHC would not be what it is today.  If the Big Ten wanted to add an affiliate or two, and we declined, we would be left with a watered down NCHC.  That's the biggest reason to accept.

For example, would we want to be in a conference that consisted of CC, UNO, SCSU, Mankato, Bowling Green, WMU, and Miami, while we watch UMD and or Denver play in the Big Ten without us?  I don't think I would.

That's a good point. 

UND turns down the Big Ten and then Denver turns around and accepts. Ouch.

I would think the Big Ten would prefer a Division I schools.

[tnt]

29 minutes ago, dakotadan said:

A very popular devil know around the world while we've been hanging out in D2, spending our time with schools called St Cloud State and just switched our nickname to the same thing as thousands of junior highs around the country! 

So to go with your sentiment, why would the Big Ten want to hang around with someone as lowly as UND who can't even pick a decent nickname?

[Vegas_Sioux]

1 minute ago, tnt said:

So to go with your sentiment, why would the Big Ten want to hang around with someone as lowly as UND who can't even pick a decent nickname?

Or a school that might be getting sued over not selecting a woman as a new president. 

[dakotadan]

6 minutes ago, tnt said:

So to go with your sentiment, why would the Big Ten want to hang around with someone as lowly as UND who can't even pick a decent nickname?

The hypothetical question is do we accept an hypothetical offer. Ask Cratter why he thinks this might hypothetically happen.

 

Quote

If Big Ten Offers UND Should They Join?

[tnt]

5 minutes ago, Cratter said:

That's a good point. 

UND turns down the Big Ten and then Denver turns around and accepts. Ouch.

I would think the Big Ten would prefer a Division I schools.

O.k., then what about the scenario that someone else mentioned, where we accept, then a whole bunch of Big Ten programs start hockey and they decide they want like-minded institutions --- Now where do you go?  You just pissed off all the other programs.  Remember, some Big Ten schools  said they didn't have a choice but to capitulate to the hockey conference no matter how they wanted to stay where they were.  

[tnt]

4 minutes ago, dakotadan said:

The hypothetical question is do we accept an hypothetical offer. 

 

What isn't hypothetical is the state of these two leagues in hockey right now.  Yes, the Big Ten will get better, but if nobody is watching does it really matter?

[Cratter]

Just now, tnt said:

O.k., then what about the scenario that someone else mentioned, where we accept, then a whole bunch of Big Ten programs start hockey and they decide they want like-minded institutions --- Now where do you go?  You just pissed off all the other programs.  Remember, some Big Ten schools  said they didn't have a choice but to capitulate to the hockey conference no matter how they wanted to stay where they were.  

That's a good point too. 

I guess UND could try and put it into a contract or get a lot of money if kicked out. And While pissing off other programs, they would probably still schedule UND, or accept us back if need be. 

[dakotadan]

15 minutes ago, tnt said:

You just pissed off all the other programs.  

Defunct CCHA

New WCHA

[johnsowe]

If the Big ten came to UND the answer should be yes please.  This would be great for UND and all sports not just hockey image if Minnesota football came to the Alrus Center for a game or basketball team.  I have been to all road games too and all home except for a couple and since we stopped playing Big ten teams there has been something missing can not put my finger on it but something.  The best road series was WMU because they have fans. 

[tnt]

9 minutes ago, johnsowe said:

If the Big ten came to UND the answer should be yes please.  This would be great for UND and all sports not just hockey image if Minnesota football came to the Alrus Center for a game or basketball team.  I have been to all road games too and all home except for a couple and since we stopped playing Big ten teams there has been something missing can not put my finger on it but something.  The best road series was WMU because they have fans. 

Not that this would happen, but the other sports wouldn't happen anymore than they would if we stayed put.  You didn't happen to go to the Michigan State game did you?  Perfect example of why our current league is better -- great atmosphere at Western Michigan, dead arena at Michigan State.  

[ClassB]

43 minutes ago, johnsowe said:

If the Big ten came to UND the answer should be yes please.  This would be great for UND and all sports not just hockey image if Minnesota football came to the Alrus Center for a game or basketball team.  I have been to all road games too and all home except for a couple and since we stopped playing Big ten teams there has been something missing can not put my finger on it but something.  The best road series was WMU because they have fans. 

I think we table the 'all-sports invite' to the B1G. That's not a conversation in any circles.

[johnsowe]

3 hours ago, tnt said:

Not that this would happen, but the other sports wouldn't happen anymore than they would if we stayed put.  You didn't happen to go to the Michigan State game did you?  Perfect example of why our current league is better -- great atmosphere at Western Michigan, dead arena at Michigan State.  

I was a Michigan state but that was over Thanksgiving but they had 100000 to a football game sat so and I was not saying a full conference invite just a one game a year thing that UND would get first shot at the schedule. 

[UNDBIZ]

Denver, Omaha, Miami, and WMU seem to have proven that sharing a hockey conference doesn't lead to basketball and football games.

As for fan support, what is the average hockey attendance at NCHC and B1G schools this year?  People are ragging on the B1G because attendance is down, but I'd guess it's still higher at Wisco, Minn, and Mich than any NCHC school not named UND (maybe UNO too, with a brand new arena).  As for hockey being a red-headed step child at B1G schools, yes, it's not the #1 or even the #2 sport at most of the schools, and yet their hockey budgets are still larger than most schools in the NCHC.  What I'm trying to get across here is a small sport in the B1G is still bigger than a big sport in the MAC/NSIC/Big Sky/Summit/SCAC conglomerate.

[fightingsioux4life]

4 hours ago, UNDBIZ said:

Denver, Omaha, Miami, and WMU seem to have proven that sharing a hockey conference doesn't lead to basketball and football games.

As for fan support, what is the average hockey attendance at NCHC and B1G schools this year?  People are ragging on the B1G because attendance is down, but I'd guess it's still higher at Wisco, Minn, and Mich than any NCHC school not named UND (maybe UNO too, with a brand new arena).  As for hockey being a red-headed step child at B1G schools, yes, it's not the #1 or even the #2 sport at most of the schools, and yet their hockey budgets are still larger than most schools in the NCHC.  What I'm trying to get across here is a small sport in the B1G is still bigger than a big sport in the MAC/NSIC/Big Sky/Summit/SCAC conglomerate.

Have you seen attendance at the Kohl Center and Mariucci Arena this year (and the first two Big Ten years)? It is pathetic; how can the NCHC have poorer attendance than that? Only if you are counting tickets sold vs. actual butts in the seats.

And I don't care how big the hockey budgets are at Big Ten schools; it's getting results on the ice that matters. The fact that UND outperforms schools with bigger budgets on a regular basis proves that money does not equal championships. The Big Ten is currently not getting much bang for their buck.

UND in the Big Ten would weaken our program considerably and damage the special connection our fans have to the program.

[SiouxVolley]

It's all settled according to GrandForksGopher:

Ariz St and UCONN will ever getting Big Ten hockey only bids.

 

Sioux fans can callook off the posse for something they got all riled up about that's never gonna happen.

[fightingsioux4life]

1 minute ago, SiouxVolley said:

It's all settled according to GrandForksGopher:

Ariz St and UCONN will ever getting Big Ten hockey only bids.

 

Sioux fans can callook off the posse for something they got all riled up about that's never gonna happen.

Hmmm, let's see: A program that has done absolutely nothing in Division I hockey (UConn) and a program that is just beginning its transition from ACHA to NCAA Division I (Arizona State). Yep, that'll really boost the PWR of the league.

[GFG]

3 hours ago, fightingsioux4life said:

Have you seen attendance at the Kohl Center and Mariucci Arena this year (and the first two Big Ten years)? It is pathetic; how can the NCHC have poorer attendance than that? Only if you are counting tickets sold vs. actual butts in the seats.

And I don't care how big the hockey budgets are at Big Ten schools; it's getting results on the ice that matters. The fact that UND outperforms schools with bigger budgets on a regular basis proves that money does not equal championships. The Big Ten is currently not getting much bang for their buck.

UND in the Big Ten would weaken our program considerably and damage the special connection our fans have to the program.

Butts in seat I'll bet my life savings that Minnesota would still be 2nd in attendance in the NCHC this year. UMD is more empty than Mariucci every week with a smaller arena (even the UND series had tons of open seats), CC and Denver only have a couple hundred fans each. Omaha has the novelty of a brand new arena, but it'll die down. St Cloud is rarely over half full, with UND and Minnesota games being the only exceptions. And a lot of those fans arent cheering for St Cloud. I can't speak for Western Michigan and Miami because I haven't seen much games out there. 

Regarding Wisconsin ...can you blame them? Their team is beyond bad and have an extremely boring style of play. Why WOULD anyone want to go to games? Outside of Minnesota games the old Ralph was pretty damn empty when UND was struggling too. 

You can't group UND in the group spending much less money than B1G teams because und spends just as much, and actually probably more, than they do on hockey. It's the other NCHC schools that are nowhere near UND's or  the B1G teams budgets. 

[GFG]

3 hours ago, SiouxVolley said:

It's all settled according to GrandForksGopher:

Ariz St and UCONN will ever getting Big Ten hockey only bids.

 

Sioux fans can callook off the posse for something they got all riled up about that's never gonna happen.

If they get ASU they want to try and get UCONN. They haven't had any talks at all with UCONN about it yet, so the heavy interest is only internally at the B1G. If they can't get UCONN to join for whatever reason I wouldn't be surprised to see them reach out to UND. They said if ASU joins the B1G will, with 100% certainty, get their 8th team from an existing program. If UCONN for some reason says no I'd have to imagine UND would be highly considered for next in line because there's no other big name FBS schools to try and poach

[CMSioux]

Wasn't that long ago that many maroon fans were saying that without them our fan base would shrink (oh and that they didn't consider us to be a big rival). Now you can get go-fer hockey tickets on Groupon and Star Tribune stories are all about empty seats and the demise of the hockey program. I know this is just a hypothetical question thread - thank goodness. 

[bypolairxam]

Lucia would cry like the big baby he is....Why's he still coaching Minnesota??...He hasn't done anything in 13 years

[tnt]

3 hours ago, CMSioux said:

Wasn't that long ago that many maroon fans were saying that without them our fan base would shrink (oh and that they didn't consider us to be a big rival). Now you can get go-fer hockey tickets on Groupon and Star Tribune stories are all about empty seats and the demise of the hockey program. I know this is just a hypothetical question thread - thank goodness. 

Bet that the games against UND will be full next year. To go from UND needing Minnesota to the UND games being the only games Minnesota will have with a full arena is quite ironic.