"HURST OUT OF PSAC?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

You might have a better shot of Lock Haven moving to the PSAC West (as they did prior to the addition of Seton Hill and UPJ) if the PSAC were able to pluck Frostburg State away (which would probably send more than a few folks in Bridgeport into massive panic attacks).

Old Reid is down there hiding under a desk lol

[IUPbigINDIANS]

You might have a better shot of Lock Haven moving to the PSAC West (as they did prior to the addition of Seton Hill and UPJ) if the PSAC were able to pluck Frostburg State away (which would probably send more than a few folks in Bridgeport into massive panic attacks).

It's not really up to the school to decide. Somebody is joining the West if FSU (or whomever) gets poached. Big Steve can decide.

I think Fairmont or West Liberty are better options.

[ctrabs74]

https://www.mercyhurst.edu/d1

https://northeastconference.org/news...cement_24.aspx

It's official now, confirmed by the school and the NEC

This might rank right up there as one of the dumbest moves in the history of college sports. Unless the basketball teams are planning to play their home games at Erie Insurance Arena, I can't fathom how their current gym is even up to the (relatively) low standards of NEC facilities. Other than a few recent seasons in men's basketball, can anyone tell me what Mercyhurst adds to the MEC, other than a warm body?

[Fightingscot82]

Hurst is going to love that Thursday @ Chicago State game followed by the Saturday @ Merrimack game. Neither trip is fun. Neither trip is cheap. They are going to miss those quick bus trips to Slippery Rock and Clarion.

Mercyhurst's FAQ page is funny. All the cliche benefits of moving to D1. I love that they identify Duquesne, a school with 3x the students, 20x the endowment, and med & law schools as a peer or aspirant school LMAO.

My favorite part about this is that all those middling PSAC athletes will now start identifying as a "D1 college athlete"

[IUPbigINDIANS]

This might rank right up there as one of the dumbest moves in the history of college sports. Unless the basketball teams are planning to play their home games at Erie Insurance Arena, I can't fathom how their current gym is even up to the (relatively) low standards of NEC facilities. Other than a few recent seasons in men's basketball, can anyone tell me what Mercyhurst adds to the MEC, other than a warm body?

No chance they rent the big arena. This won't do anything for them at the basketball gate. It may actually hurt attendance (no local games with Boro or Gannon).

The MAC is a shoebox but it isn't terrible. Most gyms in the NEC are old and similar.

The KCAC or Angelo Dome would be top-flight venues in that league.

[Fightingscot82]

No chance they rent the big arena. This won't do anything for them at the basketball gate. It may actually hurt attendance (no local games with Boro or Gannon).

The MAC is a shoebox but it isn't terrible. Most gyms in the NEC are old and similar.

The KCAC or Angelo Dome would be top-flight venues in that league.

The NEC of 10 years ago would have had some great venues right now. RMU, Monmouth, and Quinnipiac all have great newer arenas.

[ctrabs74]

No chance they rent the big arena. This won't do anything for them at the basketball gate. It may actually hurt attendance (no local games with Boro or Gannon).

The MAC is a shoebox but it isn't terrible. Most gyms in the NEC are old and similar.

The KCAC or Angelo Dome would be top-flight venues in that league.

It's been about 10 years since I was last at the MAC and they apparently did a renovation within the past few years. That said, it's a move that makes little to no sense to me at all.

[Fightingscot82]

Friend at another PSAC school was told the PSAC didn't even find out from Mercyhurst. Oof.

[CALUPA69]

Is the phone ringing in Frostburg MD ?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

It's been about 10 years since I was last at the MAC and they apparently did a renovation within the past few years. That said, it's a move that makes little to no sense to me at all.

It was renovated within the past year or two. It's much nicer than it was.

As of this year, it was probably the 4th nicest in the West (behind IUP, Cal and Clarion).

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Friend at another PSAC school was told the PSAC didn't even find out from Mercyhurst. Oof.

Steve Murray is on top of everything
Lol

[TheBigCat2192]

This might rank right up there as one of the dumbest moves in the history of college sports. Unless the basketball teams are planning to play their home games at Erie Insurance Arena, I can't fathom how their current gym is even up to the (relatively) low standards of NEC facilities. Other than a few recent seasons in men's basketball, can anyone tell me what Mercyhurst adds to the MEC, other than a warm body?

The NEC also picked up Chicago State earlier this year mostly to avoid losing their autobid for the FCS playoffs. That conference is circling the drain and they’re grabbing whoever they can to try and hold onto what they’ve got. I doubt it will work given the bleh quality of programs they’ve picked up.

[EastStroud13]

Getting a spot in D1 is all the rage. Mercyhurst was always a program that seemed like it should have been better than it was. The NEC is a good fit in that it's bottom-of-the-barrel, but I struggle to see the upside.

Frostburg would be a good add, yeah they're not good in men's basketball but they perform decently in most of the Olympic sports, and they are good in football which only further solidifies the PSAC as the top dog in the new SR1. They have their foot in the door already and make a lot of sense.

Adding Frostburg could make Salisbury a dark horse candidate to add in the future. They're a former rival of Frostburg, they have a very solid football program, and they have good all-around programs (including field hockey and lacrosse) despite being in a conference that involves flights to Wisconsin and California. Also, they are a public school, making them a good fit with the PASSHE schools. The issue would be their location, as they are definitely out of the conference's current footprint, with their closest trip being 2.5 hours to West Chester.

[ctrabs74]

The NEC also picked up Chicago State earlier this year mostly to avoid losing their autobid for the FCS playoffs. That conference is circling the drain and they’re grabbing whoever they can to try and hold onto what they’ve got. I doubt it will work given the bleh quality of programs they’ve picked up.

I wonder if you meant the NCAA tournament, because Chicago State (a) doesn't sponsor football and (b) has about as much business being in D1 as Virginia-Lynchburg (which is to say none). At best, Chicago State strikes me as a program which would be better off in the GLIAC or GLVC instead of D1, but that's just my two cents.

There are a couple of videos explaining the state of affairs of the NEC and their realignment issues: NEC after Sacred Heart and Merrimack announced they were moving to the Metro Atlantic Athletic conference (MAAC) and NEC after adding Chicago State

I would suspect this YouTube channel will drop a new video to reflect Mercyhurst's move to the NEC within the next day or two. It's not the flashiest content, but the channel does a great job of explaining things out and citing NCAA policies when it comes to the nuts and bolts of realignment.

[Fightingscot82]

Steve Murray is on top of everything
Lol

Friend clarified that Steve found out from a reporter calling for comment