A10 and Mountain West Announce MBB Challenge Series for 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 Seasons

[GMUYoda]

https://twitter.com/A10MBB/status/1075813079194193920

http://www.atlantic10.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31600&ATCLID=211784432

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Atlantic 10 Conference and the Mountain West Conference announced Wednesday that the two leagues will begin the Mountain West/Atlantic 10 Challenge Series, a scheduling partnership that will match up A-10 and MW teams starting in the 2020-21 season. The two-year agreement covers the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, with an option to extend the partnership for an additional two years, into the 2023-24 season.

The two conferences will play ten games in each of the two seasons, with each league hosting five games per year. Matchups for each year will be determined by the league offices based on a number of factors, including the previous year’s records, NET rankings and team achievements, as well as projected rankings and anticipated strength of teams for the upcoming season. The games will take place in late November and early December of each year, with television and digital rights residing with the host conference.

“This is a partnership that will afford both conferences strong non-conference competition bringing quality, nationally recognized opponents from the Mountain West to our campuses.” stated A-10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. “Challenges have become essential to conferences as scheduling quality home and home series has become increasingly difficult. This partnership will add an exciting home game to each of our schools season ticket packages while also providing resume-building opportunities and national exposure of high-interest games.”

“Scheduling quality non-conference opponents is becoming increasingly difficult, which makes a challenge series such as this of great benefit to the Mountain West,” said Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson. “The Atlantic 10 Conference is highly-respected and regularly sends multiple teams to postseason tournaments. These matchups won’t be easy, and that’s exactly what we need during the non-conference portion of our schedule as we continue strengthening Mountain West basketball.”

The two leagues have similar success profiles over the last three years, with the Atlantic 10 having an average league ranking of 8.6 in the RPI compared to an average 10.0 ranking for the Mountain West. The Atlantic 10 has sent 17 teams to the postseason, including nine to the NCAA Tournaments in those three years. The MW has sent 11 teams to postseason, four of which went to the Big Dance.

Thoughts? I like this

 

[Washingtonian]

Bring on San Diego State and give Hartwell his homecoming.

 

[sleeperpick]

Bring on San Diego State and give Hartwell his homecoming.

I am not sure but I don't think thats the closest MW school to LA

 

[GMUgemini]

I am not sure but I don't think thats the closest MW school to LA

San Diego is closer than Fresno or San Jose. Vegas is pretty close, but I’m pretty sure San Diego is physically closer. I wouldn’t call it a homecoming, though.

 

[sleeperpick]

San Diego is closer than Fresno or San Jose. Vegas is pretty close, but I’m pretty sure San Diego is physically closer. I wouldn’t call it a homecoming, though.

I stand corrected... just did the math and I also thought Long Beach St was in MW... not true

 

[GMUSig03]

I like it, also glad it gives us a chance to have a better season next year to increase the quality of our potential matchup in 2020/2021 (10 games per year, so 1 MW and 4 A10 teams will be left out).

I hope they come up with a creative name regarding the conference members being located on the opposite sides of the Country, like TuPac v Biggie or something like that.

 

[GMUgemini]

I stand corrected... just did the math and I also thought Long Beach St was in MW... not true

The LBC I’d consider a homecoming. You can get there on the light rail from downtown LA.

 

[Washingtonian]

San Diego is closer than Fresno or San Jose. Vegas is pretty close, but I’m pretty sure San Diego is physically closer. I wouldn’t call it a homecoming, though.

The way I see it, if family/friends can make a 2 hour drive to watch someone play, that is considered homecoming. San Diego is about 2 hours from LA (on a good day).

 

[GMUgemini]

The way I see it, if family/friends can make a 2 hour drive to watch someone play, that is considered homecoming. San Diego is about 2 hours from LA (on a good day).

Well, obviously I’d prefer playing at UCLA over any of the other SoCal options...but who knows if we can swing that one.

 

[GMUgemini]

By the way, looks like our bottom 4 teams will be left out of this. If we want to compete (and get a good game) we better shape up and fast.

 

[Five Two]

If this series was this season and done the way I've proposed (like the old BracketBuster model), now would be the time the conferences would be setting up the games a few weeks from now. Anyone not want to see a Dayton-SD St match up? How about URI-Utah St, Colorado St-vcu and Boise St-Saint Louis. Now those have NCAA bid implications. Instead, these games will be played in Nov/Dec and get lost in the shuffle. Maybe some day

 

[GMUgemini]

If this series was this season and done the way I've proposed (like the old BracketBuster model), now would be the time the conferences would be setting up the games a few weeks from now. Anyone not want to see a Dayton-SD St match up? How about URI-Utah St, Colorado St-vcu and Boise St-Saint Louis. Now those have NCAA bid implications. Instead, these games will be played in Nov/Dec and get lost in the shuffle. Maybe some day

Yep...and guess who doesn't get a game?

 

[gmubrian]

Who wouldn’t want to see Mason vs Wyoming? Oh, wait...

 

[Five Two]

Giving this more thought, because I'm exhausted by reading multiple fire, keep, extend threads.
If I were the A10 and MWC, I would NOT match up Dayton and SD St in my bracketbuster scheduling model. Follow my logic. Both teams are locks to get into the tourney. While them playing this weekend or next would be an awesome game to watch, isnt there more to gain if Utah St played Dayton and won? USU is on the bubble and has already completed their season series with SD St. Playing Dayton would give them another top 10 opportunity. Same for Rhode Island. Match them up with SDSU and for another top 10 opportunity. This would be very unconventional but an interesting strategy by the conferences to try and get more teams into the dance.

 

[patriot2000]

Giving this more thought, because I'm exhausted by reading multiple fire, keep, extend threads.
If I were the A10 and MWC, I would NOT match up Dayton and SD St in my bracketbuster scheduling model. Follow my logic. Both teams are locks to get into the tourney. While them playing this weekend or next would be an awesome game to watch, isnt there more to gain if Utah St played Dayton and won? USU is on the bubble and has already completed their season series with SD St. Playing Dayton would give them another top 10 opportunity. Same for Rhode Island. Match them up with SDSU and for another top 10 opportunity. This would be very unconventional but an interesting strategy by the conferences to try and get more teams into the dance.

What an interesting take. In a non-power 5 League, the point of these matchups is similar to bracket Busters. Teams get a chance to increase their profile in advance of selection Sunday. But these two top teams who absolutely do not need to increase their profile are actually just being set up for one of them to kind of hurt the other one.

 

[GMUgemini]

What an interesting take. In a non-power 5 League, the point of these matchups is similar to bracket Busters. Teams get a chance to increase their profile in advance of selection Sunday. But these two top teams who absolutely do not need to increase their profile are actually just being set up for one of them to kind of hurt the other one.

Well, a, they don’t start playing until next season, and SDSt and Dayton don’t play each other

SDSt are playing St. Louis and Dayton will play Nevada.

But I do like the idea of doing it BracketBuster style instead of deciding the season before.

 

[Five Two]

Well, a, they don’t start playing until next season, and SDSt and Dayton don’t play each other

Correct, but I was using this year as an example of what the brackbuster model might give us.

And in my make believe scenario for this year, it only works because SDSU and Dayton are clearly locks. That may not be the case every year.

To the A10 execs reading this board, I'm waiving my consulting fee. This one is on the house....

 

[GMUgemini]

Correct, but I was using this year as an example of what the brackbuster model might give us.

And in my make believe scenario for this year, it only works because SDSU and Dayton are clearly locks. That may not be the case every year.

To the A10 execs reading this board, I'm waiving my consulting fee. This one is on the house....

Hell, the A10 and MWC could even produce and stream a selection show similar to ESPN and talk about the teams and show highlights and drive interest in the games.

 

[GMU1983]

Hell, the A10 and MWC could even produce and stream a selection show similar to ESPN and talk about the teams and show highlights and drive interest in the games.

who is Mason playing?

 

[GMUgemini]

who is Mason playing?

Fresno St.