The MAC is a Terrible Basketball Conference...now why should we stay?

[Big Zip]

Toledo Blade LinkI've got no clue how to use the link function and couldn't find it in the help...sorry.For years it has been basketball that has made people enjoy the MAC so much.....that reason is gone. I think the writer makes an interesting point about the MAC and its love affair with football when basketball would get it more recognition. Gonzaga is more of a household name than Akron and I don't even know if they play football. The same for Dayton and I think they play Div. III football. I love football, but if I had a choice to be a team like Dayton or Gonzaga in basketball and not have football. I'd vote for being a team like Dayton or Gonzaga every day of the week. I doubt we'd even lose football attendance.

[jeaglet1]

Gonzaga is more of a household name than Akron and I don't even know if they play football. The same for Dayton and I think they play Div. III football

Dayton plays FCS (old 1-AA) football. However they, along with everyone else in their conference, do not give scholarships. If I remember right, my brother (UD Alum) told me there's an NCAA rule that if you want a Division 1 basketball team, and field a football team, it must be atleast Division 1-AA. Never bothered to look it up though.As for the topic, I think the MAC basketball will be on the upswing. Akron, Miami, OU, and even Western have some good recruiting classes coming in. If not the MAC, then (realistically) where?

[ZachTheZip]

This is quite possibly the youngest/least experienced overall conference in the country in terms of both players and coaches. Give it some time before we decide to make the jump. Besides, football is what will drive any conference realignments in the future.

[Zips fan]

The MAC is a terrible basketball conference this year. Our league has fallen but at some point we will cycle back up. The idea of dropping football and becoming the next Gonzaga or Dayton would be an easy decision, but what if drop football and don't average 13,000K per basketball game like Dayton. What if we dropped football became like Cleveland State, a school that can only dream of having a football program? I don't like the idea of dropping football in the hopes of becoming something we are not (national basketball power). I think MAC football and basketball provide Akron the opportunities to achieve at any level. If we go undefeated in football we will recieve national attention, if we have an outstanding year in basketball we get to prove ourselves at the tournament. I don't like the idea of putting all our eggs into the basketball program.

[zen]

Yeah, let's drop football. Sure.How does Infocision Waterpark and Summa Swimming Pool sound?

[tbozeglav]

Yeah, let's drop football. Sure.How does Infocision Waterpark and Summa Swimming Pool sound?

I love the idea!!!

[Blue & Gold]

I'm actually excited about our future and our place in the MAC. Not only do we have some natural rivals in the MAC that we love to hate - Miami, OU & Can't, but we also are honestly putting ourselves in a position to dominate the conference. If we dominate the MAC like Boise State does the WAC in football and Memphis does C-USA in basketball, then we'll receive plenty of national attention. I honestly don't think we're too far from pulling this off.

[Dave in Green]

Prior to the new football stadium, it would have made for an interesting discussion to propose dumping football when the Rubber Bowl became uninhabitable, investing millions in a fabulous basketball arena and focusing on becoming a national basketball power. I doubt that anything would have come of it, because football fans outnumber basketball fans by a bunch, even when the football team is losing and the basketball team is winning. But it's pretty much a moot point now that millions have already been invested in a new football stadium.As far as the MAC being at a low point this year, I think even the most cursory research of college basketball over the last 10-20 years will show numerous examples of conferences rising, falling and rising again. The Zips could find themselves bailing out on the MAC just as it's starting to rise again, and end up in a conference that's just beginning to fall.

[akronad]

I know many of you would like to see us align with a different conference, a there times I think the same myself. However, it is not as easy as it seems. There has to be a vacancy in a particular conference, then we would have to apply. I'm sure we would not be the only school that would be looking to change affiliations. Conferences looking for new memebers, and I don;t care if it is high school or college, are looking for what you can bring to the table. Certain conferences already have name recogition, so, they are looking at what our school could to help them claim a national championship in whatever sport as well as boosting visability, tv contracts and revenue. These are just a few of the elementary things they look at, and I know there is way more. So, it isn't that easy to move to a new conference.

[ZippyTuba11]

The MAC sucks all around. We do not dominate the MAC except in one sport, therefore....I think we fit in the MAC nicely, and unless we start thumping the conference in the other major sports (football, basketball) and do so every year, we shouldn't talk about going to another conference.

[Zipmeister]

I still think we should merge with the SEC.

[scottditzen]

The MAC Tourney is getting all kinds of publicity up here in Cleveland, and deservedly so. I can't wait to hit the Q this week and see some games. I don't care if the MAC is down this year, these MAC championships are going to be fun. And I have to ask, why would we want to leave a conference that is headquartered practically in our own front yard? Any game at the Quicken Loans arena is basically a home game for us. In what other conference will Akron have that kind of advantage?If we can't get a big crowd supporting the Zips, just 35 miles north, then the problem isn't the MAC conference. The problem would be squarely on the shoulders of the University and the Zips fans who stay home.

[GP1]

Excellent article Big Zip.There was an interesting point made in the article I picked up on and it is the reason the MAC has turned into a Dollar General sports league. Dollar General meaning among other things, there are few people who would want to spend their hard earned money watching low scoring games. The defensive orientation in basketball is killing the league. I know some of you are just crazy enough to believe that there is something entertaining about watching low scoring games or that defense leads to offense (if so, how come we held a team last weekend to a low scoring total and lost) like Mike Fratelllo coaching. Defense gets the offense the ball. If the offense can't score once it has the ball, what is the point of the good defense? Lay ups? Lay ups don't happen that often. MAC schools struggle doing the basic of basketball which is taking the little orange ball and putting it through the little orange ring.Another good point the article makes without saying it is the league has so few good players playing in it that the good players are easy to stop by double teams, etc. Once you stop the one good player, the garbage behind him can't pick up the slack. I worry about this with Zeke coming to Akron. I don't see any scorers on the team and he is an all american. Teams can double team Zeke and wait while rest to miss layups and open jump shots. I hope this doesn't happen, but it is happening at other schools now. Don't think it can't happen to us.Where does the MAC go from here? Nowhere....it is just want it is.Football vs. Basketball. Meaningless point. I actually think the MAC puts it's best foot forward with the MAC Tournament. It is the best event the MAC produces. If the league does not improve, the Tournament will become Dollar General as well. We will find out next weekend.