This is objectively good for the SLC from a competitive standpoint, BUT I also think mid / low majors with > 12 members are bloated.
Is the funniest outcome the rest of the non-Texas schools leaving the WAC, and then all SLC TX schools going back to WAC in a TX only conference?
SFA, SLC reunion could be just the start
Tarleton State, Abilene Christian and Texas-Arlington, all members of the WAC, have reached out to Southland officials after the WAC lost Grand Canyon and Seattle to the West Coast Conference.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IS SCHOOL HISTORY, TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI HAS AN NCAA TOURNAMENT WIN!
Big payout implications for the conference, and the chance to play in the ultimate David vs Goliath match on Thursday. Keeping the spotlight on the
@IslandCampus
and
@Islanders_MBB
Wake up Islanders, it’s game day!
@Islanders_MBB
opens the NCAA tournament to a national audience at 5:40 CST against Southeast Missouri State.
No better marketing opportunity for the Island University. Win today, and do it again Thursday on an even bigger stage.
For all its warts, Twitter is so cool. There are 1,000 of you now on here giving me an outlet to talk Southland sports.
I have quite literally 0 friends in real life who care about this stuff. You should see my wife’s face when I bring up TAMUCC vs McNeese scores.
Y’all rock.
Clearly others that matter disagreed with SLU’s decision to fire Matt Riser. He’s hired by a Memphis program with more resources, in a better conference, and in talks with high major conferences.
Safe to say he’s landed on his feet. Creating quite a tense situation for SLU.
🚨SOURCES:
@MemphisBaseball
has hired former
@LionUpBaseball
skipper Matt Riser as its new head coach,
@d1baseball
has learned. Riser spent the last 10 seasons at Southeastern Louisiana, leading the Lions to four NCAA tourney appearances in the process.
#Memphis
BREAKING: Former Miami RB TreVonte’ Citizen is returning home and has Committed to McNeese State, he tells
@on3sports
The 6’1 220 RB from Lake Charles, LA will have all 4 years of eligibility remaining
Was ranked as the No. 2 RB in the ‘22 Class (per On3)
Wake up Islanders, it’s game day!
@Islanders_MBB
opens the NCAA tournament to a national audience at 5:40 CST against Southeast Missouri State.
No better marketing opportunity for the Island University. Win today, and do it again Thursday on an even bigger stage.
People are learning that the
@IslandCampus
campus is one of the most unique settings in the country. Why sports can be one of the best marketing arms of a university
We’re in the off-season, so it’s time to do the work that really matters.
Here’s a list of MAC schools ranked by how close their stadiums are to a CVS.
RALLY THE VALLEY
We welcome the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley as the 11th member of the Southland Conference beginning in 2024-25!
#EarnedEveryDay
x
@GoUTRGV
The Southland needs Lamar, SFA, and McNeese to be good at football.
Everyone else will benefit when those teams are at their best. No reason they shouldn’t be matching what UIW, SLU, and Nicholls have done lately.
Well,
@Islanders_MBB
kept it respectable and showed they deserved to be there. Alabama was ridiculous, but Corpus Christi has a lot of talent, including lots that could be returning next year.
A chance to really build. SLC chases better seeds, and March wins become realistic
I think I’m going to have to update my pinned tweet.
For real though, UTRGV joining is exciting. Brings a rivalry with TAMUCC, positive momentum for the conference with another D1 addition, a baseball program on the rise, and a brand new football program with lots of potential!
10 point loss after Notre Dame went lights out to hit 16 3’s.
If TAMUCC plays well, high-major programs better hope they don’t have an off shooting night. They should win a lot of Southland games. Can’t emphasize enough how impressive Steve Lutz’s first year program is.
No reason that campus should be as well kept a secret as it is. There are people within an hour of Corpus Christi that have no idea about this picture.
Just started getting deeper into mid-major basketball this year and just learned about Texas A&M CC.
That school is crazy intriguing to me! Look at this campus!
Lamar scores 13 runs to defeat No. 25 Oklahoma Friday to take the series in Norman. Skinner goes 5-for-5 with 2 home runs, 2B, 6 RBIs, 3 runs. Lamar can sweep the series with a win Saturday.
#WeAreLU
In 2021, after winning just 5 games, all but 3 TAMUCC men’s basketball players transferred as the team started fresh with a new coach.
The 3 that stayed? They each made the NCAA tournament. Two of them are there for the second time this year with several rings along the way.
I am sick and tired of of these “Texas sports whatever” accounts trying to act like their little sisters of the poor schools (they are probably alums) are high on these “power rankings” I could handle the occasional UTSA or smoo, Lamar is where I draw the line
With rumors of a possible WCC invite for GCU floating around, this Saint Mary’s tournament game could set the foundation for a solid rivalry.
Could never surpass GCU’s biggest rival though:
The United States Department of Education
Fairleigh Dickinson lost their conference tournament, but it was to a D2 transitional school, so they still got put through to the NCAA tournament anyway.
They just beat a 1 seed. I will never give up this sport.
Incredible weekend for Lamar!
And what a year too. First winning year in basketball in a while and a baseball team that is looking like the favorite in the league right now, though they’ll have some serious competition. Welcome back to the Southland, Lamar!
Just going to take a minute to acknowledge what an incredible job
@Chris_____Grant
has done.
Walked into a horrible situation, brought stability, and then completely turned things around.
Thank you, Oakland, for reminding us that March is when a grad student from a D2 school that will probably be a youth pastor next year can beat a team of NBA players
Simply getting their name read and this picture shown on national tv is a success for TAMUCC, make a game of it and the benefits are only amplified.
(Also, anyone know how to build parking garages? Asking for a friend)
Showing everyone who THE Island University is today🌴😤
Yes, this is actually our campus and yes,
@Islanders_MBB
is ready to play today🏀
#ShakasUp
#LutzGo
We SAW you and we HEARD you! THANK YOU for showing up and showing out on Monday night for Islanders Mens Basketball on ESPNU. The arena was electric. SO MANY chances to do it again.
Find the schedule here:
#ShakasUp
|
#ShawTime
|
#TAMUCC
Someone at McNeese won the lottery two years ago and has kept it a secret. The only sign is that they now sign high major transfer prospects with boatloads of NIL.
(This is a joke, but seriously it’s insane they keep doing this.)
This is a really cool venue for a BVB championship. When you think about smaller leagues that capitalize on niche sports, it seems like there may be opportunity here. Small investment could provide pretty quick competitive returns. The championship could grow into an event in CC.
Did I intentionally time the birth of my child so that paternity leave would overlap with the first few weeks of March Madness?
The world may never know.
Corpus Christi
@Islanders_MBB
go to Dayton to take on Southeastern Missouri State in a First Four game.
The bright side? It’s a winnable game, even without Murdix for the Islanders.
Do that, and then go beat Bama.
Source: McNeese's Will Wade --- who's led the Cowboys to a 20-3 start --- has received a new five-year contract worth $700,000 annually.
Wade's buyout following this season will be $1.25 million and $1 million after the 2024-25 season.
Proactive move by AD Heath Schroyer.
Sources: UTRGV officials informed WAC officials they are leaving the WAC for the Southland Conference, a change that’s expected for the 2024-25 season. UTRGV finished last in the WAC in both men’s and women’s basketball in 2023-24. They are expected to owe the WAC $2 million.
6,044 Vaqueros on hand last night.
It’s no secret anymore…there’s definitely something special brewing in the Valley.
Thank you, RGV! We’ve set numerous attendance records the past 2 years & so proud of the hardest working staff in the country!
This is how we
#RallyTheValley
!
UIW might end up being the only Southland team to be D2 transitional Commerce this year, and it wasn’t close.
TAMUC is going to be a great football member for this league, but UIW is just really good
If Lutz moves on this off-season, as many expect, he will have accomplished everything you could ask for when TAMUCC made the hire.
Back to back conference tournament titles / NCAA appearances, an outright regular season title, reengaged fanbase, and improved HS recruiting.
Embarrassment of riches.
McNeese adds another high major talent. Played in 32 games at Arizona State last year, and averaged a double double the year before at Tulsa.
McNeese is building to not just make it to March Madness, but to win games once there.
BREAKING: McNeese adds Arizona State transfer Bryant Selebangue.
At ASU in 2023-24 Selebangue averaged 4.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 32 games played.
More tomorrow on
@KPLC7Sports
6.26.22 State of the League
10 members:
McNeese
New Orleans
Southeastern Louisiana
Nicholls
Northwestern State
Lamar
TAMUCC
TAMUC
UIW
HBU
5 TX, 5 LA
You don’t *have* to expand any more now, but might want to for future stability. Being back at 10 may change strategy.
Thread:
FDU is a prime example of just how good (even low level) D1 basketball players are. The average person or high school player doesn’t understand.
They didn’t even win the worst rated league in the country, yet they still have the talent to potentially make the sweet 16.
It can’t be overstated how strong Southland social media has been given the budgets in this league and general non-competitiveness in the primary sports this time of year (basketball)
Not an April Fools joke, just a reminder that these are very real plans that have had as much construction progress as any of the April Fools jokes you do see today
I think it’s nearly unanimous that the Southland baseball tournament this year is the way to go.
Would love to see the conference come together and stick with this for a while. As McNeese has shown this year, they could still have plenty of opportunities to host.
When was the last time the Southland had a non-final game with this good of an environment?
McNeese-Lamar on ESPNU putting on a good look for the league so far
Stop hating on Southland schools!
McNeese has great facilities.
SLU and has passionate fans.
New Orleans and Northwestern State have history.
HBU
Nicholls has good basketball.
TAMUCC has an incredible campus.
Sources have confirmed that SFA is returning to the Southland Conference for the 2024-2025 academic year, with an official announcement expected on Wednesday. First reported by
@WACHoopsNation
@dctf
@dctfCFB
@DCTBasketball
#FCS
Story:
This is a big deal. If UT Dallas is going to venture into scholarship sports, there is no reason for that institution to be D2 long term. They have a D1 profile all the way
NEWS: Syracuse transfer guard Quadir Copeland has committed to McNeese and Will Wade, he tells
@On3sports
.
The 6-6 sophomore averaged 9.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game this season.
Sources: UTRGV officials informed WAC officials they are leaving the WAC for the Southland Conference, a change that’s expected for the 2024-25 season. UTRGV finished last in the WAC in both men’s and women’s basketball in 2023-24. They are expected to owe the WAC $2 million.
When McNeese chose to stay in the Southland in exchange for championship hosting rights, opportunities for moments like this are what they had in mind.