Oakland is continuing to reap the benefits of their upset over Kentucky by having five P4 buy games on their schedule (plus four last year). Assuming they get around 100k each for these games, that's quite the cash influx they've had.
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2025-26 Around College Hoops
- Thread starter Jason Svoboda
- Start date
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I Did not have NBA G league becomes farm system for the NCAA on my bingo card.
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Color me shocked.
Little Rock will leave the OVC and join the new UAC/ASUN conference for 2026/2027. They are also targeting SEMO and UT-Martin. With Tennessee Tech already announced as leaving for the SoCon, the OVC is on life support.
The only remaining OVC program we should entertain a call from is Morehead State. Everyone else should be DII or go begging to the Horizon League.
The OVC's mistake was going after football instead of focusing on basketball when they had Murray State, Belmont, Austin Peay, Western Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, and Morehead State all punching above their weight every year.
The only remaining OVC program we should entertain a call from is Morehead State. Everyone else should be DII or go begging to the Horizon League.
The OVC's mistake was going after football instead of focusing on basketball when they had Murray State, Belmont, Austin Peay, Western Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, and Morehead State all punching above their weight every year.
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Agree on OVC making poor choices but what OVC era are you speaking to? WKU left the OVC in all sports over 40 years ago (post 1981-82 season)
Not sure anyone ever considered EKU a basketball school... though they do have 3 NCAA appearances since 2000, just like the Tall Trees of the Wabash.
With Ark-LR fleeing for the UAC/ASUN, no doubt our resident, closeted-OVC fan will doubt be SCREAMING for the Trees to roll to the OVC, replacing the Rubbermen of LR
I like it
Several of the conferences in the Midwest should merge at this point with a focus on hoops with a long term goal of just existing.
Really the OVC's downfall was not inviting North Alabama and Northern KY to the conference when they both wanted in. They were both blocked because some of the league members thought they'd have a "competitive advantage" over the rest of the conference. That drove Jax State, EKU, and Murray State (the programs that actually want to compete at a high level) to all proactively look for ways to leave the conference.
Personally think splitting FCS conferences into football only and Olympic sports is the way to go at this point, and I've long fought that tooth and nail.
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If your conference is pushing to add North Alabama and NKU, you should absolutely start looking for a way out. North Alabama has zero tournament appearances since moving to DI and NKU has won the depleted Horizon League 3 times and been an easy out as a 14/15/16 seee.
North Alabama would've been a football add that Jacksonville State was pushing for. They were big rivals in their D2 days. NKU would've been a basketball add. Both schools would have been valuable members for the OVC.
Just reading up on secret scrimmage results from around the country. Looks like every team won their scrimmage with encouraging results. Even when they took out their starters and the other team left in starters the score was still competitive. Should be at least a 5 seed come March Madness.
Probably 4 bids coming out of the Valley this year.
Every team is going to at least finish in the top 5.
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Rough estimate...
I'm not one to report rumors per say but I heard from someone who heard from someone close to the source that SIUE and USI might be trying to get into the Horizon league. I guess we will see if that comes to fruition. SIUE is wanting USI as a package deal. OVC is starting to sink.