TxSt02
January 19th, 2006, 10:15 PM
Surprised this hasnt been discussed before...
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/basketball/ncaa/01/19/bc.bkc.basketballallian.ap/index.html
Six schools form basketball alliance
Posted: Thursday January 19, 2006 12:27PM; Updated: Thursday January 19, 2006 12:27PM
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- IPFW and South Dakota State have joined four other independent schools in forming an alliance called the United Basketball Conference that will offer home-and-away games against each other starting a year from now.
All of the schools are making the transition to NCAA Division I and are searching for permanent conference membership.
The others are North Dakota State, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Texas-Pan American and Utah Valley State.
"I don't necessarily feel that we need to have it as a conference -- I don't need a conference mug or letterhead with a conference logo," Jackrabbit women's coach Aaron Johnston said. "It's getting a competitive schedule, a balanced schedule, and creating some awards and recognition that all players in independent basketball should get."
NDSU Athletic Director Gene Taylor said no determinations have been made on whether there will be a name for what he referred to as a "scheduling agreement," nor could he say whether the schools involved will approach the NCAA about becoming a recognized conference.
Some of the teams already play each other, but the alliance will solve one problem -- finding games in January and February when established D-I teams are busy with conference play.
"It's a creation out of convenience," said NJIT men's coach Jim Casciano, whose school is a year behind SDSU in the transition to Division I. "When I put my schedule together and looked at mid-January on, it was pretty scary. Who the heck am I going to play?
"Even though it's not the most geographically attractive, it allows you to have games to carry you over until the first week of March."
The men's and women's teams will play home and away games with each other on a Wednesday-Saturday schedule, Taylor said. There was talk of possibly extending into a postseason conference tournament, but that won't happen in the first year.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/basketball/ncaa/01/19/bc.bkc.basketballallian.ap/index.html
Six schools form basketball alliance
Posted: Thursday January 19, 2006 12:27PM; Updated: Thursday January 19, 2006 12:27PM
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- IPFW and South Dakota State have joined four other independent schools in forming an alliance called the United Basketball Conference that will offer home-and-away games against each other starting a year from now.
All of the schools are making the transition to NCAA Division I and are searching for permanent conference membership.
The others are North Dakota State, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Texas-Pan American and Utah Valley State.
"I don't necessarily feel that we need to have it as a conference -- I don't need a conference mug or letterhead with a conference logo," Jackrabbit women's coach Aaron Johnston said. "It's getting a competitive schedule, a balanced schedule, and creating some awards and recognition that all players in independent basketball should get."
NDSU Athletic Director Gene Taylor said no determinations have been made on whether there will be a name for what he referred to as a "scheduling agreement," nor could he say whether the schools involved will approach the NCAA about becoming a recognized conference.
Some of the teams already play each other, but the alliance will solve one problem -- finding games in January and February when established D-I teams are busy with conference play.
"It's a creation out of convenience," said NJIT men's coach Jim Casciano, whose school is a year behind SDSU in the transition to Division I. "When I put my schedule together and looked at mid-January on, it was pretty scary. Who the heck am I going to play?
"Even though it's not the most geographically attractive, it allows you to have games to carry you over until the first week of March."
The men's and women's teams will play home and away games with each other on a Wednesday-Saturday schedule, Taylor said. There was talk of possibly extending into a postseason conference tournament, but that won't happen in the first year.