Absolutely love the move! Did not see this coming! Some of my friends from my LUC days texted me as soon as the news broke!

Will definitely love seeing my Ramblers when they travel to UMass or URI! Even NYC for Fordham will be fantastic! I hope to see some fellow fans when they come out east!

Came here for this. Incredibly surprised at the move like the rest of you.

I do think that Watson and Porter were eyeing a conference move after the F4 season, but I'm not sure that a move to
A-10 in 2022 is a great idea. In fact, it may end up being a terrible idea if Dayton and SLU end up leaving.

The A-10 is definitely a stronger conference, but we'll be in somewhat of a rebuilding phase after this season. If we struggle right off the bat, it has the potential hurt our current recruiting momentum. If we remained in the Valley, however, we would likely still be a top 3 team in the conference. I hope we don't screw it up and become the Valpo of the conference.

From an institutional standpoint, Loyola does have a lot more in common with the A-10 schools than we do with the MVC, so it makes sense why the move is mutually beneficial for us and the A-10. Playing against Dayton, SLU, VCU, Fordham, St. Joe's, and St. Bonnie will be fun...but I'll also miss watching us beat down on the Illinois schools. And I'll especially miss Arch Madness!

From a media market / name recognition standpoint, this seems like a strong move. The A-10 now has access to Chicago, St. Louis, NY, Pitt, Philly, Charlotte and DC. That's a lot of potential!

If we can remain competitive and make another strong run in the tourney as an A-10 member, I do think that has the potential to serve as a springboard to the Big East...which is what we should likely aim for before the end of this decade.

Go Ramblers!

The best thing I see in this thread is nobody’s bashing the Valley.

The MVC saved Loyola basketball and any hardcore Rambler fan knows that. Ten years ago, we were a horrible program destined to be in the cellar of division I college basketball for decades. WE DID NOT DESERVE AN INVITE TO THE MVC. No conference championships, no post-season appearances. 4 winning seasons - 25 years. How ever it came to be - which I still don’t understand - we got the invite, over far worthier programs, to join the Valley. THAT was the true Loyola lCinderella story.”

When we got to the Valley, Wichita, ISU, and Bradley fans were vocally pissed and said some horrible things. It upset us… but … given our history since 1987, THEY WERE NOT WRONG.

When we first started, we could not win a single road game and things looked bleak. There was no respect for Loyola in the Valley.

BUT - if I had to pinpoint a SINGLE moment that started this magical resurgence for us, I don’t hesitate to say it was 100% Milton Doyle’s Arch Madness buzzer beater in the first round against Bradley. That shot transformed Loyola basketball from a bottom feeder to a program with hope and potential. It was off to the races from there. Everyone knows what happened to Loyola basketball after that.

Once Wichita left, the obnoxious fans were gone, and Moser and the administration built Loyola into a Valley powerhouse. Most impressive was the way our fellow conference members rallied behind us when we got to the dance - something I will admit I never did for Butler when they had their great run in the Horizon.

I love this league. I love our fellow conference members’ fans and their passion - which I didn’t feel in the Horizon. I love this conference’s history and tradition. I love our conference tournament. Barry Hinson nailed it - “start talking about the Valley.”

I know we have gained some new fans and posters in recent years, so I want to finish with a cautionary tale. When Wichita State had their amazing 6-year run in the Valley and decided to leave for the AAC - they didn’t do it on good terms. In 2017, their fanbase blasted the MVC and screamed good riddance. They talked about how much they had outgrown the conference and how bad it was. They continued to do it for years after they left. I’m not entirely sure they’ve scheduled a Valley team since they left, and if they have, you can count the times it’s happened on one hand in 5 years. Since they left, they have a first round tournament loss, a first four tournament loss, they’ve lost their piece of crap coach, and the league they left for that was infinitely better than the Valley?….well, it’s been left in shambles. Had they had a crystal ball in 2017, I guarantee you they would have stayed in the Valley. Meanwhile, a Loyola program they laughed at in 2016, in just 5 short years, has two big banners and 6 NCAA wins (six more than the Shockers have since they left), and will now enter a conference that is superior to the AAC.

It’s debatable whether, ultimately, this will be a good move for Loyola, but I’m going to be optimistic and excited for the future. No matter what though, what I won’t do is bash the Valley, and I hope nobody else does. We owe the Valley everything. With our new schedule next year, I really hope we still see Drake, Bradley, and UNI in non-con. I don’t want to be a Porter Moser and preach how great the Valley is, then leave and not schedule ONE Valley team the next year, even though he have two head coaches that worked with him that he could have scheduled. I hope the Valley continues to have great successes with Drake and newcomer Belmont. I’ll be rooting for them. This is a great conference and I’m glad we were able to make a small mark on its already successful history in the short time we were here.

With that being said - let’s go out and win this whole thing one last time!

Fantastic post, Toledo. Got me feeling pretty sentimental and almost wishing the announcement was never made!

The Valley is a fantastic league. We were lucky to call it home for a few years. It is well-run. It has one of the most iconic tourneys in the sport. It has passionate fan bases and schools with proud basketball histories. I'll be cheering for all Valley teams after we move on and absolutely hope we schedule H&Hs with at least two (ideally, three) Valley teams every non-conference schedule--rotate Drake, ISUr, Bradley, UNI, Valpo and SIU.

The Valley is a great league, I've enjoyed every minute of it...but I can't reconcile some of the shared beliefs here that we are set up to struggle transitioning to the A10 but would continue to be a top Valley program with the same group of players and coaches. If that's the case shouldn't we be happy we're stepping up in competition? If we're not stepping up in competition then why would we struggle?

I know Wichita/Xavier/Creighton/Butler haven't gone on great runs since they moved up but I'm pretty sure each of those schools would do it all the same way. The increased revenue for the schools and increased visibility is a big boost. This move will impact the University beyond the court and I think it's a great marriage to be alongside our sister schools like SLU and Bonnie's.

I'll always have fond Valley memories but our school isn't like UNI or MSU or SIU or either of the ISUs. Beyond Drake and Bradley we didn't really fit with the other Valley schools as an institution. And that's ok, it's why MSU is said to be looking at Conference USA.

Overall I'm thankful Watson was proactive because if the Valleys idea of securing the future of the conference is UT Arlington and UM Kansas City than we'd stick out even more as an outlier institution.

I think this is a big win for Loyola and the A10. I welcome seeing fans in my backyard of Brooklyn for the tournament, but will definitely miss our annual trips to St. Louis for Arch Madness.

As for the future of each conference, I agree that the Valley should try to keep a Chicago presence, and UIC could/should fit nicely. I think overtures to Murray State and UT Arlington were done when Loyola was expected to stay in the MVC. Echoing Toledo and others, the Valley is a great conference, the rivalries have been fun, and it will continue to thrive even without Loyola.

As for the A10, I think it makes some sense for it to lose a team to even out at 14, and for the Big East to take that team for an even 12. There's always been talk here in the east that the most likely contender would be Dayton and perhaps St. Louis.

Anyone know what time the official announcement is, and if it will be streaming live?

I think this is great for the school in that it will put Loyola U in NY, Philly, DC catholic high school kid's minds when they are considering their college choices. The campus is now such a beautiful location that once they get here, they will apply. This makes Loyola a more nationally prominent school.

I think Loyola's style of game translates across conferences. Defense travels and we have seen them give fits defensively to the biggest of programs. It will always keep Loyola competitive. I do think they will have to recruit better offensive talent to be consistently elite in the A10.

I like stability and tradition. Those qualities are out the door across the NCAA landscape with conference reimagining. The move had to be made now or we would have been left without options for a decade into the future. The MVC may not even be the MVC we grew to enjoy.

I like it. I also think it changes our character. I don't see a natural rival so one will only be created over time with some hard fought games. The schedule will be a bit sterile for a while.

Dayton and SLU are both natural rivals--teams we've played quite a few times in the past and with strong Chicago presences. Dayton will certainly be trying to take over Gentile. They had a huge fan showing at the United Center when they played there a few years back.

Still kinda stunned....this is emotional for me...I am a Central Illinois boy with roots in small Midwest towns...I know and understand Terre Huate and Evansville and Bloomington...I grew up rooting for Bradley when the MVC was a really strong conference. THere is GREAT history in the Valley. So when we joined I was really excited and loved every minute of our time in the Valley. I am now a Midwestern boy with my team in an East Coast conference.
It had already become tradition, going to Arch Madness,,and I was able to watch the Golf Team in Peoria and a Valley Conference Track meet in Bloomington and several road games for the basketball team. So I think about this in terms of my fan experience as well. May or may not be making any road trips. maybe St.Louis.
pragmatically for the school I am sure it makes sense...more exposure to more people, and we traded big towns for little towns..(well I like little towns..excited we got someone from Tuscola). I am sure there were more institutional reasons for the move that I do not fully grasp at this point. But feels like we dumped our high school sweetheart for the Hollywood star......guess we will see how that works out.
To all the Valley fans out there...Gonna miss ya.....gonna miss all of those dog fights.....night in, night out every week...if those didnt temper the steel on our blade every year dont know what did........Now I gotta go out and buy a new car for the Hollywood star...while Mary sits at home. (nod to John Prine)