Arizona State Moving To D1

[RaceBoarder]

Re: Arizona State Moving To D1

I would not expect anything right away. They have meetings with both leagues coming up. There are advantages to going with the WCHA as well as the NCHC. They are in no hurry from what my source says. Right now the biggest problem revolves around a place to play.

also they are playing Wisconsin halloween weekend next season.

As much as I try, I just can't see this being a positive for the WCHA... What's the benefit? The ASU brand isn't that big of a deal, and it adds a significant bit of travel...

[Seawolf Fan]

Re: Arizona State Moving To D1

As much as I try, I just can't see this being a positive for the WCHA... What's the benefit? The ASU brand isn't that big of a deal, and it adds a significant bit of travel...

They will go to the nacho and mankato will follow. jmho

[boblav1]

Re: Arizona State Moving To D1

From twitter:

Andy Baggot @AndyBaggotWSJ
#Badgers will host newest Division I entry Arizona State in Halloween weekend series in 2015-16.

Andy Baggot @AndyBaggotWSJ
The expectation for #Badgers is they will travel to Tempe to complete home-and-home arrangement at a later date.

[The Rube]

Re: Arizona State Moving To D1

From twitter:

"And the Badgers will get swept."

[Red Cows]

Re: Arizona State Moving To D1

They will go to the nacho and mankato will follow. jmho

This has been my thought as well. No other conference really makes sense for ASU or for the conferences invloved. And another team would need to come as well to make 10 teams, I would think. The Purple Cows or Bowling Green would seem to make the most sense. Perhaps Michigan Tech?

The big question for me here is, why is it a given that any conference is going to take ASU? If I were a conference commissioner, unless they could show me a bona fide (acceptable) plan regarding where there are going to play short term, and, what the long term plan is for a venue as well, my interest level in them would be very small.

And, as been already pointed out here, ASU has no idea where they are going to be playing next season as I write this, having publicly admitted as much at the press conference announcing that they were moving up.

[aparch]

...Perhaps Michigan Tech?

They're half the reason NoDak and Denver formed the NCHC. (The other half being Anchorage). So unless the NCHC has that "flashy pen thingy" from the Men In Black movies to erase the memories of why they split, it ain't happening.

And if they poach Mankato, they become the WCHA minus McLeod and two "annoying" flights. (I'd argue that Kalamazoo, MI and Oxford, Ohio are equally as annoying to get to as Houghton, MI and Anchorage, AK.

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: Arizona State Moving To D1

Maybe NCHC goes for RMU, they seem to like the bigger markets.

[purpleinnebraska]

Re: Arizona State Moving To D1

Maybe NCHC goes for RMU, they seem to like the bigger markets.

That's actually not a horrible idea, and I don't mean this to sound as snarky as it probably will, but RMU is not really a "like-minded" university. Size-wise, they're bigger than CC and as big as Denver (and growing at a healthy rate), and they do play D1 basketball, but those schools have national championships and Frozen Fours in their history, and those schools have shown a desire and commitment to be known as hockey schools. The RMU program may not be at the level of commitment that the NCHC is looking for.

Of course, ASU has no hockey history, but ASU will take in over $800 million in tuition and fees alone this year. It's not hard to find an adequate amount of commitment when you have Scrooge McDuck levels of cash to work with.

[Critical Thinker]

Re: Arizona State Moving To D1

Of course, ASU has no hockey history, but ASU will take in over $800 million in tuition and fees alone this year. It's not hard to find an adequate amount of commitment when you have Scrooge McDuck levels of cash to work with.

If they end up needing to build an ice arena, adequate commitment might be a problem.

[lmg6841]

Re: Arizona State Moving To D1

If they end up needing to build an ice arena, adequate commitment might be a problem.

They probably will have to build something. Their current options are that dump Oceanside that seats like 100 people or sharing facilities with the Suns downtown. If I was a hockey loving, party-centric ASU student, I'd much rather have a rink on campus.

[purpleinnebraska]

Re: Arizona State Moving To D1

If they end up needing to build an ice arena, adequate commitment might be a problem.

But that's the thing that is lost in some of the arguments on here - This isn't a program considering going D1; this is a program that has announced that the decision is final, and they are going D1. Now you're telling me that a school with over 60,000 undergrads and over 12,000 grad students, with over 3 billion in assets, is going to say, "Hey, never mind. We had to buy a piece of land. We're out"?

There are a lot of reasons a school might not want to go D1, and an arena is certainly a big one of those things. And I'm not saying getting more big boys in the sport is good for college hockey; personally, I don't think it is. But I'm saying when the big boys say they're definitely getting in the game, things that would sink a smaller school won't even slow ASU down.

[blackswampboy]

Re: Arizona State Moving To D1

That's actually not a horrible idea, and I don't mean this to sound as snarky as it probably will, but RMU is not really a "like-minded" university.

since "like-minded" translates as "anybody but UAA or Tech", RMU makes perfect nacho sense.

[Biddco]

Re: Arizona State Moving To D1

They will go to the nacho and mankato will follow. jmho

This is an interesting thought that had not crossed my mind. That would make the most sense for the NCHC to add ASU so they could add another school. I don't quite get why the WCHA would want another team. Eleven teams is an awkward number for a conference, but the WCHA could keep their current playoff format and be just fine.

[Critical Thinker]

Re: Arizona State Moving To D1

Location, location, and location as a realtor would say. Nobody wants to trek to Alaska or the UP if they don't have, too.

...but they're receptive to the idea of flying out to Arizona?

[blackswampboy]

Re: Arizona State Moving To D1

Location, location, and location as a realtor would say. Nobody wants to trek to Alaska or the UP if they don't have, too.

oh, of course. because phoenix and pittsburgh are closer to duluth than houghton.