Another school leaves the Atlantic Sun. Why not UNF next?

[copperfiend]

Northern Kentucky headed to the Horizon. This leaves the Atlantic Sun with only 7 schools, which is the minimum in order to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Northern Kentucky joins Belmont, Mercer, East Tennessee State and Campbell as teams that have moved up to larger conferences.

I think at this point it makes sense for UNF to move up as well instead of stay in what looks to be a dying conference.

JU is impacted as well but I do not know if they have the resources to move up the way UNF does.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25179715/reports-northern-kentucky-to-accept-bid-to-horizon-league

[JaxJersey-licious]

^^ Yeah UNF leaving the A-Sun is not happening anytime soon. Northen Kentucky probably left for the Horizon for geographic and recruiting practicalities since they're a lot closer to most of those league's teams. It's not like they're some historic athletic powerhouse that needed to break-free from their Antlantic Sun confines.

Yes, it's probalby the crappiest athletic conference in the nation but having those regional rivalries are a lot more important to UNF's basketball program than being a small fish in a huge pond. If they build upon their success with basketball, continue developing and being competitive in other sports programs, have athletic-supportive administration, and grow their local fanbase, the bigger conferences will come crawling to them.

[Tacachale]

Schools in these mid-major conferences don't really change conferences to to "move up", they do it for logistics. That's the real reasoning for NKU. Travel costs will be much cheaper for them in this league, as all the schools are closer together. The Horizon is a "bus league", while the A-Sun is a "plane league" where the teams have to take planes to many games and competitions. Similarly, Mercer and East Tennessee State left to join a football league when they added FCS football.

What really sucks is that the A-Sun is the only basketball league left in the Southeast, there aren't a lot of options for schools that don't have football.

[Tacachale]

This is the A-Sun's official response, in case anyone's interested.

http://atlanticsun.org/sports/mbkb/2014-15/releases/201505115qtm2p

[copperfiend]

With Kennesaw State starting football this fall, it is probably only a matter of time before they move on from the A-Sun as well.

[Westside Guy]

The A-Sun really needs to try to start bringing in new schools to replace the ones they are losing. It may be time to extend an invite to NJIT (even though it's a terrible geographic fit). They also need to start bringing up D-2 schools out of the Peach Belt and other leagues, which is by far the better option. Otherwise, there may not be an A-Sun in a few years.

[fieldafm]

I just want to go on the record to say that JU rules and UNF drools. 

[spuwho]

I would look at Florida Southern or Alabama-Huntsville.

FS won the NCAA DIV 2 this year.

Alabama-Huntsville were qualifiers.

Not sure about academics though. Not sure what SAT range the ASun is going after for student athletes.

[fsquid]

I would say that academics play zero role in A Sun membership.

[spuwho]

BTW : University of South Carolina-Upstate guard Ty Greene won the Lou Henson award for MVP in a mid-major school.

USC-Upstate and FGCU both played in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (a kind of NIT for mid majors).

USC-U made it to the 2nd round before falling to UT-Martin.

FGCU lost in the first round.

[urbanlibertarian]

I just want to go on the record to say that JU rules and UNF drools. 

Amen, brother!

[fieldafm]

I say that they should kick those bums from UNF out of the A Sun and replace them with Oglethorpe University and Spring Hill College to capture those lucrative Georgia and Alabama radio markets.

[UNFurbanist]

I just want to go on the record to say that JU rules and UNF drools. 

Haha ya. ok. 

[Westside Guy]

NJIT is joining the Atlantic Sun this year. That puts them back up to 8 schools.
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/13061508/lone-division-independent-njit-join-atlantic-sun-conference

[For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A]

I can't see NJIT sticking around very long. This is a southern, and now very Florida, based league.