![]() ![]() ![]() The ASUN is getting yet another Division II mover in the season ahead as Queens University will join the league. The Knights won the ASUN Tournament last season in their second year as Division I members, but it was regular season champion Jacksonville State which represented the league in the NCAA Tournament due to Bellarmine's transition period. While a full division leap can seem daunting, Bellarmine's successful move from Division II to the Atlantic Sun is evidence that results can come early. The third incoming OVC member is Little Rock, which joins from the Sun Belt. As they move to Division I, SIU and Lindenwood will go through the NCAA-mandated transition period that will keep them from NCAA Tournament eligibility until 2027. Division II squads make the leapĪmong the schools entering to replace the departing OVC programs are a couple of Division II programs in Southern Indiana and Lindenwood. As for the teams left behind, Morehead State could be in a position to thrive as the Eagles have won 23 games in consecutive seasons while making three NCAA Tournament appearances since 2009. But a significant portion of the league's basketball braun is departing for the 2022-23 season as Austin Peay (Atlantic Sun), Belmont (Missouri Valley) and Murray State (Missouri Valley) each prepare to join new leagues after that trio combined to win 16 of the league's past 17 regular-season titles. The Ohio Valley Conference has been one of college basketball's most captivating mid-major leagues for years, producing exciting conference tournaments and NCAA Tournament darlings on a regular basis. To simplify things, here is a rundown of the most impactful conference changes in Division I college basketball for the 2022-23 season. As we flip the page from 2021-22 hoops season to the 2022-23 campaign, you may notice some teams in new leagues, most of which became official Friday with July being the start of the 2022-23 athletic calendar. With more than 350 Division I basketball programs all vying for the same national title from 32 conferences - versus just 10 leagues in the FBS level of college football - the changes can be difficult to track. But before we look ahead to theoretical weeknight basketball matchups between USC and Rutgers involving five-hour cross-country flights, there are plenty of other conference moves going on that will have an impact on college basketball even sooner. While looming additions to the Big Ten and SEC are seismic changes and will have a particularly striking impact on college football, they will change the basketball dynamics of those leagues as well. The move marks the latest shakeup in a series of changes sparked last year by the announcement that Texas and Oklahoma will transition from the Big 12 to the SEC in the coming years. Don’t be surprised when both schools are on Auburn’s schedule in 20.Future conference realignment took center stage in college sports this week, when news broke Thursday that USC and UCLA will be on their way to the Big Ten in 2024. Matchups between AU and UT/OU are money matchups waiting to happen. When Texans and Oklahomans understand what the state of Alabama offers from a Power Five college football standpoint, the motto ‘it just means more’ will finally hit home. No offense to Vanderbilt or Missouri, but Longhorns fans and the Sooners faithful are not exactly looking forward to matchups against the Commodores or (those) Tigers like they are a matchup on the Plains or welcoming the traveling AU faithful to their own home stadiums.Īuburn represents a culture clash with either incoming fanbase that features the shared bond of football over anything. When Texas and Oklahoma make their way to the SEC, Auburn football will be a money matchup waiting for the two college football bluebloods - each of whom has won at least four national championships throughout program history. Oklahoma and Texas would be money matchups for Auburn football “We have focused most recently on a single division format” Here was Sankey’s direct quote via McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning host and former Tigers offensive lineman Cole Cubelic: Auburn football may no longer be required to play the likes of Arkansas, Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss, though the annual Iron Bowl matchup against Alabama will undoubtedly remain. Greg Sankey revealed on the February 10 edition of McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning on WJOX 94.5 FM in Birmingham that the Southeastern Conference would be moving to just one division when Oklahoma and Texas join. When SEC realignment takes place at the beginning of the 2024-2025 season, Auburn football will no longer be bound to play the other six teams in the SEC West - in fact, there will be no SEC West or SEC East. ![]()
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