A question for NKU fans

[All Tell]

I'm asking seriously. Strictly from a fan standpoint is there any buyers regret with NKU making the jump to D1.

 

I am a Bellarmine person and once again the rumbling has started about making the switch but I oppose it. I like being in a position to compete for championships rather then moving into a small D1 conference playing every year for their 1 and done slot in the NCAA tournament with no real chance of winning. I look at programs like IUPUI and IPFW that Bellarmine used to play that have made the switch and I don't see how it has helped them overall. It certainly seems to have taken a toll on NKU. Are there any recent success stories about programs that have taken the step up that have thrived? Is it better to be a little fish in a big pond or a big fish in a smaller pond.

[uselessinfo]

Florida Gulf Coast is in its 4th season of Division I post season eligibility and only its 8th D-I season. I say they have had some definite successes.

[Voice of Reason]

I am just barely a NKU fan, mainly because I live in N. Ky., so there are many others that are better fans than me. However, personally I think it was a good move. The school has 15,000 students. That should be a D1 school. I see NKU on the cusp of making another step forward in reputation as an institution and being D1 can be a big help in that. Going to the ACC was a huge step for UofL as an institution. I see NKU going D1 as a similar step forward as an institution, not just on the athletics side.

[MJAlltheWay24]

I enjoy:

 

Being able to watch them play bigger programs in meaningful games, not just exhibitions.

 

Being able to watch them on ESPN.com

 

Seeing their scores on the Ticker

 

Seeing them make SportsCenter Top 10 more often (D1 make that more likely in my opinion)

 

Once their eligible, I think seeing them win the conference and get a first round game in the tournament would be awesome. If they played in the First Four in Dayton I'd go.

[futurecoach]

I'm asking seriously. Strictly from a fan standpoint is there any buyers regret with NKU making the jump to D1.

 

I am a Bellarmine person and once again the rumbling has started about making the switch but I oppose it. I like being in a position to compete for championships rather then moving into a small D1 conference playing every year for their 1 and done slot in the NCAA tournament with no real chance of winning. I look at programs like IUPUI and IPFW that Bellarmine used to play that have made the switch and I don't see how it has helped them overall. It certainly seems to have taken a toll on NKU. Are there any recent success stories about programs that have taken the step up that have thrived? Is it better to be a little fish in a big pond or a big fish in a smaller pond.

 

Question on your comment on saying it has taken its toll on NKU? How so? Because of their record? Didn't they also just get a home game for their conference tournament too in their first year eligible to be in the conference tournament? I am just curious what you are basing it on?

[MJAlltheWay24]

Honestly, I think I'd rather see NKU win their conference and just compete in the NCAA tournament than win a Division 2 National Championship.

 

Maybe that sounds dumb, but having gone to school there and watched tons of games in Regents Hall, it would be so awesome to see them on that level. When they played Louisville in their exhibition at BOKC, it was one of my favorite moments in college. Just being on another stage would be very cool for me to see as a fan of NKU.

[MJAlltheWay24]

I see NKU on the cusp of making another step forward in reputation as an institution and being D1 can be a big help in that. .

 

Completely agree. The move is much more than just an Athletics move.

[UKMustangFan]

Love it. No regrets at all.

 

I'll fully admit to not really following them at all before the move. Since they've made the move, I've followed them very closely and will continue to do so.

 

Not sure why, but sports below the D1 level are of zero interest to me.

[plantmanky]

Question on your comment on saying it has taken its toll on NKU? How so? Because of their record? Didn't they also just get a home game for their conference tournament too in their first year eligible to be in the conference tournament? I am just curious what you are basing it on?

 

Perhaps he means the fact NKU cant stay out of the press for the wrong reasons since moving to D1. Specifically things inside the athletic department.

[98NCCalum]

I know the h history of both programs. NKU is a D1 school. Bellarmine is not.

[NKU20]

Completely agree. The move is much more than just an Athletics move.

 

I agree, I had a conversation with Pres. Mearns and he said that since moving to Div. I local companies have been accepting NKU students into their co-op programs that were not able before. He joked that the students got smarter since turning DI.

[MJAlltheWay24]

Moving to D1 provides more notoriety because its about who you "associate yourself with".