The American Athletic Conference will soon have an opening and will be looking to add another member

[Tommy]

We finally win the MVC tourney and now you want us to leave to join a conference that will most likely keep us out of the tournament for the foreseeable future?
No thanks. I like that I can attend road games against any MVC opponent, and I’m looking forward to being the next dominant team of the MVC.I might consider something like this after owning the MVC for a decade with at least half of them leading to tournament appearances. Until then, I’m fine with being the underdog in an underdog conference.

[tornado]

How many people remember this...

When Wichita first explored leaving the MVC they focused on going to the Mountain West Conference
https://www.cbssports.com/college-fo...ring-football/

BUT the American Athletic Conference actually came rushing in and came calling to lure Wichita away from the Mountain West
and convinced Wichita to join the AAC as an APPEASEMENT for UConn!!
So it is rumored that the whole reason Wichita is there in the AAC is BECAUSE of UConn - so now that UConn is gone, will the AAC
continue to settle for one member who is NOT going to have football? All it may take is a couple down-years and the AAC may look to move in a different direction and grab a football school.
https://www.anonymouseagle.com/2017/...cut-basketball


"it would seem that grabbing up Wichita State to bring the league to 12 members in basketball
would be a move that the other AAC schools would make to ensure that Connecticut isn't going
anywhere. At the very least, it appears to be a move made to appease UConn."

..so will the other members now take another vote?

[tornado]

looks like there has been instant rewards for UConn getting out of the American Athletic Conference
Per CBSSports' John Rothstein Tweet:
"Since UConn's official re-entry to the Big East, Huskies have sold a combined 3,003 mens
and women's basketball season tickets. "

[Dub]

I remember an interview in the final Molinari years in which he responded to a caller by saying that Bradley returning to national prominence and a deep tournament run were not realistic goals in the modern era. That felt wrong and it was wrong... and I was a Molinari fan. You need lofty goals (BHAG’s for you “Good to Great” fans).
That being said, for the most part we can reach our goals from within the MVC. I’ll be ready to move on only when we have sustained high levels of success and our MVC affiliation is holding us back. We are not there, and I’d rather stay put even if someone made an offer.

[Da Coach]

When he said "national prominence", maybe Molinari was referring to Bradley being considered the equal of nationally prominent programs like Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Louisville, etc., because at one time that was where Bradley was. While I agree it is good to have lofty goals, and I believe our AD and coach have them, I can understand what Jim was saying. It is nearly impossible for a small private school to compete with the huge wealthy schools with the football budgets who are the darlings of the national media. And, as I have said before, I agree that Bradley's is better for now to stay in the MVC