Mid-Continent Becomes an Endangered Species: Valparaiso will leave the Mid-Continent Conference to join the Horizon League in 2007. The Crusaders’ defection marks the second Mid-Con team to bail out of the once nine-team conference. Chicago State recently announced that it will leave the conference this year to become a Division I independent while it looks for a new conference home. With Valparaiso’s departure, the conference will have only seven teams, which means it will not qualify for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne, a D-I independent, has made several overtures to join the Mid-Con, which has rejected the school’s advances. But now, necessity might change conference officials’ tune.
Valparaiso officials said the move makes sense because the Horizon League features teams in a tighter region. The school’s teams will not need to travel as much or miss as much time in classes. The Horizon League also has a higher profile in college basketball, especially with the recent success of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. [5/18/06]
