WAC Basketball: 4 takeaways from major expansion news

By Joey Loose | Jan 14, 2021

Nov 26, 2019; Durham, NC, USA; Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks guard Kevon Harris (1) and Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks forward Charlie Daniels (12) react after defeating the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Lumberjacks defeated Duke 85-83 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports /

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WAC Basketball Chicago State Cougars Delshon Strickland Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

What Happens to Chicago State?

We’ve already looked at how the WAC and Southland line up in the near future with this realignment news, but we haven’t really considered Chicago State. The Cougars will not be a member of either conference next season, as they announced they would leave the WAC and won’t be considered to join a conference full of Louisiana and Texas schools.

Before considering options for Chicago State, it’s fair to wonder how much longer the college will field athletics at all. The Cougars have struggled to put fans in the seats or to field competitive teams. Chicago State shutdown the basketball program nearly a month ago due to the national pandemic, and currently have the nation’s longest losing streak. Aside from New Mexico State, the WAC wasn’t exactly a conference full of powerful programs, and yet Chicago State struggled to compete.

The best option for Chicago State may be to downgrade to D2 athletics, but let’s put all options on the table. The WAC was horrible geographically for the Cougars and they’d likely do their best to avoid a situation like that again. Two conferences that immediately stand out are the Horizon League and Summit League, though neither conference really gains anything from adding the Cougars in their current state.

For the time being, becoming an independent program may be the move for the Cougars. They were actually in the Summit League nearly two decades ago, but departed to become an independent in 2006 before joining the Great West and then WAC. This program has bounced around in recent years and has not fielded a very competitive team. The university’s finances continue to be a struggle and it’s hard to believe that Chicago State is going to compete in any D1 conference at this point.

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Change has been on the horizon for quite some time. This was a football move that greatly affects a pair of basketball conferences today and in the future. We’ve taken a look at how each of these programs will be affected; we’ll just have to see how the power structure of the WAC develops and where the Southland looks in addition.