NCAA Basketball: Reimagining the Conferences - Readjustment, not Realignment

TIER 4A: THE VALUES CONFERENCES

Even in the 21st century, four conferences continue to be brought together by a central off the field through line that forevers keeps their member institutions together. The schools in all four leagues share one significant commonality. While athletics is extremely important in providing opportunities for some students to get a quality education, none of the schools in these four conferences make significant financial investments into athletics if it's at the expense of academics.

Ivy league: Penn, Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Cornell

Since it's formal creation in 1954, the Ivy league has had the same eight school membership. And other than adding a four team basketball tournament, has made basically no other major changes. If it ain't broke, then I guess don't fix it. The conference has been in the top half in Kenpom four of the last six seasons.

Patriot League: Colgate, Holy Cross, Boston University, Army, Navy, Lehigh, Lafayette, Bucknell, Loyola (MD), American

Another collection of elite academic institutions in the northeast, the conference probably would have crumbled if Colgate and Bucknell were removed for a higher quality league, but if you've ever read The Last Amateurs, you know this group is all meant for each other.

MEAC: Howard, Morgan State, Coppin State, Delaware State, Maryland Eastern Shore, North Carolina Central, Norfolk State, North Carolina A&T, South Carolina State

One of the two conferences exclusively for HBCUs, the MEAC has struggled with losing five schools in realignment over the last decade but has been building a strong basketball top, with Howard's renaissance bringing them closer to NC Central and Norfolk State. The only change is bringing back North Carolina A&T, who has yet to make a dent in the CAA.

SWAC: Texas Southern, Prairie View A&M, Southern, Grambling State, Alcorn State, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley State, Alabama State, Alabama A&M, Arkansas Pine Bluff, Bethune Cookman, Florida A&M

Taking Bethune Cookman and Florida A&M from the MEAC brought newfound stability in the past few years and eliminated the need for any changes. And after years of utter dominance by Texas Southern and Southern, the emergence of Alcorn State and Grambling State has brought more recent parity.