The American Athletic Conference unanimously voted Friday morning to add Wichita State as a league member for the 2017-18 season.

Wichita State announced it would accept the AAC's invitation and leave the Missouri Valley Conference, where the Shockers have been members since 1945.

Wichita State will join the AAC in all sports except football, giving the AAC both a 12-team football and basketball league.

The AAC has 11 all-sports members (Cincinnati, UConn, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, South Florida, SMU, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa and Central Florida) and Navy is a football-only member. Wichita State has not had a football team since 1986.

Because of Wichita State's basketball success, the Shockers were an attractive target for the AAC. Wichita State has been to six consecutive NCAA men's tournaments, winning at least one game in the past five and reaching the 2013 Final Four.

Wichita State will become the 12th basketball-playing member of the American Athletic Conference. The Shockers, who don't have a football program, will join the AAC in all Olympic/nonrevenue sports as well. Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

"Wichita State is just a tremendous addition to our league," UConn basketball coach Kevin Ollie said. "Coach [Gregg] Marshall's program is all about winning championships. Year in and year out, they are nationally ranked and earn a spot in the NCAA tournament. I know next season, they are already being projected as a top 10 team. In men's basketball, the American Conference just went up a level."

Added Cincinnati basketball coach Mick Cronin: "Great for our league. I love to see a move for basketball reasons."

Wichita State is the second high-profile school to leave the Missouri Valley Conference. Creighton left for the Big East four years ago.

To leave the Missouri Valley, there is no exit fee if a school provides 24 months of notice. If a school doesn't provide 24 months of notice, it forfeits its NCAA men's basketball tournament units revenue. Since 2007, Wichita State has generated 16 units for the Missouri Valley.

Sources said Wichita State will pay $2.5 million to join the AAC, but the Shockers won't actually pay that amount, as future league revenue -- expected to be $500,000 for each of the next five years -- will be withheld to pay for its entrance fee.

As far as scheduling, the AAC said it would stick with an 18-game conference basketball slate, with schools playing seven home-and-home games and four one-plays.

"The addition of Wichita State is tremendous for this league," Central Florida coach Johnny Dawkins said. "... What Gregg Marshall has done at Wichita State has been impressive and we are excited to have the Shockers join The American."

With the addition of Wichita State, more than one-third of the AAC's schools were previously Missouri Valley Conference members: Cincinnati (1957-69), Houston (1951-59), Memphis (1968-73) and Tulsa (1935-96).

Because of Wichita State's departure, Missouri Valley presidents and athletic directors reportedly will meet Sunday in St. Louis to discuss how the league will replace the Shockers.

"The Missouri Valley Conference has undergone many changes in membership throughout our 110-year history, and the news today of Wichita State University's departure brings us to another stage in the evolution of our league," MVC commissioner Doug Elgin said in a statement. "The Valley has always been resilient and progressive in the face of these changes, and we have never been defined by a single institution. ...

"We have a membership process in place and we will be very deliberate in taking appropriate steps to provide the best opportunities to grow and strengthen our league. We will not waver in our determination to put our student-athletes and teams in the best possible position to compete on the national stage."

Wichita State needed 75 percent of votes from the AAC's board of directors -- the league's university presidents and chancellors -- to earn an invitation from the American.

ESPN's Andy Katz contributed to this report.</s>Arguably the prime athletic school in the Missouri Valley Conference is leaving for a new home.

Wichita State will leave the MVC at the end of this academic year to join the American Athletic Conference as a non-football member in 2017-18, as first reported by Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated.

The AAC board of directors voted unanimously Friday morning to admit the Shockers into the conference. A formal announcement from the school is expected later Friday afternoon.

MVC officials are holding an emergency meeting on Sunday in St. Louis to discuss WSU’s departure and possible schools to replace the Shockers, who had been in the conference since 1945.

This will be the second time in five years that the Missouri Valley will be losing a top school to a bigger conference, also driven by the power of its basketball team. In 2013, Creighton left the Valley in the peak of its Doug McDermott-fueled rise to join the Big East after it initially split from the schools that eventually formed the AAC.

The AAC makes a natural fit for Wichita State, as the conference currently sits at 11 members — Houston, Memphis, Tulsa, Tulane, SMU, Temple, South Florida, Cincinnati, Connecticut, East Carolina, Central Florida as well as football-only Navy — and the addition of the Shockers would round out the conference at 12 members, and ideal number to create conference divisions.

The move makes sense in terms of basketball as well for the school that has made six straight NCAA tournament appearances, including two Sweet 16s and the 2013 Final Four.

Last season, the AAC ranked seventh in CBS Sports’ conference RPI. The MVC ranked 12th, helped immensely by the Shockers’ presence.

Moving to a larger, more respected conference could help Wichita State’s tournament resume each March. A resume-bolstering move would likely be well received by Shocker fans, as the team received a 10 seed in this year’s NCAA tournament after being ranked as the No. 6 team in the country on kenpom.com and No. 20 in the final regular season AP poll.

Wichita State needed votes from nine of the 12 current institutions to be awarded an invitation to join the conference.

According to the MVC Constitution, although there is no exit fee, because the Shockers left the conference with less than 12 months official notice, “the departing institution receives no distributable revenues.”

This means that Wichita State will forfeit its share of NCAA basketball tournament revenues, a majority of which it helped earn. For each game played in the tournament, the team’s respective conference is given one “unit” that lasts six years, holding a value assigned by the NCAA. This year, each unit is valued at approximately $264,859.

The current MVC unit count through the 2017 tournament stands at 24 units, 16 of which were earned by WSU. This means that each of the 10 Valley schools are entitled to — and Wichita is sacrificing — a total of $635,661 before the MVC uses some of this money to cover its expenses.

Wichita State has risen to a national power in some sports, and a conference power in all. In the six sports it holds teams for both men and women — baseball/softball, basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, and track and field — as well as women’s volleyball, the school has collected a total of 51 MVC championships in just the last 10 years.

The entry fee that WSU is paying to join the AAC is unknown at this time. When Tulane joined the conference in 2014, the school’s associate athletics director for business and finance Joe Cali, said the school was paying its fee over a five-year span.

As of now, there are no immediate ties to any other school to replace the Shockers in the MVC. In 2013, the Valley needed less than a month to replace Creighton with Loyola-Chicago.

MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin told Sports Illustrated before the NCAA tournament, when the WSU-AAC rumors started flying that losing the Shockers would be hurt the conference.

“It wouldn’t be a genuine response if I said we weren’t concerned,” Elgin said . “We want them to stay. Losing Creighton was a blow to the league. Losing Wichita State would be the same.”

This story will be updated later.

Sports editor Sean Carley can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @SeanMCarley.

To stay up to date with all your SIU news, follow the Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Twitter.</s>Wichita State will join the American Athletic Conference and leave the Missouri Valley Conference, its home since 1945.

Bill Potter, senior director of communications for the conference, confirmed a Sports Illustrated report that the 12 AAC presidents voted unanimously to invite WSU into the conference. Wichita State president John Bardo confirmed the university accepted the invitation. A news conference is expected later Friday.

Potter said commissioner Mike Aresco is expected to visit Wichita soon.

The move will take place for the 2017-18 school year and include all Shockers sports.

The University of Wichita joined the MVC in 1945 and its identity as a basketball school grew with its membership in the “Valley of Death” during the conference’s glory days of the 1950s and 1960s. For most of the past 72 years, the Valley provided a competitive and geographically suitable place for Shocker athletics.

Presidents from the remaining nine Missouri Valley schools are scheduled to meet with conference administrators Sunday in St. Louis.

The AAC’s geography is more expansive. AAC members are Houston, Memphis, Tulsa, Tulane, SMU, Temple, South Florida, Cincinnati, Connecticut, East Carolina, Central Florida and football-only Navy.

Moving to the AAC is a reunion of sorts for Shocker fans. Houston, Memphis, Tulsa and Cincinnati were all Missouri Valley members before leaving 40-or-more years ago.

Among the highlights of Wichita State’s MVC tenure are the 1965 Final Four, the 1989 College World Series title and the 2013 Final Four. In May, the Shockers won the MVC All-Sports Trophy for the fourth straight year and 10th in the past 13.

As Wichita State’s athletic program, led by men’s basketball, grew in stature over the past decade, discontent with the MVC grew among fans.

In 2015, university president John Bardo announced that the school would look at conference affiliation as part of a comprehensive examination of WSU’s future in athletics, one that will include considering new sports, new facilities and a new set of conference partners.

Bardo had three conferences in mind – the American, the Mountain West and the Atlantic 10 – as possible upgrades. The public evaluation accomplished its goal of putting WSU on the market. Two years later, the American welcomed the Shockers.

Speculation about WSU’s interest in the American started in December 2015, when the university announced its plans to evaluate its conference options and the addition of sports. Bardo’s desire to associate Wichita State with schools he views as similar institutions — such as AAC-members Memphis, Houston and Cincinnati — drives his interest to help the school’s enrollment, academic and athletic goals.

“We’re an emerging major research university,” Bardo said in 2015. “If you look at what’s happening around the United States, major research universities are the core drivers of those cities that are being successful. We really feel that change in society has positioned us differently.”

Athletically, the AAC represents a step up in most sports from the MVC. That is especially important in men’s basketball, where the strength of the AAC could boost WSU’s NCAA Tournament at-large and seed resumes.

On the academic side, Bardo wants his school associated with similar schools with academic and research missions. Playing in AAC cities such as Dallas and Houston will give WSU fund-raisers opportunities to visit areas with numerous alums. Destinations such as New Orleans and Orlando give fund-raisers attractive trips to pitch to alums and boosters.

The American Athletic Conference formed in 2013 out of the wreckage of the Big East. Seven private schools, none of whom play football at the top level, went their own way, retaining the Big East name.

The remaining schools, all with football, regrouped and raided Conference USA.

Earlier this month, AAC commissioner Mike Aresco batted down rumors of the addition of three basketball schools, while perhaps leaving the door open for one in an interview on Sirius XM radio.

“We have 11 basketball members,” Aresco said. “I’m not certain what we’ll do in the future. We’re always evaluating our basketball to see if we can make it stronger. Right now, there is nothing going on. On the basketball side … we always explore whether we can strengthen ourselves. Until something is actually happening or would happen, I’m not going to comment.”</s>President John Bardo announced that Wichita State University has accepted today’s invitation from Commissioner Mike Aresco to join the American Athletic Conference, known as “The American.” The new affiliation begins July 1, 2017.

 

 “This is an event of great importance in defining the future of Wichita State,” Bardo said. “Two years ago we set out on a fact-finding process to determine the best way athletics could help position the university for enrollment growth and enhance WSU’s reputation as an academic and research institution.

 

 “With the help of College Sports Solutions, a national consulting firm, we examined numerous options, including staying where we were.

 

 “It became clear to us that The American offered the best combination of universities that share our academic and cultural values and research focus. The University of Tulsa, Southern Methodist University (in Dallas) and the University of Houston are located in areas of Oklahoma and Texas that make up part of the prime areas where we want to recruit students.

 

 “In addition to those cities, Cincinnati, New Orleans, Orlando, Tampa, Memphis, Philadelphia, Storrs/Hartford, and Greenville, North Carolina, are all cities that our athletes, alumni and fans will enjoy visiting, and we’re looking forward to welcoming them to Wichita,” Bardo said.

 

 “I will begin reaching out immediately to other presidents in The American to look for ways that we can build bridges to their academic programs and researchers, along with their athletic programs.”

 

 “We are pleased and proud to welcome Wichita State to The American,” conference commissioner Mike Aresco said. “This is a university with a strong athletic and academic heritage which shares our conference’s commitment to excellence, and we look forward to having them as a member. The university has an exceptionally strong tradition of success in men’s basketball and baseball. The addition of Wichita State in basketball and Olympic sports extends our conference’s national footprint, enhances our national profile and strengthens our position as a leader in intercollegiate athletics.”

 

 WSU Athletic Director said the student athletes, coaches and fans with whom he has spoken are tremendously excited about the coming move.

 

 “This gives us an opportunity to regularly test ourselves against traditionally strong competition — and to do so on a grander stage,” Boatright said.

 

 Bardo and Boatright both expressed appreciation to the Missouri Valley Conference and Commissioner Doug Elgin.

 

 “Doug and my athletic director colleagues have been gracious and understanding about our departure,” Boatright said. “We wish the Missouri Valley all the best.”</s>PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND – Commissioner Mike Aresco announced Friday the addition of Wichita State to the American Athletic Conference in men’s and women’s basketball and Olympic sports beginning on July 1, 2017, according to a media release.

The American’s Board of Directors unanimously voted to accept Wichita State as its newest member.

“We are pleased and proud to welcome Wichita State to The American,” Aresco said. “This is a University with a strong athletic and academic heritage which shares our Conference’s commitment to excellence, and we look forward to having them as a member. The University has an exceptionally strong tradition of success in men’s basketball and baseball. The addition of Wichita State in basketball and Olympic sports extends our Conference’s national footprint, enhances our national profile, and strengthens our position as a leader in intercollegiate athletics.”

“This is an event of great importance in defining the future of Wichita State,” John Bardo, President of Wichita State University said. “Two years ago, we set out on a fact-finding process to determine the best way athletics could help position the University for enrollment growth and enhance WSU’s reputation as an academic and research institution. It became clear to us that The American offered the best combination of universities who share our academic and cultural values and research focus.”

“On behalf of all the presidents of the American Athletic Conference, I am very happy to welcome Wichita State to our league,” said Susan Herbst, President of the University of Connecticut and Chair of The American Board of Directors. “Wichita State brings a strong academic and athletic tradition to The American, and their fans and alumni are passionate about the school and their teams. The addition of Wichita State to The American will further enhance the league and its national reputation.”

Founded in 1895, Wichita State University is a public university and the third-largest research university governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The University is a growing leader in innovation, creativity and collaborative learning and enrolls 14,500 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students. Wichita State offers 200 areas of study in seven academic undergraduate colleges, 42 master’s degrees, 12 doctoral degrees and 26 certificate programs.

Wichita State sponsors 15 sports – baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, men’s golf, women’s golf, softball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s indoor track & field, women’s indoor track & field, men’s outdoor track & field, women’s outdoor track & field and volleyball – all of which will compete in The American. The Shockers have been a member of the Missouri Valley Conference since 1945.

Wichita State’s men’s basketball program has a storied history, winning more than 1,500 contests in its 111-year history. The school has won 11 MVC regular-season championships, including four straight, and four tournament crowns, its most recent in 2017. Under current head coach Gregg Marshall, the Shockers have won more than 260 games for a nearly .750 winning percentage.

Marshall’s teams have captured five MVC regular-season titles and two tournament crowns. He led Wichita State to the school’s second-ever NCAA Final Four appearance in 2013 and was named National Coach of the Year in 2014. Marshall also guided the Shockers to the National Invitation Championship in 2011 and his teams have won 25-plus contests in eight consecutive seasons.

One of five schools to win an NCAA Tournament game in each of the last five years, Wichita State has registered 10 NCAA Tournament wins since 2013, tied for fifth-most in college basketball. Over the last four seasons, the Shockers are 59-1 in home games at Charles Koch Arena (10,506 capacity), the second most wins and second-best winning percentage behind Arizona’s 66-1 record at the McKale Center. Charles Koch Arena is home to the men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball programs.

Wichita State’s women’s basketball team won three consecutive MVC regular-season and tournament titles from 2013-15 and has appeared in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament on four occasions. The Shocker volleyball team won the MVC Tournament title for the fourth time in school history in 2016 and has earned a berth in the NCAA Championship nine of the last 10 seasons, including an appearance in the round of 16 in 2012.

On the baseball diamond, Wichita State has won more than 2,100 games and captured the 1989 College World Series crown. The team plays in 8,153-seat Eck Stadium and boasts 37 Major League Baseball players all-time.

The Wichita State men’s and women’s tennis programs also have experienced great success. The men’s team has captured 25 MVC tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Championship on 11 occasions, while the women’s program has won 18 conference crowns and earned 10 NCAA Championship berths.

Beginning July 1, 2017, the Conference will consist of the University of Central Florida, the University of Cincinnati, the University of Connecticut, East Carolina University, the University of Houston, the University of Memphis, Southern Methodist University, the University of South Florida, Temple University, Tulane University, the U.S. Naval Academy and Wichita State University. Navy is a football-only member and Wichita State will be a basketball and Olympic sports-only member.</s>Get the latest news and sports information about the University of Northern Iowa Panthers sports teams, including football, basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball.

Get the latest news and sports information about the University of Northern Iowa Panthers sports teams, including football, basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball.

The American Athletic Conference has voted to extend an invitation to Wichita State to join the league.



Conference spokesman Bill Potter says the presidents of the conference's 12 member schools voted unanimously Friday to admit the school in all sports but football. The school, which is currently a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, does not have a football program but it is a powerhouse in men's basketball.



The AAC currently has 12 members for football: UCF, Cincinnati, UConn, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, Navy, SMU, South Florida, Temple, Tulane and Tulsa. Navy is a football-only school, so the Shockers would give the conference 12 members in both football and basketball.</s>Wichita State will leave the Missouri Valley Conference, its home since 1945, to join the American Athletic Conference, Gary Parrish of CBS Sports first reported.

A formal announcement from the university is expected soon.

AAC presidents voted on Wichita State early Friday morning, 12 voted unanimously to approve the Shockers. A 75 percent vote was needed.

Bill Potter, senior director of communications for the AAC confirmed to Paul Suellentrop of the Wichita Eagle the announcement of Wichita State’s inclusion.

“This could not be better for us,” Wichita State President John Bardo said receiving the call. “We’re so excited.

“This is an exciting day for everyone. This is a big deal.”

Wichita State is expected to join the AAC for all sports starting for the 2017-18 school year.

The AAC currently has 11 basketball schools; football-only Navy gives the league 12 members for football. Wichita State ended their football program in 1986.

The AAC’s 11 basketball members are: Central Florida, Cincinnati, Connecticut, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, Southern Methodist, South Florida, Temple, Tulane and Tulsa.

The remaining nine Missouri Valley presidents will meet Sunday to discuss conference realignment.

“It wouldn’t be a genuine response if I said we weren’t concerned,” MVC commissioner Doug Elgin told Sports Illustrated earlier this month.</s>Wichita State accepted an invitation Friday to join the American Athletic Conference, ending a relationship with the Missouri Valley Conference that dated back nearly a half-century.

The presidents of the AAC's 12 member schools voted unanimously to admit the school in all sports but football. The school, which has been a member of the MVC since 1945, does not have a football program but it is a powerhouse in men's basketball.

It will officially join the league on July 1.

“Here we go!,“ the school tweeted in announcing its decision.

The AAC currently has 12 members for football: UCF, Cincinnati, UConn, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, Navy, SMU, South Florida, Temple, Tulane and Tulsa. Navy is a football-only school, so the Shockers would give the conference 12 members in both football and basketball.

“The addition of Wichita State in basketball and Olympic sports extends our conference's national footprint, enhances our national profile and strengthens our position as a leader in intercollegiate athletics,” said Mike Aresco, the conference's commissioner.

The addition could also help both the conference and the Shockers when it comes to seeding in basketball for the NCAA Tournament. Wichita State received just a 10 seed in this year's tournament, despite a 30-4 record — the fourth time in five years the Shockers have had at least 30 wins. They ended up losing in the second round to Kentucky, 65-62, in one of the tournament's best games.

The AAC, meanwhile, got just two bids into the tournament. Both conference champion SMU and Cincinnati were seeded sixth in their regionals and lost in the first round.

Because it did not give the required two-year notice for leaving the MVC, Wichita State will have to forfeit its share this year's conference revenue distribution.

“Two years ago, we set out on a fact-finding process to determine the best way athletics could help position the university for enrollment growth and enhance WSU's reputation as an academic and research institution.,” said John Bardo, the Wichita State president. “It became clear to us that the American offered the best combination of universities who share our academic and cultural values and research focus.”

Messages were left seeking comment from the Missouri Valley Conference. The school is the second to leave the MVC in the past four years. Creighton left for the Big East in 2013.</s>Wichita State fans are already loving the Shockers’ new home.

Shortly after Wichita State accepted an invitation to join the American Athletic Conference on Friday, fans used some of the biggest and best phrases in sports to describe the move.

Some called it a slam dunk. Home run. Even a grand slam. But perhaps Steve Boleski, a season-ticket holder and lifelong WSU fan, put it best: “It’s a great day to be a Shocker.”

“You dream about an opportunity like this,” Boleski said. “The question that goes across your mind when you do is, how realistic is it? Is it going to happen? Well, now it has, and it changes the complexion of the athletic department. It’s a good move for the university that will align our interests with a conference that has a much similar focus and level of commitment to competing at a national level.”

Wichita State joins the AAC after calling the Missouri Valley Conference home since 1945. The Valley was good to the Shockers for many years, providing a geographical and competitive fit for most of their teams, but they appeared to outgrow the conference in men’s basketball.

That much was evidenced when they received a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament after going 30-4 and a top-20 ranking by the end of the regular season.

“It was imperative that they make the move now,” former Wichita State player Ron Mendell said. “The Missouri Valley just seemed to be in a bit of a decline. The loss of Creighton was a blow to the league. We lost a natural rival and the rest of the teams couldn’t keep up. Some of those schools used to have really good basketball programs — Bradley, Drake, Indiana State, Northern Iowa. They just haven’t been able to put it together.”

“Recruiting was becoming a problem in the league. I enjoyed playing in the Missouri Valley, but it’s not the Valley of Death anymore. I wish them well, but moving to the American is a positive.”

A positive that will send Wichita State into a conference that routinely ranks just behind the five power conferences in basketball prestige and give fans new travel destinations.

The American consists of Central Florida, Cincinnati, Connecticut, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, South Florida, SMU, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa and now Wichita State. Navy is a football-only member.

“I’m excited to possibly take a trip to Tulsa, Dallas or New Orleans to see the Shockers play,” said WSU fan Kelsey Coonce.

Coonce said she was interested to see how joining a conference that emphasizes football will impact Wichita State’s future gridiron plans. She is also curious to see how WSU teams respond to games on the East Coast.

“The AAC is much more spread out and I know our athletic department obviously thought of that when making the decision,” Coonce said. “I hope that the men’s basketball team can continue with the same amount of success, and that people will stop doubting the program as weak or inferior just because of the conference we were in.”

Of course, fans won’t have to travel to see good basketball in the American.

“Another great thing about the move is having higher profile teams coming into Koch Arena,” Ty Houseman said. “The difficulty Wichita State has had getting quality home games has been widely publicized, and being in the same conference with several potential top-tier programs will make for a much more anticipated home schedule.”

If playing alongside tradition-rich basketball schools such as Cincinnati, Memphis, Temple and UConn boosts Wichita State’s profile, some think Gregg Marshall will stop being a coaching target for every top power-conference job that comes open.

“I feel this move could ensure Marshall stays until he retires,” Russell Lowden said. “I think he was getting tired of bad seeds in the tournament due to The Valley schedule not offering many quality win opportunities.”

“I see no reason for him to leave now,” Loren Honse added.

Lowden said he also looks forward to attending a new conference tournament in a new city. Past AAC tournaments have been held in Memphis, Orlando and Hartford, Conn. It returns to Orlando next season.

Few fans offered anything resembling a negative remark about Wichita State’s move on Friday, but some admitted they were nervous about the stability of the Shockers’ new conference.

Every basketball-playing member of the league, except Tulsa, tried to bolt for the Big 12 last summer when it announced plans to explore expansion. Cincinnati, Houston and Memphis pushed especially hard and still have eyes for a power conference. The teams within the American don’t share much history. Is there a chance the league could be raided and diluted in a few years?

“The move to the AAC, for me, will still be a sit back and hope for the best,” Honse said. “But with our teams’ strength and coaching ability I believe it is a great fit.”

In some ways, it’s a dream come true.

“I just think people should be excited about this,” Boleski said. “It’s an opportunity to improve and to compete to win at the highest level possible. In college sports, that’s what it’s all about.”</s>MVC Could Look To Expand With Summit League Teams

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Wichita State made official one of the worst kept secrets in college sports, leaving the Missouri Valley Conference today to join the American Athletic Conference. The Shockers will begin play in the AAC next season.

With Wichita’s departure, the Valley is down to nine teams and will reportedly hold an emergency meeting this Sunday to discuss the league’s future and possible expansion which could include raiding the Summit League.

Nebraska-Omaha and Denver have been among the teams the Valley is said to have interest in. SDSU and USD have also been mentioned as outside candidates by some but it’s believed they are long shots since the MVC would prefer to expand to larger, urban markets and cities.
Wichita State University will leave the Missouri Valley Conference after the 2016–17 school year to join the American Athletic Conference. The Shockers will become the first full but non-football member of The American since the 2013 split of its predecessor, the original Big East Conference.