The Pro's And Con's of Adding Wichita State To The American Conference

Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel wrote that Wichita State is in serious talks to join the AAC in the 2017-18 season. I broke down how this could be, both a great idea and a not so good one.  ESPN's Andy Katz reported that if the American offers Wichita, then the Shockers will accept the invitation. A decision by the AAC is expected soon.

Pro's

Separation
Adding the Shockers would certainly give the AAC some separation.  Although, the AAC won't be apart of the "Power 6" brand I think this would give them the edge as the best "mid major".  The only conferences really close are the A 10 and maybe the WCC.  The American would certainly produce better top teams than the A 10, but I think the Atlantic 10 has a little more depth, at least this year (the aac had a really down year).

Quality
This one is a given. Wichita State just provides a better win for Cincinnati and the rest of the league. At least for know.  The American has gotten a bad draw numerous times on Selection Sunday in the league's short history.

Geographically

Wichita is in Kansas, so it isn't too far off geographically.  They would have conference members in Oklahoma in Tulsa, and SMU and Houston in Texas.  Here is what the map of all the schools currently looks like.


12 Teams
The AAC went to 12 in football and it makes sense to do it in basketball as well.  Here is what the new AAC tournament bracket would look like with 12 teams.  It basically means that the top 4 teams will get byes instead of the top 5.

Cons

What If Marshall Leaves
In the past, Marshall has remained loyal to WSU, but it only takes one school at any given time. Money talks a big game, and IF Marshall were to ever leave then Wichita might fall into the ranks of Tulsa or any other mediocre team in the AAC.  Luckily, I don't think Marshall will leave.

Less Money
Allegedly, ESPN will not increase the money the AAC gets in its TV deal.  The AAC Commissioner is currently scheduled to meet with ESPN soon.

UConn Fans
For some reason, Huskies fans seem to think this confirms them going to the Big East. UConn people on twitter are saying that Wichita is UConn's replacement. I'll be damned if they get into a power conference before UC does.