They didnt get out bc Conference USA wouldnt allow full time members without football programs. I went to SLU when they were in Conference USA and for their first season in the A-10. Conference USA was not financially stable enough to support the bigger programs. The league was about to absolve which is why 9 out of the 12 teams left the conference in 2005. Only Memphis, UAB, and Southern Miss remained so to keep the conference alive they scrambled for lousy southern teams. Conference USA used to be something, I mean, Charlotte, Louisville, Memphis, TCU, Marquette, Cincinnati. Now it is nothing. Slu went to the A-10 because it could not get into the Big East. Also, at the time the A-10 provided better competition for Slu's main sports, soccer and basketball. The MVC is nothing special, maybe Slu would get into the tournament more often in that conference but I would rather have my alma mater play against stronger opponents than play teams like Bradley, Evansville, Wichita State,Northern Iowa and Illinois State.

They got out of Conference USA BECAUSE the conference will no longer allow full time members without football progams.

Schools really need to get past academics if they really want to be good at any sport. It is a 19th Century philosophy that does not work in the 21st Century.

This is tough for Saint Louis. They got out of Conference USA probably because they could not handle the travel there. Unfortunately, they did not choose the correct conference. They Missouri Valley would have been a much better choice because the competition is not as tough in the Valley and the travel would not be nearly as harsh. I am not sure if the Valley would want them, but I am sure that Saint Louis would gladly go there if given the chance. It would make so much more sense on so many levels for them to be in the Valley. The closest team to them in the A-10 is probably Dayton. The farthest that any team in the Valley would be perhaps Creighton, which is in Omaha. Rick is going to lobby all the way for this one!!