Middle of the pack, I’d say. Not quite Bucknell or Lehigh, but probably around the same level as American. So we’re probably looking at 3rd-5th in the PL most years.

You want better teams in your conference. Strength of schedule matters in college basketball. The better your conference, the higher your RPI’s are and the better chance you may have for MAAC teams to get at large bids (or higher seeds for the automatic bid). Chicago State? No way. Too far. Every team in the MAAC would have to fly there.

i like that fit a lot

I think the MAAC should invite Drexel. It will get the conference into the Philadelphia market. The CAA is losing VCU and ODU and they always favor the Virginia schools (the conference tournament is ALWAYS in Richmond and Drexel couldn’t win the CAA final since it was a virtual home game for VCU last year). The travel will be a lot better for Drexel with Rider fairly close and lots of opponents in the New York area (only the Buffalo area schools would probably require a plane trip).
Even if they do invite Drexel, the MAAC will be entirely north of the Mason Dixon line after Loyola leaves.

Guessing that if the MAAC took someone from the NEC to replace Loyola that the NEC would replace that school with N.J.I.T.?