First place recruiting, if you are a decent D1 prospect in the maryland are would you go to Salisbury or Maryland, Hopkins, Towson, Virginia, North Carolina or Duke if they still have a program next year common lets be serious, Look at Hobart now they are competing with Syracuse etc for good prospects, schools like Hobart, St. John's, Butler, Bellarmine will always be in the lower D1, because the pool of good players are still not big enough.
Forget abou Scrimage I saw thw Duke Salisbury scrimage and it was a joke.
Right now if the current Gulls team go D1 they will be a top 20 team and that is it, Won't make it to top 10. they will make the tourney and lose early.