Valley Schedule Released

[BU_EMT128]

http://www.bradleybraves.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=3400&KEY=&SPID=1498&SPSID=19332

[basketball nut]

What is the deal w/ all of the double dates-does that have to deal w/ possible television games?

[BradleyBrave]

I thought all of the 'big' games were when students were in session? The SIU game sure doesn't fit that bill.

[TheAsianSensation]

What is the deal w/ all of the double dates-does that have to deal w/ possible television games?

Almost guaranteed to be TV option dates.


What a critical final 5:

Illinois St
Northern Iowa
@Indiana St
Wichita St
@Creighton

Those first 4 are very winnable, yet very loseable if you're not careful. 4 of those final 5 are against the other 4 teams most pundits predict will be in the upper half of the Valley.

And a critical first 5:
@Drake
Southern Illinois
@Wichita St
Indiana St
@Missouri St

Even though there's 3 roadies....don't you almost feel you need 4-1 coming out of that?

[TheAsianSensation]

I thought all of the 'big' games were when students were in session? The SIU game sure doesn't fit that bill.

I was going to begin to complain, but with 3 home games during break, sometimes it's inevitable. We get the rest of the projected top 5 in the Valley when students are back, so I'd deem it acceptable.

[tornado]

What is the deal w/ all of the double dates-does that have to deal w/ possible television games?

"the exact dates of four Valley games, including the home game against Illinois State, are still to be determined by television"

[BU_EMT128]

I was going to begin to complain, but with 3 home games during break, sometimes it's inevitable. We get the rest of the projected top 5 in the Valley when students are back, so I'd deem it acceptable.

My thoughts exactly. Cant win them all, and this is certainly better than last year.

[PTownHawkeye]

Is the non-con finalized? Last year we played 11 non-con games and this year we have 10 scheduled so far.

I'm surprised to see 3 different breaks of over 1 week including 2 different 9 day layoffs. I know they usually take finals off, but it seems odd to have 2 other gaps so long.

I certainly can't complain of a non-con slate including BYU, Ok St., Ill/Utah, and a much-improved Iowa St. team! It would be nice to have one marquee game at Carver, but at least we have 5 winnable games at home. Heck, we will be easily favored in every home game until the end of Jan when Creighton comes to Peoria.

[tornado]

Wichita won't release their until next week

http://twitter.com/PaulSuellentrop/status/3759801143

[tornado]

Creighton has released their entire schedule

http://www.gocreighton.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=1000&ATCLID=204787501

[Nacho]

ISU's

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ilsu/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/0910_Schedule.pdf

[TheAsianSensation]

Now Creighton...THAT'S a schedule. Maybe, maybe one too many bottom-feeders (SSU and HB could be in the 300s), but that's nitpicking.

As for ISU, I want to throw something. On top of EVERYTHING wrong with that, they added a SWAC school?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!??!?! THAT was the extra game added?

edit: I really don't care how crude or evil this sounds. That was a disgraceful effort by ISU. Disgraceful. The rest of the MVC should be offended at this.

[tornado]

got Grambling?

(during the Xmas break - should draw 2500!
last year Grambling was the lowest rated team in the lowest rated conference and the lowest RPI of any Valley opponent)

[tornado]

wow, a couple of the Valley schools with the weakest schedules have fans already drooling over the possibility of maybe 24 or 25 wins!

[Da Coach]

Omaha World Herald article about the Creighton schedule-
Part of men's schedule proves disappointing

http://www.omaha.com/article/20090904/SPORTS02/709049893

Bloomington pantagraph article about the ISU schedule-

http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/article_107d8836-99c1-11de-9187-001cc4c03286.html

After looking over the Illinois State schedule, my thoughts are that it is woefully weak. Yes, every MVC school's schedule contains weak opponents, but after 2 straight years where ISU's poor schedule is the main single factor that kept ISU out of the NCAA tournament, there were promises that they would upgrade their schedule. And with the league's marquee player, this is the year ISU needed to play some better competetion.
But this year's schedule is arguably the weakest non-conference schedule by any MVC team, maybe in memory! It is loaded with bad teams. The only 2 teams that aren't ridiculously weak are Utah, and Niagara, and ISU had nothing to do with scheduling those 2. Utah is the result of the MVC-MWC agreement, and Niagara is the result of the payback game for last year's BracketBuster. So ISU did not actually have anything to do with scheduling the only teams with an RPI last year lower than 166!
This schedule pretty much guarantees that ISU can win 25 or 30 games this season, and unless they win the MVC tournament, they will be playing in the NIT again.

Here is ISU's non-conference schedule-
Nov. 11 - Quincy (exhibition), 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 15 - At Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, 2:30 p.m. (Not included in RPI last year- probably would be around 330+)
Nov. 21 - North Florida, 4:05 p.m. (RPI- 326)
Nov. 23 - At Illinois-Chicago, 7 p.m. (RPI-166)
Nov. 27 - Norfolk State, 6:05 p.m. (RPI- 290)
Nov. 28 - Southeast Missouri St., 6:05 p.m. (RPI-339)
Nov. 29 - St. Bonaventure, 3:35 p.m. (RPI- 201)
Dec. 5 - Central Michigan, 7:05 p.m. (RPI-297)
Dec. 13 - Niagara, 2:05 p.m. (RPI- 49)
Dec. 16 - At Ohio, TBA (RPI- 184)
Dec. 19 - At Utah, 5 p.m. (RPI- 9)
Dec. 22 - Grambling State, 7:05 p.m. (RPI- 340)