Questions about NEXT season

[BU_EMT128]

Ok, a bit premature I will concede. This is not a "We will be so much better next year" thread. All I want to know is, who are our guaranteed non-con opponents next year?

[Da Coach]

Here is what I can recall right now-
A Mountain West team at home (supposedly UNLV, New Mexico, or Utah)
Northern Illinois at home
Western Carolina on the road
Probably a tournament that will give us 1 or 2 home games, then 2 or 3 games on a neutral court.

[BradleyBrave]

Is the Butler series cancelled? I thought we had one game left with them at their place that they postponed this year.

[squirrelgotdead]

The only knowns are:

vs. NIU
@ Western Carolina

Home vs. TBA MWC (Utah, UNLV or New Mexico)
Road BracketBuster

Questionable are Loyola and Butler. Technically we are in a stay of a multi-year deal with Butler and owe them a return game to complete it. I might figure Loyola (home or away).

A little bird tells me we are going to be in a Florida tournament, but not the one we should be in. There will likely be a Southland Conference team and a MWC team in the field we will see in the first game down there.

I have also heard UMKC will be making a visit to us (may be part of the tournament or a regular non-con, not clear at this time).

Since the return game to Drexel is pushed back one year, and I know attempts were made to schedule St. Joseph's and LaSalle this year, it might stand to reason we try for a home-and-home with one this year at home, so we can pick up two in Philly in two years. . .just a thought.

[real fan]

Which tour. in Florida as the Old Spice would be a good one to attend.

[squirrelgotdead]

Which tour. in Florida as the Old Spice would be a good one to attend.

It won't be the Old Spice (that's the one I referenced we should be in but won't).

[Nacho]

Since the return game to Drexel is pushed back one year, and I know attempts were made to schedule St. Joseph's and LaSalle this year, it might stand to reason we try for a home-and-home with one this year at home, so we can pick up two in Philly in two years. . .just a thought.

I have read where the teams have the option to schedule the return game next year, or wait a year... I assume if the teams cannot agree, it will default to the following year...

[BUfan14]

It won't be the Old Spice (that's the one I referenced we should be in but won't).

Is it a new one? Cause I don't see any pre-season tournaments in Florida other than the Old Spice Classic and the Orange Bowl Classic.

Will there be any top tier teams in it?

[squirrelgotdead]

Is it a new one? Cause I don't see any pre-season tournaments in Florida other than the Old Spice Classic and the Orange Bowl Classic.

Will there be any top tier teams in it?

Teams are still being arranged so I don't know too many details. The Southland team is intriguing, but might lose quite a bit this year, and without giving it away, the MWC isn't that exciting and is requiring they won't see the SL team. (That's your clue to the MWC school)

As for the tournament, it's not a new one, it's just not well known. This year's field had an SEC, ACC, CUSA and MVC team in it. So, the MWC probably is taking the spot for the CUSA team and the big fish are still trying to be caught.

[squirrelgotdead]

I have read where the teams have the option to schedule the return game next year, or wait a year... I assume if the teams cannot agree, it will default to the following year...

And there's a wrench in the BracketBuster that the Valley worked in for it's teams with the MVC/MWC Challenge. . .

Just the way the rotations fall for the BB, it had been possible for a team to have both it's BB game and return game be on the road the same year. It was also possible the MVC-MWC game also be on the road.

Elgin demanded that the Valley schools could not go on the road for all 3 in the same year. So, for instance, say Bradley had a BracketBuster home game last year vs. Loyola instead of road, the return game to Loyola would be this year, and had to go on the road for the event this year, to go along with the road game to BYU. . .

[Grassman]

" WE should be better next year"
Well we better be! that Ind st. team, that beat us last night, only loses Josh Crawford.
The second place Wichita Team, Clevin Hannah, that is it. The rest are back.
SIU? well their only loss is Tony Freeman.
YOU know Mo. St. that team that beat us by 19 at their place.say goodbye to Justin Fuehrmeyer and welcome the rest back.
Evansville? They lose, well they don't lose. Good or bad everybody returns..

Only Il St. Odiakosa, Eldridge, and Phillips, N. Ia. Eglseder, Koch, and Farokmanesh, Drake, Young and Templeton, (although they have a highly rated recruiting class coming in) Are hurt by graduation.

So there are several teams that "should be better next year"
Seems to me we are going to have to "get better" just to stay where we are! We need a whole lot of more than better!

[Da Coach]

A little bird tells me we are going to be in a Florida tournament

Bradley will be in a tournament next November, but I would suggest fans should not make Florida arrangements yet.

[squirrelgotdead]

Bradley will be in a tournament next November, but I would suggest fans should not make Florida arrangements yet.

Excellent point Da Coach. . .this is just they way it looks to be headed now. Who knows a better offer could come through and changes everything.

So don't book your travel until Bradley announces it officially.

I would hope that would be the case anyway, but just to be safe. . .

[Bravesfan]

The only knowns are:

vs. NIU
@ Western Carolina

Home vs. TBA MWC (Utah, UNLV or New Mexico)
Road BracketBuster

Questionable are Loyola and Butler. Technically we are in a stay of a multi-year deal with Butler and owe them a return game to complete it. I might figure Loyola (home or away).

A little bird tells me we are going to be in a Florida tournament, but not the one we should be in. There will likely be a Southland Conference team and a MWC team in the field we will see in the first game down there.

I have also heard UMKC will be making a visit to us (may be part of the tournament or a regular non-con, not clear at this time).

Since the return game to Drexel is pushed back one year, and I know attempts were made to schedule St. Joseph's and LaSalle this year, it might stand to reason we try for a home-and-home with one this year at home, so we can pick up two in Philly in two years. . .just a thought.

I really like the idea of a series with St. Joseph's, and have mentioned them and other A-10 teams many times over the past few years. I just hope if it is St. Joe's that they got their down year out of the way this year! I'd like to play them as NCAA contenders, not as also-rans. LaSalle does not interest me at all as they have been A-10 bottom feeders for quite awhile now.

The other key is another good tournament ala the Las Vegas Invitational this year. It will do us no good to play four cremepuffs if we don't get a shot or two at the big boys. That is unless we pad our record like Illinois St. and get into the NIT by default!

[Bravesfan]

Bradley will be in a tournament next November, but I would suggest fans should not make Florida arrangements yet.

Good! I'll be more than happy to see our team travel to Alaska (no, just using that as a completely phony hypothetical example! ) if it means the chance of playing some great teams! Sorry, but the idea of playing Air Force (while they're down) or Wyoming is just not the idea of the "marquee" opponent we need to boost our RPI.