December 9, 2014 Bradley plays at Kansas State

[tornado]

We get to see Bruce Weber, Chris Lowery, Alvin Brooks III and the K-State Wildcats!

http://www.kake.com/sports/headlines/KSU-releases-non-conference-basketball-schedule-262378031.html

"The (Kansas State) team returns to Manhattan for back-to-back home games against Bradley
on Tuesday, December 9 and Savannah State on Sunday, December 14 ...
It will be the first meeting with Bradley since 1996 and first in Manhattan since 1995.."

"The Braves return three starters from a squad that went 12-20 in 2013-14"

https://kansasstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1648847

[Da Coach]

Is this a home and home series? I suspect more likely it is a "buy game" like Arizona State was last year.

[dlofx]

Fun fact: Former Bradley Assistant Alvin Brooks III is an assistant with Kansas State.

[Skut Farcus]

So, a cupcake would be better?

[Da Coach]

So, a cupcake would be better?

I don't know any Bradley fan that would prefer another cupcake. We will see plenty of those on the home schedule. It would be nice to see a quality non-conference opponent like this on the home schedule again some day.


Btw, the Bradley schedule shows this Kansas State game, but does not show any other games, even though I think several others have been arranged.

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

And here is an article about the game-

http://www.bradleybraves.com//ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=1498&DB_OEM_ID=3400&ATCLID=209519469

As noted in the article, Bradley is 2-2 all time against Kansas State. The Bradley win over K-State in the 1974 Commissioner's Classic tournament in St. Louis in 1974 featured All American Lon Kruger, but one of the K-State bench players that season was freshman backup point guard Jim Molinari. Jim played 2 seasons at Kansas State before transferring and excelling at Illinois Wesleyan and playing with Jack Sikma.

[tornado]

The Bradley basketball web site has the story on the game this coming season at Kansas State that was first broken here

http://www.bradleybraves.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=25965&SPID=1498&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=209519469&DB_OEM_ID=3400

PJS also just put a little blurb up about the game

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20140609/SPORTS/140609131/10930/SPORTS

[mexicobufan]

Glad to have the game no matter how we got it. This will help with SOS and the developement of our young guys.

[Rick LeHew]

So, a cupcake would be better?

VERY happy to see this on the schedule. Really tired of all the cupcakes and bad Non-Con SOS.

[tornado]

Tim Jankovich said that the Missouri Valley tells its members NOT to play guarantee games.

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showpost.php?p=178605&postcount=24

Jank said multiple times he would never do it but Dan Muller has a different thought.
No sooner had Muller been hired than he proudly took a guarantee game at Louisville....and the Louisville press noted how unusual it was for an MVC team to be doing a "guarantee game".

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showpost.php?p=258829&postcount=1

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?p=233577#post233577

Gregg Marshall will no longer do guarantee games - not even at Kansas

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/12/17/the-secondary-break-tuesdays-links-6/

Dr. Cross said early in his tenure during a chat that he would not want to do guarantee games...and even noted "...the high price of travel and guarantee games" ... & not getting a return game out of it.
BUT -- we did Arizona State last year

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showpost.php?p=281201&postcount=61

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=22637

He summed his thoughts on guarantee games as generally would not do them or possibly...
"a very limited number of them"

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?p=194430&#post194430

Plenty of big schools - even Big Ten are still trying to find opponents for their home guarantee games!
We know from many sources they are willing to pay $70,000 to $100,000+.
Payments of over $1 million are not rare for football.

http://www.basketballtravelers.com/game-schedule-board/?e_type=1

FGCU just added a couple guarantee games at Xavier (with FGCU getting $95,000) & Pitt

http://www.news-press.com/story/sports/college/fgcu/2014/06/06/fgcu-adds-trip-pitt-dec-schedule/10081613/

[AZ BU Fan]

Bradley hasn't earned the right to get home and home vs BCS school programs. A loss to BU in Peoria would really hurt now and coaches know BU has a sluggers chance in a sold out PCC.

If/when BU can sustain some success in the MVC, the risk-reward for BCS schools coming to PEO makes more sense. BU should look to other top mid majors for pre season home/home series. Teams who were in the big dance, or top two in their conferences.

[BuB]

Dr. Cross said early in his tenure during a chat that he would not want to do guarantee games...and even noted "...the high price of travel and guarantee games" ... & not getting a return game out of it.
BUT -- we did Arizona State last year

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showpost.php?p=281201&postcount=61

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=22637

He summed his thoughts on guarantee games as generally would not do them or possibly...
"a very limited number of them"

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?p=194430&#post194430

Plenty of big schools - even Big Ten are still trying to find opponents for their home guarantee games!
We know from many sources they are willing to pay $70,000 to $100,000+.
Payments of over $1 million are not rare for football.
http://www.basketballtravelers.com/g...oard/?e_type=1

If the reports are true that Bradley is in dire financial straits, largely because of athletics, is it a big deal that we take a game like this? Sounds like we could use the money. I would not be surprised at all to see another "buy" game on our schedule. Take another if possible. I like the fact that it makes our schedule stronger. This years team should improve on last years conference record. Add that to a stronger SOS and we are heading in the right direction.

[tornado]

I happen to agree - we need to go there and beat them to gain back some respect on a national level...
when they start telling us they don't want to play us at all - even at their place - then we will know we're back!

[SubGod22]

Bradley hasn't earned the right to get home and home vs BCS school programs. A loss to BU in Peoria would really hurt now and coaches know BU has a sluggers chance in a sold out PCC.

If/when BU can sustain some success in the MVC, the risk-reward for BCS schools coming to PEO makes more sense. BU should look to other top mid majors for pre season home/home series. Teams who were in the big dance, or top two in their conferences.

I've personally been more a fan of looking at the conferences just outside of the BcS and trying to get games against them. Or the top team or two in conferences a little lower. Good games that help the RPI/SOS numbers and winnable. Buy games in my mind are not the best way to go if you're looking for national respect. Unless of course you win them or come very close to doing so.

I don't think Marshall has taken a buy game since he's been at WSU. I can't recall one off the top of my head anyway. Turgeon took two. Both on one of the ESPN networks. We played at a "neutral" site against Michigan State when KU refused to take the deal ESPN was trying to put together. We lost that one. Then we took one to Syracuse where we led pretty much the entire game and won. They paid for travel, lodging and gave us a $100,000 check.

I understand you guys are trying to build something, but I'd be very selective on who you play for a buy game. You all seem happy with the KSU game and that's fine, but it's not quite the level of program I'd consider personally. If you sell out to too many mid level BcS programs then it only increases the difficulty of getting a H/H down the road. I know KSU is supposed to have a good team this year, but as a program I'm still doubtful.

With all that said, I hope you beat the crap out of them.

[tornado]

I don't think Marshall has taken a buy game since he's been at WSU. ..

Not sure but what was the deal when the Shockers went to Tennessee in 2012 and went to LSU in 2011 and went to Louisiana in 2010 to play LSU also.
Were those all parts of a 2 or 3 year deal?



FWIW
Here's a column on how much Michigan spent on five guarantee games - hosting FIVE really low-level softies that were automatic wins...
UMass-Lowell, South Carolina State, Coppin State, Houston Baptist, and Holy Cross...(only Holy Cross had an RPI better than 265)
They paid out $450,000 for those five games ($90K each on average)....but even over and above those big paychecks -
Michigan also threw in 75 complimentary tickets and a dozen hotel rooms including a pricey suite to one opponent and similar deals for the others
including bus service for one - and $10K for each of their exhibition opponents.

http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2013/12/michigan_basketballs_tab_for_n.html

[bradleyfan124]

I think there is a double standard here. NCAA stresses schools strengthen their RPI by playing "bigger name" schools but the "bigger name" schools don't want to play the "lower name" schools for fear of getting beat. If the NCAA was serious about the RPI theory they would mandate that schools play home and away