Schedule Hard

[BradleyBrave]

I have heard rumblings that we may drop back down to a 28-29 game schedule next year if we cannot find an exempt tournament to our liking.

[SaintLouBrave22]

SIU's scheduling before this year was all about scheduling (as much as you can predict) other D1 Conference champs. RPI wise, you want to schedule games vs teams that win a bunch of games. Conference champions from even low majors win bunches of games, thus SIU regularly had top 10/20 RPI's. In other words, you do not need to schedule other big schools to have a very, very good RPI.

Now when you're like BU and play half of another mid-major, it will not do much for your RPI.

So basically next year scheduling any of these teams may help us

• Siena
• Niagara
• Rider
• Western Kentucky
• South Alabama
• Oral Roberts
• IUPUI
• Xavier
• Portland State
• Belmont
• Winthrop
• Kent State
• UNC-Asheville
• Akron
• Cal State Northridge
• Morgan State
• BYU
• UNLV
• Appalachian State
• Davidson
• Robert Morris
• Stephen F. Austin
• Austin Peay
• Alabama State
• Utah State
• Boise State
• Cleveland State
• Wright State

My only problem here is that its a real crap shoot looking at teams from low majors and figuring out if they're going to catch lightning in a bottle twice...the only sure bet is if they have most or all of their starters returning...and even then you can't really predict success

[SaintLouBrave22]

Basic schedule:

2 Horizon (hone-n-home)
2 MAC (home-n-home)
1 B10 (could be road "buy" game only)
1 A10 (prefer home-n-home)
1 Summitt (no return road game)
1 other low-major w/out return game like OVC
1 holiday tourney
18 Conf games
1 Conf Trny
1 BracketBuster

Using your template w/o the holiday tourney I would setup a schedule like this:


Season opener v Oral Roberts 11/8

v Butler 11/12

@ Iowa State 11/19

v George Mason 11/22

@ Michigan State 11/29

@ Wisconsin Milwaukee 12/2

v Akron 12/6

v Siena 12/9

@ Dayton 12/20

v Utah State 12/27

+ @ BracketBuster


This is provided we don't have any other return games I forgot about

[squirrel]

So basically next year scheduling any of these teams may help us

• Siena
• Niagara
• Rider
• Western Kentucky
• South Alabama
• Oral Roberts
• IUPUI
• Xavier
• Portland State
• Belmont
• Winthrop
• Kent State
• UNC-Asheville
• Akron
• Cal State Northridge
• Morgan State
• BYU
• UNLV
• Appalachian State
• Davidson
• Robert Morris
• Stephen F. Austin
• Austin Peay
• Alabama State
• Utah State
• Boise State
• Cleveland State
• Wright State

My only problem here is that its a real crap shoot looking at teams from low majors and figuring out if they're going to catch lightning in a bottle twice...the only sure bet is if they have most or all of their starters returning...and even then you can't really predict success

You're right. . .it's not quite that simple to pick out conference champs...most coaches do have a good idea of who the good teams are and will be. The key is to play GOOD TEAMS FROM GOOD LEAGUES.

In other words, simply playing the MEAC or OVC champ still may not be much help if that's exclusively who you schedule. A 17 or 18 win A10 team may still be preferable than a 23-win team from a league where no one else even reaches .500.

You know leagues like the CAA, Southern, Southland, MAC, MAAC, WCC, and Sun Belt will likely have a few solid clubs with winning records. Naturally, those teams will likely be in contention for conference championships. Those are the key teams you need to look at.

An interesting case this year could be made against the WAC. The league's three bottom teams were among the worst in the nation this year. But the league's top 4 teams were all very solid.

An occasional team like Austin Peay on a schedule is ok. . .but if you play Austin Peay, Morgan State, and Alabama State, your SOS will still not be very good and you're RPI won't necessarily reflect the fact the individual teams are good.

This is where the BCS teams get into trouble and mid-majors hit a wall. The BCS teams generally won't play away from home, and generally speaking only the MEACs, SWACs and the likes will take the straight buy games. So they limit themselves.

The mid-majors can make a good offer to the BCS-type programs, but few of them bite.

[tornado]

JL requested Milwaukee specifically...

have you some proof, as I suspect you don't have anything credible,
and nobody from the BU athletic dept is likely to substantiate this claim.

This is the first I have ever heard that ESPN or the NCAA would allow coaches to ask for what they want and grant it.
In fact, if this is even remotely true, then why would BU get firstsies?
It's not like we have a track record of getting big favors from NCAA.

[squirrel]

have you some proof, as I suspect you don't have anything credible and nobody from the BU athletic dept is likely to substantiate this claim.

I have all the proof I need.

[BradleyBrave]

have you some proof, as I suspect you don't have anything credible and nobody from the BU athletic dept is likely to substantiate this claim.

Squirrel may have some 'squirrely' ideas, but he has never been one to make things up. I don't think it's a good idea to discredit a respected poster like that. It's essentially calling him a liar.

[tornado]

Why not wait and see...........or am I the only one who is asked to give proof around here?
(which of course I generally do!! )

[squirrel]

have you some proof, as I suspect you don't have anything credible,
and nobody from the BU athletic dept is likely to substantiate this claim.

This is the first I have ever heard that ESPN or the NCAA would allow coaches to ask for what they want and grant it.
In fact, if this is even remotely true, then why would BU get firstsies?
It's not like we have a track record of getting big favors from NCAA.

Kyle Whelliston made the process public during his Bracket Buster marathon chat, and also pointed out specific examples of pre-arranged matchups.

[BradleyBrave]

Why not wait and see...........or am I the only one who is asked to give proof around here?
(which of course I generally do!! )

People make statements on this board all the time without posting a link. I haven't seen anyone have to substantiate a claim that they talked to a player at lunch or talked to a player's parent after the game. Why does a respected poster have to substantiate a claim for this? Squirrel isn't claiming anything malicious, scandalous, or detrimental to anyone's character. Quite frankly, I find what he says very interesting and I agree with Jim's decision to choose UW-M 100%. Wouldn't questioning Squirrel's claim essentially be taking some credit away from our coach, something that's usually frowned upon on this board?

[tornado]

but your comment suggests you know that he pre-arranged it and that you are also privvy to why he did what he did, "because he wanted the W".

That would require Whelliston to actually be inside Jim Les' mind to know what his reasoning is, and I remain unconvinced.
Whelliston is certainly entitled to speculate just we all are, but I know I wouldn't be able to get away with claiming I knew JL's rationale for something done behind the scenes that he's never spoken publicly to.

[squirrel]

Squirrel may have some 'squirrely' ideas, but he has never been one to make things up. I don't think it's a good idea to discredit a respected poster like that. It's essentially calling him a liar.

I prefer "ahead of my time" but I realize it may appear "squirrely" at times. . .

[squirrel]

but your comment suggests you know that he pre-arranged it and that you are also privvy to why he did what he did, "because he wanted the W".

That would require Whelliston to actually be inside Jim Les' mind to know what his reasoning is, and I remain unconvinced.
Whelliston is certainly entitled to speculate just we all are, but I know I wouldn't be able to get away with claiming I knew JL's rationale for something done behind the scenes that he's never spoken publicly to.

I have specifics that I simply can not share because they have been shared with me in confidence. I'm sure you can respect that.

But I have no reason to doubt or question the integrity or credibility of my information.

[squirrel]

but your comment suggests you know that he pre-arranged it and that you are also privvy to why he did what he did, "because he wanted the W".

That would require Whelliston to actually be inside Jim Les' mind to know what his reasoning is, and I remain unconvinced.
Whelliston is certainly entitled to speculate just we all are, but I know I wouldn't be able to get away with claiming I knew JL's rationale for something done behind the scenes that he's never spoken publicly to.

My comment was simply pointing out that the process is not some big secret, and that school preference outside the feature games is more than welcome. And in many respects, is actually left to the participating schools.

[tornado]

I wouldn't doubt many schools lobby for a certain opponent, and it isn't unreasonable that the folks who set up the pairings for BracketBuster might even want to know who each of the coaches thinks might be the best opponent.
And of course nobody would want to go to Idaho State or Tennessee-Martin, so if BU were given a chance to speak up they'd pick a Butler or UW-M over other opponents........
but then that brings up the obvious question....

Why would the NCAA give us our first pick when we seem to have gathered few favors from the NCAA in recent years?
It's not like we were going to be one of the top TV match-ups....and
Surely BU didn't request Tennessee Tech did they?