Will our success this year increase our chances of a stronger schedule next year?.....A loss to a higher RPI Loyola team will be a better win and a not so bad lose????
Also on Saturday am attending the game with an ALumni group....so my two regular tickets are available....I could leave them at will call for anyone interested.

Not sure the RPI system works quite this way, but JCT would know.

THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS!!

I wanted to, but was afraid of the backlash. You can say all you want about "maintaining focus" but there are a lot of other teams that have solidified a large part of their schedules already. We're part of a quickly declining number of schools who have no MTE for next year. Many MTEs are full up already. That's about the only way we're going to get a non-con matchup with a Top 50 team, unless we get the top seed in the MW coming in.

As for where we are, I'm not sure if we can totally depend on a buy game. I don't think there are a lot of programs that would pay to have a team come in and have a very realistic chance of beating them. Expectations will be down for us next year, losing Ingram and Richardson, but you've got to like what Krutwig and Townes can do on improving their game over the summer.

We might be able to get a better home-and-home or 2-for-1 game with the home up-front because of our top 50 RPI this season, but it's still going to be threading the needle. We should look at A-10 teams for home and homes (St. Louis, St. Bonaventure, Dayton, etc.), and mid-range P5 or BE teams for 2-for-1s (Penn State, Kansas State, Arizona State, Stanford, Oregon, Colorado, Marquette, Butler, etc.). Although it's now very rare for any P5 to play any roadies.

As we've learned this year (and last year with ISUr), a quality non-conference schedule is absolutely necessary to get an at-large bid. We need to do whatever it takes to get some potential Q1 games in our non-conference schedule.

Really surprised we haven't secured an MTE yet.

I think we should be able to get a series with St Bonaventure if we wanted. Point out that a game between us this year would've been beneficial, and since Steve Watson obviously has connections there you'd think that it'd be a little easier than trying another quality mid-major school.

You guys seem to want it or at least say it both ways--We get good then we cannot schedule bigger or better teams--We get bad and we then cannot schedule better teams!! I do no accept this--We are good and getting better I would go for scheduling the likes of Bonny Dayton Minnesota PSU Iowa St Arkansas Seattle Gonzaga San Diego Okla Boise{at home) Nebraska Richmond Belmont San Fran B C Fordham GTN---Any number of them !!! I wager some would even come to Chicago to play !! I just do not accept the fact that we will have upgraded schedule problems
When we earn an NCAA bid this year all this schedule stuff will go away !!

I mean no disrespect, but it is absolutely moronic to be worrying about scheduling for next year on the eve of the biggest game THIS year, and with Arch Madness and a possible NCAA Tournament appearance looming on the near horizon. Let's keep our eyes on the prize, fellas!

It's like working on retirement investment spreadsheets on your honeymoon. Better (and more fun) to focus on the task at hand.

Gotta respectfully disagree with Swella...Id assume we have more eyeballs on Loyola Basketball this week and next than we have had in a while. Being able to point out future things those new fans should be interested in too would be good for the program and the fan base.

Players and coaches focus on the games. As fans, we can focus on anything--recruiting, scheduling, tomorrow's game, March Madness, the women's team, etc. Think we all know what is at stake over the next two weeks---our focus won't help or hurt the cause.