Rambler63 wrote:
The bright side:
Michigan State-- We should probably have at least one game against a Top 50 program every year. It would be better if we could do it by trying to make a 2-for-1 deal and bring them into the Joe every once in a while, but genuine 2-for-1s are getting harder to do.
Tulane-- They'll be in the AAC this year, so probably a little better for their RPI.
Vegas Tourney-- Odds are that one of the teams we'll face will be in the top 100 RPI, and it's at a neutral site.
UIC-- It's unlikely they'll be as bad as last year.
The dark side:
Non DI games-- There's really no excuse for more than one non-D1 game. And both to start the season? The text of the release talks about "building a successful program," and we're adding more irrelevant/uninteresting games to the home schedule? We don't have a home game against D1 competition until December 3.
Vegas tourney home games-- Abilene Christian and Utah State are probably going to be as bad as last year, which is among the worst in D1.
Home competition-- The highlight of our home non-con schedule is Tulane. Nobody else above 299 in RPI last year.
Road compeition-- Our true road games are against teams that were 215, 308, 317, and 17. That's a bad mix.
The Michigan St. game is nice. I would even be for playing guarantee games on the road against multiple Power 5 conference teams.
As Go pointed out, we have very little leverage to get one of those teams to Chicago. If we were a consistent tournament threat, we might be able to convince them to play us at say the United Center. But I think we have to do a really good job of building a resume for the past couple of seasons to build up to that. This schedule doesn't help us.
100% agree with the Non D1 games. I understood the first year (PM was scrambling with his transition, hiring coaches, recruiting, finishing off a schedule you didn't really put together, etc.) and last year (move to the MVC, lost a game with Bradley) so I understand having to play Rockhurst then. But it's year effing 4. Get your act together.
I'm OK with the poor MTE home games if that's what it takes to get into a good MTE. If we have to live with Abilene Christian and Southern Utah (not to be confused with Utah St. of the "I Believe That We Will Win" fame. They are
much better) though, we have to bring in a few more solid home and homes. Rockhurst and McKendree won't help our attendance problem and the team doesn't get better by playing such crummy D2 schools.
The fact that UTSA is a home and home is embarrassing. A guarantee game like Campbell, sure. The C-USA affiliation is a little better than the Big South. But it's brutal that we have to go to them. I would rather go to Texas or Baylor and have 0% chance of winning and take the check than go to UTSA with a 50% chance of winning. And given PM's horrendous record on the road (losses to Eastern Illinois, Furman, Tennessee Tech, Portland St., Fordham), 50% is way too generous.
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