OK on another thread we or should I say smarter guys than me hve been goin' back and forth on finances. Allwell and good BUT two things---

--It is almost LABOR DAY and we have no published Hoops schedule
--WE have no AD !!
In the scheme of things , LUC is an important a great University, but it truly is not---[in my view-- handling the above professionally--not at all.
These matters should have been finished a month or so ago.

As far as Jones goes, we must do without him--so PM will or he will not. He has shown little in his coaching --or obtaining Bigs. Guards are important--very much so today BUT---you must have BIG guys as well or you have precious little. Now then if he fails, we replace him--If so will the replacement be chosen say a day or two prior to opening practice in his first season--whoever and whenever ??
I am truly concerned that talk is going awfully cheaply these days-Where and when are results coming??? We have done good stuff--getting into the MVC --but now whA\at have you done since last Thursday, as the saying goes ?????

GO RAMBLERS--but where or when ??

I wouldn't get too worked up on the schedule yet. It's not uncommon for teams to not have them released until early September. Sometimes there's a few outstanding contracts that need a signature before being released. It's no less annoying, but...

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The Roundhouse

Last year the full schedule was released on September 12. The MVC conference schedule was released on September 4.

Here are the non-con schedules released so far for MVC teams....

Bradley schedule: http://www.bradleybraves.com/SportSelec ... PSID=19332
Drake schedule: http://www.godrakebulldogs.com/SportSel ... &SPID=8121
Evansville schedule: http://www.gopurpleaces.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball
Illinois State schedule: http://goredbirds.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball
Indiana State schedule: http://www.gosycamores.com/SportSelect. ... M_ID=15200
Missouri State schedule: http://www.missouristatebears.com/sport ... sched.html
Northern Iowa schedule (incomplete): http://www.unipanthers.com/SportSelect. ... SID=626930
Southern Illinois schedule: http://www.siusalukis.com/sports/m-bask ... sched.html

Wichita State hasn't released any schedule information.

Wichita State's schedule is out: http://www.goshockers.com/SportSelect.d ... &SPID=2851

According to rumors, the MVC schedule should be released sometime Thursday.

I'm happy with this schedule. Outside of having to fill our final spot with a local DII school because we couldn't work out dates with a quality school and the Bracket Buster return to Detroit it looks pretty solid. I don't know what to expect from Detroit but I know they're not on the same level they were when we played game one.

I also know that we're in a better place to schedule a lot of games than most others. We're finishing up a H/H with Alabama. Starting two more with Seton Hall and Utah. They've been far from top teams, but it's solid competition and their conference helps boost their RPI. I believe our H/H with SLU has been extended 4 years and we're trying to do the same with Tulsa. We signed a two year deal with New Mexico State where they come to Wichita twice. That was a major score.

I hope you guys can move forward and improve your RPI. If you can start getting a more respectable RPI and show an upward trajectory then scheduling should get a little better. And being in Chicago then becomes a bigger boost. I wish Wichita was loaded with talent like it was in the 80's as that would help us get bigger schools, but if you guys can become a 150 RPI school or better things will really look up as people love exposure in cities like Chicago. I'm trying to think of good regional schools that don't already play conference games there but am drawing a blank. But they wouldn't have to be regional.

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The Roundhouse

At least Wichita State returns their Bracket Busters. We're still waiting for Creighton to return their game from February 2010.

As far as our schedule goes, I have no idea why it's always such a problem for us. Expensive hotel rooms in Chicago? We were always last to release our schedule in the Horizon, and we've been last our two years in the MVC. I think there was only one year I can remember when we had our schedule out in July, and that was sometime in the late 90s, IIRC.

Just looking at the Basketball Travelers board for 2014-15, there were late/recent messages from Rhode Island, Drexel, Northeastern, Santa Clara, UWGB, Pepperdine, Murray State, and St. Mary's-- many of them seeking road games or home and home agreements. With the already announced games we have, it shouldn't be nearly as difficult as we've made it seem to put together a decent schedule. It's not like we've come up with wondrous gems by dragging out the process..

In a perfect world, we're waiting for the full MVC schedule to release our non-con, so it's just one big announcement. However, with this program, I have no hope.



The hotel rooms is an interesting thing. I think opponents usually stay at the Double Tree in Skokie to save money instead of staying on the Mag Mile. We should have a travel advantage because it's easier to get to LU from a major airport rather than say getting to Carbondale. But I think having NU, DPU, UIC, Chicago St., even NIU, Valpo, and ND within an hour or 2 of Chicago also hurts us. It's not like we're the only option if you want a stop in the Chicagoland area to play and then go recruit after the game.

Word has it that we are confirmed for the return Creighton game next year. The confirmation came about in a weird way (on an email intended for all MVC schools in the hopes of scheduling Creighton mentioning that the 2015 visit was set)



More scoops. Loyola is working with the City and Alderman Moore to bring in a development that would have a hotel component. Nothing is ever final until shovels hit the ground (and even then, things can fall through) but I think that may be helpful to the community and to our basketball program.



I'm less concerned with Chicago State, NIU, Valpo and UIC than I am the others. With NU, even though they suck, they are a Big Ten team which is a better draw than us. DePaul, once they get their tax payer funded arena, is going to be the big draw. It kills me to say that since everything about DePaul bothers me, but it's true. Talk about playing IN Chicago...teams can play just a stone's throw from Michigan Avenue. ND isn't really a big problem for us since they are in their own world.

Unfortunately, we need to prove that we are a destination. We haven't done that now because we have nothing to offer. Our "arena" and we don't draw well so we can't offer a nice chunk of the take. We, traditionally, have a bad RPI so a road loss to us is especially painful. These schools want guarantees. They want something and we aren't willing to give it to them. We can't rest on our laurels (i.e. a National Championship 50 years ago and a Sweet 16 appearance 30 years ago). If we want to get teams to come in here, we'd better start offering them straight cash until we get to the point where our RPI and take are appealing (if that ever comes).

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Cigarboy sucks!