This business of cramming at the last moment to fill out an ultimately disappointing (and weak) schedule has got to stop. It seems like every year we're releasing the schedule last in the league by several weeks. We're a part of a more attractive league now, and we've finished up several ongoing scheduling committments, so this year's schedule
should be the best we've had in years. Talking seriously about scheduling IUPUI at this juncture is a really disappointing revelation to me.
I was looking at
the University of Cincinnati's site over the weekend, and they've already announced participation in the Emerald Coast Classic with Creighton, Ole Miss, North Carolina Central, Eastern Illinois, Middle Tennessee, Southern, and Northern Arizona.
The Puerto Rico Tipoff, Paradise Jam, Hall of Fame Tip-Off, Gulf Coast Showcase, and
many other MTEs are already filling up. Drake and Southern Illinois are the only other MVC teams that haven't booked an MTE yet (if you don't count Drake's yearly participation in the Iowa Big 4 Showcase).
And yet here we are again, with no MTE scheduled, already rebuffed by Creighton, talking about scheduling IUPUI, and knowing only that we're playing UIC and Tulane? I realize it's only April, but when you look at the list of schools that have already secured an MTE, it's frickin' obvious that we're already behind (again), with limited options that are closing fast.