A couple schedule notes

[BBFran]

Now that MU's schedule is out, I checked what we know about our schedule against MU's and the Bucks'.

There are three (or possibly four) dates on which both the Panthers and the Giggles have home games:

November 10 (Fri) UWM plays UAB; MU plays Hillsdale. (Seriously -- Hillsdale.)
December 9 (Sat) UWM plays YSU; MU plays Wisconsin
December 22 (Fri) UWM MAY play against an as yet unnamed team; MU plays Morgan State
December 30 (Sat) UWM plays Butler; MU plays Savannah State

There are also three (or possibly four) dates on which both the Panthers and the Bucks have home games:

November 11 (Sat) UWM plays Radford; the Bucks also have a home game
November 22 (Wed) UWM plays SoDakSt; the Bucks also have a home game
December 23 (Sat) UWM MAY play an as yet unnamed team (it's either this night or the previous night -- see above); the Bucks also have a home game
December 30 (Sat) UWM plays Butler; the Bucks also have a home game

(I didn't pay attention to who the Bucks play on these dates as I don't care.)

Obviously, on November 10 and 22 and December 30 UWM's games will conflict with either the Bucks' or MU's. I'm not sure about the other dates yet, since they are all Saturdays, when the games might be played either in the afternoon or evening.

I checked this out because last year it seemed we had a lot of conflicts with Bucks' games, and one or two with MU. I haven't gone back to look at the numbers, but I think we have fewer such conflicts this year. It's useful information from the standpoint of parking and getting together at Goolsby's or other local pubs before or after the games.

Now if we can just avoid those Saturday snowstorms and bitterly cold days we ran into too often last year!

By the way; does anyone know if the Miller Time Pub will be the official after-game location again this year? I thought it worked out quite well last year.

I am ready for some Panther hoops!

[uwmfutbol]

Hillsdale... wow.

[milwsport]

The Hillsdale game is probably exhibition.

I think the Savannah State game is funnier. They lost all their games two years ago (by an average of 40 points I might add). Last year they were 1-27.

There was some buzz about them where sports writers who'd seen them play said they were worse than a decent high school team.

I'm sure, however, that some MU fan will happily inform us that Savannah State is the strongest team out of the State of Georgia ever!

[truwarier]

hillsdale is a pretty tough team, i dont know if mcneal james and matthews can handle their backcourt. that game will probobly be a sellout and we should only draw 1100-1200 people that night. crean sure went over his head for his exhibition games.

[BBFran]

The Hillsdale game is not listed as an exhibition. This year's Michigan Tech, I guess. Still, MU will put about 8-10,000 into the BC for that game because it's their opener, so there will still be competition for parking, etc.

[muwarrior2007]

Actually it would be this year's Lewis. My guess is that we had to schedule Hillsdale since UWM ducked our offer.

[Kroener3535]

If MU-Wisconsin is an afternoon affair which I think it is, it might be nice to get some of the fans from that game over to the cell for the later game

[SRT4driver]

muwarrior2007 said:

Actually it would be this year's Lewis. My guess is that we had to schedule Hillsdale since UWM ducked our offer.

Ducked? I'm sure it was more of a slapped-to-the-ground refusal, considering the reports that have been coming out of the Milwaukee and UWGB camps lately.
One question though: If Jeter had offered Crean a 2 at the Cell, 1 at the B.C. series, and Crean refused, would you say "MU ducked UWM's offer"?

[uwmfutbol]

Marquette fans love to bring up the fact that UWM rejected a bulls**t 4-1 offer with them. I'd take a 2-1 with a good opponent over playing them any day.

As far as I'm concerned, this topic is dead.

[Big D]

Marquette is really acting like a big baby in this whole thing. And, they're completely ignorant.

I don't know when UWM signed that Wisconsin deal, but I assume it was some time ago (since you've been playing them for a while). Since then, you guys have improved dramatically, made some noise in the tournament, and now you are the bad guys because you've set the precedent and won't live up to it.

Well MU....teams improve. They don't have to sign these BS deals anymore. What happens 25 years down the road? UWM may be a consistent tourney team....and they may consistently do better than you. Yet, will you still hold them to that contract they signed with Wisconsin 30 years ago? Give me a break! Give them a reasonable deal and they'll play you. Get off your high horse. Quit talking about precedents. Precedents aren't forever.

[uwmfutbol]

I think it was in '98 when that deal was signed. UWM started to get good under Bo Ryan then, then BP really kicked off the program in '02. Nevertheless, UWM is a VERY different program now than it was 9 years ago.

I honestly don't care about marquette anymore. I like their team, but despise their coach, AD, and fans. If UWM never played them again I wouldn't care.

[SRT4driver]

I believe the current contract with UW-Madison was signed in '02. The JS reported that it is a 4-for-2 series, with three additional guarantee (buy) games at the Kohl Center, for a total of nine games running through 2011. We play the 2007 and 2011 games at the Cell.
How Crean and MU fans think they can use the buy games, where UWM is getting paid, as road games in order to say UWM has the equivelent to a "4-for-1" series with UW (and therefore should play MU in a 4-1 with NO buy games), shows just how truely arrogant the average Marquette fan is. They also prove that a degree from MU does not mean you can understand that 7-for-2 does NOT equal 4-for-1. ;D

[uwmfutbol]

Good call it was in '02. Regardless I wouldn't agree to that same deal again. 3-1 would be good, though.

[SRT4driver]

Can't say I agree with you there. In 2002 I'd have agreed with you, but this program is in a slightly better position than it was before it made 3 NCAA's and a Sweet 16 in 4 years.
2 for 1 with a Top 25 program maybe. Otherwise I just don't see how it helps this program in the long run, considering where it stands today.
I doubt many other perennial Top 75 RPI teams would be agreeing to any 3 for 1's with anybody, either.

[dylanrocks]

That's a slight bit of sarcasm by driver, by the way, when he says that the UWM program is in slightly better shape than it was in 2002 when the deal was signed. By the way, Big D's post shouldn't go unnoticed or unheeded here. That's precisely how I've felt about this whole issue from the start. Mandates and precedents and all this other claptrap goes out the window when you are trying to build a program (or sustain one). So-called mid-majors should be done with these sellout games. Period.