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Post by Super King on Jul 10, 2011 22:41:16 GMT -6
The Gophers seems like a natural 3-for-1 series to pursue.
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Post by ghostofdylan on Jul 11, 2011 4:37:34 GMT -6
The Gophers seems like a natural 3-for-1 series to pursue. Why would we pursue a 3-for-1 series with anyone? I would rather see us schedule quality midmajors from the CAA and the MVC in a home-and-home series ... or make a one-time trip to a BCS school and get paid. |
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on Jul 11, 2011 12:32:23 GMT -6
The Gophers seems like a natural 3-for-1 series to pursue. Why would we pursue a 3-for-1 series with anyone? I would rather see us schedule quality midmajors from the CAA and the MVC in a home-and-home series ... or make a one-time trip to a BCS school and get paid. I agree with your point, but I would like to see as many BCS schools come to the Cell. If that is a 3 for 1 with Minnesota, I would love it! So you don't like the 3 for 1's with Wisconsin & Marquette? |
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Post by Super King on Jul 11, 2011 14:35:05 GMT -6
I think it's high time we understood that the nonconference schedule for a mid-major school doesn't matter unless it's loaded with the types of coaches and programs that can make a team that much better come the regular season. Playing a relatively good mid-major team like Northern Iowa will not help us prepare for conference play as much as playing a team like Minnesota, which will test us against great coaching and talent we'll have a hard time finding in the Missouri Valley, which is the conference everyone feels so enthralled with starting a series with.
Butler played Duke, Louisville, Stanford, Florida State, and Washington State last year -- all but Stanford on the road -- and we need to understand two things. A) All of those games unquestionably prepared Butler, along with their experience the year before, for their NCAA Tournament run, and B) we beat Butler twice last year, and are at least on their level as far as Horizon League play is concerned. We were also one win away from the NCAA Tournament last season despite a 5-6 record in our early non-conference schedule, so it doesn't exactly matter if we lose those games. We didn't even win 20 games last year and I doubt there's a soul among us who thinks it was a less successful season than the one before.
In my opinion we should load our schedule up with as much BCS competition as possible, because in the event we make the NCAA Tournament -- which all of us seem to agree we're in the driver's seat to do -- the experience of playing those teams will prove invaluable, as it did with Butler. Hell, two years ago, the first of their Finals appearances, they played Northwestern, #16 Minnesota, UCLA, #19 Clemson, #13 Georgetown, and #15 Ohio State. It does matter if you play teams like that in your non-conference schedule.
And in the event we actually win even one game against a BCS team, it will do more for our at-large chances than sweeping an entire mid-major non-conference schedule ever could. Win-win; if we lose we've gone through a significant learning experience, and if we win we build a huge amount of our resume.
Minnesota particularly makes sense to me because of, among other things, the shared in-state tuition agreement between the two systems, the border rivalry, and, as much as some of us wouldn't want to admit it, the animosity toward the team held by our partially shared fanbase with Wisconsin, which would naturally inflate interest in that game. Considering the tough time we have getting noticed in the loaded local sports market, that's a good thing, even if it stings a bit.
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Post by uwmplanner on Jul 11, 2011 14:54:10 GMT -6
I am all for playing BCS schools. It seems most of our recruits come from Wisconsin, Illinois or Missouri. I'm not against playing Minnesota but I wouldn't mind playing Illinois or Missouri. For that matter I wouldn't object to playing Northwestern or Depaul either. I always thought starting a series with St Louis would be good for us too since we have the Boga's and Tony from the St Louis area.
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Post by ghostofdylan on Jul 11, 2011 16:10:18 GMT -6
SK, I just don't know where to begin. So, in no particular order:
1, You must walk before you can run. Butler beat three of those teams. Aside from Oklahoma in Year 1, our best non-conference win of the last six seasons was UNI. After that? St. Louis? Hawai'i? Bradley? Beat us and Minnesota's fans say, "That's what we expected." Lose, and Golden Goofer Nation morphs into a state of unrest.
2, There's a reason you don't see teams like ours on the non-conference schedules of teams like Auburn, Florida State and Texas A&M. They don't want to play us, Valparaiso, Detroit or Cleveland State. Instead, you'll find their schedules littered with Colgate, Savannah State and Texas State.
3, Be careful what you wish for. If you get, say, seven of the games you desire, exactly how many do you expect to win? One? Two? There is something to be said for building confidence.
4, All of these games matter. Cleveland State last year built its resume by beating Kent State, St. Bonaventure and a host of non-postseason qualifiers. But it finished with 26 wins and so gained an at-large bid into the NIT. We've still yet to gain an at-large berth into any postseason tournament.
5, So beating Minnesota at Williams Arena would mean more than beating, say, Virginia Commonweath, Wichita State and Gonzaga?
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on Jul 14, 2011 8:30:14 GMT -6
Dec. 22- Milwaukee @ Marquette
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on Jul 16, 2011 14:50:17 GMT -6
2011-12 men's basketball schedule Probable non-D1 vs. 181 Canisius (MAAC) vs. 188 UALR (Sun Belt) at 115 IUPUI (Summit) at 45 Michigan State at 64 Marquette vs. 324 Eastern Michigan (MAC) at 112 Northern Iowa (MVC) at 174 Western Michigan (MAC) at 48 Illinois or 234 DePaul at 17 Louisville or 175 St. Louis vs. 16 Wisconsin at 317 Northern Illinois (MAC) vs. BracketBuster, TBA Here is the list, subject to change. Dec. 1- Loyola/ Dec. 3 UIC Feb. 23-@uic/ Feb. 25 @ Loyola Here are some changes. @ualr IUPUI at the Cell @ DePaul Texas Southern, replaces Canisius No, Eastern Michigan |
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Post by ghostofdylan on Jul 16, 2011 17:47:24 GMT -6
I don't mind seeing Eastern Michigan dropped one bit.
Still, at minimum we have DePaul, Texas Southern and Northern Illinois on the schedule.
So no one should be criticizing Marquette, right?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2011 22:43:37 GMT -6
No, but the Panthers are exactly the type of team most high majors do not want to schedule because they would face a serious threat....
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on Jul 17, 2011 6:57:54 GMT -6
The funny thing was, they are having a hard time with the MVC schools to do H/H with.
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on Jul 18, 2011 13:21:22 GMT -6
The Panthers were close in playing Illinois and dates didn't workout with Minnesota.
UWM is working on Michigan State coming to the Cell.
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Post by uwm97 on Jul 18, 2011 16:49:07 GMT -6
Sorry if this has already been explained, but why are we at DePaul two years in a row?
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on Jul 18, 2011 18:51:50 GMT -6
Illinois, was first pick. If that didn't work, DePaul would play the Panthers. Easy cost for both schools.
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Post by blackcatinorange on Jul 18, 2011 19:37:35 GMT -6
The Panthers were close in playing Illinois and dates didn't workout with Minnesota. UWM is working on Michigan State coming to the Cell. Home and home? I just read, "Looks like a trip to MS is officially on the docket." |
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