Nice start to the 2016 non conference schedule [Archive]

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Markedman

03-29-2016, 11:50 AM

Jon RothsteinVerified account
‏@JonRothstein
Utah and Marquette will start a home and home series next year in Salt Lake City, source told @CBSSports. Return game in Milwaukee in 17-18.

Markedman

03-29-2016, 11:58 AM

Interesting that they would schedule this when Bailey is on his mission?

MUfan12

03-29-2016, 12:02 PM

at Utah
vs. UW

Neutral games- 2 of Pitt, SMU, Michigan
Home games- 2 of Howard, E. Michigan, IUPUI, Gardner-Webb

Not a bad start to the schedule.

Nukem2

03-29-2016, 12:24 PM

Interesting that they would schedule this when Bailey is on his mission?Well, maybe he won't? :confused:

Cooby Snacks

03-29-2016, 12:28 PM

at Utah
vs. UW

Neutral games- 2 of Pitt, SMU, Michigan
Home games- 2 of Howard, E. Michigan, IUPUI, Gardner-Webb

Not a bad start to the schedule.

Fingers crossed for Eastern Michigan and IUPUI.

And hopefully the cupcakes are more MAAC and less SWAC.

MUwarrior1090

03-29-2016, 12:41 PM

Also is a game in the southwest for Howard if he commits. The University of Utah is about a 75 minute flight from Chandler, AZ

Goose85

03-29-2016, 12:42 PM

Well, maybe he won't? :confused:

That was one of my thoughts. That, and maybe the idea of extending the deal to more than just two years.

I like the idea of playing schools out west, and wouldn't mind adding another like USC or ASU, and UNLV on a regular basis so we always have at least one game out west.

A lot of kids like Howard at Findlay Prep makes trying to get UNLV on the schedule pretty inviting for a lot of teams.
Not a bad road trip for fans either.

IWB

03-29-2016, 12:45 PM

Don't know that the Findlay Prep people will appreciate schools using UNLV games to steal their recruits. President of Findlay Prep is a big UNLV booster.

DCwarrior

03-29-2016, 01:12 PM

Interesting that they would schedule this when Bailey is on his mission?

Maybe he'll take his mission after his Freshman year like all the BYU players of the past did.

Goose85

03-29-2016, 01:32 PM

UNLV doesn't come east much according to last year's schedule, or play teams in the east either. At Wichita State, and home against Indiana.
UNLV did play 4 Pack 12 teams.

I would think playing a game or two east would help the Running Rebels as well, seeing as Findlay Prep isn't not a school of local kids.

MulliganMusings

03-29-2016, 02:12 PM

That was one of my thoughts. That, and maybe the idea of extending the deal to more than just two years.

I like the idea of playing schools out west, and wouldn't mind adding another like USC or ASU, and UNLV on a regular basis so we always have at least one game out west.

A lot of kids like Howard at Findlay Prep makes trying to get UNLV on the schedule pretty inviting for a lot of teams.
Not a bad road trip for fans either.

I too like to see more games scheduled on the West Coast even though I no longer lived there. I remember, during the 15 years I lived in San Diego, haing the opportunity to see Marquette play vs. Loyola Marymonut (Los Angles), USF (San Francisco) and UNLV. As I stated, in another thread, I think it would be a good idea if the Big East and West Coanference worked out an arrangment similar to the one the Big East has with the Big 10 and/or SEC. The schools in the WCC are similar to the Big East in that they are all private, predominantly Catholic (exceptions are BYU (obviously), Pepperdine and Pacific) and while they have some weak teams (like University of San Diego) those games would still be more productive than Grambling or Maine.

Personally, I would love to see them schedule a home and home down this way with Georgia, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest or South Carolina. Hell why not add Georgia State; even if you have to give them a return game it give you a chance to gain exposure in a major high school basketball hotbed (Atlanta).

CaribouJim

03-29-2016, 04:41 PM

Personally, I would love to see them schedule a home and home down this way with Georgia, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest or South Carolina.

I too would love to see MU and South Carolina in a H & H - bring back memories of Al going against his kind of mentor Frank - loved watching those games way back on on TVS I think. Alex English and I'm trying to remember their guard who thought he was Pete Maravich - forget his name. Or am I thinking of Louisville?

Frank Martin would be a fun guy to hate as well.

Markedman

03-29-2016, 04:43 PM

https://twitter.com/espn700bill/status/714875693994086400

MU_Iceman

03-29-2016, 07:13 PM

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 5m5 minutes ago

Xavier and Colorado will begin a home and home series next December in Boulder, source told @CBSSports. Return game at Cintas in 17-18.

Litehouse

03-30-2016, 08:41 AM

With two BE and Pac12 match-ups now, is Fox helping arrange it?

Goose85

03-30-2016, 10:40 AM

I would like to see some creative scheduling using the Big East and West Coast teams using the Fox Sports network.

Call it East v. West and maybe even have games on a weekend during the conference season.

You could even bill it as East v. West Big City Basketball, as both the Big East and Pac 12 have a number of teams in or very close to NBA cities.

I don't think you need a full conference v. conference challenge, but grab what you project to be very good teams and schedule a weekend of games with Fox Sports setting it up.

Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"

03-30-2016, 10:51 AM

It's virtually impossible to do games with Pac 12 teams during conference play because of their packed schedule and travel.

Nukem2

03-30-2016, 10:56 AM

It's virtually impossible to do games with Pac 12 teams during conference play because of their packed schedule and travel.
Yes, don't see that happening either.

CaribouJim

03-30-2016, 11:42 AM

It's virtually impossible to do games with Pac 12 teams during conference play because of their packed schedule and travel.

MU played Wake Forest in '03 mid-conference play for both teams. Where there is a will there is a way. Goose is right, the league should and needs to do something creative - the Big East has fallen far short on the creative side in its 3 seasons IMO.

unclejohn

03-30-2016, 12:08 PM

I too like to see more games scheduled on the West Coast even though I no longer lived there. I remember, during the 15 years I lived in San Diego, haing the opportunity to see Marquette play vs. Loyola Marymonut (Los Angles), USF (San Francisco) and UNLV. As I stated, in another thread, I think it would be a good idea if the Big East and West Coanference worked out an arrangment similar to the one the Big East has with the Big 10 and/or SEC. The schools in the WCC are similar to the Big East in that they are all private, predominantly Catholic (exceptions are BYU (obviously), Pepperdine and Pacific) and while they have some weak teams (like University of San Diego) those games would still be more productive than Grambling or Maine.

Personally, I would love to see them schedule a home and home down this way with Georgia, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest or South Carolina. Hell why not add Georgia State; even if you have to give them a return game it give you a chance to gain exposure in a major high school basketball hotbed (Atlanta).

Marquette did schedule Wake Forest in '03. That was an unusually tough schedule. But the point is, it was one of the quality home-and-home games that year. I do not see the conference series with the WCC happening or making sense. It locks up another non-conference game for everybody (or most of the league anyway) every year. And it is not that the WCC has some weak teams. It has about three good ones and a bunch of also-rans. Playing LMU or USD or USF just does not do much for your schedule. Yes, better than Grambling, but we are not going on the road to play Grambling, and even if we were, Grambling is a lot closer than the WCC. It makes sense to do that kind of series with the Big ?, because you are almost certain to get an opponent that is at least not bad, (nobody wants to play Rutgers,) but I do not see it with the WCC.

MKE_GoldenEagleFan

03-30-2016, 12:29 PM

We don't need a radical change to our approach, we need to just avoid teams like Grambling that are consistently bottom 5 teams in the NCAA... obviously it's not a perfect science but if you can replace all your teams that were at 300+ with teams in the 200 range it makes a dramatic difference, then you sprinkle in the H/H series, holiday tournament, UW, and Gavitt Games and annually you have a really solid top 100 non conference type schedule...

IWB

03-30-2016, 12:42 PM

Nukem2

03-30-2016, 01:03 PM

I broke that all out a few months ago.

Out of the 6 (?) buy games MU had, 4 of the teams finished either dead last or second last in their conferences. That can't happen. Need to figure out how to get the top two teams in those conferences. Difference in RPI was incredible.

Actually, it was 7. Final official RPI per NCAA website in parentheses:

Grambling St. (350)
Chicago St. (348)
Presbyterian (319)
Maine (314)
Stetson (303)
San Jose St. (302)
Jackson St. (222)

Jackson State finished 3rd in the SWAC. Can't be that hard to figure out the top teams in those conferences in advance.
Whatever, but 7 of these teams is astounding.

IWB

03-30-2016, 01:16 PM

unclejohn

03-30-2016, 07:49 PM

Yes, 7 - thanks. Wasn't sure. So, hard to detect who actually wins those conferences, so let's take a look at the RPI of the 2nd place finishers...

Grambling St. (350)
Alcorn State (253)
Difference of 97 spots

Chicago St. (348)
Grand Canyon (92)
Difference of 356 spots

Presbyterian (319)
High Point (157)
Difference of 162 spots

Maine (314)
Albany (107)
Difference of 207 spots.

Stetson (303)
Florida Gulf Coast (215)
Difference of 88 spots

San Jose St. (302)
Fresno State (66)
Difference of 236 spots.

Jackson St. (222)
Alcorn State (253)
This one was a positive 31 spots

I do not think anyone doubts that we have to strengthen the schedule next year. this year we played every dog team south of the Yukon. The reasons for that have been explained and debated. But it is not as easy, nor necessarily as beneficial as your list suggests. We played one of those best teams in their conference to open the season. We lost. The same might well have happened with some of the other teams that won smaller conferences. High Point is not a bad team, not your typical buy win. Kind of like Winthrop who beat us at home some years ago. Same thing with Albany, which has been getting pretty good in recent years. Many of those teams are not going to come to Milwaukee for a buy game.

Often, the teams we signed were not typical of their conference. Sure, Chicago State sucks. Chicago State always sucks. But they are not typical of the WAC. What they are doing there is anybody's guess, another screw-up of their athletic department. But we were not likely to play Grand Canyon. Nobody knows what to expect of Grand Canyon at this point. They just stepped up their program and poured money into it after becoming the first for-profit in D-1. And it is going to be way harder to get them to come from AZ than to get Chicago State to jump on the bus and come up here, something that they have been doing for years. San Jose State is another one. Fresno State, or most of the Mountain West, would not be coming to Milwaukee without a return game in there somewhere.

We had two MEAC teams on the schedule this year. They are just about always terrible so I am not sure what we are doing with two of them on the schedule this year. But it is a rare year when any MEAC or SWAC team is going to have a positive effect on your RPI. You provided an example here. The SWAC champion actually had a worse RPI than the SWAC team we played.

So there is a problem here. The teams that are willing to show up at your place and lose for a check are not as numerous as people seem to think. The reason that some of these guys are perennials is that they are willing to do that and Marquette has developed some type of relationship with them over the years. We should not have seven of them on the schedule like we did this year, but as long as I have been watching, we have always had about four or so, and which ones they are really does not make much difference. Finding the ones you can beat without killing your RPI is very tricky.

The way to improve the schedule is load up on a number of quality home-and-homes, (Utah would be quite good if it goes through,) try and fill in the schedule with respectable teams that are going to give us a three for one deal or something, (and right now, I do not think that would be Valpo. Perhaps a good thing. I am not at all sure we would have beaten them,) fill in a few dogs, and hope for the best.

We will step it up next year for sure, but no matter what you do, scheduling can be slippery. I remember one year under O'Neil. The year before, the team had played a schedule like this year's. That was the year after they had opened the season on the road against the teams that played for the national championship with a young team. They got eaten alive. So the next year, Kevin scheduled all the dogs. The year following though, after suffering the kind of criticism we are seeing here, there was a real effort to upgrade the schedule. But it did not work out so well. We played Dayton like we had for about a decade. This was a year or two after we were in the same conference and they had almost won it. They started the season losing a bunch of heart-breakers. I remember them being described as the best 0-6 team in history or something. By the time they got to Milwaukee, they were 0-9. They completely fell apart. I think they won about five games all year. We had Ohio State on the schedule that year. This was two years after they made the Final Four. They were terrible. I think they finished 4-14 in the Big Ten and won about six games all year. We played Fordham, I think on the road. They were supposed to be pretty good. Earlier in the year, they went across town and beat St. John's when they were nationally ranked. But the rest of the season, they stunk. So we had three non-conference teams that should have boosted our RPI. Instead, they were anchors, and people still talked about the lousy schedule Marquette played.

Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"

03-31-2016, 08:11 AM

MU played Wake Forest in '03 mid-conference play for both teams. Where there is a will there is a way. Goose is right, the league should and needs to do something creative - the Big East has fallen far short on the creative side in its 3 seasons IMO.

I specifically said the Pac 12 because their scheduling is totally different, with travel partners and two game commitments that don't allow for alteration. Wake was different because it's the more flexible ACC. If we want a Pac 12 series it would have to be November or December. No amount of will would change that.

Goose85

03-31-2016, 09:58 AM

I specifically said the Pac 12 because their scheduling is totally different, with travel partners and two game commitments that don't allow for alteration. Wake was different because it's the more flexible ACC. If we want a Pac 12 series it would have to be November or December. No amount of will would change that.

The Pac 12 is set up nicely, 2 teams near each other in AZ, 2 LA teams, 2 SF area teams, 2 teams in Oregon, 2 in Washington, and Utah and Colorado.

I don't think you need a whole conference challenge thing, just a few schools each year, like 5. I don't think Arizona and UCLA would do it, but there are plenty of other Pac 12 teams. I get it that a in conference season thing might not work, I just mentioned it because I liked how Kentucky and Kansas played outside of the conference season.

MUMac

03-31-2016, 01:06 PM

The Pac 12 is set up nicely, 2 teams near each other in AZ, 2 LA teams, 2 SF area teams, 2 teams in Oregon, 2 in Washington, and Utah and Colorado.

I don't think you need a whole conference challenge thing, just a few schools each year, like 5. I don't think Arizona and UCLA would do it, but there are plenty of other Pac 12 teams. I get it that a in conference season thing might not work, I just mentioned it because I liked how Kentucky and Kansas played outside of the conference season.

That was part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Weekend full of games. I would love that with the Pac 12.

TheSultan

03-31-2016, 01:18 PM

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That was part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Weekend full of games. I would love that with the Pac 12.

Agreed. Ten games on FS1 and FS2 on the Saturday between the Super Bowl. With four time zones in play, that is completely doable.

Much better alternative than some sort of arrangement with the WCC which is simply a mid-major conference with one powerful school.

Nukem2

03-31-2016, 02:26 PM

Agreed. Ten games on FS1 and FS2 on the Saturday between the Super Bowl. With four time zones in play, that is completely doable.

Much better alternative than some sort of arrangement with the WCC which is simply a mid-major conference with one powerful school.Guess one could say that about the SEC most years as well. ;)

MulliganMusings

03-31-2016, 03:15 PM

Guess one could say that about the SEC most years as well. ;)

Not to quibble too much but the WCC does feature Gonzaga, St. Mary's & BYU so there's typically more than one good team. But, you're right, it is a mid-major conference and I wasn't suggesting it in lieu of a relationship with another major conference but rather an alternative to some of the low RPI teams we've seen populate our schedule in recent years. It also has the benefit of attracting some attention from the West Coast media and potential recruits.

CaribouJim

03-31-2016, 03:46 PM

Not to quibble too much but the WCC does feature Gonzaga, St. Mary's & BYU so there's typically more than one good team. But, you're right, it is a mid-major conference and I wasn't suggesting it in lieu of a relationship with another major conference but rather an alternative to some of the low RPI teams we've seen populate our schedule in recent years. It also has the benefit of attracting some attention from the West Coast media and potential recruits.

...and I think the MU alums out west deserve to get to see MU play out in that neck of the woods more than seemingly once a decade or so whether it is the PAC 12 or the WCC. Help them stay engaged with MU.

Nice road trip too for us out here in the Midwest and East.

79warrior

03-31-2016, 04:02 PM

...and I think the MU alums out west deserve to get to see MU play out in that neck of the woods more than seemingly once a decade or so whether it is the PAC 12 or the WCC. Help them stay engaged with MU.

Nice road trip too for us out here in the Midwest and East.

Bring the fellas out to Pepperdine. They can hit Malibu and then us out West can watch them play. DePaul made the trip a few years ago.

IrwinFletcher

03-31-2016, 05:26 PM

A number of teams from the Midwest and east coast have made a stop over in CA on their way to the Maui Classic in order to play a game.

MU plays out there in November or 2017, so I wonder if that is something we will do.

warriorfan4life

03-31-2016, 05:30 PM

Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"

03-31-2016, 06:34 PM

The Utah announcement is nice, but the real problem is the cupcakes. Clean those up and the schedule will be fine.

AlexJesswein

04-10-2016, 09:10 PM

IUPUI got a grad transfer from Kent State who averaged 12 ppg (http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2016/04/10/iupui-picks-up-commitment-thomas/82871116/). They will also have Ron Patterson (Syracuse Transfer) eligible for next season...should be pretty formidable.

BLT

04-10-2016, 10:08 PM

I'd love to start a home-and-home with St. Mary's then.

McKeon sits 3500 only. High school gym.

The Reptile

04-11-2016, 12:18 PM

Add Vandy to the schedule in the Veterans Classic on November 11th. Game will played in Annapolis, MD. OSU vs Navy in the other match up.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25550495/veterans-classic-set-vandy-vs-marquette-ohio-state-vs-navy

TheSultan

04-11-2016, 12:33 PM

Dish over on Scoop said that it looks like Marquette and Creighton are not getting Gavitt games this year. Could have prompted MU finding another high level opponent.

pbiflyer

04-11-2016, 12:57 PM

ValiantSailor

04-11-2016, 01:58 PM

Why aren't they holding this on an aircraft carrier??? in the evening?? ;)

Annapolis doesn't have deep enough water.... :cool:

VS

Markedman

04-11-2016, 02:00 PM

Yep.....no Gavitt game this year.....https://twitter.com/matt_velazquez/status/719579209719353344

MU/Panther

04-11-2016, 02:24 PM

Past two year with this event on CBSSN
2014 Michigan State vs Navy & Tennessee vs VCU
2015 Florida vs Navy & North Carolina vs Temple

warriorfan4life

04-11-2016, 03:08 PM

Yep.....no Gavitt game this year.....https://twitter.com/matt_velazquez/status/719579209719353344

With the 2K Classic going on during the end of that week, it makes sense that we are out this year.

CaribouJim

04-11-2016, 09:09 PM

CaribouJim

04-11-2016, 09:28 PM

Why aren't they holding this on an aircraft carrier??? in the evening?? ;)

Don't remind me - maybe the best and coolest and seats I've ever had a sporting event - first row almost at half court. Dick Strong sitting behind me and looking at me with an expression on his face that communicated "Who is that loser sitting there and relegating me to the 2nd row?".

Junior shaking his head and saying "I'm not playing on this". They would wipe the floor and immediately the condensation would pop to the surface. Bummer as the women's game went off without a hitch on a beautiful day - I was more worried about it being a windy evening and not the sun setting.

Charleston a great location for a road trip.

MUAlphaBangura

04-11-2016, 09:43 PM

Don't remind me - maybe the best and coolest and seats I've ever had a sporting event - first row almost at half court. Dick Strong sitting behind me and looking at me with an expression on his face that communicated "Who is that loser sitting there and relegating me to the 2nd row?".

Junior shaking his head and saying "I'm not playing on this". They would wipe the floor and immediately the condensation would pop to the surface. Bummer as the women's game went off without a hitch on a beautiful day - I was more worried about it being a windy evening and not the sun setting.

Charleston a great location for a road trip.

Don't most people who sit behind you say that?

CaribouJim

04-11-2016, 09:51 PM

Don't most people who sit behind you say that?

I lobbed that one right over the plate didn't I?

MayorBeluga

04-11-2016, 10:00 PM

Don't most people who sit behind you say that?

As compared to those who sit a row in front of Caribou who just shaken their collective heads at the latest Lil Monarchs story.

MUMac

04-12-2016, 09:21 AM

This sounds like a cool road trip and their arena looks pretty neat and intimate. Would be nice if it was on a Saturday, but still worth considering. Never have been to the Naval Academy.

http://www.navysports.com/facilities/alumni-hall.html

It is a beautiful campus, steeped in history. Right on the water, as you would expect, off the Chesapeake. If you ever get a chance, Commissioning Week is awesome. This is something that is especially fun to watch. http://www.usna.edu/PAO/faq_pages/herndon.php

DCwarrior

04-12-2016, 10:31 AM

I should actually be able to make this game in person. My wife hates basketball with every bone in her body, but I think I might be able to coerce her into coming along if I agree to take her out for MD Chesapeake Bay hard shell blue crabs before the game in Annapolis. Before moving out to this area, I'd never tried nor even heard of blue crabs. Eighteen year later - it's possibly my favorite food now. Nothing beats an afternoon of eating hard shell crabs and drinking beer.

The Reptile

04-12-2016, 02:15 PM