Gopher NC Sked Update (July 27); add Brown

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SelectionSunday

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Brown (thanks for the tip TJ) has released its schedule, and the Gophers are on it. The Gophers will host the Bears on Saturday, December 5, at a time to be determined. Brown finished last (3-11) in the 8-team Ivy League last season and had a RPI of #307. That gives the Gophers' two opponents with RPIs of 300+.

Also, the Saint Joseph's game has been confirmed in the Saint Joe's men's basketball preseason prospectus.

Unofficially, that leaves us with one Gopher nonconference home opponent to be determined. The Gophers will play 12 nonconference games: 8 at home; 1 on the road; and 3 at a neutral site (Anaheim 76 Classic).

Final RPI for 2008-09 listed in parentheses.

Home (8)
1. Saturday, Dec. 5 -- BROWN (307) -- Ivy League
2. Saturday, Dec. 12 -- SAINT JOSEPH'S (105) -- Atlantic 10
3. Tuesday, Dec. 15 -- NORTHERN ILLINOIS (329) -- MAC
4. Wednesday, Dec. 23 -- SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (283) -- Summit League
5. Date TBD -- STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (74, NCAA) -- Southland
6. Date TBD -- MORGAN STATE (130, NCAA) -- MEAC
7. Date TBD -- UTAH VALLEY STATE (238) -- Great West (no automatic bid)
8. Opponent TBD

Road (1)
1. Wednesday, Dec. 2 -- at Miami-Florida (65) -- ACC

Neutral/Anaheim Classic (3)
1. Thursday, Nov. 26 -- vs. Butler (24, NCAA) -- Horizon League
2. Friday, Nov. 27 -- vs. UCLA (33, NCAA)/Portland (120)
3. Sunday, Nov. 29 -- vs. West Virginia (21, NCAA)/Clemson (28, NCAA)/Texas A&M (36, NCAA)/Long Beach State (156)

Average RPI of Nonconference Opponents: 172.777
Average RPI of Home Opponents: 209.428
NCAA Qualifiers (3): Butler, Morgan State, Stephen F. Austin
Top 100 (3): Butler (24), Miami-Florida (65), Stephen F. Austin (74)
 


It seems if they can get to the finals of the Anaheim Classic they have a well balanced non conference schedule. If they don't win a couple in that tournement they will need a strong Big Ten showing to get to the NCAA's.

I get the sense they are short one strong non conference game.
 

Schedule

I will say it again, there is a difference between a "strong" opponent and a really pathetic one. I would not consider an RPI of 175 a strong opponent, but it is considerably better than 307. This is really pathetic given the strength of the team and the cost of the tickets. None of us can expect a whole slate of top 100 opponents, but we can reasonably expect to see teams in the 125 to 200 range to complete the schedule.
 

Holy Man said:
I will say it again, there is a difference between a "strong" opponent and a really pathetic one. I would not consider an RPI of 175 a strong opponent, but it is considerably better than 307. This is really pathetic given the strength of the team and the cost of the tickets. None of us can expect a whole slate of top 100 opponents, but we can reasonably expect to see teams in the 125 to 200 range to complete the schedule.
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This is my big frustration as well. Is it that hard to get teams like Drake, Austin Peay, ect?
 


I would rather go to a Pulley game for free than pay for this crap. We might as well start playing teams from the MIAC.
 

I'm usually not one to get upset over the schedule, but this is even worse than last year. Noticeably worse. With that schedule, we'll need 25 wins to get in the Tourney next year (kidding, but only slightly).
 

Does anyone have the connections and relationship to Tubby to ask him what in the world he is doing? 3rd year, 2 straight top 25 recruiting classes, reputation and contacts, desire to bring the program greater visibility and respect, and this is the best non-com home schedule he can come up with. If not now, when? I don't see ESPN or CBS dieing to get these games on national TV.

I'm a big fan of Tubby and will give him a lot of slack, but I would think even the players would want to compete against tougher competition. I feel for you guys that have season tickets and have to watch Brown and Northern Ill. Living outstate, I watch on BTN but don't think I will be plopped down watching some of these games.
 

We got Brown!!! I can't believe it, Maturi was able to schedule Brown!!!! I take back all of the bad things I've said about the non-conference schedule. We got Brown!!! Time to write a big check to the Williams fund!
 



any ideas

Is this the best we could do for non conf. games? Does anyone have any ideas on what could be done to improve it.
 

FWIW

Final RPI for 2008-09 listed in parentheses.

Home (8)
1. Saturday, Dec. 5 -- BROWN (307) -- Ivy League
2. Saturday, Dec. 12 -- SAINT JOSEPH'S (105) -- Atlantic 10 - the Hawks will be tough opponent.
3. Tuesday, Dec. 15 -- NORTHERN ILLINOIS (329) -- MAC
4. Wednesday, Dec. 23 -- SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (283) -- Summit League
5. Date TBD -- STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (74, NCAA) -- Southland - another good opponent.
6. Date TBD -- MORGAN STATE (130, NCAA) -- MEAC
7. Date TBD -- UTAH VALLEY STATE (238) -- Independent
8. Opponent TBD - who knows, maybe another good opponent.

Road (1)
1. Wednesday, Dec. 2 -- at Miami-Florida (65) -- ACC - tough game here.

Neutral/Anaheim Classic (3) - likely 3 tough games here
1. Thursday, Nov. 26 -- vs. Butler (24, NCAA) -- Horizon League
2. Friday, Nov. 27 -- vs. UCLA (33, NCAA)/Portland (120)
3. Sunday, Nov. 29 -- vs. West Virginia (21, NCAA)/Clemson (28, NCAA)/Texas A&M (36, NCAA)/Long Beach State (156)
 

I usually don't post over here on the BBall bored much, But this is outrageous. We have a legitimate shot at the number one recruit in the whole nation who is within driving distance, where we could invite him up to some big time games where he could fall in love. But O wait, Why the hell would he want to come see the gophers play a team he could beat by himself. This is up-surd. If we do not get to the championship in the Anaheim Classic our Non-Conference will be flat out embarrassing.
 

Until I see the final NC sked released. ...

I'll continue to hold out hope that there'll be a major-conference opponent or a quality team the likes of Siena visiting The Barn in 2009-10. So far it looks like we're putting all our eggs in one basket (Anaheim Classic) and that's pretty much it. That's dangerous out-of-league scheduling if you don't pick up a couple quality wins. Last season it worked (beating Louisville in our only true "biggie"), but I wouldn't bank on that happening every season.
 



Not only is this fairly pathetic, but regardless of how well we do in Anaheim, we won't play a real game from December 2nd until Big 10 play. That is not only sad, it's dangerous. Talk about rust.
 

Friend Of Tubby said:
2. Saturday, Dec. 12 -- SAINT JOSEPH'S (105) -- Atlantic 10 - the Hawks will be tough opponent.

5. Date TBD -- STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (74, NCAA) -- Southland - another good opponent.
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Nah, both those teams are going to suck this year. St. Joe's loses their two best players, Ahmad Nivans and Tasheed Carr. Nivans will be impossible to replace; he was a monster.

Stephen F. Austin also loses what were easily their top two players, along with a third starter that finished fourth on the team in scoring and second in rebounding.
 


Plinnius said:
Nah, both those teams are going to suck this year. St. Joe's loses their two best players, Ahmad Nivans and Tasheed Carr. Nivans will be impossible to replace; he was a monster.

Stephen F. Austin also loses what were easily their top two players, along with a third starter that finished fourth on the team in scoring and second in rebounding.
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Phil Martelli will have a good team at St Joe's. SF Austin will be decent as well.
 


Has Tubby said anything about his thinking for this scheduling? A previous year I remember him saying he wanted to start with easier opponents to build confidence and have a winning mentality and all that which made perfect sense, but I don't think that really cuts it at this point. I just want to hear some reasoning behind this year's scheduling or something about the level of opponents for home games improving in the coming years. The fans paying for this crap deserve to hear something other than lies from assistant coaches saying that the NC home games would be much improved this year.
 

Has Tubby or his staff tried to get a non conf. game with either Georgia or Tulsa. He has past relations with both universities,and either would provide a better game than High Point.
 

50% of the RPI is based on your opponents record and 25% is your own record. So if I play Brown and they end up 14-15 but make the tourney because they won the Ivy (and I know this isn't accurate just bear with me for example's sake) then you're going to be dragged down even though you say "Well, they're in the tournament!". But if you play say Long Beach State and they win 20-24 games but don't reach the NCAA because they got upset in the conference tournament you're better off RPI wise by playing them than you are a Brown. Don't worry about what a team's RPI was last year. Look at what you think the team will do this season.

Are Brown, Northern Illinois and South Dakota State 20 game winners? If they are it's a good schedule because the more games those teams win the better your RPI is. If you think a team is going to win 5-10 games don't schedule them because they'll end up dropping your RPI way down.

Even with all that it's getting harder and harder to get quality opponents to come on the road without some sort of return. Football it's getting really bad. Most of the Non-BCS teams have started to balk, no matter what the dollar amount, without some sort of return game. I think basketball is slowly going to evolve that way as well.
 

"Don't worry about what a team's RPI was last year."

Yes, obviously, what's important is how those opponents perform this season. But I've found much more often than not that using the previous season's RPI serves as a pretty solid indicator of which teams are making an effort to put together a reasonably competitive nonconference schedule and which ones are not.

Certainly as it pertains to the home schedule (admittedly, my #1 pet peeve), thus far the Gophers have fallen short in that area under Tubby, which surprises me because the program clearly is on an upward trend. I'd like to see the (home) slate adjusted accordingly.
 

Siena is still looking for a game at a BCS opponent in early January. Somebody tell Tubby!!! :clap:
 

SienaSaints said:
Siena is still looking for a game at a BCS opponent in early January. Somebody tell Tubby!!! :clap:
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You just will not let this die will you! What makes you think any of us have the slightest influence over Maturi (our A.D.)? -I guess I could bring it up to him the next time Joel Maturi and I go golfing or at our next brunch outing or when I attend his upcoming wedding anniversary party...no. Go back to wherever Siena is and get on your knees for Siena's A.D. until he puts us on the schedule.

Frankly, my dear, I just don't give a damn (about Siena.) - that's why I'm on GOPHERhole, and not SAINTShole.

(I bet this guy scours all the other 60 some BCS school's websites begging for someone to schedule them)

P.S. - with our scheduling, you have a better chance of playing us in football
 

Early January? Aren't the Gophers already in Big 10 play? I thought they started on NYE last year. I don't think Tubby would schedule a non-conference game during the Big 10 season. The Gophers playing a non-conference game during Big 10 season has happened maybe twice in the past 15 years (Princeton in '03-'04, at Seton Hall '99-'00)
 

SelectionSunday said:
"Don't worry about what a team's RPI was last year."

Yes, obviously, what's important is how those opponents perform this season. But I've found much more often than not that using the previous season's RPI serves as a pretty solid indicator of which teams are making an effort to put together a reasonably competitive nonconference schedule and which ones are not.

Certainly as it pertains to the home schedule (admittedly, my #1 pet peeve), thus far the Gophers have fallen short in that area under Tubby, which surprises me because the program clearly is on an upward trend. I'd like to see the (home) slate adjusted accordingly.
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TV dictates (some would say too much) a lot of scheduling these days. This isn't knock on Minnesota per se but why would a Kansas or UCLA come to the Barn and play? They don't need the exposure, they don't recruit the area significiantly, they don't get a cut of the gate and with travel expenses what they are why bother with the expense if it's not an attractive game that the networks want to air?

These are all reasons you see more and more "neutral site" games that aren't part of any tourney package. Kentucky and Duke can go play in Atlanta (which might happen this season or next I'm hearing) and split the gate 50/50 and get paid a boatload of money by the TV networks to do it. Like I said earlier, even the smaller or mid-major programs that are pretty successful (like Gonzaga even if that return game is on a neutral court) are starting to not care how much you pay them to come in for a game without a return. So what you're left with a lot of the time are the lower end spectrum of teams who need the paychecks (which are increasing more and more. As an example Middle Tn State asked for close to a million dollars AND a return game in Murfessboro to continue a football series with UK) and don't expect a return game.

I honestly think that what I like to call the "scheduling bubble" is going to burst wide open in regards to football and basketball in a few years. The cracks are already being shown in CFB. Is Ohio State willing to play a Ohio U a million+ plus and give them a return game? I think not.
 

No way a home-and-home is that complicated. ...

no matter what we're being fed.

That's all well and good, and I understand that a lot of major programs (especially the "elite of the elite", as you mention) are starting to play more neutral-site games.

That still doesn't answer this for me. ...

You can't tell me that a coach the stature of a Tubby Smith can't call a Seth Greenberg (Virginia Tech) or a Scott Drew (Baylor) or a Keno Davis (Providence) or a Craig Robinson (Oregon State) or an Andy Kennedy (Ole Miss) and line up a home-and-home with another major program? As I've said many times before, I'm not asking for a UCLA or a Kansas (the teams you mention as examples) to come to The Barn (though that would be super), but there's zero reason the Gophers shouldn't be playing part of a home-and-home every single season vs. a major program (i.e. the Iowa State series that ended two years ago).
 

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