Gophers Schedule Update (with Sid's June 16 schedule musings)

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SelectionSunday

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Gophers NC Sked (with Richmond date)

Updated with date of Richmond game, as reported by Jeff Goodman of cbssports.com. If accurate, the Gophers have 3 or 4 home games yet to be announced/determined.

Final 2011-12 RPI is noted in parentheses.

Home (7 or 8)
1. Friday, Nov. 9: American (141) -- CIT
2. Sunday, Nov. 18: Richmond (126)
3. Tuesday, Dec. 4: South Dakota State (43) -- NCAA
4. Tuesday, Dec. 11: North Dakota State (183) -- CBI
5.
6.
7.
(8?).

Road (2)
1. Tuesday, Nov. 27: @ Florida State (11) -- NCAA
2. Saturday, Dec. 8: @ USC (270)

Neutral Site (3) -- Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 22-24)
Gophers will play 3 of:
vs. Duke (5) -- NCAA
vs. Missouri (10) -- NCAA
vs. Louisville (14) -- NCAA
vs. Memphis (16) -- NCAA
vs. VCU (38) -- NCAA
vs. Northern Iowa (73) -- NIT
vs. Stanford (97) -- NIT

Exhibition (2)
1.
2.
 

Texas A&M would maybe be the big name BCS opponent that was talked about, but I think they're a team who is trying to rebuild a little bit and wouldn't exactly be a big time matchup but that might be ok with the competition the Gophers should face in the Battle 4 Atlantis. This schedule is shaping up to look a lot better than it has the past few years.
 

Good point about A&M. They would be a good opponent -- I'll never complain about a BCS opponent -- but at this point the Aggies appear more on the way down than the way up. Definitely not a big-time matchup, but it was still a really good program before Turgeon left a year ago.

Overall nonconference schedule? No question, it's looking like a solid slate. It has a chance to be a really good one, especially if we end up in the winner's bracket of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
 

I know that I sound like the proverbial broken record (cliched and dated reference) when I restate this for the thirty third time but the disregard for the paying customers remains hugely ballsy. Like most of my fellow suffering lemmings, I shelled out the extra $500 this year for my two tix and i thought this year, of all years, I would be rewarded with a couple of games at at Williams in November and December against name brand opponents. (A Texas A&M heading in the wrong direction doesn't count. Missouri or Marquette does.) I have no one to blame but myself because I could have and, perhaps, should have walked away. It looks like the season ticket holders are going to get screwed again. The athletics department deserves a half empty building.
 

Jamiche, it is a bit ironic that this year there are some good preseason opponents but we won't see them at the barn despite the extra "donations".
We opted for our very good non-donation seats and we'll enjoy the season. I just couldn't open the door for feeling even more irritated at not being able to unload tickets for preseason games.

Selection - thanks for the updates!
 


My biggest pet peeve

Jamiche, no need to worry about being a "broken record". You're preaching to the choir about the nonconference home schedules under Tubby. Home nonconference scheduling is my SINGLE BIGGEST pet peeve.

2011-12 offered a hint of progress with USC and Virginia Tech (even though both ended up being major disappointments) both on the home slate -- it was the first time in 5 seasons Tubby scheduled a BCS home opponent not mandated by the ACC Challenge -- but it appears we may be taking a step back again. I'm not convinced Texas A&M will be on the home schedule like Sid is reporting, but I hope in this instance Grandpa is correct.

And you are very welcome, Moonlight.
 

Moonlight said:
Jamiche, it is a bit ironic that this year there are some good preseason opponents but we won't see them at the barn despite the extra "donations".
We opted for our very good non-donation seats and we'll enjoy the season. I just couldn't open the door for feeling even more irritated at not being able to unload tickets for preseason games.

Selection - thanks for the updates!
Click to expand...

It's fine to watch a good preseason tournament game on TV but I want to be excited about walking into Williams for once in November and December and NoDak and SoDak don't cut it.

I really think the paying customers were owed a big thank you for coming through after years of straight line mediocrity and they have barfed on us. Terrible customer relations. One or two good home preseason games a year isn't asking for a lot. If no one else was playing good opponents in the preseason, I would buy their annual excuses. That isn't and hasn't been the case. I hope things change under Teague.
 


Update: Gophers will not be playing Texas A&M

Sid mentioned the other day that the Gophers possibly would be playing Texas A&M as an off-shoot of the Battle 4 Atlantis. That will not be the case, at least according to a member of A&M's basketball staff.

"We are not playing Minnesota," was his concise answer, when emailed & asked about the possibility of playing the Gophers.

(Gophers tentative schedule edited above)
 



I won't claim to know why the U hasn't had very daunting non-conference schedules recently but it should be obvious that scheduling is a 2 way street. Both institutions need to be interested to make it happen. I don't think there is a lot to attract a high powered team to Minneapolis.

Pros:
B1G team

Cons:
History of winning big games early in season
History of collapsing late in the year lowering RPI
Bad weather potential
Long commute (for most teams atleast)
Doesn't create excitement for their fans (excluding perhaps a few "local" teams)
Worries about the raised floor in the barn (there is a perception nationally that the raised floor is dangerous)
Not a big recruiting market to impress kids
Probably not going to end up on a National TV stage


Given that there are 60-odd other teams in the Power Conferences plus the handful of well known mid-majors it seems to me there is a good case NOT to schedule the Gophers. Again, I'm not suggesting that this is the reason for poor NC schedules. I'm only showing that as much as we love our Gophers we should be cognizant of the fact that we don't have teams banging down our door looking to play us. It might actually be downright difficult to find teams willing to schedule a home and home.
 

There are always excuses yet others get it done.

I would love to see the Gophers start a same year home and home rivalry with a relatively close BCS team (Iowa State or Marquette would be perfect). Play Friday at Williams and Sunday at Iowa State. Each team gets a home game and over the years you develop a friendly rivalry. Each team's fans get a good home game.

I know people will say it can't be done but it could be, you just need two coaches to embrace it.

You can't tell me a that a home win over a +200 RPI team will get them in while a road loss to a BCS non-conference team will leave them out.
 

Not buying it.

Sound like weak excuses to me. Williams Arena hasn't exactly been a house of horrors for quality teams in recent years. I'd think the Gophers are exactly the kind of program a decent program would want to schedule a home-and-home with. ... good enough where if you beat them it's a quality win (read: RPI top 50-100), but losing to them is not an embarrassment.

And in terms of scheduling home games vs. BCS opponents (excluding the mandated ACC Challenge games), the Gophers are tied for dead last in the B1G (along with Illinois) since the 2007-08 season, and that's only because I exclude the "quasi home games" the Illini play every season @ the United Center. Otherwise, there would be no tie. ... the Gophers would be rock bottom.

Non-ACC Challenge BCS Home Opponents since 2007-08 Season
Wisconsin (6) -- Marquette (3), Colorado, Georgia, Texas
Michigan (5) -- Duke, Iowa State, Kansas, UCLA, UConn
Nebraska (4) -- Oregon (2), Oregon State, Rutgers
Northwestern (4) -- Stanford (2), Baylor, DePaul
Ohio State (4) -- Florida (2), South Carolina, West Virginia
Indiana (3) -- Kentucky (3)
Michigan State (3) -- Kansas, South Carolina, Texas
Penn State (3) -- Ole Miss, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech
Iowa (2) -- Iowa State (2)
Purdue (2) -- Alabama, West Virginia
Illinois (1) -- Vanderbilt
Minnesota (1) -- USC

And I'm excluding some true non-BCS powers (i.e. Butler, Gonzaga, Xavier) that have played on B1G home floors, none of which the Gophers have played.

Can we excuse away being dead last among B1G schools? Are you saying the Gophers -- with 2 NCAA appearances and no NCAA tourney wins in 5 years -- are that feared by the other 60-odd major-conference programs?

And the numbers aren't likely to improve this year, unless the Gophers have a trick up their sleeve and have scheduled a surprise home BCS opponent they've been able to keep secret from the media. We already know about the following 2012-13 home games (or "sorta" home games") for the following B1G teams:

1. Illinois will play Auburn @ the United Center.
2. Indiana will play Butler in Indianapolis.
3. Iowa will host Iowa State.
4. Michigan will host Arkansas.
5. Michigan State will host Texas.
6. Ohio State will host Kansas.
7. Purdue will play Notre Dame in Indianapolis.
8. Wisconsin is hosting Cal.

And I'm sure there will be a few others.
 

I agree with SS teams on the same level as us are scheduling BCS home games and we should be able to get it done too. Western Michigan doesn't add much to the schedule for me. I actually like the Richmond game on the schedule next year and would like the Gophers to at least schedule some teams that aren't technically BCS programs but have had success like Gonzaga, VCU, Butler, Xavier, and those types of teams. I am really hoping that there is a BCS team out there that will be on the schedule that we haven't heard about because it seems like every year for the past few years its been said in the papers and other places that we would have a big time home game and it really never materializes except for USC last year.
 



Ok with what we know about the schedule so far we can assume there are 3 games left to be announced lets pick 3 teams who you would like to see or who you think would fit in well to finish out the schedule.
I am going to go with Kansas, Belmont, and Detroit.
 

Denver, Mercer, Valpo

This guess would fall into the "fit" category based on how we've scheduled the last couple years. I'd be floored if we have any major program of good repute added to the schedule.

I'll take a flyer on Denver (WAC), Mercer (Atlantic Sun; postseason CIT champions) and Valpo (Horizon), all at home, and none of which would be RPI killers. Valpo would be the most desirable of the three.
 

According to Jeff Goodman of cbssports.com, Gophers-Richmond game will be Sunday, Nov. 18. Nonconference schedule updated above.
 

Iowa St / Marquette

Winnipegopher said:
There are always excuses yet others get it done.

I would love to see the Gophers start a same year home and home rivalry with a relatively close BCS team (Iowa State or Marquette would be perfect). Play Friday at Williams and Sunday at Iowa State. Each team gets a home game and over the years you develop a friendly rivalry. Each team's fans get a good home game.

I know people will say it can't be done but it could be, you just need two coaches to embrace it.

You can't tell me a that a home win over a +200 RPI team will get them in while a road loss to a BCS non-conference team will leave them out.
Click to expand...

I'd like it too if the Gophers regularly played Iowa St & Marquette, but the reality is since both of those schools arleady play a Big 10 team (Iowa & Wisc respectively) annually as part of their in-state rivalries, they are not eager to schedule Minnesota. Still they should find out a way to play each of those teams at least twice per decade.

A nearby team that I would focus on is Northern Iowa from the very solid Missouri Valley.
 

Ope3 said:
I'd like it too if the Gophers regularly played Iowa St & Marquette, but the reality is since both of those schools arleady play a Big 10 team (Iowa & Wisc respectively) annually as part of their in-state rivalries, they are not eager to schedule Minnesota. Still they should find out a way to play each of those teams at least twice per decade.

A nearby team that I would focus on is Northern Iowa from the very solid Missouri Valley.
Click to expand...

If this were football, I would say, "You have a very good point, there". But alas, it isn't football and scheduling 2 Big Ten teams a year would not be a hardship for either ISU or MU.
 

Cyclones / Golden Eagles

Ski U Mah Gopher said:
If this were football, I would say, "You have a very good point, there". But alas, it isn't football and scheduling 2 Big Ten teams a year would not be a hardship for either ISU or MU.
Click to expand...

It's not really a "hardship" but if a school is only going to schedule 2-4 games against teams from BCS conferences and you already have the Big 10 checked off with an in-state rival, it's much more attractive to schedule a team from a different region for exposure, recruiting etc.
 

Doogie hinting at another neutral site game for the Gophers this year:

"The Gophers men's basketball team's schedule isn't expected to be released until August. They're still working on finalizing an exhibition game and a regular season game. The latter will likely slot in on Monday, November 12. It's expected to be at a neutral site."

http://kstp.com/article/stories/S2664770.shtml?cat=12440

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
Doogie hinting at another neutral site game for the Gophers this year:

"The Gophers men's basketball team's schedule isn't expected to be released until August. They're still working on finalizing an exhibition game and a regular season game. The latter will likely slot in on Monday, November 12. It's expected to be at a neutral site."

http://kstp.com/article/stories/S2664770.shtml?cat=12440

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...

That being my birthday, there's no way it isn't Minnesota / Kansas at Excel or Target Center. Making the plans right now.
 

I like the local neutral-siters (Target Center or the X) as a little change of pace. If true and the date is correct, I'll predict Gophers vs. Northern Iowa at the X (the Wild have a Nov. 3-13 road trip).

Have seen reports that UNI is scheduling an extra (4th) exempt game as part of the Battle 4 Atlantis, and the Gophers would be the most logical opponent. UNI certainly fits with the previous U announcement that the Gopher schedule would include a quality regional opponent. Playing UNI pretty much would guarantee the Gophers and Panthers would be placed on opposite sides of the Battle 4 Atlantis bracket.

Any game at the X (or Target Center) best be part of the season-ticket package or there'll be a lot of unhappy campers.
 

SelectionSunday said:
I like the local neutral-siters (Target Center or the X) as a little change of pace. If true and the date is correct, I'll predict Gophers vs. Northern Iowa at the X (the Wild have a Nov. 3-13 road trip).

Have seen reports that UNI is scheduling an extra (4th) exempt game as part of the Battle 4 Atlantis, and the Gophers would be the most logical opponent. UNI certainly fits with the previous U announcement that the Gopher schedule would include a quality regional opponent. Playing UNI pretty much would guarantee the Gophers and Panthers would be placed on opposite sides of the Battle 4 Atlantis bracket.

Any game at the X (or Target Center) best be part of the season-ticket package or there'll be a lot of unhappy campers.
Click to expand...

I'll say St. Thomas at the Target Center.

Seriously, is playing at the X or Target Center really a neutral site game? C'mon...
 

Art Vandelay said:
Seriously, is playing at the X or Target Center really a neutral site game? C'mon...
Click to expand...

By definition, yes, it is possible it could be considered a neutral-site game. If it's part of the Gophers' season-ticket package, it'll be considered a home game. If not, and ticket access is equal, it'll be a neutral-siter. But your point is taken.

However, Tubby wouldn't be as likely to call it a "road game" like Clem did when we played West Virginia and Villanova at Target Center in 96 and 97.
 

SelectionSunday said:
UNI certainly fits with the previous U announcement that the Gopher schedule would include a quality regional opponent.
Click to expand...

I just looked back at an old thread because I thought there was a claim out there which was a little heftier than "a quality regional opponent"... here is the thread.

Some quotes from then:
Quoting Shama said:
Maturi said the contract hasn’t been signed but it’s likely the Gophers will play a major conference opponent that will be a local box office draw as part of next fall’s nonconference schedule.
Click to expand...

Gopher Warrior said:
My guess would be a team in the Battle 4 Atlantis. There are so many good teams in it that if all the teams want to play 31 games next year, some would have to play a "tough" road game with someone in the B4A.

This guess is just based on reasoning, not on anything I've heard.
Click to expand...

Bleed Gopher said:
I think GW is on to something with it being a team in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament, though the only team I can see agreeing to come here without a return game would be Northern Iowa. This also makes sense with the line about it being a "local" draw, but certainly doesn't fit the "major conference" part of the equation.
Click to expand...

So.. I think we're at the same point as we were in early April. UNI would make sense as a B4A participant, but they don't fit the "major conference" part... but it was Maturi who classified the likely opponent as being from a "major conference", so who knows. I'm not familiar with the schedules of the rest of the B4A field -- wonder if it's a better opponent than UNI and one of the reasons that they're talking neutral-site is because that's what the 'U' has to do in order to entice the opponent to come to town... that would be good news, except how would ticketing work? Maybe they could give us season ticket holders first crack at the seats (if we're willing to throw down another $50 donation + ticket price, of course).
 

Thanks GW.

The one thing I haven't been able to figure out is why our season tickets were priced at 20 (home) games. Even with 2 exhibition games and an extra game from the Battle 4 Atlantis, the most I came up with was a 19-game home schedule. Translation. ... there was going to be some overage for what we paid for our season tickets.

Is there any chance that (wherever the game is played) "technically" it'll be considered a neutral-site game, but as a way around to get season-ticket holders 1st shot at good tickets they'll offer us the opportunity to apply the overage to the "neutral-siter"?

Just thinking out loud.

Another thought? Norwood Teague comes from VCU. VCU is in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Perhaps the Rams are the opponent?

UNI would be fine, but I'd be much more intrigued if it was announced the Gophers were playing VCU at Target Center or the X. I've become too cynical about our (home) nonconference scheduling to even hope that it'd be Duke, Louisville, Memphis or Mizzou -- or to a lesser extent Stanford -- visiting Minneapolis or St. Paul.
 


Gopher Warrior said:
I just looked back at an old thread because I thought there was a claim out there which was a little heftier than "a quality regional opponent"... here is the thread.

Some quotes from then:


Old quotes, blah, blah, blah


So.. I think we're at the same point as we were in early April. UNI would make sense as a B4A participant, but they don't fit the "major conference" part... but it was Maturi who classified the likely opponent as being from a "major conference", so who knows. I'm not familiar with the schedules of the rest of the B4A field -- wonder if it's a better opponent than UNI and one of the reasons that they're talking neutral-site is because that's what the 'U' has to do in order to entice the opponent to come to town... that would be good news, except how would ticketing work? Maybe they could give us season ticket holders first crack at the seats (if we're willing to throw down another $50 donation + ticket price, of course).
Click to expand...

I'm expecting a big name. Maturi is not the kind of person to just throw things out there and he clearly used the term "major conference.". That to me means one of the Big 6 conferences. My 5 hopefuls/predictions:

Kansas
Colorado St
Missouri
Stanford
Louisville
 

"Norwood Teague comes from VCU. VCU is in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Perhaps the Rams are the opponent?"

I've heard VCU is looking to start a H/H beginning at VCU. I'm sure most wouldn't object starting on the road against Minnesota, however. The U could come by next year, playing Richmond and VCU in the same city back to back.

The Rams reportedly, just lost a guaranteed home game with Iona, and are still in talks with Murray St. about a H/H but it hasn't been finalized. Would love to replace one of those two with the Gophers.
 

SelectionSunday said:
By definition, yes, it is possible it could be considered a neutral-site game. If it's part of the Gophers' season-ticket package, it'll be considered a home game. If not, and ticket access is equal, it'll be a neutral-siter. But your point is taken.

However, Tubby wouldn't be as likely to call it a "road game" like Clem did when we played West Virginia and Villanova at Target Center in 96 and 97.
Click to expand...

Neutral site to me is playing Kansas, Kansas State, or Creighton in Des Moines.

How 'bout Marquette in Eau Claire or Menominee? :cool02:
 

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