Multiple mid-major programs are opting to not play against high-major programs because it gives power conference teams a "free live evaluation"

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GopherOhana said:
the 1909 big ten and national champs. 6 out right or big ten champs ties - only two fewer than Minnesota and Iowa
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They made the right decision I guess.


honestly they are a world renowned school and are doing fine.
70% of America probably doesn’t know the school exists
 

i mean for most mid major programs, there's really no benefit to playing P6 teams as they need to win their tournament many times to have a chance to dance.
 

upnorthkid said:
i mean for most mid major programs, there's really no benefit to playing P6 teams as they need to win their tournament many times to have a chance to dance.
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There is lots of benefit to playing better opponents prior to your conference schedule.
#1 Money. Negotiate a pay day to add to your basketball budget.
#2 Travel to attractive places to help recruiting...again with expenses paid by the host.
#3 The biggest reason, you want to challenge your team. Make them better. Put them into an overload situation and see who folds and who competes. Determine your weaknesses and fix them prior to conference play. Learn who you are. Build on strengths, fix or camouflage weaknesses. Kids wanna play the best. Show they belong. You can't hide your guys....dumb...dumb. I can't tell if he's good or quick playing lesser competition????
#4 What the heck kinda message is that to your team? You gonna lie about it or tell the truth why?
Either way, anybody who wants to compete is gonna leave your scared nonsense anyway.
#5 You absolutely will not improve winning non conference games by 20 plus points. Conference games cannot be your first adversity.
 



Yeah, 60's guy's #1 point, money.

At the University of Montana, these games — colloquially called "buy games" — have been used for travel expenses and coaching salaries. Grizzly head coach Travis DeCuire is contractually obligated to generate at least $86,000 from guaranteed games.

Assuming Montana plays its four guaranteed non-conference games this year, it'll pull in $255,000 for playing USC, Georgia, Washington and Arizona, down from the $355,000 it got from buy games a season ago.

In DeCuire’s contact, the first $86,000 from the guaranteed games goes back to the University of Montana athletic department.

“They’re important financially,” Montana athletic director Kent Haslam told the Missoulian and 406mtsports.com on Wednesday. “They cover the costs for travel, which is what that primarily helps us with.”

406mtsports.com

Guarantee games, financial payouts and why, for many, playing non-conference road games is one of few options

Guaranteed payout basketball games have never been more important for mid- and low-major schools — but traveling for them is a dilemma
406mtsports.com 406mtsports.com
 

BleedGopher said:

Go Gophers!!
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Not really smart to do this. If a player has blown up at the lower level the P6 coaches can get as much game film as needed to make an evaluation. The small schools are just losing out in a major source of revenue. Also, getting players picked off by major programs could be a recruiting tool. Imaging telling a recruit that we play several P6 schools and have been know to develop players that have made the jump to a P6 school. It could sway some recruits away from your rivals that have not had players jump to a major program.
 

60's Guy said:
There is lots of benefit to playing better opponents prior to your conference schedule.
#1 Money. Negotiate a pay day to add to your basketball budget.
#2 Travel to attractive places to help recruiting...again with expenses paid by the host.
#3 The biggest reason, you want to challenge your team. Make them better. Put them into an overload situation and see who folds and who competes. Determine your weaknesses and fix them prior to conference play. Learn who you are. Build on strengths, fix or camouflage weaknesses. Kids wanna play the best. Show they belong. You can't hide your guys....dumb...dumb. I can't tell if he's good or quick playing lesser competition????
#4 What the heck kinda message is that to your team? You gonna lie about it or tell the truth why?
Either way, anybody who wants to compete is gonna leave your scared nonsense anyway.
#5 You absolutely will not improve winning non conference games by 20 plus points. Conference games cannot be your first adversity.
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aside from #1, you live in an idealistic world, not a pragmatic one.

In helping recruiting, what recruit says "oh I saw you played Duke and got dummied by 20. I wanna play for you."? If you're winning those kinds of games, you're winning your conference (again this is the very low tier teams, not the peri P6). That brings in your players.

in #3, sure "challenge your team". let me know what lick of difference that has made for a low tier team. For a P6 team, yeah absolutely it hugely helps to have some kind of test before conference games. For the low tier team, you're playing a level of team you will not see again unless you dance. And if you're dancing, you've got a team.

for #4, no coach is telling his guys he doesn't want to schedule them. That's just dumb. Again, these are low tier teams. They don't play the who's who every year.

for #5, these teams ain't winning every non con game by that. playing another mid major will give them a test as well.


Caveat: if these are "high mid major" programs saying this, then yes i completely agree with you that this will lead to their inevitable regression. i have a very hard time believing these kinds of programs are saying it but rather the "low tier" mid to low major programs who realize they need to try hang onto a senior laden team to make a run every 3-4 years to have some kind a reputation.
 
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60's Guy said:
There is lots of benefit to playing better opponents prior to your conference schedule.
#1 Money. Negotiate a pay day to add to your basketball budget.
#2 Travel to attractive places to help recruiting...again with expenses paid by the host.
#3 The biggest reason, you want to challenge your team. Make them better. Put them into an overload situation and see who folds and who competes. Determine your weaknesses and fix them prior to conference play. Learn who you are. Build on strengths, fix or camouflage weaknesses. Kids wanna play the best. Show they belong. You can't hide your guys....dumb...dumb. I can't tell if he's good or quick playing lesser competition????
#4 What the heck kinda message is that to your team? You gonna lie about it or tell the truth why?
Either way, anybody who wants to compete is gonna leave your scared nonsense anyway.
#5 You absolutely will not improve winning non conference games by 20 plus points. Conference games cannot be your first adversity.
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This. Plus almost every game is broadcast somewhere. The idea you're denying them a chance to evaluate is dumb.
 




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