Sked update (8/11); SF Austin date confirmed

[SelectionSunday]

A Stephen F. Austin school official confirmed SFA will visit The Barn on Monday, Nov. 16. That leaves Morgan State, Tennessee Tech & Utah Valley as the only schools yet to confirm their visits to The Barn.

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. Monday, Nov. 16 -- STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (74, NCAA) -- Southland
2. Saturday, Dec. 5 -- BROWN (307) -- Ivy League
3. Saturday, Dec. 12 -- SAINT JOSEPH'S (105) -- Atlantic 10
4. Tuesday, Dec. 15 -- NORTHERN ILLINOIS (329) -- MAC
5. Wednesday, Dec. 23 -- SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (283) -- Summit League
6. Date TBD -- MORGAN STATE (130, NCAA) -- MEAC
7. Date TBD -- TENNESSEE TECH (272) -- Ohio Valley
8. Date TBD -- UTAH VALLEY (238) -- Great West

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: 182.7
Average RPI of Home Opponents: 217.25
NCAA Qualifiers (3): Butler, Morgan State, Stephen F. Austin
Top 100 (3): Butler (24), Miami-Florida (65), Stephen F. Austin (74)

***Big Ten opener is Tuesday, December 29, vs. Penn State at Williams Arena.

 

[SelectionSunday]

This from Andy Katz

"Boston College and South Carolina signed a home-and-home series for the next two seasons. This is the type of quality game both schools desperately need. The two clubs should be NCAA-worthy next season. The first of the two games is Dec. 30, 2009 at BC. The Eagles and Gamecocks were both looking to finalize their schedules. Landing a game like this should help prepare each for their respective conference seasons. Both teams return four of five starters next season."

Now we know there was at least one BCS program (South Carolina) willing to go on the road to start a home & home series this season. With the Gophers likely to get a home game next year in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, would have been a nice fit. Going on the assumption that the return game was next season, it would amount to two road games against quality opponents in 2010-11 (South Carolina and/or Saint Joe's) for a seasoned, veteran Gopher team (barring unexpected departures) expected to be well-equipped to compete for a Big 10 title.

Would be kinda' reminiscent of playing both Rhode Island (W) and Alabama (L) in true road games during the season that never happened (1996-97). Throw in home games vs. an ACC squad and one other decent home opponent + a quality in-season tournament & Presto, you've got yourself a solid & reasonable OOC schedule.

 

[Rouser]

Who is more to blame?

Tubby or Joe E? My understanding is the AD stays clear for the most part for hoops and JE and Tubby set up the schedule.

That said, is JE just not good at his job and Tubby is too nice a guy to push him to land better games? You'd think that JE could throw out Tubby's name and get a few call backs.

What is up? We need a mass email to Maturi and Tubby to let them know that fans want a little more for our dollar. We love you Tubby, but that $1000 I spent was not for the right to watch the Gophers play Butler on ESPN. It was to see quality games at the Barn.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Joe appears to be doing the heavy lifting on the OOC schedule (tongue firmly in cheek), but in the end I'm a believer in "the buck stops here." As the head coach, I expect Tubby is very aware (or should be) of what's going on with the scheduling.

Unless or until the Gophers become the next Kansas, Michigan State, Duke or North Carolina, I'm a big believer in scheduling so that in the event you end up on the bubble, it's better to have erred on the side of playing a lot of quality teams than not enough. I'd rather be left out of the NCAAs for not winning enough vs. a solid slate of quality teams than winning too much against teams that suck. This year Joe/Tubby made a step in the right direction with the 76 Classic, which (cross our fingers) should garner the Gophers at minimum 2 opportunities for quality wins.

The Gophers got away with a weak OOC schedule last season because we beat Louisville in what amounted to our only true marquee OOC game. I prefer not to roll the dice like that every year. In my opinion, if the Gophers don't beat Louisville, they're in the three-letter tournament instead of the 4-letter tournament. As it was, we still had to sweat out Selection Sunday a little bit after all those conference tourney upsets.

 

[bigmwc]

I was wondering if anyone had heard anything about this...

It's reported next season that on the women's side a Big 12/Big 10 Challenge is starting. Will it happen on the men's side too? The women have the ACC/Big 10 Challenge too.

 

[tjgopher]

I was wondering if anyone had heard anything about this...

It's reported next season that on the women's side a Big 12/Big 10 Challenge is starting. Will it happen on the men's side too? The women have the ACC/Big 10 Challenge too.

Are you sure that's been reported? The Big 12/Pac 10 have a challenge in both men's and women's basketball which started last year. I don't believe that the Big Ten is involved in any way (although I don't follow women's hoops all that closely so I could be wrong on that). If you have a link, that'd be great.

And, to answer the question, we know for sure a men's and/or women's Big 10/Pac 10 Challenge will not happen in 2009. The Pac Ten schools already have their men's and women's schedules out and it does not include that.

 

[bigmwc]

Are you sure that's been reported? The Big 12/Pac 10 have a challenge in both men's and women's basketball which started last year. I don't believe that the Big Ten is involved in any way (although I don't follow women's hoops all that closely so I could be wrong on that). If you have a link, that'd be great.

And, to answer the question, we know for sure a men's and/or women's Big 10/Pac 10 Challenge will not happen in 2009. The Pac Ten schools already have their men's and women's schedules out and it does not include that.

Oklahoma State women's coach Kurt Budke said it on a radio show interview.