U of M basketball scheduling (Men & Women)

[bga1]

The AD doesn't create the schedule.

The AD sets the standards. The standards dictate the schedule to a certain degree. Do you think the coaches at smaller schools that often play 8-9 "buy games" on the road have any say about playing 8-9 non-conference road games that support the program? The coaching staff sets the schedule but it is according to the requirements the AD.

 

[BBJones]

Yeah, that is kind of my point. Why let another team from Wisconsin come in and play a game here every other year? Especially one that recruits this town hard.

I'm not running away from the competition at all.

I'd just rather schedule other Power 5 teams, that is all. If we never play Marquette or Iowa State, but instead play Tennessee and Syracuse, I'm good with that.

Every now and then, bring in a Duke, Kansas, Arizona, someone like that.

The right coach will do that.

Tubby (because of his national cache and his popularity among other coaches) could have done that, but chose to schedule easy wins instead.

It's been a long, long time (and I've revealing how old I am), but I can remember when our home schedule featured top-notch teams, like Al McGuire's Marquette teams and U.C.L.A. when they were winning national championships (almost beat them too). One of my highlights was seeing McGuire going berserk on the sidelines and yet cool as a cucumber minutes later in the concourse. And, need I say, the Barn was packed. Ah, the good old days.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

The AD sets the standards. The standards dictate the schedule to a certain degree. Do you think the coaches at smaller schools that often play 8-9 "buy games" on the road have any say about playing 8-9 non-conference road games that support the program? The coaching staff sets the schedule but it is according to the requirements the AD.

Pitino always played several power opponents in the non-conference. Coyle was still the AD. You think he suddenly changed his standards for Ben?

Ben runs the basketball program. Just like Pitino did before him. Coyle does not. The coaches set the schedule however they want.

It's no different in football or any other sport. Kill backed out of the UNC series, PJ added it back. When we get a new bball coach, the schedule will improve.

 

[Gophers7633]

The AD sets the standards. The standards dictate the schedule to a certain degree. Do you think the coaches at smaller schools that often play 8-9 "buy games" on the road have any say about playing 8-9 non-conference road games that support the program? The coaching staff sets the schedule but it is according to the requirements the AD.

Pitino had no problem scheduling good to decent OOC games. This is all on CBJ.

 

[tjgopher]

Iowa schools play each other annually. And so does whisky and marq. Doesn't hurt them.

When they come to town, beat them. Win.

That takes care of your concerns. Until this mindset changes Mn will continue to lose.

Of course, I want to beat anyone we play.

I look at Iowa-Iowa State and Wisconsin-Marquette a bit different as they are in-state rivals.

As I said in another thread, I really don't have a hunkering to play Marquette and Iowa State every year. I don't care that much about them.

To put it another way, I'd prefer to mix it up. Add Syracuse, Louisville, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, etc. Just play people and offer a good schedule with some variety. Beat them.

We mostly agree on the philosophy, just differ on playing Marquette. I really don't care about Marquette or Iowa State. I don't see enough appeal to watch them every year.

 

[bga1]

Pitino always played several power opponents in the non-conference. Coyle was still the AD. You think he suddenly changed his standards for Ben?

Ben runs the basketball program. Just like Pitino did before him. Coyle does not. The coaches set the schedule however they want.

It's no different in football or any other sport. Kill backed out of the UNC series, PJ added it back. When we get a new bball coach, the schedule will improve.

It's shameful the CBJ does this. It is shameful that Coyle allows it. He doesn't have to. And that's the point. They hired an untested coach and they have coddled him.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Current non-conference SOS rankings for the University of Minnesota basketball teams:

Men #353 (of 364)
Women #356 (of 362)

Quad 1 & 2 wins between them?

Zero.

#IronSharpensIron

Men now at #357 after win over the Morgan State juggernaut. We’re getting closer. … only 7 spots from the bottom! If only Ben had scheduled Mississippi Valley State.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

It's shameful the CBJ does this. It is shameful that Coyle allows it. He doesn't have to. And that's the point. They hired an untested coach and they have coddled him.

Coyle is treating him as he does with every other head coach, and why wouldn’t he? It’s not coddling, it’s Ben’s program to run however he sees fit and it’s been that way since day 1.

There will be many reasons why Ben has earned his firing after this season and this is one of them.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

another of the great mysteries surrounding Gopher Athletics:

where is Mark Coyle? What does Mark Coyle think about any of this? Does Mark Coyle give a rat's ass about anything other than Football?

does Mark Coyle really exist?

he might be the most invisible AD in major college sports.

So, he never gave you that interview, huh?

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

Men now at #357 after win over the Morgan State juggernaut. We’re getting closer. … only 7 spots from the bottom! If only Ben had scheduled Mississippi Valley State.

Excuse me,

I think We’re Number 357 has an enticing ring to it

 

[short ornery norwegian]

So, he never gave you that interview, huh?

never tried. I covered local HS sports.

but speaking of interviews - when was the last time you saw Mark Coyle interviewed by the Twins Cities media, or even quoted in a story?

If Mark Coyle falls over in the wildnerness, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

never tried. I covered local HS sports.

but speaking of interviews - when was the last time you saw Mark Coyle interviewed by the Twins Cities media, or even quoted in a story?

I’m not saying you’re wrong, I was just joking around.

This is where Sid was indispensable; no one could duck him, as he was relentless.

If Mark Coyle falls over in the wildnerness, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

Probably not

 

[Wet_Blanket_Guy]

If it were me, we’d be playing some combo of these schools in the non-conference on the regular (by state)…own the Midwest, good for recruiting.

Iowa (schools)
- ISU
- Drake
- Northern Iowa

Colorado Schools:
- Colorado
- Colorado St

Nebraska Schools
-Creighton

Wisconsin Schools
- Marquette

Dakotas:
- NDSU
- SDSU

Illinois Schools:
- Loyola
- Illinois State

Kansas Schools
-Kansas & Kansas State

Indiana Schools
- Indiana State
- Notre Dame
- Butler

TOMMIES

All of the above are mid-west schools. Throw in a high mid-major out near LA when you go to UCLA / USC (a San Diego state would be great).

 

[formerlybis]

If it were me, we’d be playing some combo of these schools in the non-conference on the regular (by state)…own the Midwest, good for recruiting.

Iowa (schools)
- ISU
- Drake
- Northern Iowa

Colorado Schools:
- Colorado
- Colorado St

Nebraska Schools
-Creighton

Wisconsin Schools
- Marquette

Dakotas:
- NDSU
- SDSU

Illinois Schools:
- Loyola
- Illinois State

Kansas Schools
-Kansas & Kansas State

Indiana Schools
- Indiana State
- Notre Dame
- Butler

TOMMIES

All of the above are mid-west schools. Throw in a high mid-major out near LA when you go to UCLA / USC (a San Diego state would be great).

This is muddled. I don't know why you pick Ill St and not Bradley, Ind St and not Valpo or Evansville, etc. They're all MVC. Similarly, you have a few Summit League schools, but not Horizon or MAC which each have a lot of midwest schools.

Lastly, unless the trip to the west coast conference games happens before January, it'd be near impossible to schedule a noncon game with a high major like San Diego St while both teams are in the teeth of their conference schedule.

 

[bga1]

This article about Boise State is a football story, but it is really more of a college athletics story that shows why success starts from the top:

The changes that led to a year Boise State won't forget

With a Heisman finalist running back and a new head coach, the Broncos reached the playoff, but there was a lot more that went on behind the scenes.

www.espn.com

JERAMIAH DICKEY KNEW that Boise State had plateaued. It was 2021, and he had just taken the job as the Broncos' athletic director. As he surveyed both what the Broncos had internally and the landscape of the sport beyond Idaho, Dickey knew he had to push the program forward.

The Petersen era was well in the rearview mirror. The game was changing with name, image and likeness. The Broncos' last Fiesta Bowl win and appearance had been 10 years ago. And the sport's most storied programs were shape-shifting via conference realignment.

"We set the bar really high with three Fiesta Bowls, and maybe the perception is we hadn't done enough from the last Fiesta Bowl to present day," Dickey said. "But Boise State is, in the grand scheme of things, in the infant stages of being a university and being an FBS program. So what I saw was opportunity."

Dickey quickly identified what he referred to as "low-hanging fruit" and implemented a plan to address the issues and move the program forward. Boise had to pay its coaches and coordinators more, and it had to improve the fan experience, the stadium and the team's facilities, too. It had to set up an infrastructure for large donations and create a vision that Broncos fans could buy in to, literally and figuratively.

"We were living too much in the past and not enough in the present and future," Dickey said. "And this is an industry, as soon as you stop, you die a slow death. So we had to mature as a program and grow up really quickly."​

The former Baylor administrator quickly instituted a new mentality among his staff and turned it into the department's mantra: "What's next?" It's also the name of the fundraising initiative Dickey started.

"The job that has been done by Jeremiah has been amazing," Petersen said. "I think sometimes people don't understand really how hard that is to do at a place like Boise, to be able to then compete on a national stage."

For Dickey, this has been a year of reaping. Not only are the Broncos headed back to another Fiesta Bowl, but they are set to break ground Saturday on a north end zone renovation. They have added new video boards as well as a ticket sales team that has broken program revenue and attendance records. The capital campaign is ongoing with a $150 million goal for athletics, and in October, Boise State became part of the six programs that announced they would be moving to the new Pac-12 Conference in 2026.

"If I can make a decision that is going to drastically impact my resources and revenues that I can then invest back into the department, to me it was a no-brainer," Dickey said of the move. "Now, time will tell and ultimately I'll be judged off that, but I'm always going to bet on myself. I'm always going to bet on our team and I'm going to bet on our community."

Since the move to the Pac-12 was announced, Dickey has seen the response materialize in sold-out season tickets for basketball and six sold-out football games this season. It helps, of course, that the Broncos are in the playoff, but Dickey is adamant that the results are secondary.

"A lot of the success you're seeing in the present day started four years ago," Dickey said. "It all started before we knew what this season would be. So whether the CFP changed or not, we were always looking forward to how to better position ourselves. And sometimes you get lucky."