MVC Schedules

[VUGrad1314]

Since we have moved into a top-flight midmajor conference wherein an at-large NCAA bid could be a distinct possibility for the top teams, I deem it prudent to dedicate a thread to tracking the schedules of each of our new conference mates in order to see if the Valley is living up to its reputation as a conference that schedules up. So far, two MVC schedules have been released, UNI and Southern Illinois, with others seemingly rounding into form. Illinois State's looks good, Bradley's is almost done, Missouri State seems to be trying to schedule tough games Indiana State and Drake are in what appear to be strong MTEs\tourneys, Evansville's isn't too bad either, and of course we know the event Loyola is in. When schedules are completed a link to the schedule will be provided, as well as my thoughts on them. Feel free to  add yours!

SIU: Schedule complete. http://www.siusalukis.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball

Positives:road slate has two very good games in Winthrop and Louisville  and two potentially strong games at Murray State and SLU. Their MTE features two top 100 teams from last year in San Francisco and Nevada, but it's not a guarantee they'll get both. They could  also play Duquesne.

Negatives: The home slate. Where do I start? Outside of the MWC\MVC Challenge game vs. San Jose State there's not a single appealing game on here. It's littered with 300+RPI schlock that neither excites fans nor challenges a team laden with upperclassmen than should be a top 3-4 team in the conference. Barry Hinson had a chance to showcase how far his rebuilding efforts and the program have come since the end of the Lowery er, and in my mind he has failed miserably with this schedule.

UNI: http://www.unipanthers.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball
Positives: Schedule features  multiple quality opponents  like North Carolina Xavier UNLV UT-Arlington and Iowa State as well as the Battle 4Atlantis, a premier early season tournament including several  power 5 teams. UNI has plenty of opportunities to  show that it has rebounded after a tough 2016-2017 campaign and could make a decent at-large case if they have indeed done so .

Negatives: Not sure Wartburg Alcorn State and Chicago State are the best preparation for the big tournament but I think the latter two games are connected to the tourney. Having another non D1 in Dubuque also hurts but they can't all be winners. I think an argument can be made that UNI may have overscheduled here but it's hard to argue with this slate of games. Don't be surprised if UNI notches a few eyebrow raising wins, because if there's one thing watching mid-major basketball has taught me it's never count out a Ben Jacobson coached team.

Illinois State: http://goredbirds.com/news/2017/8/2/mens-basketball-releases-2017-18-nonconference-schedule.aspx
I encourage everyone interested  to read the link to this schedule  as it includes information about each team  they play.
Positives: This schedule has bite and it's got depth. It's chock full of postseason participants from the NCAA Tournament and NIT. Their MTE is strong and includes South Carolina Boise State UTEP Iowa State Tulsa Appalachian State and Western Michigan. Their home slate includes Tulsa Murray State and UIC. The Flames are a rising team and while Murray State and Tulsa are coming off of disappointing seasons, they have the ability to be solid games for the Redbirds. Where this schedule really shows its teeth is in the road slate, and we must give credit to Dan Muller for his willingness to take his team on the road and into some tough environments against stiff competition. From the opener against Florida-Gulf Coast to road dates against Nevada BYU and Ole Miss, this schedule should challenge the Redbirds throughout the season and  indicates that they are unconcerned with the turnover their roster has experienced and expect to challenge for the MVC crown and an NCAA Tournament bid.

Negatives: Although their schedule has a non-D1 in Quincy and Charleston Southern is a rather blase opponent, it is difficult to hold that against them when the oversll quality of this schedule is considered. With this schedule, the Redbirds should find themselves on the right side of the bubble should the team experience similar results to last year's outfit.

Scheduling note: It appears that Indiana State has secured a game against Indiana this year. Considering that they played Butler last year, perhaps there's hope that Valpo will be able to play the big in-state foes on a consistent basis--maybe even at home.

[a3uge]

Just a friendly reminder that easier schedules amongst MVC schools is BETTER for us, not worse.

[VUGrad1314]

Maybe so in the sense of the  team taking the easy way out being less competitive and less of a threat but I'm viewing this from the lens of the conference as a whole. Right now the MVC is at a crossroads and the time to schedule up is now while the prestige of the conference is still intact the perception thereof is still favorable. and the conference race is wide open. If the schools wait too long, the MVC will be viewed as a perennial one-bid league no matter what they do and there will be no hope for an at-large. No institution should view this as a desirable goal  for the MVC or any conference.

Schedules like SIU's do nothing for anyone and hurt teams that do schedule well making their job harder by making it more certain that their entire season  will come down to a few games in March. That is the exact situation we left the Horizon League to avoid. Sure the advanced stats are going to look good for the team that gorges itself on cream puffs, but everyone including the committee is going to know it's fraudulently buoyed by bad nonconference competition. That's why I doubt very strongly that RPI will ever cease to be a relevant evaluation metric: who you play matters and it will never not matter. Some of  the main reasons I supported this move to the MVC were to see Valpo compete for at large bids, get better seeding when they got in, have a better chance to win NCAA Tournament games and possibly one day be ranked in the top 25. The other member schools need to do their part so that these goals are achieveable for us or some  other Valley member.

[VULB#62]

Once all the OOC schedules are finalized, it would be great to have one of us (certainly not me) or perhaps an MVC blogger (Harry Schroeder?) produce a thoughtful analysis of all the teams.  Included in that, perhaps,  could be a 10-1 ranking in terms of difficulty or something like that.  It would also be cool to see an overall assessment of the MVC's OOC national profile vs. other mid majors by maybe Midmajormadness?

[VUGrad1314]

Great thought. I think we've got a leader in the clubhouse for the easiest #10 in SIU. #1 is interesting and will likely be contested between Northern Iowa and Illinois State. Perhaps  Missouri State or even our Crusaders can get some consideration as well depending on how therest of the schedule shakes out for them.

[valporun]

Maybe so in the sense of the  team taking the easy way out being less competitive and less of a threat but I'm viewing this from the lens of the conference as a whole. Right now the MVC is at a crossroads and the time to schedule up is now while the prestige of the conference is still intact the perception thereof is still favorable. and the conference race is wide open. If the schools wait too long, the MVC will be viewed as a perennial one-bid league no matter what they do and there will be no hope for an at-large. No institution should view this as a desirable goal  for the MVC or any conference.

Schedules like SIU's do nothing for anyone and hurt teams that do schedule well making their job harder by making it more certain that their entire season  will come down to a few games in March. That is the exact situation we left the Horizon League to avoid. Sure the advanced stats are going to look good for the team that gorges itself on cream puffs, but everyone including the committee is going to know it's fraudulently buoyed by bad nonconference competition. That's why I doubt very strongly that RPI will ever cease to be a relevant evaluation metric: who you play matters and it will never not matter. Some of  the main reasons I supported this move to the MVC were to see Valpo compete for at large bids, get better seeding when they got in, have a better chance to win NCAA Tournament games and possibly one day be ranked in the top 25. The other member schools need to do their part so that these goals are achieveable for us or some  other Valley member.

Don't forget the MVC doesn't have so many schools that don't play football or struggle to make money to pay for their athletic budgets, so they have to schedule so many "pay for play/buy" games to make sure they can get a bus for their swim/dive, track/cross country, softball teams to go wherever they're going. The MVC doesn't have this issue, as so many alums are willing to donate money for all the sports teams, not just basketball. They don't have to worry about how to schedule for the best RPI, as the conference knows how to do it. In the two schedules I've seen so far, I don't see an Oakland-like situation where 5 games are scheduled to pay for the athletic department travel budget to have money for buses, planes, or per diems.

I get your views on at-large bids, and games that you want to watch the other teams play, when Valpo isn't playing, but we just left a conference where most of the teams had to play so many "pay for play" games because they didn't have football to help build their athletic budgets for the other sports to survive yearly. Also, the non-D1 games look to be preliminaries for whatever tourneys they'll be in, using campus sites for early games, and letting the "host campus" bring in a game of their choice. UNI scheduled Dubuque in December as their "finals" game, or the one leading into finals week, much like our IU-Northwest/Purdue Cal style game, meant for the starters to get some in-game rest.

[bbtds]

Lutherans have to be happy for Wartburg that they were able to get a game with Northern Iowa on their schedule.

[vu72]

Lutherans have to be happy for Wartburg that they were able to get a game with Northern Iowa on their schedule.

Bring back the Crusader Classic!!

[4throwfan]

I think a3uge makes a good point from a purely mathematical perspective.

Just a friendly reminder that easier schedules amongst MVC schools is BETTER for us, not worse.

Remember that 50% of RPI is opponents' W/L.  The W/L of the opponents' opponents comprises only 25%.  So, if all of the teams in the league schedule cream-puffs, such that all schools enter conference play with superior W/L records (imagine if all came to January at 9-1).  Then VU's RPI skyrockets as it goes through league play.  Granted, they each enter conference play with dismal RPI's, and their roster of quality ooc wins are not good, but RPI is higher.  So, as a3uge puts it, if the opponents schedule creampuffs, and VU schedules quality ooc, then VU's own RPI and resume (rather than others in the conference) will look pretty good.

[vu84v2]

This may sound like an obvious comment, but if SIU has a November 10th game on Friday night does that mean that Valpo will have an opening night game on the same or next night that we have not had announced?

[VUGrad1314]

OP edited to include Illinois State schedule release and rumors of a game against the Hoosiers for Indiana State.

[VUGrad1314]

SIU Coach Barry Hinson tries to defend his schedule. Shame on him for some of these quotes. What would he know about making the tournament anyway? He's never gone in all his years of coaching.

http://thesouthern.com/sports/college/salukimania/hinson-more-interested-in-preparation-than-basketball-metrics/article_6826f2ba-ee3e-585c-a358-b4663a297d98.html

[a3uge]

SIU Coach Barry Hinson tries to defend his schedule. Shame on him for some of these quotes. What would he know about making the tournament anyway? He's never gone in all his years of coaching.

http://thesouthern.com/sports/college/salukimania/hinson-more-interested-in-preparation-than-basketball-metrics/article_6826f2ba-ee3e-585c-a358-b4663a297d98.html

Why shame? Why are you upset? This helps Valpo's RPI. Do you think they're an at large team this year?

[talksalot]

Not to be Cavalier about this, but the "US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam" (MEN'S Division) has been relocated to... Lynchburg VA.

Impacting:    (Top Bracket:  Mercer, Liberty, Drexel, Houston)  (Bottom Bracket:  Quinnipiac, Colorado, Drake and Wake Forest)

So... South Carolina gets their tourney moved to Myrtle Beach... and Wake Forest gets theirs move to Lynchburg....

[VULB#62]

BTW. we know lots of people in the USVI.  They were ravaged just as bad as Puerto Rico, but nobody is saying anything about them.  Many stupid people in the US can't even figure out that these are US citizens down there. Our president, however, was in contact with the president of the USVI so I am relieved. However, little money and aid flowing in that direction. And St. Thomas, USVI, is only about 30 miles from eastern PR.

[bbtds]

Not to be Cavalier about this, but the "US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam" (MEN'S Division) has been relocated to... Lynchburg VA.

Impacting:    (Top Bracket:  Mercer, Liberty, Drexel, Houston)  (Bottom Bracket:  Quinnipiac, Colorado, Drake and Wake Forest)

So... South Carolina gets their tourney moved to Myrtle Beach... and Wake Forest gets theirs move to Lynchburg....

Yes, those Demon Deacon players who were looking forward to their vacation in the Virgin Islands are really going to enjoy going up the road to Lynchburg and visiting the Falwells' University.



"Welcome Wake Forest players! While at Liberty University you will not drink, smoke or commit any sins despite what you had planned to do in the Virgin Islands."

[78crusader]

College basketball is at its best on Saturday nights.

In this regard the conference slate does VU absolutely no favors.  We only have ONE home game on a Saturday night -- vs Bradley in late February. Somebody from VU must have egged Doug Elgin's house or something.  We have THREE Sunday afternoon home games.  One of them is the last day of the year and another is during the football playoffs.

On the other side of the ledger, we have Saturday night road contests vs UNI, Southern Ill and Ill St, which are set to be 3 of the toughest outs in the league.  The crowds for those games will be jacked and it will be very tough for us to come away with one win, let alone two or three.

Paul

[VUGrad1314]

Well, time to come into this league and earn more respect and favorable scheduling. We came into this league to be challenged right? Well here's our challenge. Now let's rise players and fans alike to meet it. Nothing is given or should be given to anyone in the MVC. Everything is earned and if ever we feel slighted we should take a page out of the departed Shockers playbook and play angry until we get that respect It seems to have worked out all right for them

[FieldGoodie05]

College basketball is at its best on Saturday nights.

In this regard the conference slate does VU absolutely no favors.  We only have ONE home game on a Saturday night -- vs Bradley in late February. Somebody from VU must have egged Doug Elgin's house or something.  We have THREE Sunday afternoon home games.  One of them is the last day of the year and another is during the football playoffs.

On the other side of the ledger, we have Saturday night road contests vs UNI, Southern Ill and Ill St, which are set to be 3 of the toughest outs in the league.  The crowds for those games will be jacked and it will be very tough for us to come away with one win, let alone two or three.

Paul

I don't give preferential treatment to new customers....gotta earn prime time.  Just my two-cents.

[vusupporter]

Four of our five weekend home games were selected for TV.