Oakland's Horizon League Announcement Tuesday, May 7th at 4:00 pm????

bbtds · July 17, 2013, 11:16:31 AM

Oakland held their fan fest yesterday, Tuesday, 7/16, at the O'Rena which was a celebration of joining the Horizon League. Along with that OU announced their 2013-14 men's basketball schedule. And what a schedule it is!!!

Away games--North Carolina, UCLA, California, Gonzaga, Western Michigan, Indiana and 8 HL games

Home games--Rochester College, Ohio, Michigan State (at the Palace of Auburn Hills), Illinois State, Eastern Michigan, Olivet and 8 HL games

The important HL games are 1/2/14 at Wright State (first HL game), 1/4/14 Valpo (first home HL game), 1/11/14 at Detroit (most likely will have more fans than Titans), 2/9/14 at Valpo and 2/14/14 Detroit at the O'Rena on Valentines Day on ESPN. Bring a date and hate on Detroit.

http://www.ougrizzlies.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/071713aac.html

oklahomamick · July 17, 2013, 01:00:19 PM

When will Valpo post their official b'ball schedule?

valpotx · July 17, 2013, 01:09:51 PM

I am assuming that the Gonzaga game is a part of the Maui Invitational mainland portion per this article:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9485278/gonzaga-bulldogs-syracuse-orange-play-ea-sports-maui-invitational

vufan75 · July 17, 2013, 01:46:21 PM

Quote from: oklahomamick on July 17, 2013, 01:00:19 PM
When will Valpo post their official b'ball schedule?

In recent years from memory the schedule is often finalized and released mid to late August.

bbtds · July 17, 2013, 02:09:02 PM

Quote from: valpotx on July 17, 2013, 01:09:51 PM
I am assuming that the Gonzaga game is a part of the Maui Invitational mainland portion per this article:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9485278/gonzaga-bulldogs-syracuse-orange-play-ea-sports-maui-invitational

The tournament will begin with four "mainland teams" -- Coastal Carolina, Louisiana, Oakland and St. Francis, Brooklyn -- playing the seven teams headed for Maui in seven games to be played Nov. 15-19 at campus sites. The mainland teams will play a tournament at Coastal Carolina on Nov. 23-24.

Since the date of the Oakland/Gonzaga game is Nov. 17 and that matches the time frame of the mainland teams' games of Nov. 15-19 I would assume you are correct that the game against Gonzaga is part of the Maui Invitational/mainland portion. Oakland also shows games with "TBA" opponents on Nov. 23-24 at the HTC Center in Myrtle Beach, SC which matches up with the Coastal Carolina part of the Maui Invitational.

EddieCabot · July 17, 2013, 04:02:08 PM

Quote from: bbtds on July 17, 2013, 02:09:02 PM
Quote from: valpotx on July 17, 2013, 01:09:51 PM
I am assuming that the Gonzaga game is a part of the Maui Invitational mainland portion per this article:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9485278/gonzaga-bulldogs-syracuse-orange-play-ea-sports-maui-invitational

The tournament will begin with four "mainland teams" -- Coastal Carolina, Louisiana, Oakland and St. Francis, Brooklyn -- playing the seven teams headed for Maui in seven games to be played Nov. 15-19 at campus sites. The mainland teams will play a tournament at Coastal Carolina on Nov. 23-24.

Since the date of the Oakland/Gonzaga game is Nov. 17 and that matches the time frame of the mainland teams' games of Nov. 15-19 I would assume you are correct that the game against Gonzaga is part of the Maui Invitational/mainland portion. Oakland also shows games with "TBA" opponents on Nov. 23-24 at the HTC Center in Myrtle Beach, SC which matches up with the Coastal Carolina part of the Maui Invitational.

From the schedule on the Oakland website ( http://www.ougrizzlies.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched/oakl-m-baskbl-sched.html ), their Maui games are at Cal (11/15), at Gonzaga (11/17) and the two TBA games at Myrtle Beach on 11/23 and 11/24.

StlVUFan · July 18, 2013, 01:10:57 PM

Yep. Sparring partner, Oakland is. Tournament, my ass.

justducky · July 18, 2013, 02:34:31 PM

Quote from: StlVUFan on July 18, 2013, 01:10:57 PM
Yep. Sparring partner, Oakland is. Tournament, my ass.

I am not saying you are wrong but over the years I have concluded that we need to schedule more like them and less like us. If we can remain being a 4 year out of 5 top 100 rpi program then what is wrong with hitting the road for some big paychecks? Some 2 for 1s?

Working on a good home schedule isn't easy and still will not be after ARC improvements are made so the only thing fully under our control is the quality of the home opponents we do sign. Sorry folks but last year you couldn't have paid me enough for me to have showed up and watched Chicago St. or Purdue Calumet. If I had center court chairbacks in the first 3 rows for those games and had made a dozen phone calls I doubt if I would have found a taker to give them away. It wouldn't have been too much easier for some of the other games! How can you talk anyone new into buying a season ticket with a home schedule like we had last year?

I hope our overall schedule continues to improve even if it will mean fewer home games.

vusupporter · July 18, 2013, 02:46:06 PM

I think you completely mis-interpreted what StL meant by his post.

StlVUFan · July 24, 2013, 01:00:57 PM

Quote from: vusupporter on July 18, 2013, 02:46:06 PM
I think you completely mis-interpreted what StL meant by his post.

Indeed. justducky, I absolutely agree with you on your point. I was talking specifically and only about these *&#@) &%)&*#%&%)& tournaments that aren't really tournaments. A sparring partner is someone the boxer practices on before the actual fight. It matters not how the practice turns out: the fighter, not the sparring partner, takes to the ring for the big event.

A year or two ago, Cleveland State was in one of these, and they went down to Vanderbilt and beat the home team (convincingly if I'm not mistaken). Vanderbilt nevertheless advanced to MSG for the final four of that tournament and the Vikings were shunted off to some largely ignored sub-regional. They could point to the RPI bump and Vandy could smart over a bad loss, but in the general ESPN College BBall community, nobody cared about either one of these things.

They're an abomination, is what they are.

I'm by no means disappointed in Kampe for taking part -- it is absolutely legitimate to make lemon-aide out of these lemons. For all I know, there have been sparring partners who have become outstanding boxers. Take part, and be ruthless about it. Not my place to criticize that.

valporun · July 26, 2013, 11:06:51 AM

Kampe has also been doing all he can to get some great exposure for Oakland basketball anywhere and everywhere he could. Whether it was taking a paycheck in a game that they were projected to lose horribly, or one of these "tournaments", where they don't go to the finals, but get some guarantee games they don't have to schedule, he'll take it as less stress of his back. Yes, I agree that the "tournaments" in format are a joke, but if they alleviate some of the scheduling messes that most schools face, many coaches and ADs will take them over having to schedule the likes of Purdue Cal, IUSB, IU-N, and other non-NCAA schools just to get a couple of games.