2018-19 VU Schedule

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/935668598546354176

[4throwfan]

I put this in the category of pipe dream, but was still wondering about other thoughts,

To help with scheduling issues, and to drum up some excitement and attendance in some new areas of the country, what if the NCAA did something like this:

Divide all Div I teams into two categories - home and away.  Each team would alternate each year between home and away status.  Then have the away teams (figuratively) each draw from a hat containing the names of the home teams.  Then, on a given weekend (e.g., first weekend in December while students are in town), have the away teams play at whichever team location they drew.  For example, if VU draws Gonzaga, then VU is going to Spokane for that weekend.  On the other hand, if NC draws Valpo, then NC is coming to VU.

Obviously, this would be a boon for a few lucky low majors.  They would have the chance of having teams like Kentucky and Duke come to their home gym.  However, what's in it for Kentucky or Duke in that circumstance?  Not much, other than a packed house and helping the low major generate interest.  On the other hand, it also helps bad teams in P5 conferences schedule good teams in P5 conferences that might not otherwise go there.  (For example, I don't see Kentucky going to Lincoln, NE anytime soon)  But again, for the Cornhuskers, it helps ease scheduling difficulties, and generates interest when they get a lucky draw.  Just looking at the numbers, most of the 160 something games would probably simply be between two low or mid major teams who don't do anything for each other.

For me, it is simply a way of getting well known programs into new venues in order to generate excitement for the game.

I predict most comments to this concept being something like "will never happen", and I understand that, but is there a way to modify it to make it more attractive to the blue chip programs and to the lesser P5 programs who fear getting thumped at good mid majors?

[justducky]

Barring any major shocks to our program I would expect us to to be a 18-19 preseason top 50 team. With that in mind we could receive the strongest MWC home (road for us) opponent (UNLV?). That would be a good start but who else will we play?

No Great Alaska Shootout? What are the alternatives. We will need some good neutral site games. Has anybody looked at the Northern Iowa OOC schedule? One of the best in the country. That is the road we should travel.

But will anybody be willing to play us? Good question. Call in every favor and play any great team that can give us a date.

OOC home games? Well planning two years in advance we have managed SIUE and Cal Riverside coming to the ARC. If that is the best we can do then maybe we don't need any more.

Non D-1 opponents so they do not hurt our RPI? Oh please!!! They provide no competitive benefit and draw no fan interest.

Lets be prepared to take our 18-19 OOC show on the road. Then we can pack the ARC for conference play!

[VUGrad1314]

We are past the stage where we should be playing non-D1s. Teams on the level of  SIUE and UC-Riverside can be our "tune up " games now for awhile. If we can't beat those schools we're not an at-large caliber team. Wasting precious OOC home slots on non-D1s to protect our RPI is counterproductive and something an unambitious university that thinks small would do. That's not Valpo, or at least it shouldn't be. Win those games and any "damage" to your RPI will self-correct as you keep winning. Why are we treating SOS like it's not as important? (And again when I say this I don't mean play the top 15 in RPI and lose every game) There's no reason for us not to expect consistent quality opponents ranging from around  40-130 in RPI. These are challenging yet winnable games for a program like ours and we should be able to start many H and H series with teams in this range. We should be looking at UNI as a template for the kind of program we'd like to become in all sports, and I believe that this goal is eminently achievable. I just hope the administration, MLB, and the rest of the fanbase feels the same way. Let us not strive simply for good enough, let us make every possible endeavor to be great, not just in basketball but across the board. Go Valpo!

[FieldGoodie05]

We are past the stage where we should be playing non-D1s. Teams on the level of  SIUE and UC-Riverside can be our "tune up " games now for awhile. If we can't beat those schools we're not an at-large caliber team. Wasting precious OOC home slots on non-D1s to protect our RPI is counterproductive and something an unambitious university that thinks small would do. That's not Valpo, or at least it shouldn't be. Win those games and any "damage" to your RPI will self-correct as you keep winning. Why are we treating SOS like it's not as important? (And again when I say this I don't mean play the top 15 in RPI and lose every game) There's no reason for us not to expect consistent quality opponents ranging from around  40-130 in RPI. These are challenging yet winnable games for a program like ours and we should be able to start many H and H series with teams in this range. We should be looking at UNI as a template for the kind of program we'd like to become in all sports, and I believe that this goal is eminently achievable. I just hope the administration, MLB, and the rest of the fanbase feels the same way. Let us not strive simply for good enough, let us make every possible endeavor to be great, not just in basketball but across the board. Go Valpo!

Sounds like you have it all figured out.  I understand how annoying non D1's are during the regular season.  But I have no issue here, I'd rather not play inferior D1's that smash our rankings.  Chicago State caliber teams shouldn't be on our regular season schedule where it counts. (Exhibition this year)

BUT I'D ALSO LIKE TO HAVE THOSE (2) HOME GAMES TO START THE SEASON.

Unless you are prepared to bring in those top 140 RPI teams into the ARC then I have no interest in your rant. 

P.S.  I've heard scheduling is a _______.  But maybe you can volunteer your time and be our savior.

[FieldGoodie05]

We are past the stage where we should be playing non-D1s. Teams on the level of  SIUE and UC-Riverside can be our "tune up " games now for awhile. If we can't beat those schools we're not an at-large caliber team. Wasting precious OOC home slots on non-D1s to protect our RPI is counterproductive and something an unambitious university that thinks small would do. That's not Valpo, or at least it shouldn't be. Win those games and any "damage" to your RPI will self-correct as you keep winning. Why are we treating SOS like it's not as important? (And again when I say this I don't mean play the top 15 in RPI and lose every game) There's no reason for us not to expect consistent quality opponents ranging from around  40-130 in RPI. These are challenging yet winnable games for a program like ours and we should be able to start many H and H series with teams in this range. We should be looking at UNI as a template for the kind of program we'd like to become in all sports, and I believe that this goal is eminently achievable. I just hope the administration, MLB, and the rest of the fanbase feels the same way. Let us not strive simply for good enough, let us make every possible endeavor to be great, not just in basketball but across the board. Go Valpo!

Sounds like you have it all figured out.  I understand how annoying non D1's are during the regular season.  But I have no issue here, I'd rather not play inferior D1's that smash our rankings.  Chicago State caliber teams shouldn't be on our regular season schedule where it counts. (Exhibition this year)

BUT I'D ALSO LIKE TO HAVE THOSE (2) HOME GAMES TO START THE SEASON.

Unless you are prepared to bring in those top 140 RPI teams into the ARC then I have no interest in your rant. 

P.S.  I've heard scheduling is a _______.  But maybe you can volunteer your time and be our savior.

VUgrad1314, sorry, that last message isn't directed at you.  I know that you are new to the forum.  It's just been one of a handful of topics that seem to be posted ad nauseaum.  And I wanted to emphasize the difficulty of scheduling in general.

If we chase these Top 140 teams then we are at the whim of the other teams schedules.  And the minute that it becomes (2) more weekday games away from the ARC then before the ink dries we get "geez the home game schedule stinks this year".

I greatly appreciate your enthusiasm, ignore by grumpy nature.  I'm in the minority, most posters are far more optimistic.  I'm just the logic driven type. 

Dreaming only happens in my dystopian novels!

[VUGrad1314]

I understand that scheduling is difficult and I don't want my posts on this topic to be viewed as overly critical. They're not (or at least they're not meant to be). I think our athletics department is doing a phenomenal job raising the profile of Valpo athletics and I am extremely grateful to them for their efforts. That they have guided us from the mid con to the MVC in just 10 years is simply amazing. I think most who post here would agree with that. The level this program has reached is something I wouldn't have even dreamed about as a kid but yet here we are. I just think there's more untapped potential yet in this program and perhaps even greater heights to reach and aspire to. I think even the athletic department would agree that we're not at our ceiling as a program and that success in the MVC and in  the postseason like many MVC teams have enjoyed is attainable.

As for scheduling I don't think it would be too terribly difficult to schedule teams in this range from conferences similar to ours. I think we're all getting the message that except for realignment this is our best chance to break through the wall the P5 have erected to bar entry to the tournament. Here are some examples of quality mids playing each other:

Illinois State @BYU
FGCU vs Mid Tenn
MOST vs WKU
UNI vs UT-Arlington
FGCU vs UT-Arlington
Murray State plays multiple MVC teams per year and recently played us
Princeton vs BYU
Valpo vs Belmont home and home
Valpo vs URI

These are just a few examples not from tournaments It's possible to get these games and these conferences I'm sure all realize that we need more of them. I think we will see more of this kind of scheduling in the future and hopefully Valpo will be heavily involved.

[VUGrad1314]

The fact is what we saw happen to Murray State in 2015 To us and Monmouth in 2016 and to Illinois State in 2017 is truly painful and I want to see schools like ours band together and fight so that such indignity never happens again. That's why I'm so passionate about this.

[SanityLost17]

Short term solution.... 

Since the Great Alaska Shootout was canceled, we might as well try to start some home and aways with those schools who were supposed to attend.  Anybody heard any rumors on who was planning on going up there?   

Long term solutions...
Are more complicated, and I didn't sleep well last night.   

[VU2014]

Would love to see this happen one day. It would be so much better of an event to include more schools.
https://twitter.com/Big__Shawn23/status/937379674115706881

[VULB#62]

Would love to see this happen one day. It would be so much better of an event to include more schools.
https://twitter.com/Big__Shawn23/status/937379674115706881

Poor Uoowee Poowee. Disrespected again 

[VU2014]

Poor Uoowee Poowee. Disrespected again 

Uoowee Poowee could be in a tournament with all of the Indiana D2 schools.  I'm sure they'd have some epic battles with Southern Indiana 

[VUGrad1314]

I had this same thought but why is Ball State not on this list?

[VU2014]

No clue. But I was thinking same thing. Swap IPFW with Ball State and it becomes a better tournament, imo. Play the opening rounds on campuses and then play the semi/finals at the Banker's Life. It would be the best tournament in the sport. But unfortunately I'm not sure the "big 4" would agree to it. They want to keep it "exclusive" and don't want to risk the optics of losing to good mid-major programs on a neutral court.

[VUGrad1314]

Can't be a tourney. WAY too much conference overlap and no one's gonna give up their home game. You've got 2 Big 10 teams and 3 MVC teams This would have to be 2 4 team pods with one MVC school left out each year

[VULB#62]

Can't be a tourney. WAY too much conference overlap and no one's gonna give up their home game. You've got 2 Big 10 teams and 3 MVC teams This would have to be 2 4 team pods with one MVC school left out each year

OTOH. This could be a ground breaking endeavor that changes the face of basketball.

[VUGrad1314]

Can't be a tourney. WAY too much conference overlap and no one's gonna give up their home game. You've got 2 Big 10 teams and 3 MVC teams This would have to be 2 4 team pods with one MVC school left out each year

OTOH. This could be a ground breaking endeavor that changes the face of basketball.

What do you mean? Please elaborate

[VULB#62]

Is there a state that has put together an inclusive D-I BB tournament like this?   This is Indiana, the hotbed of basketball.

[VUGrad1314]

Iowa has something close with the Hy-Vee which I personally think should be expanded to a round robin where both Iowa and Iowa State play both Drake and UNI and then each other.

[historyman]

Are more complicated, and I didn't sleep well last night.   

Maybe your poster name should be SleepLost17.

You're a Valpo fan so I know you have your sanity.   

[FieldGoodie05]

Paul, when can we expect your next insightful podcast!?!?

[Pgmado]

Paul, when can we expect your next insightful podcast!?!?

Hoping tomorrow.

[FieldGoodie05]

Paul, when can we expect your next insightful podcast!?!?

Hoping tomorrow.

Thanks for all that you do!

[EddieCabot]

Would love to see this happen one day. It would be so much better of an event to include more schools.
https://twitter.com/Big__Shawn23/status/937379674115706881

VU2014 nailed it ... involving more schools would be SO much better then current boring format. 

Twice as many schools = twice as much revenue from tickets and TV rights. Someone should write an article suggesting this.  I'd also think that Valpo's coaches, AD and President should be working to make this happen.

[EddieCabot]

I also hope the MVC is working on another conference challenge series ... maybe with the A-10, AAC or even the MAC.  The league should be focused on helping teams get better games so the number of non-DI games can be reduced.