2018-19 VU Schedule

[usc4valpo]

Even USC and Iowa has obnoxious fans!

Valpo and Butler should play every year. It's a great rivalry and it needs to survive.

[covufan]

A list of Mid-Majors I'd like to see in future years with Home-and-home:

Nevada
St. Mary's CA
MTSU
San Diego St
New Mexico St
St Bonaventure
Davidson
Boise St
Western Kentucky
Murray St
South Dakota St
ULL (Louisiana Lafayette)
Old Dominion
BYU
Vermont
UNC Greensboro
South Dakota
Montana
Belmont
Fresno St
Temple
Bucknell
SMU
ETSU
Northeastern
Furman
Tulsa
College of Charleston
SF Austin
Utah Valley
UCF
Marshall
UNLV
N Kentucky (Too soon?)
New Mexico
Georgia St
Toledo
Penn
Wyoming
N Colorado
Grand Canyon
Wright St (Too soon?)
Rider
UC Santa Barbara
Memphis
UAB
St Josephs PA
UT Arlington
UC Davis
VA Commonwealth
San Diego
Canisius
Idaho
Iona
FL Gulf Coast
Wofford
St Louis
E Michigan
William & Mary
Hofstra
San Francisco
Lipscomb
E Washington
Jacksonville St
Utah St
Albany
CS Fullerton
Harvard
GA Southern
UC Irvine
Dayton
Mercer
Ball St
UMBC
Weber St
Towson
Portland St
Radford
Winthrop
Louisiana Tech
LaSalle
Tulane
Wagner
Central Michigan
Oakland (Too Soon?)
IPFW
Western Michigan
Austin Peay

I'm using Massey Ratings College Basketball composite from before the tournament started:

https://www.masseyratings.com/cb/compare.htm

[VU2014]

Preferably I'd like to see us only play Top 150 ranked teams. Nothing below 200.

Sub-200 games next season: SIUE, UC Riverside, Oral Roberts

[VUGrad1314]

I agree but sometimes it's hard to predict where a team will finish (anyway the target should be 135 the lowest Q2 road game) but still Oral Roberts beats the heck out of non D1s. Now if we have these games plus 1-2 non-D1s then I'll be upset and concerned. SOS matters more than RPI St Mary's proved this.

[covufan]

I'd also schedule one-off 'buy' games at these teams:

Wisconsin
Indiana
Iowa
Ole Miss
Minnesota
Illinois
Wake Forest
Georgia Tech
DePaul
Rutgers
Washington St

[FWalum]

I'd also schedule one-off 'buy' games at these teams:

Wisconsin
Indiana
Iowa
Ole Miss
Minnesota
Illinois
Wake Forest
Georgia Tech
DePaul
Rutgers
Washington St

How do you propose that we do that???

[covufan]

I'd also schedule one-off 'buy' games at these teams:

Wisconsin
Indiana
Iowa
Ole Miss
Minnesota
Illinois
Wake Forest
Georgia Tech
DePaul
Rutgers
Washington St

How do you propose that we do that???

Not all of them next year, but any one or two that would be willing to play.


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[VULB#62]

Isn't a significant component of successful scheduling for any apiring mid-major the ability to squeeze into a higher profile early season tournament at a neutral site where P5 teams go to fattn up their record and give their gifted athetes a few perks? It would seem to me that if I was entrusted with the schedule, that is where I would start. Of course, I have no idea how any of this crap works and maybe those tournaments are also skewed against mid-majors just like everything else.

[FieldGoodie05]

I'd also schedule one-off 'buy' games at these teams:

Wisconsin
Indiana
Iowa
Ole Miss
Minnesota
Illinois
Wake Forest
Georgia Tech
DePaul
Rutgers
Washington St

How do you propose that we do that???

Not all of them next year, but any one or two that would be willing to play.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm unfamiliar, but at what point does Valpo stop getting paid to go to P5 arenas?  Do other MVC schools still participate in "buy games"?

Seems like it's less advantageous for P5 to pay schools of MVC quality to give them a scare @ home?

Maybe I'm naive...

[VU2014]

The buy games will probably be a part of D1 scheduling. I could see us taking 1 or 2 every season if the right opportunity appeared. We just aren't going to get H-&-Hs with Power Conference schools. Even if we did, we'd probably give them the first home game and they'd have the opportunity to buy out the our home game. Maybe do 2-for-1s but I don't remember the last time Valpo ever did one of those.

I'd also schedule one-off 'buy' games at these teams:

Wisconsin
Indiana
Iowa
Ole Miss
Minnesota
Illinois
Wake Forest
Georgia Tech
DePaul
Rutgers
Washington St

A few strange schools on the list. Going for beatable P5/P6s teams? Rutgers and Washington St? I bet we could beat many of these programs if we had some our veteran teams in the recent past. Heck I think we might have had a chance tobeat some if we had Joe and a healthy Tevonn this season. Ole Miss has a H-&-H with Illinois State. They just hired a new HC and it's to be seen if he'll give the return game to ISU. My guess is Kermit Davis will because he was a longtime mid-major coach at MTSU and he'll honor the previous staff's schedule. Ironically MTSU hired one of Dan Muller's assistants to be the new HC there.

I'm not sure what it would take to schedule IU. Maybe they give VU a chance since they seem to play every other mid-major. Wisconsin might be a schedule-able game because DBO Coach Zumba played at Wisconsin while Greg Gard was the associate HC there under Bo Ryan. Maybe Coach Zumba could ask for a favor.

[justducky]

I'm unfamiliar, but at what point does Valpo stop getting paid to go to P5 arenas?  Do other MVC schools still participate in "buy games"?

Seems like it's less advantageous for P5 to pay schools of MVC quality to give them a scare @ home?

The P5 want to host decent mid major teams that they will beat. I think they will approach or respond to us cautiously for the 18-19 and 19-20 seasons so we should hope they decide based on our 17-18 results. Vandy aside, I am still optimistic that somebody will give us the opportunity to play a little basketball and earn a little money.

Loyola won at Florida in a 2017 "buy game" and won at North Carolina St in 2016 in what turned out to be a "buy game" because the return was bought out.

The only way I would want a buy game with DePaul would be for them to come to the ARC. Even then I would not categorize it as a "must see"  event.

[valpo84]

Valpo has done a few 2 for 1s over time.  Purdue has been a 2 for 1 in the past (when Robbie and Scott were there?).  NC State a few years ago was to be a 1-1 but they backed out of our home game.  NC and Duke were 2 for 1s going back a bit but the 1 home games for us were at the United Center.  2 for 1s work well if the school has a player that is from the Region as it's a chance to play in their backyard.  K has been very good about that with his recruits, although it has become harder with 1 and dones.  Frankly, no P5 wants any part of Valpo on our home court.  Heck, ND hasn't wanted any part of us because we've beat them at the ARC (Love you Digger), at their place and came a Greg Tonagel jumper away from beating them at the United Center.  Matt is going to have to lean on friends and former teammates who are in coaching to try to get a 2 for 1.  Maybe Stanford, Baylor, Vandy or Missouri could be possibilities based on past relationships. 

[covufan]

NC State a few years ago was to be a 1-1 but they backed out of our home game.

Sounds familiar.  Didn't they do that to Loyola this past year?

[covufan]

Valpo has done a few 2 for 1s over time.  Purdue has been a 2 for 1 in the past (when Robbie and Scott were there?).  NC State a few years ago was to be a 1-1 but they backed out of our home game.  NC and Duke were 2 for 1s going back a bit but the 1 home games for us were at the United Center.  2 for 1s work well if the school has a player that is from the Region as it's a chance to play in their backyard.  K has been very good about that with his recruits, although it has become harder with 1 and dones.  Frankly, no P5 wants any part of Valpo on our home court.  Heck, ND hasn't wanted any part of us because we've beat them at the ARC (Love you Digger), at their place and came a Greg Tonagel jumper away from beating them at the United Center.  Matt is going to have to lean on friends and former teammates who are in coaching to try to get a 2 for 1.  Maybe Stanford, Baylor, Vandy or Missouri could be possibilities based on past relationships. 

I'd also see if Carson Cunningham at Incarnate Word wants to do a 1-1, as he might want to return to the region himself.  Incarnate Word won't be a bottom 10 team for long. 

[VU2014]

Valpo has done a few 2 for 1s over time.  Purdue has been a 2 for 1 in the past (when Robbie and Scott were there?).  NC State a few years ago was to be a 1-1 but they backed out of our home game.  NC and Duke were 2 for 1s going back a bit but the 1 home games for us were at the United Center.  2 for 1s work well if the school has a player that is from the Region as it's a chance to play in their backyard.  K has been very good about that with his recruits, although it has become harder with 1 and dones.  Frankly, no P5 wants any part of Valpo on our home court.  Heck, ND hasn't wanted any part of us because we've beat them at the ARC (Love you Digger), at their place and came a Greg Tonagel jumper away from beating them at the United Center.  Matt is going to have to lean on friends and former teammates who are in coaching to try to get a 2 for 1.  Maybe Stanford, Baylor, Vandy or Missouri could be possibilities based on past relationships. 

A game against Stanford would be awesome. As for Baylor I'm not optimistic about getting a game with them even with all the Valpo connections. I understand Scott never wanting to schedule his brother or his Dad but maybe he'd feel uncomfortable coaching against a program he was instrumental in helping build. Who knows. Maybe it could happen now that Bryce has left. It would be a huge game at the ARC if they could get it worked out. Coach Dildy maybe could pull some strings with Missouri. Scheduling these days really does have a lot to do with relationships.

My gut says we get a series done with Dayton in the next few seasons. That would be a fantastic series for both programs.

I'd also see if Carson Cunningham at Incarnate Word wants to do a 1-1, as he might want to return to the region himself.  Incarnate Word won't be a bottom 10 team for long. 

What is Cunningham's connection to Valparaiso University? I know he's a native to the region but is that worth a giving a series? Incarnate Word isn't exactly a great series for Valpo, but that would be a great series for IW. Maybe it would be a sign of goodwill to do a series with Incarnate Word if you think he's going to land a bigger job down the road. Scratch my back and I'll scratch your back down the road.

[vu84v2]

I'd also schedule one-off 'buy' games at these teams:

Wisconsin
Indiana
Iowa
Ole Miss
Minnesota
Illinois
Wake Forest
Georgia Tech
DePaul
Rutgers
Washington St

How do you propose that we do that???

Not all of them next year, but any one or two that would be willing to play.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I would strongly prefer a buy-game with Marquette instead of DePaul.

[VULB#62]

I would strongly prefer a buy-game with Marquette instead of DePaul.

Me too!  We do have a history going back to Al McGuire.

[covufan]

I would strongly prefer a buy-game with Marquette instead of DePaul.

Me too!  We do have a history going back to Al McGuire.

I'd almost suggest that we could get a 2-for-1 at the ARC.  Or a 2-for-1 with a double header at United Center:  Valpo/Marquette and Loyola/Illinois

[valpo64]

You really think that Illinois would do that?   Maybe if THEY had a buy-in game with Loyola.    

[VULB#62]

I would strongly prefer a buy-game with Marquette instead of DePaul.

Me too!  We do have a history going back to Al McGuire.

I'd almost suggest that we could get a 2-for-1 at the ARC.  Or a 2-for-1 with a double header at United Center:  Valpo/Marquette and Loyola/Illinois

How about two 2 for 1's:  Valpo/MU and Loyola/DePaul with the 'one' being a college dbl header at the United Center?

[vu84v2]

How about Valpo/Marquette and Loyola/Wisconsin at the new Bucks arena?

[VULB#62]

Or all of the above/below.

[bbtds]

How about Valpo/Marquette and Loyola/Wisconsin at the new Bucks arena?

TBH, most Wisconsin college BB fans would wonder why they had Valpo playing in this foursome instead of Northwestern.

[valpo84]

We had a kind of 2 for 1 with Marquette in the early 2000s when Tom Crean was there.  Maybe Tom would like some close games and upsets to help his new club at Georgia.

2003-04 @ Bradley Center lost 75-70 (Marquette had been to Final 4 year before with DWade.  In 2002, Wade played the 2d game of the pod that featured Valpo/UK of NCAA Tourney in STL, to blow your mind down this rabbit hole, Matt Lottich was with Stanford in the evening pod that played in STL that same day vs Western Kentucky, which was coached by.... Dennis Felton, now at Cleveland State, and former WKY coach Ralph Willard coached Holy Cross a 16 vs Kansas in final game of the day in an unusually close game and Kansas had Hinrich, Collison and Gooden and went to the Champ game)
2005-06 @ Bradley Center lost 69-54
2006-07 @ ARC lost 65-62  that was a wild/wooly one with Dominic James (who was a great college player) hitting a 3 at the end to lead highly ranked Marquette to the win.  Todd's radio call on that game was tremendous!! By the way that 06-07 ooc schedule was really tough one with a stretch of NC State, Marquette (@ARC), Butler (@ARC), Ohio State (Diebler reunion), EVille, Ball State, Creighton, Charlotte, and San Francisco (those last 3 in the Diamond Head Hawaii Tourney where we won the last one). 8 game losing streak until beating SF.  By the way, easy trivia question of the day -- what Valpo assistant later went on to be head coach of the Dons.

From ESPN
11/28/2006

No. 9 Marquette fights off Valparaiso in last seconds

Dominic James hit a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left and scored the final 18 points for Marquette (No. 9 ESPN/USA Today, No. 8 AP) in a 65-62 win over Valparaiso on Monday night.

[ml2]

2006-07 @ ARC lost 65-62  that was a wild/wooly one with Dominic James (who was a great college player) hitting a 3 at the end to lead highly ranked Marquette to the win.  Todd's radio call on that game was tremendous!!

Here's the video of that shot. Make sure to watch with the sound on. Great atmosphere that game. Also, Brandon McPherson's desperation heave at the buzzer to force OT was agonizingly close.