Rumor: Bradley/Iowa State 3-yr MBB Deal

[ValleyGuy]

I've heard rumors that BU and Iowa St. have agreed to play a 2-for-1 deal with the first and third games being in Ames and the middle game in Peoria...good non-conference game for the Braves.

Anyone heard back from Maryland yet ? lol

[TrueBlueJay]

Bad for the conference and bad for the Braves. Why should Bradley have to give up two home games for one? Why should the Valley.

[Rasputin]

Especially to Iowa St. Yikes, how bad are they going to suck over the next few years, despite having Big Mac.

[azbirdfan]

Yeah, we were able to get home and homes with St. Johns and Cincinnati and that's with being a very down program and no Sweet 16 run. Oh well, if it's true, kick their freeking asses!!

[MSNSaluki]

any valley team that doesn't jump at a chance to play a series with a bcs school, no matter how bad it looks, is crazy.
i've been preaching to my saluki brethren the need to so single games (like wichita at michigan state) just to get siu in the spotlight. siu's position is nothing other than 1-for-1s.
i think lowery is wrong on this one.

[TrueBlueJay]

1 for 1 only. Never give in. Once you do you have no chance. What makes them better than us to demand 2 fer's? Not a chance.

Plus - I think the WSU deal against MSU was in Detroit or something. I'll take that - but not 1 game buy out or a 2 for 1 on the BcS homefloor.

[Rasputin]

1 for 1 only. Never give in. Once you do you have no chance. What makes them better than us to demand 2 fer's? Not a chance.

Plus - I think the WSU deal against MSU was in Detroit or something. I'll take that - but not 1 game buy out or a 2 for 1 on the BcS homefloor.

Especially when Bradley is a better program (currently) than ISU. :yes:

[E-Ville]

Yes I agree. The home court advantage in college basketball is just HUGE! I think it's around 70% of home teams win.

I could maybe see a 3 for 2, but not 2 for 1.

[MSNSaluki]

Yes I agree. The home court advantage in college basketball is just HUGE! I think it's around 70% of home teams win.

I could maybe see a 3 for 2, but not 2 for 1.

and that's the mentality that will leave us as annual targets for digger and billy on selection sunday.
if we are so good as a conference - and we are that good, aren't we? - then a 2-for-1 with a middling bcs school is no big deal. we should kick arse.
guess what, guys ... despite what we know, we aren't SHIIIT in the eyes of BCS schools. we've got to go out and continue to show how good we are.
and if we're gonna hold out for 1-for-1s, then we'll always be mid-majors. we'll be stuck playing the wyomings and central michigans of the world and bitching about how we get screwed every year.
just my opinion.

[Fetz86]

Well when the Braves do beat Iowa State all three times it will be good for the Valley.

[outpost]

I guess that will offset the "unintentional" 2-for-1 that Wichita State set up with George Mason.....

Hopefully we can go in there and salvage the third game at their place.

[XSaluki]

and that's the mentality that will leave us as annual targets for digger and billy on selection sunday.
if we are so good as a conference - and we are that good, aren't we? - then a 2-for-1 with a middling bcs school is no big deal. we should kick arse.
guess what, guys ... despite what we know, we aren't SHIIIT in the eyes of BCS schools. we've got to go out and continue to show how good we are.
and if we're gonna hold out for 1-for-1s, then we'll always be mid-majors. we'll be stuck playing the wyomings and central michigans of the world and bitching about how we get screwed every year.
just my opinion.
We have Indiana, and we can stir in a little WVU and Minnesota in tourney play. BTW - Wyoming was a 2 for 1, and Indiana in the early 2000s was a 2 for 1. If we are ever going to sign another 2 for 1, I would hope we show some **** and take on a high BCS.

[underdawg2]

and that's the mentality that will leave us as annual targets for digger and billy on selection sunday.
if we are so good as a conference - and we are that good, aren't we? - then a 2-for-1 with a middling bcs school is no big deal. we should kick arse.
guess what, guys ... despite what we know, we aren't SHIIIT in the eyes of BCS schools. we've got to go out and continue to show how good we are.
and if we're gonna hold out for 1-for-1s, then we'll always be mid-majors. we'll be stuck playing the wyomings and central michigans of the world and bitching about how we get screwed every year.
just my opinion.


I respectfully disagree with some of your points. If we aren't ****T in their eyes then why not play us anywhere--since if we are ****T they'll beat the crap out of us anywhere. NO, they know already how good we are--that's why they won't play us, not because we are too crappy to play. How else do you explain Weber's obvious avoidance--I don't buy his "Let all my recruits graduate, it would hurt my feelings to beat 'em" line. AND they still schedule "crappy" teams to play anyway.
:original:

[MSNSaluki]

I respectfully disagree with some of your points. If we aren't ****T in their eyes then why not play us anywhere--since if we are ****T they'll beat the crap out of us anywhere. NO, they know already how good we are--that's why they won't play us, not because we are too crappy to play. How else do you explain Weber's obvious avoidance--I don't buy his "Let all my recruits graduate, it would hurt my feelings to beat 'em" line. AND they still schedule "crappy" teams to play anyway.
:original:

I agree with your Weber point ... I like Bruce, but his argument not to play SIU until his recruits leave is weak. The only guy on the team he ever COACHED is Tony Young. Tatum and Foster never played for him.

You misunderstand what I mean when I said we were SHIIIT in BCS eyes. It's like telling someone you hardly have anything to do with that "You are dead to me." They hardly acknowledge our presence until tournament time because we are mid-majors.

So to change that mentality, we have to go the Gonzaga route and play anybody and everybody anywhere they want us to. If SIU is as good it and we think it is, we'll win some of those games. It IS a slap in our face that the only way we'd get to play, say, Texas Tech is to do a 2-for-1, but I say take the gamble and do it. We starting winning those games and doors will open.

[MSNSaluki]

We have Indiana, and we can stir in a little WVU and Minnesota in tourney play. BTW - Wyoming was a 2 for 1, and Indiana in the early 2000s was a 2 for 1. If we are ever going to sign another 2 for 1, I would hope we show some **** and take on a high BCS.

that wyoming deal might have been the worst 2-for-1 signing in SIU history. we beat them all three times and they suck.

that indiana deal might have been the best 2-for-1 signing in SIU history. we biiiitch-slapped them the year they lost in the national title game, gained TONS of great publicity for that effort and used that win as a springboard to the Sweet 16. even though indiana ran from playing us a third time, that series underscores my thoughts on this thread.

if siu or wichita or creighton or any valley team has any stones, they'll take a few chances with BCS schools on the schedule. my guess is we'll win several of those games and help the valley continue its ascent up the national ladder.

PS - with indiana and potentially west virginia and minnesota on the schedule for this year, we've got possibilities. but i want to see our last one or two spots filled with bcs teams, too. we've got everybody back. if we can't step up this year, we'll never do it.

[bcg]

It seems like an odd team to schedule for Iowa State. Maybe MCDermott didn't like having a losing record against Les.

I think 2 and 1's are the reality of college basketball for the Valley. There are a few exception of straight up home and home series, but I don't BU will get many of those. I guess DePaul is technically, but I don't veiw them as a team in a BCS conference.

[E-Ville]

All I'm saying is to look at the facts of home-court winning percentages it is around 70%. Being in the valley, we should know that the chances of an Indiana State Beating a Wichita State increase greatly if it is in Terre Haute. If we do these 2 for 1's, the numbers say we will eventually get beat back down to mid-major status. If we stand up for 1 for 1, we can show that we can regularly beat these teams and that in itself will demand respect.

[Jayball]

joey

Understand your desire to play the big boys, but 2-1 deals just help reinforce the disparity between BCS and nonBCS schools. Unless you get a nuetral site ESPN game like WSU/MSU last year I don't think unequal scheduling contracts are the way to go.

Gonzaga has played anyone anywhere, BUT if you look it has been big ESPN games at mostly "nuetral" sites. Or they get teams to come to Seattle to play them on TV. To my knowledge they have done very few traditional 2-1 deals.

Bad move for Bradley IMO if they did give Iowa St a 2-1.

[Bluejay03]

I think it is a good deal for the Valley. Iowa State won't be as bad as some of you think they will be. Its too bad that they can't just get a home and home series, but on the bright side. This is a Big 12 team, if they go .500 they could still end up in the top 100 in the RPI so that is good, and the NCAA committee put a lot on away game wins this year, so this gives Bradley and the Valley a chance to pickup two potential top 100 RPI wins on the road against a Big 12 team which in the end is a big deal.

[Majik45]

Curious why there is nothing about this supposed deal over on the Bradley board. Does someone know something over here that the Bradley faithful don't?

[MSNSaluki]

joey

Understand your desire to play the big boys, but 2-1 deals just help reinforce the disparity between BCS and nonBCS schools.

So Valley teams should just schedule mid-majors who'll do a 1-for-1 with them? That doesn't do anything for the disparity between BCS and non-BCS schools, either.

Unless you get a nuetral site ESPN game like WSU/MSU last year I don't think unequal scheduling contracts are the way to go.

I appreciate your position but I disagree. Think Creighton could go into Iowa on a one-time deal and have a chance to win? Could Wichita go to Kansas State and win? Could SIU or Missouri State go to Missouri and win? Of course you do and so do I. So, I'd rather have that chance to make a mark instead of kicking the crap out of Central Michigan.

Gonzaga has played anyone anywhere, BUT if you look it has been big ESPN games at mostly "neutral" sites. Or they get teams to come to Seattle to play them on TV. To my knowledge they have done very few traditional 2-1 deals.

Maybe they haven't. I don't know, either. But I'll give Gonzaga this: They go wherever the games are. I thought the Gonzaga/Memphis game at Memphis this year was cool as hell. What the contract on that series is is unknown to me but I like Gonzaga because they have balls. I just think it's hypocritical for Valley fans to complain about the lack of national respect all of our teams get but then argue that we can't play a game that would get us national respect because the contract isn't fair.[/quote]

Bad move for Bradley IMO if they did give Iowa St a 2-1.

It'll only be a bad deal if the Braves go 0-3. Just my opinion.

[TrueBlueJay]

Once you CAVE for a 2 for 1 deal - do not expect to get anything but such a deal from that day forward.

[Mikovio]

Once you CAVE for a 2 for 1 deal - do not expect to get anything but such a deal from that day forward.

Theoretically, maybe.

But the last 2-for-1 BU agreed to, if I recall, was with Michigan from '97-'99. Yet the Braves have had home-and-homes with USC and DePaul since that time....

[MSNSaluki]

Once you CAVE for a 2 for 1 deal - do not expect to get anything but such a deal from that day forward.

i don't buy that but that's cool ... we agree to disagree.
what some see as a roadblock others see as an opportunity.
just depends on your mentality.

[thomasj316]

If this is true, it wouldn't surprise me if one of the "2" home games for ISU is played at Wells Fargo Arena. Coming off the sweet 16, Bradley would be a good opponent for the Annual Cyclone double header in Des Moines.

[Aargh]

Another thing is providing home games for fans. Most coaches want the majority of their OOC games at home for the benefit of the fans. 2-for-1's violate that basic principle.

There's also a financial aspect. Any school that draws well at home loses $50 to $100 thousand for each road game they play. A 2-for-1 costs the athletic department $50K - $100K.

The Valley's formula last year was to play 1-for-1's against better teams than the BCS schools schedule for one-and-done deals on their home courts. That gave the Valley road wins against teams that were mostly 75 - 150 RPI and worked out to be better for RPI than the BCS schools beating up on RPI 200+ teams at home.

Packer and Nantz will dis the Valley no matter who's on the schedule. Their "but who did they play" theme didn't work out well once "who did they play" included KU, Pitt, Seton Hall and Tennessee. And George Mason.

The Valley ended up winning half the regular-season games they played against Final Four teams thanks to Creighton scheduling a home-and-home with a Final Four team.

[torear]

If Bradley plays one of the games in Des Moines, that would be good, but I don't like the idea of unbalanced deals on principle. Especially against a middling Iowa State squad. CU won't do them because Altman feels it would hamstring his efforts to get balanced deals and because it'd cost the athletic department too much in lost home game revenue.

However, let's add another light to this: Right after McDermott was hired in Ames, he was on 590 AM in Omaha and he was asked point blank if there was any chance of a CU-Iowa State showdown anytime in the near future and Mac went on into a drone about the commitment to play UNI and Drake and tried to use that to explain away his position. With this deal now public, I firmly throw the BS flag in the direct of the head basketball coach at Iowa State.

[Rasputin]

Why would Mac want to play CU, even at ISU? Altman has owned Mac and I see no reason why that would change. If we got ISU at the Q next year, Billy Packer would cry bloody murder because it would be REAL ugly.

Its too bad though, an CU-ISU or CU-Iowa series would be great, not because we would win but for recruiting purposes....Oh wait, we can get just about anyone in Iowa we want. Alford doesn't think Iowa produces D1 talent (uhhhhhhh, LaFrentz, Korver, Horner, Funk, Heinrich, Jacobsen, Oliver, McKinney, Sears, Brunner, etc, etc, etc...) and ISU traditionally hits the New York and Florida areas for players.

[bcg]

That 3 game series with Michigan was one of the best things about BU basketball in the mid-90's. Bradley also got home and aways series with Penn State and Villanova (that loss at #3 Villanova was a heartbreaker). It's all about timing and who needs an opponent and who doesn't.

If Ames was a little more north, I could see the reason being for going there being to suit the recent influx of Minnesota players on the BU schedule (I don't see Bradley ever scheduling the Gophers as long as Mo is there).

[bcg]

Press release from Bradley:

The Bradley and Iowa State men’s basketball programs today announced a three-year series, which will begin Dec. 16, 2006 at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines in the Mediacom Cylcones Capital Classic and will be televised nationally by ESPN2. The Cyclones will visit Carver Arena Dec. 1, 2007 and the series will conclude Nov. 29, 2008 when the Braves visit Iowa State.

[MSNSaluki]

Press release from Bradley:

The Bradley and Iowa State men’s basketball programs today announced a three-year series, which will begin Dec. 16, 2006 at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines in the Mediacom Cylcones Capital Classic and will be televised nationally by ESPN2. The Cyclones will visit Carver Arena Dec. 1, 2007 and the series will conclude Nov. 29, 2008 when the Braves visit Iowa State.


one home, one away, one semi-neutral ... i like it. good work, bradley.

[TrueBlueJay]

Now this deal is a good deal for Bradley and the Valley.

[DoubleJayAlum]

I also think 2-for-1's are a bad deal. Hard to get them to take you seriously when you will always give them the better part of the deal.

Remember: Once a whore, always a whore.....

[3baller]

This was the deal the whole time, they just were in the process of working it out. It gives another ESPN game for an MVC team. This is somewhat of a neutral game, considering Ames is 20 minute from Des Moines. But DM is still a lot more Hawkeye fans than ISU, so I don't think this will sell out.

ISU played Ohio State in this game last year on ESPN 2 and they drew about 12,500. Should be a game Bradley can win too, so this is a great event. The Wells Fargo Arena is incredible. If any BU fans can make the trip I suggest you do it, you won't play in too many nicer arenas all year.

[brocks]

When is the last time you saw a Big 12 fan show this kind of respect for the Valley??? Quote from the Iowa State message board:

"Bradley will be the top "home" opponent we play in the non-conference, we don't even get to see the game at Hilton. I'm surprised the McDermott press conference announcing his hire wasn't held at Wells Fargo."

:shocked: :valley:

[Majik45]

I'll take it as a BU fan if it gets us on ESPN. Here's the official announcement:

http://www.bubraves.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=25965&SPID=1498&DB_OEM_ID=3400&ATCLID=277144

It's only about 3.5 hours from Peoria to Des Moines so you might see a good contingent of Bradley fans at this game.

[stormpanther5012]

Maybe its not that and MVC school is caving in and giving ISU home games, but more just a solid MVC team being kind and forgiving to a team they should beat next year, regardless of the floor. I think that BU is the power team in this deal and ISU just wanted to get some home games with solid teams. But thats just how I choose to view it.

GO MVC!!!
GO PANTHERS!!!

[Jayball]

I'll take this set up.

A "neutral site" game on national TV is not the traditional 2 for 1 whoring setup.

I'll give both sides a thumbs up for getting something like this done.

[MSNSaluki]

I'll take this set up.

A "neutral site" game on national TV is not the traditional 2 for 1 whoring setup.

I'll give both sides a thumbs up for getting something like this done.

i agree ... that's the best possible 2-for-1.

[azbirdfan]

Wait a minute, that's not a 2 for 1 then, is it? If it's a 2 for 1, who's 2 and who's 1? Isn't it more like a 1 for 1 for 1?

[MSNSaluki]

Wait a minute, that's not a 2 for 1 then, is it? If it's a 2 for 1, who's 2 and who's 1? Isn't it more like a 1 for 1 for 1?


why does somebody on this site always have to be a prick?:original:

if two games are in iowa, especially since one is in ames and the other is in des moines, then iowa state is getting the two games. i guess you could argue it's a 1 for 1 and 1 but i wouldn't.

[Mikovio]

why does somebody on this site always have to be a prick?:original:

if two games are in iowa, especially since one is in ames and the other is in des moines, then iowa state is getting the two games. i guess you could argue it's a 1 for 1 and 1 but i wouldn't.

Des Moines will be less of an "away" game for Bradley than the Auburn Hills game was for the Shockers last year.

Home-Away- and a Semi-Away on ESPN2 that's within driving distance from Peoria? I'll take it....

[Lone Clone]

Anyone who thinks this disses the Valley has it backward.

The game at Wells Fargo in Des Moines, which opened last year, was established to get ISU a national TV game and thus attract home-and-home deals with teams that had been refusing to come to Ames. In other words, high-profile teams that can pick and choose who and where they play in the non-conference. The event was inaugurated last year with Ohio State. The Cyclones will play at Columbus this season. Most of us had assumed similar matchups every year with teams from the Big Ten, ACC, etc.

Frankly, I am surprised Bradley is the opponent, not because I don't think the Braves are a very good team, but because I would imagine ISU and Bradley wouldn't have had any problem scheduling a normal home-and-home. So what's the point of playing in the WF game? Although we have a new AD and a new coach, so maybe the philosophy has changed and nobody mentioned it to the fans :-)

ISU has had a problem similar to that of a lot of Valley schools. We used to play Minnesota regularly, for example, but the Goofers won't do it anymore. Virginia came in a couple of years ago, as did Boston College and Xavier, but in those cases it was because of personal relationships with then-coach Wayne Morgan.

Other points based on posts in this thread:

-- Wells Fargo is not a home game for ISU but it's very close. There are more ISU than Hawkeye fans in the area. The game wasn't promoted particularly well last year and drew well over 12,000.

-- Wells Fargo is a crappy venue for college hoops, by the way. Beautiful facility, but too many bad seats.

-- ISU and Creighton used to play every year. Not sure why that was discontinued. There were some bad feelings on ISU's part because of an incident at Omaha in the mid-'80s, but hardly anybody remembers and both teams have gone through several coaches since then. One reason might be a reluctance to schedule too many Valley teams. We play UNI and Drake every year and frequently meet another Valley team in a tournament somewhere. We need to leave room on the schedule for a sufficient number of cupcakes and double-directional schools.

-- Finally, I have no idea what to expect from this year's ISU team, so I can't guess at the result of the Bradley game. Both starting guards declared for the NBA with a year of eligibility remaining, and several other players bailed out when Morgan was fired. GMac is bringing in some recruits who look good on paper, but we all know how that works too often.

[Majik45]

Article from the Peoria paper today about the games:

http://pjstar.com/stories/051606/BRA_B9R2I63I.076.shtml

Says that the original deal was just for the ESPN2 game in Des Moines and Bradley talked them into adding the home and away dates to make it a 3 years series. Iowa State needed to get an opponent to guarentee the national TV.

[MSNSaluki]

I was never very impressed with Wayne Morgan.
He couldn't coach at Long Beach State and it was surprising when they elevated him to replace Eustachy but I guess they were in a pinch.
IMO, no matter who ISU hired would have been a step up.

[panther2317]

I think it's great to see former Valley coaches (who have moved on to BCS schools) scheduling Valley schools in a home and home and nuetral format.

[MSNSaluki]

I think it's great to see former Valley coaches (who have moved on to BCS schools) scheduling Valley schools in a home and home and nuetral format.

that's a great point that's been lost in this whole discussion. mcdermott stepped to the plate and took care of a valley school, unlike that dirtbag bruce weber.:lol: