ESPN Article on SIU scheduling

[DawgieStyle]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=2848890

here's the link boys. Same old story.

[redbirdtim]

"The Ducks will host a tourney at home with Pepperdine, Long Beach State and another squad, and they are still looking for an opponent for their Portland Jam event."

Any way the Salukis can get in on this? If SIU is willing to spend that much on Lowery, will they spend some dough getting some non-con games at their own place?

[DawgFan]

It's the best non conference home slate in recent times, I just hope the guard play is up for the competition.

Butler, Indiana, St Mary's, Western Kentucky, the BUsteD! mystery opponent and likely Northern Illinois round out the home non conference slate.

Sounds like SIU is gonna go to the new 8 team tourney in Anaheim at turkey time with Southern Cal being a part of it.

[DUShock]

It's the best non conference home slate in recent times, I just hope the guard play is up for the competition.

Butler, Indiana, St Mary's, Western Kentucky, the BUsteD! mystery opponent and likely Northern Illinois round out the home non conference slate.

Sounds like SIU is gonna go to the new 8 team tourney in Anaheim at turkey time with Southern Cal being a part of it.

I hope that pans out. Giv'em hell dawgs :clap:

Go Valley!!

Go Shocks!!!!

[goaces]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=2848890

here's the link boys. Same old story.

That's life in the Valley. You can only hope that the NCAA selection committee pays attention to that (which they don't).

[SalukiSpike]

Still no reason to add NIU when our road schedule is still borderline awful.

[Aegyptus]

Still no reason to add NIU when our road schedule is still borderline awful.

I agree, I do not like scheduling NIU, or any MAC team for that matter. I know he is doing it for the Chicago market, but hold out for DePaul or even Loyola. NIU is bad all around. We are not in the same class as them and it sends the wrong message. They are not an in-state rival of ours and I do not wish to develop an in state rivalry with them. Out in state rival is U of I. We should settle for nothing less. Play UW-Milwaukee if you want to get close to Chicago.

[DawgFan]

Some folks brain power is borderline awful.

Take a look at the history books and get back to us on what is good non conf SOS. What is good at large bid ratios in this league and what SIU returns in the backcourt.

P.S. SIU/NIU was not a done deal as of last week, but close. The schools have a long history of playing each other in CORN COUNTRY and Carbondale.

[MSNSaluki]

If Virginia, Oregon and Southern Illinois are all having trouble finding non-conference games, maybe Dave Leito, Ernie Kent and Chris Lowery should get together on a conference call and start signing 1-and-1s with each other.

[Aegyptus]

If Virginia, Oregon and Southern Illinois are all having trouble finding non-conference games, maybe Dave Leito, Ernie Kent and Chris Lowery should get together on a conference call and start signing 1-and-1s with each other.

I know, but even Virginia and Oregon won't come to Carbondale. Maybe Oregon, but certainly not Virginia. We are only getting the Hoosiers because of the football deal (which was a great deal, props to PK on that one), but if it was not for IU football needing a game (which of course we won - ha) then we would not have this home and home either. Kelvin Samson, though, has been pretty good about it. It is clearly a big time game in his mind and his statements to the media. Look how much the win over SIU helped the Hoosiers last year. You could legitimately say it was their biggest win of the season and it certainly helped them in seeding. But, no matter how much he likes the game or likes SIU, he is not going to schedule us again in a home and home. Heck, even Painter and Weber will not schedule us and we know they like us.

[Phantom]

Solid home slate. Go get 'em Dawgs!

In semi-related news, apparently we are in the Chicago Challenge tourney this year (same one that BU, ILL, Rutgers, etc) were in last year and one of the possible matchups for us at the Sears Centre is Indiana. So that would be cool...and even cooler if Indiana lost to 2 MVC teams in the same season :lol:

[thetruthhurts]

FYI...Valley teams aren't as willing to play BCS schools as they like to come off publicly. Don't get fooled by this. They are just finicky/picky in their schedule as BCS schools are. All teams are that way. They want what is best for THEM--this is the case for Villanova, Clemson, Creighton, Pepperdine, or Liberty.

This "woe is MVC" when it comes to scheduling isnt exactly accurate.

[Nyghtewynd]

Hey, look, it's the bomb-thrower! Everybody wave!

The difference, of course, is that the BCS schools don't have to do what's best for them in terms of getting into the NCAA tournament. They do what's best for them in terms of their pocketbook, and the NCAA tournament takes care of itself, deserved or not. Schools in the MVC have to do what's best for both the pocketbook and the schedule since they don't have the football cash cow to bail them out in the former, and it's difficult to control the latter when good schools don't have to be interested in things like the RPI or SOS.

[thetruthhurts]

Hey, look, it's the bomb-thrower! Everybody wave!

The difference, of course, is that the BCS schools don't have to do what's best for them in terms of getting into the NCAA tournament. They do what's best for them in terms of their pocketbook, and the NCAA tournament takes care of itself, deserved or not. Schools in the MVC have to do what's best for both the pocketbook and the schedule since they don't have the football cash cow to bail them out in the former, and it's difficult to control the latter when good schools don't have to be interested in things like the RPI or SOS.

Not throwing bombs. Just stating the facts. MVC teams aren't as willing to play "anywhere, anytime" versus BCS schools. That's just the facts. Would you be willing for your team to do a home and home versus Liberty? NC A&T? Longwood?

[goaces]

Not throwing bombs. Just stating the facts. MVC teams aren't as willing to play "anywhere, anytime" versus BCS schools. That's just the facts. Would you be willing for your team to do a home and home versus Liberty? NC A&T? Longwood?

I would be curious to know where you got your facts from. I can tell you that being close to the situation for the MVC school I support (U of E) we can't even get a two for one for the life of us. I can tell you the Aces do a number of home and home verses a good many non-BCS schools. But BCS schools just is a rare rare experience.

[MSNSaluki]

I would be curious to know where you got your facts from. I can tell you that being close to the situation for the MVC school I support (U of E) we can't even get a two for one for the life of us. I can tell you the Aces do a number of home and home verses a good many non-BCS schools. But BCS schools just is a rare rare experience.

I don't think he's completely off base here. Perspective is where you sit.

All I know is this ... Lowery made it clear he wouldn't sign a 2-for-1 or a guarantee game with ANYBODY before last season. SIU was better than that, he said. The Salukis deserved a home-and-home series.

He couldn't find any takers so what did he do? Scheduled a Division III team (Washington University) for a guarantee game, when there had to be 100 Division I programs SIU could have realistically scheduled a home-and-home with in a second.

It seems guarantee games aren't such a big deal as long as you are the one paying the guarantee.:innocent:

[KingTut]

So that WashU game brings SIU's total of recent money games to what: one, two?

Many BCS schools schedule one or two money games a week during november-december.

[goaces]

I don't think he's completely off base here. Perspective is where you sit.

All I know is this ... Lowery made it clear he wouldn't sign a 2-for-1 or a guarantee game with ANYBODY before last season. SIU was better than that, he said. The Salukis deserved a home-and-home series.

He couldn't find any takers so what did he do? Scheduled a Division III team (Washington University) for a guarantee game, when there had to be 100 Division I programs SIU could have realistically scheduled a home-and-home with in a second.

It seems guarantee games aren't such a big deal as long as you are the one paying the guarantee.:innocent:

I think you are right, MSN. However the "woe is me" comment concerning the MVC seems a bit of an overstatement (though perhaps I am wrong, but I don't think so). Additionally, I can certainly understand Lowery's sentiment in desiring a one for one, but I don't know how realistic that is. Seems like no matter how you cut it, we in the MVC will always be under the BCS's thumb.

[MSNSaluki]

So that WashU game brings SIU's total of recent money games to what: one, two?

Many BCS schools schedule one or two money games a week during november-december.

We did it with Montana a couple of years back, too.

I'm not disagreeing with you that BCS schools do it far more frequently. I just thought it was interesting that Lowery won't do a guarantee game with a BCS school out of principle when in fact, he's done the same thing with his scheduling at times.

And that makes it conveinence, not principle.

[MSNSaluki]

Seems like no matter how you cut it, we in the MVC will always be under the BCS's thumb.

He who has the money makes the rules.:original:

[BearsCountry]

FYI...Valley teams aren't as willing to play BCS schools as they like to come off publicly.

This "woe is MVC" when it comes to scheduling isnt exactly accurate.

You mean like Bozo the Clown spouted off how we would play Maryland anywhere anytime anyplace.

Hinson turned down a deal to play Maryland in Washington DC, and he turned down the deal with LSU that Wichita State got.

[dogdays]

One point is going unsaid here. The Wash U game was a no rpi game. Didnt help. Didnt hurt. A low level D1 Game would have hurt SIU . Thus they made the Wash U decision. Based on SIU's schedule and RPI it was a smart move.And as far as the would SIU play Liberty etc home and home. Its apples and oranges. Liberty, etc are not high RPI schools. SIU(and many other Valley schools) has for the fast few years had an equal or better RPI than many BCS schools. Thus its not a valid argument..Again, like most things, its about perception.

[thetruthhurts]

We did it with Montana a couple of years back, too.

I'm not disagreeing with you that BCS schools do it far more frequently. I just thought it was interesting that Lowery won't do a guarantee game with a BCS school out of principle when in fact, he's done the same thing with his scheduling at times.

And that makes it conveinence, not principle.

This is basically my point. Do MVC teams have a hard time getting games THEY wan't? Of course. But so do 315 other Division I teams. If MVC coaches wanted BCS games they could get them. They just want them under their terms. How is that any different than what BCS schools do?