CF EXCLUSIVE: 06-07 Men's Basketball Schedule

cycloneworld · 07-21-2006, 11:58 AM

To me it seems as though we don't really have any "middle of the road" games. We have easy vs. difficult. Maybe Minnesota but since it's away I would still classify it as difficult.

The home schedule is truly horrible:

Louisiana-Monroe

UC-Riverside

Eastern Illinois

Norfolk State

Lake Superior State

Drake

Savannah State

SE Missouri State

North Dakota State

There really is no excuse for not setting up ONE game that gets people excited. Drake is the only game that even remotely interests me. There will be no non-conference Hilton Magic tuneups, that's for sure.

BooneCy · 07-21-2006, 01:26 PM

Look at the away games on our schedule.

Minnesota

UNI

Iowa

Ohio State

Bradley (Des Moines)

We can't change the Drake and Sevannah State games, because those are contracts from previous years.

3 of the other teams are our typical fluff tournament that requires major teams to come play at our home court. No surprise here.

So, we are talking about 4 games that we could have improved for better opponents. With four returning sholarship athletes, you want to trade one of those four lower teams for a "middle of the road" team. So, we can entice a few more thousand people to the games. Here are my problems with that logic.

A. A loss will do more damage to our team in the long run than the revenue from an extra 3,000 people.

B. We have to find a "middle of the road" team to come to Iowa State.

1. We are below average in payouts for non-conference games

2. Those teams already have pretty tight schedules, and would not be likely to accept a road game to a potential trap.

C. Our road schedule is rough. Let's give these kids a break.

D. History has shown that the expectations of our team means more than the quality of the opponent when looking at ticket sales. Meaning, nobody wants to see us get our butts kicked by a good team, especially early in the season.

I want a harder non-conference schedule too. But, it's going to be hard enough already. Next year, our home games will be Minnesota, Iowa, and UNI. That's a pretty good start.

cycloneworld · 07-21-2006, 03:15 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BooneCY @ 07-21-06 12:26 pm) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>

I want a harder non-conference schedule too. But, it's going to be hard enough already. Next year, our home games will be Minnesota, Iowa, and UNI. That's a pretty good start.

[/b][/quote]

I'm not saying that our entire NC schedule is terrible, just the home games. My main point is that this NC schedule isn't going to inspire people to go out and buy season tickets. And saying, "Well wait until next year" won't work either.

vanillathrilla · 07-21-2006, 03:38 PM

Very disappointed in the home schedule.

CrossCyed · 07-21-2006, 05:34 PM

I just want to see this team succeed at this point. I'll take easy wins if it means we'll win. We've got tough enough games on the road that we won't have an A&M type of SOS, but we need wins.

PlymouthCy · 07-21-2006, 05:51 PM

I too would like to see us play a tougher non-conference schedule, however you need to refer back to the June 1st addition of Pollard's Views on ISU: Basketball scheduling 101, http://www.nmnathletics.com/pdf5/393...B_OEM_ID=10700
Especially in our financial situation we need as many home games as possible.

ferdnand1 · 07-21-2006, 05:55 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BooneCY @ 07-21-06 10:45 am) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>

Because, the paying public will not come to games where we are going to get destroyed, just for the sake of seeing Illinois play. They can just watch that on TV. I'm all for playing strong schedules, but this is not the year to do that. The Big 12 is tough enough, let's give these kids a chance to get some confidence.

Would I prefer Minnesota at home, absolutely.

But, I don't mind going to Louisana-Monroe, Sevannah State, and insert any other directional school here, to see these kids have fun and win.

I see us possibly going 11-3 non-conference. That means we need to go 8-8 to have a shot at the NCAA. A tougher non-conference schedule, at this team has no shot to get into the NCAA and attendance for the Big 12 games will suffer from the beginning. Get some wins, give the public some confidence, get people in the seats at the start of the Big 12, let the momentum begin to build.

[/b][/quote]

You's rather see us play some crap team in front of 8,000 people?

Wouldn't it be better to schedule a tough name opponent, sell-out Hilton, and have it shown on ESPN2?

I don't care if we're ready or not. There is no guarantee we'd get "destroyed" either..

CrossCyed · 07-21-2006, 06:11 PM

I'd rather not see us get messed up on ESPN. It'll be bad enough if/when Kansas does it to us.

isucy86 · 07-21-2006, 06:27 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ferdnand1 @ 07-21-06 4:55 pm) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Wouldn't it be better to schedule a tough name opponent, sell-out Hilton, and have it shown on ESPN2?
[/b][/quote]

You're living in a fantasy land if you think that's all it takes to get on an ESPN network.

ISU is coming off a season where it didn't make the NCAA tournament. ISU isn't projected to finish in the top half of the Big 12 in 06/07. Why would a MSU or Illinois agree to come into Hilton and risk losing to a team that may not make the RPI top 100? If MSU or Illinois is going to play a Big 12 team on the road, they'd go play Kansas, Texas, Okie State or even TT.

ISU was able to get the Ohio State game scheduled last year because we were coming off an NCAA Tournament berth and returned Stinson, Blalock & Clark. I'm sure we would have loved to get the Gophers at Hilton, but my guess is Monson is feeling the pressure to win this season and their best chance to beat ISU is to have the game at Williams Arena.

fulll02 · 07-21-2006, 06:48 PM

In defense of the Lake Superior State game; that could be a real tough one... if we were playing them in D1 hockey!

cycloneworld · 07-22-2006, 11:17 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(CrossCyed @ 07-21-06 5:11 pm) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'> I'd rather not see us get messed up on ESPN. It'll be bad enough if/when Kansas does it to us. [/b][/quote]

That's the spirit...

Lake Superior State huh? That gets me excited. I hear they dominated Lake Erie State and Lake Huron State. I think they lost a heartbreaker to Lake Michigan State though...

Again, I am all for as many home games, I want us to win as many games as possible but is it too much to ask to play a "name" team in Hilton? Why can't we have 7 Norfolk/Savannah States and AT LEAST 1 Boston College type team. Spending $$$ on season tickets should at least get you that...

BryceC · 07-22-2006, 11:59 AM

Let's be honest here... for the good of the team, it's probably best that we have a fluffy home schedule with the brutal road schedule we have.

But let's also be honest that, for a season ticket package, it sucks. Terribly. I'm a season ticket holder in both football and basketball, and neither package is that good this year. Freaking terrible really.

HiltonMagic · 07-22-2006, 02:39 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cycloneworld @ 07-22-06 10:17 am) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>

is it too much to ask to play a "name" team in Hilton? Why can't we have 7 Norfolk/Savannah States and AT LEAST 1 Boston College type team. Spending $$$ on season tickets should at least get you that...

[/b][/quote]

I don't think the problem is that they don't want to schedule harder teams, but rather getting "name" teams to come into Hilton. If you were BC, Illinois, etc. would you want to come to Hilton to play? I think we've tried to get teams such as them, but no one is willing to come. Scheduling is a much more complicated procedure than just calling up a team and asking them to come play you.

cycloneworld · 07-22-2006, 07:01 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Hilton Magic @ 07-22-06 1:39 pm) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>

I don't think the problem is that they don't want to schedule harder teams, but rather getting "name" teams to come into Hilton. If you were BC, Illinois, etc. would you want to come to Hilton to play? I think we've tried to get teams such as them, but no one is willing to come. Scheduling is a much more complicated procedure than just calling up a team and asking them to come play you.
[/b][/quote]

Ok, we just played a home-and-home with BC a few years ago and we just scheduled one with Minnesota. I don't think its too much to ask to get 1 home game per year against a power conference school.