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Post by bigdobber on Dec 13, 2007 19:24:18 GMT -5
I look at this hapless bunch of teams we have scheduled and can't see how this is getting us ready for league play. I would expect the schedule to be upgraded over the next few years to include some legitimate NCAA Tourney regulars. Binghamton, Albany, Presbyterian are hardly powerhouses and we need to get some national programs on the schedule. I really don't see how playing SUNY schools benefits our RPI or our program. This smells of Sol's answer to getting respectable. Schedule anyone who is remotely beatable and bring them in. Here is who I think should be on a list for Home and Home Series. Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, St. John's, Bucknell, Penn State, Rutgers, Hofstra, West Virginia, Va. Tech, Drexel, Providence, Syracuse, Villanova and throw in some MAC schools. Get 4 of the above annually and bring in our usual games with Canisius and Niagara plus Buffalo and Siena and you have a schedule that will do something for you.
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Post by az63 on Dec 13, 2007 19:52:19 GMT -5
bigdobber - agree we need to upgrade out of conference schedule but there is no way a Big East school is going to give us a home & home. It will never happen. Until we become a top 40-50 team we will not even get the likes of Penn State to give us H&H. Big East doesn't want to come to Olean - period.
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Post by room109 on Dec 13, 2007 20:23:17 GMT -5
I remember the days of Providence, Villanova, Seton Hall on a regular basis. We need upper level teams to play just to get the diversity of playing other teams from other conferences. The bottom dewelers in any of the SEC, PAC10, Big East conferences would be nice to start with.
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Post by towniegrad on Dec 13, 2007 21:34:31 GMT -5
More games in buffalo and rochester -more little three- add U.B. Too many home games at the rc against teams of no interest.
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Post by thebonafan08 on Dec 13, 2007 22:33:51 GMT -5
Well aside from the fact that we will never be able to get BCS conference teams to do a home and home with us (unless its in Buffalo/Rochester), it looks like that with the exception of Pittsburgh, Robert Morris never played any different of a non-con schedule then we do in the past 3-4 years. I know we are different then Robert Morris but judging by Schmidt's past he dose not like getting a real tough out of con. schedule or at least the AD at RM didn't like scheduling one.
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Post by sneakers on Dec 13, 2007 23:36:12 GMT -5
Bonnies are in a higher conference than Robert Morris. Once we fix the program (give it another year or two) we can schedule a more challenging OOC schedule.
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Post by bigdobber on Dec 14, 2007 6:57:45 GMT -5
If we can't get home and home series then maybe we need to be like Temple under Chaney. Take it on the road and play anyone anywhere. It seemed to work pretty well for them and they received plenty of TV exposure. They also were recruiting some pretty good players who wanted that kind of challenge. I say we schedule highly ranked programs out of conference and start to work them into our future schedules. A few years ago we beat Connecticut and got alot out of that. To listen to this rant for a week over SUNY Albany is silly. IMO they should never have been on the schedule. I would be interested in knowing what Schmidt and Watson have in mind for upgrading the schedule. I just think that having 3 or 4 out of conference matchups a year against some national programs is the way to go. Dayton beating Louisville and UMASS beating BC are going to help these programs if they end up on the bubble.
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Post by bigdobber on Dec 14, 2007 7:12:38 GMT -5
Wasn't Hampton in Sol's backyard? This game does nothing for our program but hurt us, particularly if we lose. If your going to travel to Virginia, you should be playing UVA, Va Tech or GMU. If you are going to win less than half your games, at least go down having played a higher rated program. I see a big upgrade in our program since Schmidt and Watson have taken over. Better coaching and better recruiting. Now we need a better schedule.
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Post by sneakers on Dec 14, 2007 8:01:38 GMT -5
Bigdobber
While I love your enthusiasm and optimism, I think you need to slow down a little. If we could work up to something like you propose in the next 5 years that would be fantastic. But first, we need to establish a winning team that has depth of talent, knows the Schmidt system and has a winning attitude and confidence. We need to first pass the .500 mark get our RPI about 100 or 150 spots higher than we are now, and then think about upgrading the schedule. The A-10 provides great competition and a challenge for our program. Once we are in the top half of the A-10 then we should up-grade our OOC schedule. If we did as you propose in the next couple years we'd get our butts kicked and it would accomplish nothing, and in fact likely set us back.
Patience Grasshopper.
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Post by orangehater on Dec 14, 2007 8:23:15 GMT -5
I'm with sneakers here, this program is a few months removed from being the hapless team that we are talking about avoiding. To me rebuilding looks a lot like its looking: schedule teams you can be competitive against, then once the E Michigans and Niagaras are the easy wins like they were in the old days, its time to think about injecting the heavy hitters. Ohio, Hampton, Albany etc were not scary, iffy games when we were rolling. Until they cease to be scary and iffy, we're probably right where we need to be.
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Post by bonaman54 on Dec 14, 2007 9:40:06 GMT -5
Wow Hofstra & Drexel they are real powerhouses they'll help our RPI.
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u518370
Junior Member
Robert Blackwell will forever be my favorite. Go Bonnies!
Posts: 393
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Post by u518370 on Dec 14, 2007 10:53:59 GMT -5
I agree that we need to take the schedule upgrading slow- especially next year. We're going to be losing a great deal of our scoring(with Relph,Lee & Ferreti on the way out) and trying to incorporate several newcomers. I would expect next year's slate to be similar to this year- then we can gradually improve the OOC schedule. I would really like to see us play a mini tournament each year in Buffalo with UB,Canisus & Niagara. I know that many on this board thing we need to be "bigger" than that - but it would be a pretty big draw every year(say the first weekend in December) with the alums from all 4 schools filling the arena. It would only be 2 games each year and I think it would be a nice tradition. I would also like us to play at least one Big East School every year- even if we have to go on the road each time(maybe a rotation of Syracuse, Pitt, Cincy & Rutgers- these are areas we recruit and the exposure would be nice). Go Bonnies!
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jmct
Freshman Member
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Post by jmct on Dec 14, 2007 11:38:54 GMT -5
Wow Hofstra & Drexel they are real powerhouses they'll help our RPI. Actually both would have helped our RPI a lot in each of the last few years. Last year Hofstra was #73 and Drexel #43 in the RPI. Averaging the two, their RPI was better than anyone in the A-10 except for Xavier. In the two previous years, the average RPI of the two was 80.
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dh
New Member
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Post by dh on Dec 14, 2007 11:53:59 GMT -5
Agreed that SBU needs to upgrade the schedule, but do it slowly and reasonably. If you play one-for-nones with BCS teams then you are Enablers of the Big East (see SU) RPI strategy of playing 90% of OOC at home. Bonas should (as should all teams) have self-respect and promote fairness requiring reasonable return games. (Temple can (or at least could) play anyone/anywhere because they can get home returns(BTW,that worked great when they were good, but now that they are mediocre not so sure). Bonas should try to upgrade to 3 or 4 BCS/notable mid-major schools per year for many reasons, but they should require at least 1-for-1 (or at least 1 with a return to buffalo/rochester or MAYBE 2-for-1). If SU can't agree,move on to the next BCS, and if no other bites, move on to the consistent MVC or MAC solids like Kent St., Ohio, Miami (OH), Creighton, Bradley, etc..
As far as who helps your RPI -- BCS schools don't necessarily help your RPI. If you play a .500 BCS school you get less RPI boost than playing a .750 Mid-major. Sure, for final review, BCS wins often get more attention, but that's separate from RPI. Opponents' record is what is important to any team's RPI. Our A-10 cohorts' RPIs would be much better off with us bringing the best OOC record we can to league play. (Drexel and Hofstra actually have had decent RPI-boosting records in the past few seasons)
Bottom line -- I'm not saying Bonas should just schedule easily winnable games but make a good mix of winnable, competitive, and tough opponents, home and away.
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Post by bonniefan on Dec 14, 2007 12:03:19 GMT -5
Bigdobber While I love your enthusiasm and optimism, I think you need to slow down a little. If we could work up to something like you propose in the next 5 years that would be fantastic. But first, we need to establish a winning team that has depth of talent, knows the Schmidt system and has a winning attitude and confidence. We need to first pass the .500 mark get our RPI about 100 or 150 spots higher than we are now, and then think about upgrading the schedule. The A-10 provides great competition and a challenge for our program. Once we are in the top half of the A-10 then we should up-grade our OOC schedule. If we did as you propose in the next couple years we'd get our butts kicked and it would accomplish nothing, and in fact likely set us back. Patience Grasshopper. Impossible to articulate this any better - upgraded OOC schedule will help, but at the right time. How many more single digit win seasons do we need?
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