Akron OU in game thread

[skip-zip]

@skip-zip, I can't begin to tell you how disappointed I am in your last post. That has to be the least thoughtful post I've ever seen you make.

Of course the Zips were planning to beat Oklahoma State. They worked their butts off focusing on that game and they almost pulled it off. It was not due to a "miscalculation that backfired," and you know it. Tree and Harney couldn't play, Abreu had a serious high ankle sprain and Chauncey had a damaged knee that required surgery -- all at the start of the season. That's the difference between having more signature wins and not. This season's OOC schedule was strong enough to earn the Zips an at-large bid had their record in those games been better, and it would have been better without all the unforeseeable problems at the beginning of the season with four key players.

Please do not insult the intelligence of everyone on this forum with any more comments that fall to the level of your extraordinarily weak "miscalculation that backfired" comment.

Dave, Again, if you want an at-large bid, you put tougher teams on your schedule to give yourself those opportunities. Simple as that. Yes, if we had "planned" (your word) to beat a good OK St. team in order to get a couple more games on the schedule, then it was a mistake.

You want more of those games, you can easily just schedule them.

Sorry you're disappointed.

[Dave in Green]

@skip-zip, right, Akron can "easily" schedule games with teams like Oklahoma State, Tennessee and North Carolina State every season because they have lots of openings on their schedules and they're all sitting by their phones anxiously awaiting calls from Akron. At one time I used to think you were a fairly knowledgeable college basketball fan.

[OU Dude]

funny thing happened to Ohio this year, when they called up teams and asked them if they'd like to schedule a 1-1 with a mid major team returning its entire roster from a 29 win Sweet 16 run the response was less than enthusiastic. go figure.

[LZIp]

You guys act like there are teams breaking down the door to get a chance to play at the JAR and KD is not willing to put them on the schedule. The reason we play those teams is because that's who we can get to come play us at home. Other top 50 or even 100 programs have nothing to gain and everything to lose by agreeing to play at the JAR. Most of the top 50 programs would want a 1 for 3 series with us playing them at their place first. Then when the time comes to play at the JAR, they just buy their way out of the contract if it looks like they might lose. Part of the reason KD likes the bracketbusters is because it guarantees a home game against a quality opponent. The coaching staff wants to play a good OOC schedule, but not if it means playing almost every game on the road.

To clarify, I never said anything about top programs. Just BETTER. Surely we can find a few more schools ranked between 100-200 that want to do a 1 and 1.

Not my argument, but from your reply, I've found a few top mid-majors that got good teams to come to their place this year.

St. Louis got New Mexico to come to their place.

VCU got Wichita St to come to their place. Belmont also came, as well as Bama.

UMASS got Miami to come to their place.

Memphis got Louisville to come.

MTSU got Ole Miss to come.

Like I said, not my argument, but looking at this, its not as hard to good teams to come to your place as it would be in football.

[Hilltopper]

funny thing happened to Ohio this year, when they called up teams and asked them if they'd like to schedule a 1-1 with a mid major team returning its entire roster from a 29 win Sweet 16 run the response was less than enthusiastic. go figure.

Exactly!

[akronad]

Partial OOC schedules are done 1 to 3 years in advance. They leave some openings dues to movements and cancellatiions. Similar to what happens with football. Schools do not wait until the end of the season to do the bulk of their scheduling. Also, some schools are more attractive to paly at than Akron's JAR.

[tpsjugglerdude]

If they are having a problem finding some opponents they should use this site. http://www.basketballtravelers.com/game-sc...board/?e_type=1

A quick look at good RPI teams:

Clemson looking for Home and Home

Boise State- H/H

Cincinatti- H/H

New Mexico St- H/H

Indiana St- H/H

Murray State- H/H

Robert Morris- H/H

Northern Iowa- H/H

Drake- H/H

Lousiville is looking for games with teams with RPI better than 200

[odhgibo]

If they are having a problem finding some opponents they should use this site. http://www.basketballtravelers.com/game-sc...board/?e_type=1

How cool! This has to be one of the most fascinating sites I've seen in a long time. I never knew there was such a marketplace (and one where e-mail addresses are posted for the picking!).

[akronad]

Nice find!

[Dave in Green]

I believe that the last time the Basketball Travelers site was brought up on ZN.o, it was determined that UA was active there.

EDIT: Found it.

[Hilltopper]

If they are having a problem finding some opponents they should use this site. http://www.basketballtravelers.com/game-sc...board/?e_type=1

A quick look at good RPI teams:

Clemson looking for Home and Home

Boise State- H/H

Cincinatti- H/H

New Mexico St- H/H

Indiana St- H/H

Murray State- H/H

Robert Morris- H/H

Northern Iowa- H/H

Drake- H/H

Lousiville is looking for games with teams with RPI better than 200

Why don't you give coach Weigand a call. (330) 972-7678 I'm sure he will explain to you how they schedule. All the coaches are very approachable.

[Zipmeister]

Partial OOC schedules are done 1 to 3 years in advance. They leave some openings dues to movements and cancellatiions. Similar to what happens with football. Schools do not wait until the end of the season to do the bulk of their scheduling. Also, some schools are more attractive to paly at than Akron's JAR.

OK seriously; someone interpret this sentence for me.

[lance99]

OK seriously; someone interpret this sentence for me.

I think that I can:

Some schools out there, just need games to fill, so they will come. Also there are outer teams that will think that "if we go on the road and win, it looks good." There are other teams that will look at the talent and understand that the level is even with us and will be a great game for everyone.

I will say this(and get hammered on it, but I do not care). Every team in the Country would come to the Jar, provided that the price is right, regardless of agreement made.

[Zipmeister]

I think that I can:

Some schools out there, just need games to fill, so they will come. Also there are outer teams that will think that "if we go on the road and win, it looks good." There are other teams that will look at the talent and understand that the level is even with us and will be a great game for everyone.

I will say this(and get hammered on it, but I do not care). Every team in the Country would come to the Jar, provided that the price is right, regardless of agreement made.

WOW, I wonder if your interpretation is correct. There is absolutely no way I could have come up with it.

[GoZips]

I think that I can:

Some schools out there, just need games to fill, so they will come. Also there are outer teams that will think that "if we go on the road and win, it looks good." There are other teams that will look at the talent and understand that the level is even with us and will be a great game for everyone.

I will say this(and get hammered on it, but I do not care). Every team in the Country would come to the Jar, provided that the price is right, regardless of agreement made.

Since it cost upwards of $50,000 to get Ark.-Pine Bluff, Coppin St. Texas Southern. etc. to play for pay and over $200,000

for any high major, just how do you expect to PAY for these games? And you are incorrect when you say any

team will come. A high major team says, we will play you for $200k and the next day high major team B calls them and says,

we will play you for $200k. Now who do you think high major team A is going to contract?

This season's OOC schedule took a lot of work to compose. BracketBuster games helped a lot. Coaches friendly to

Dambrot and his assistants helped. It was not easy. Add in the factor that coaches like their jobs and losing games does

not improve their longevity and you have a real (sic) donnybrook.

Factor in that scheduling a few "cupcakes" is necessary to tune up your team. If you look up the schedules of these low

majors you will find that they play quite a number of high majors. The play for play helps fund their program AND it

gets them ready for their conference games. Check Texas Southern out, They are currently 15-2 in their conference.

A couple of years ago I heard Tom Izzo boasting on the Jim Rome radio show that he would play "anybody, any time, any

where". I was returning from Detroit at the time. I called Coach Dambrot on my cell phone immediately. He turned on

the radio show. He called Izzo right away. Izzo's response, "not Akron, coach, sorry." If you do not believe me, ask

Coach Dambrot in person. Scheduling is tough. Just as the OU poster lamented about the difficulty for OU to schedule

after last season, Akron is already discovering that this season's success is actually making potential opponents say,

NYET...!!!!

[ksu sucks]

The (admittedly premature) post of the year award goes to GoZips for use of the word "donnybrook".

[tpsjugglerdude]

Does anyone know what OU's RPI was at the end of last year? I think now that we are able to establish we are a top 50 RPI, I feel that should help a little bit since most teams are scheduling based on expected RPI.

[LZIp]

I can certainly understand OU's problems with the tourney run last year.

I just have trouble seeing why "majors" would be afraid to play a team that has NEVER beaten a ranked opponent, and has never won an NCAA tournament game. Unlike this year, Its not like we have had "bracketbuster" written all over us before.

[Zipmeister]

The (admittedly premature) post of the year award goes to GoZips for use of the word "donnybrook".

Don't get your hopes up sucks.

Someone is sure to use "barn-burner" in a post at some point later this year and ace you out of the award.

[Zipmeister]

Since it cost upwards of $50,000 to get Ark.-Pine Bluff, Coppin St. Texas Southern. etc. to play for pay and over $200,000

for any high major, just how do you expect to PAY for these games? And you are incorrect when you say any

team will come. A high major team says, we will play you for $200k and the next day high major team B calls them and says,

we will play you for $200k. Now who do you think high major team A is going to contract?

This season's OOC schedule took a lot of work to compose. BracketBuster games helped a lot. Coaches friendly to

Dambrot and his assistants helped. It was not easy. Add in the factor that coaches like their jobs and losing games does

not improve their longevity and you have a real (sic) donnybrook.

Factor in that scheduling a few "cupcakes" is necessary to tune up your team. If you look up the schedules of these low

majors you will find that they play quite a number of high majors. The play for play helps fund their program AND it

gets them ready for their conference games. Check Texas Southern out, They are currently 15-2 in their conference.

A couple of years ago I heard Tom Izzo boasting on the Jim Rome radio show that he would play "anybody, any time, any

where". I was returning from Detroit at the time. I called Coach Dambrot on my cell phone immediately. He turned on

the radio show. He called Izzo right away. Izzo's response, "not Akron, coach, sorry." If you do not believe me, ask

Coach Dambrot in person. Scheduling is tough. Just as the OU poster lamented about the difficulty for OU to schedule

after last season, Akron is already discovering that this season's success is actually making potential opponents say,

NYET...!!!!

Tom Izzo did take his team down to play Wright State several years ago because he had a Dayton area kid on the MSU squad. That way, Izzo reasoned, the Dayton locals could watch the home town boy in person. MSU lost the game so Izzo might not be in a hurry to pursue the same strategy again. However, as I have suggested on this board before, if one were to track Akron area high schoolers that made it to big time programs, Akron could contact the big time programs and suggest a one and one series that would give the big time program a chance for their Akron area players to perform in front of their home town buds. Not likely to result in a bunch of games, but could land an occasional gem.

[Dave in Green]

Does anyone know what OU's RPI was at the end of last year? I think now that we are able to establish we are a top 50 RPI, I feel that should help a little bit since most teams are scheduling based on expected RPI.

OU's RPI rank last year at the end of the regular season was #72. After winning the MAC tournament it rose to #50. After winning two games and then losing in the NCAA tournament, their final rank was #43.

[Dave in Green]

If the purpose of a stronger OOC SOS is to raise the Zips profile with the selection committee, we shouldn't even be talking about home games. The selection committee puts a premium on quality road wins, and rewards teams that have good wins on the road. Gonzaga set the model. They play in a weak conference like the MAC that would almost never earn them an at-large resume. They had to schedule road games against quality opponents across the country and win a fair number of those games in order build up their SOS and RPI numbers. Most of the big name teams they play never journey to Spokane for a return game. But we've been through the Gonzaga exercise before. Gonzaga has a high-major budget for basketball, not a mid-major budget. Gonzaga has a private jet that they use for international recruiting around the globe. You can't replicate the Gonzaga model without the Gonzaga budget and resources.

[LZIp]

Tom Izzo did take his team down to play Wright State several years ago because he had a Dayton area kid on the MSU squad. That way, Izzo reasoned, the Dayton locals could watch the home town boy in person. MSU lost the game so Izzo might not be in a hurry to pursue the same strategy again. However, as I have suggested on this board before, if one were to track Akron area high schoolers that made it to big time programs, Akron could contact the big time programs and suggest a one and one series that would give the big time program a chance for their Akron area players to perform in front of their home town buds. Not likely to result in a bunch of games, but could land an occasional gem.

St. Johns...I am looking at you.

[lance99]

Since it cost upwards of $50,000 to get Ark.-Pine Bluff, Coppin St. Texas Southern. etc. to play for pay and over $200,000

for any high major, just how do you expect to PAY for these games? And you are incorrect when you say any

team will come. A high major team says, we will play you for $200k and the next day high major team B calls them and says,

we will play you for $200k. Now who do you think high major team A is going to contract?

I promise you, If we told the Dukes/ North Carolina, UCLA'S, Kansas of the world: Come to the Jar and I will pay you 275,000+, they wouls be all over that.

I have been trying to find it, but North Carolina Women came to the jar back in the early 90's if I remember correctly(I could be wrong), so it can be done

[Dave in Green]

Never promise what you can't deliver.