Dambrot open to Q home game and major schedule upgrade

[xu9697]

Dambrot, in the PD during the MAC tourney, alluded to the possiblity of playing major teams at home and at the Q if necessary. Hopefully someone else can back me up as I am too lazy right now to search for a link.

To take the program to the next step, to get the NCAA win(s), and until a new arena is built...playing 1-2 major games @ the Q yearly is a good idea. Glad to hear that Dambrot is ready to take the schedule to the next step and is mentioning use of the Q.

[xu9697]

Dambrot, in the PD during the MAC tourney, alluded to the possiblity of playing major teams at home and at the Q if necessary. Hopefully someone else can back me up as I am too lazy right now to search for a link.

To take the program to the next step, to get the NCAA win(s), and until a new arena is built...playing 1-2 major games @ the Q yearly is a good idea. Glad to hear that Dambrot is ready to take the schedule to the next step and is mentioning use of the Q.

Laziness subsided.

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/in...zips_to_ge.html

“We have to go into the hornet’s nest like Butler has, and VCU has, and show that we can beat those people,” he said. “But again, we don’t get as many opportunities as they do. And they get some at home that we don’t get. We’re trying to build our name so eventually we get home-and-home with those people, even if it’s not our home, if it’s Quicken Loans Arena and their home. That’s good enough for us. That’s what we need to do to take the next step.

Sorry if this was mentioned before in another topic. I just thought it was interesting in Dambrot's thought process of even HIM being willing to kick it up a couple notches.

[skip-zip]

Laziness subsided.

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/in...zips_to_ge.html

“We have to go into the hornet’s nest like Butler has, and VCU has, and show that we can beat those people,” he said. “But again, we don’t get as many opportunities as they do. And they get some at home that we don’t get. We’re trying to build our name so eventually we get home-and-home with those people, even if it’s not our home, if it’s Quicken Loans Arena and their home. That’s good enough for us. That’s what we need to do to take the next step.

Sorry if this was mentioned before in another topic. I just thought it was interesting in Dambrot's thought process of even HIM being willing to kick it up a couple notches.

I would also consider his comments to be somewhat of a breakthrough moment.

It's really too bad that the Q is an hour away. I'm sure most of us old timers would remember the game against #2 Pittsburgh at the Richfield Coliseum in 1987. We almost won that game, and it was a great crowd.

It might be a little more difficult to bring that "homecourt crowd" to Cleveland, but it might actually be a great opportunity to try to get others throughout NE Ohio more exposed to Akron Basketball.

[Blue & Gold]

Obviously not ideal.

But whatever it takes.

[legendofzippy]

I think this is a great idea. A chance for the Zips to play a game against a top team in an NBA arena? That's the kind of thing that draws recruits, and I would absolutely be there.

We're not getting a new facility in the short-run, so why not utilize the Q?

[Dr Z]

Great idea. Good for KD. Now he needs help getting this done.

[Big Zip]

I put it in a previous thread but it seems more appropriate here. I would love to see KD schedule VCU regardless of how "painful" it is to play against Shaka's team.

Shaka might even be willing to give us a home and home in the JAR instead of going to the Q. The Akron community knows who VCU is and would certainly draw interest not to mention the competition would be great for the team.

[skip-zip]

I guess the question has to be asked:

If a MAC title game can draw only 12,000 into a huge NBA arena in Cleveland, how much could we reasonably expect to draw for just an Akron regular season game?

I don't know. I'm having a hard time imagining that we could draw enough numbers to create any "hornets nest" kind of atmosphere that far away from home, with a huge crowd, and everyone in the place pulling for Akron to pull off a big upset against a top-tier opponent.

Wouldn't the ticket prices also have to be much more than usual?

[skip-zip]

I put it in a previous thread but it seems more appropriate here. I would love to see KD schedule VCU regardless of how "painful" it is to play against Shaka's team.

Shaka might even be willing to give us a home and home in the JAR instead of going to the Q. The Akron community knows who VCU is and would certainly draw interest not to mention the competition would be great for the team.

Already happened. Did you miss the game against VCU in the JAR last season?

[MaxZIP]

Already happened. Did you miss the game against VCU in the JAR last season?

Wasnt that a bracket buster return

[Dave in Green]

Coach Dambrot and Coach Smart have made it crystal clear that they do not want to schedule each other. The previous meetings were all a result of BracketBusters. There are plenty of options out there without beating this dead horse. As previously discussed, the Zips have been methodically raising the OOC SOS every season to the point that this season UA had a top 50 OOC SOS. Since the MAC conference SOS is so weak, the Zips need to continue raising their OOC SOS from top 50 to top 25 and then top 10. As long as we continue to get quality recruits and improved team performance, the Zips could start approaching a Miami-type OOC SOS and not be afraid of losing all those games as the RedHawks usually did. We just have to accept that almost all of those games are going to be played on the other teams' courts, which would be better for the Zips' RPI than home games.

[akzipper]

Just don't pull a move like Toledo and schedule a "home" game in Cleveland against OSU.

It's tough to think of an ideal opponent. I'd just say we have to avoid teams like Duke and UNC. Those types of schools seem to have a national following and would make the crowds much more neutral.

[Dave in Green]

Just glancing at the Basketball Travelers site, here are a few of the big name team/conference options the Zips could try to sign up for, even if there's no guarantee that these teams would be willing to sign a deal with UA:

University of Maryland is looking for a guarantee game to be played in College Park, MD on 11/12/13 or 11/13/13.

DePaul is looking start at least one more H/H Series. Could start it on the road potentially.

DePaul is looking to host a team here in Chicago for a few dates available for next year. 2 airports close will make travel easy. DATES: December 3 December 9th or 10th December 13th.

Ohio State currently has an opening for a guarantee for Wednesday, November 20th.

Creighton University has a guarantee game available to be played in Century Link Arena in Omaha. Several dates open. Very competitive package available.

Missouri is offering a guarantee for a game in early January. Let us know if you have interest. Prefer Top 150/200 RPI.

Clemson is looking to start a home/home series. Have flexibility to start on road or at home. Many dates available.

Clemson is looking for 3 more guarantee games for the 2013-14 season. Many dates available and creative competitive guarantees offered.

(Cincinnati) Looking for a home/home starting in 2013-14. The series has to start in Cincinnati. We have the following dates available: December 3rd, December 18th, December 21st.

Minnesota Golden Gophers are offering a competitive guarantee on each of these dates...(November 22nd, December 7th and 28th.

(Notre Dame) Looking for a few guarantees for 2013-2014 season. Open dates in November.

Texas Tech needs a guarantee game on Nov.29..competitive guarantee.

Michigan State is looking for guarantee games in 2013-14. Multiple dates available.

(Pittsburgh) Great Guarantee November 8th.

(Washington State) Offering a Guarantee December 28th right before conference play. Please contact if interested. The 27th would also work.

(Seton Hall) We need the following: 1 Guarantee game, we have competitive money and many dates available.

(Miami-Forida) Looking to offer guarantee for game on following dates: Nov. 8, 11, 14, 21.

Texas A&M is offering a competitive guarantee on each of these dates...(November 15th, December 30th and January 3rd/4th).

Mississippi State is looking for guarantee games for November 8 and January 2,3 or 4.

Stanford is looking for two guarantee games. Dates potentially available are: Opening weekend (Fri, Sun, Mon), Dec. 14-15 and Dec. 29. Games will be on either ESPN Networks, FSN National, or Pac-12 Network.

And on and on and on .....

Just remember that many of these dates will not fit the Zips' existing schedule. Most of all, keep in mind that many of these teams will not want to schedule the Zips. When that happens, there's nothing that can be done about it.

[Big Zip]

Coach Dambrot and Coach Smart have made it crystal clear that they do not want to schedule each other. The previous meetings were all a result of BracketBusters. There are plenty of options out there without beating this dead horse. As previously discussed, the Zips have been methodically raising the OOC SOS every season to the point that this season UA had a top 50 OOC SOS. Since the MAC conference SOS is so weak, the Zips need to continue raising their OOC SOS from top 50 to top 25 and then top 10. As long as we continue to get quality recruits and improved team performance, the Zips could start approaching a Miami-type OOC SOS and not be afraid of losing all those games as the RedHawks usually did. We just have to accept that almost all of those games are going to be played on the other teams' courts, which would be better for the Zips' RPI than home games.

DIG I know the entire history of these two I'm merely stating put your money where your mouth is and schedule VCU regularly. KD needs to put his person emotions behind him and leverage the relationship he has with Shaka for a regular home and home. Scheduling needs to be emotion free and targeted at doing what is doing best for the and a home and home with VCU would certainly be beneficial to the program.

[zippy5]

Putting the Shaka connection aside.. Why the hell would we want to play VCU again? Was Thursday not enough for you guys?

[taxpayer]

Great idea but difficult to accomplish. From the Zips side there is no question why they'd want this to occur. From the opponents side of the table, one question. Why? The big boys don't need the cash, the only attraction would be large alumni in the Cleveland area. Why risk losing to a MAC team. The off campus "neutral site" might appeal to OSU or Notre Dame for alumni purposes. It's a gamble that the Zips should take as long as the Neutral site game doesn't cost them money. I would agree giving up one of the games we buy (guarantee) opponents to schedule a game vs a major in the Q would be a good investment. It will be a question of lining up a sponsor (likely) or selling the game to one of the networks (less likely) in order to entice a quality opponent. That's why the pre-season tournaments need to be utilized as much as possible since someone else typically pays the bills and the Zips get opponents they usually can not get. Not to mention exposure.

[xu9697]

Michigan State, Xavier and Cincinnati are 3 schools that make sense.

Yes, MSU is a stretch...but they consistently recruit NE Ohio guys, so giving them a chance to play in their hometown is big.

Xavier...as an alum, it bothers me that they don't come up to the area to play in front of one of their 3 largest alumni bases. And no doubt they have the least to lose playing Akron (vs. playing CSU or Can't).

Cincinnati...well, they are about to dumb it down in conference. And, again, strong alumni base.

The other thing is bringing some form of the Rock-n-Roll Shootout back. Perhaps having 2 games (Akron in one, Can't or CSU in the other) against solid opponents would help push the attendance to 12,000.

The schools in Indiana do such a good job of playing each other. I wish this state would follow suit.

[GJGood]

I actually think the Zips only need to add one, or maybe two, bigger or somewhat highly rated programs to the schedule. The key is that you must win some of those games.

To me equally as big of a deal is who we play at the other end of the schedule. How much would it have helped the Zips at-large profile if they would have played schools like Vermont, Evansville, and Montana instead of Coppin State, Texas Southern, and Arkansas-Pine Bluff? Assuming wins in these games the RPI, BPI, and other rankings would have been significantly enhanced, wouldn't they? It may not have done a lot in the "marquee" win category but would certainly help overall.

Not having the BracketBusters game any more could hurt but only if the Zips can't replace it with a quality opponent on the schedule also.

[Dr Z]

Michigan State, Xavier and Cincinnati are 3 schools that make sense.

Didn't we play Xavier at the JAR? Early 90's I think. Triple overtime.

[Big Zip]

Jimmal Ball's freshman year where he scored 44 points --- 3 OT game loss to Xavier.

[Blue & Gold]

Jimmal Ball's freshman year where he scored 44 points --- 3 OT game loss to Xavier.

Yup. IIRC Ali Kart had an open 15-foot jumper to win it at the buzzer that rimmed out.

That was a long time ago. I remember Randy Moss & Chad Pennington were still @ Marshall - I was watching the D-1AA National Championship game & then headed over to the JAR for the Xavier matchup.

Anyway, we need to schedule more A-10 teams.

[GP1]

I think a game a year at Gund Arena is a good idea. It doesn't look like a new arena is coming any time soon, so they need to try something else to create a big time atmosphere. Once a new arena is built though, no more games in Cleveland.

[Akron1]

Michigan State, Xavier and Cincinnati are 3 schools that make sense.

Yes, MSU is a stretch...but they consistently recruit NE Ohio guys, so giving them a chance to play in their hometown is big.

Xavier...as an alum, it bothers me that they don't come up to the area to play in front of one of their 3 largest alumni bases. And no doubt they have the least to lose playing Akron (vs. playing CSU or Can't).

Cincinnati...well, they are about to dumb it down in conference. And, again, strong alumni base.

The other thing is bringing some form of the Rock-n-Roll Shootout back. Perhaps having 2 games (Akron in one, Can't or CSU in the other) against solid opponents would help push the attendance to 12,000.

The schools in Indiana do such a good job of playing each other. I wish this state would follow suit.

Agreed. I have always thought Akron, CSU and Can't State could play Cincinnati, Xavier and Dayton. They can rotate years. So every two out of three years you have two games at The Q. Or would/could they do a triple header? Easy travel for all six teams. All have pretty solid teams which help RPI.

[zipsfan33]

Yup. IIRC Ali Kart had an open 15-foot jumper to win it at the buzzer that rimmed out

Didn't all of Ali Karts shots rim out? Lol