Detroit released their OOC schedule

[Dr Z]

It's really the steady diet of 250+ RPI teams that some are saying turns them off. I think the question being asked is why the Zips can't cut more home-and-away series deals with higher-ranked mid-major programs like the one they had with Middle Tennessee?

How this would escape any Zips fan is beyond me. It's obvious the Zips aren't going to get top 40 teams to play at the JAR. Fans (who don't go to every game no matter who the opponent) want to see competitive entertaining games. There are plenty of those teams that can be scheduled. Blaming everything on the JAR is old and tired.

[skip-zip]

Dr. Z....I'm with you and Dave.

Zippy5....I would take the Suckeyes at the Q also, and I don't have any problem with getting a game against higher ranked teams that costs us more games in exchange at their place. We just did this with Syracuse and Pitt in football. Why does anyone have a problem with this? It's getting us some recognizable road opponents (and opportunities for high profile wins), and a power conference home game. Works for me.

[morris buttermaker]

Well if Akron can build a good away schedule based on 4-1 they would be crazy not to do it. They would be better served playing a better road schedule, and skipping the lousy home schedule.

EVERY decent recruit would rather play on the road vs any number of top opponents than at home vs Coppin St or Hiram.... forgo the wins or steal one or two to build a better team-- that doesn't get blown out in the NCAA when they get there

[MDZip]

Dr. Z....I'm with you and Dave.

Zippy5....I would take the Suckeyes at the Q also, and I don't have any problem with getting a game against higher ranked teams that costs us more games in exchange at their place. We just did this with Syracuse and Pitt in football. Why does anyone have a problem with this? It's getting us some recognizable road opponents (and opportunities for high profile wins), and a power conference home game. Works for me.

For Pitt we didn't, amazingly, it was a 1-1 deal, I think it's a lot harder to do 2-1 deals in football but in basketball with the number of games I could give up a home date if it meant bringing in a big name opponent. The only way the Zips will get the recognition they need is to knock off someone with a name. The tournaments are good for that but it would be great to bring in a name people recognize. But barring that Dave brings up a good point about other mid-majors, I don't believe that no one will come to the JAR that would be a good matchup for both teams that aren't high major conferences. Last year in the 50-100 RPI range you have Valpo, Iona, Harvard, Georgia State, Green Bay, Richmond, Louisiana Tech, Yale, Murray State, Illinois State, Northeastern, La Salle, High Point, South Dakota State. All reasonable mid-major opponents and all of them are terrified of Akron or unwilling to do a home and home series? Have a hard time believing we couldn't set up one or two a year with those types of schools. Even though RPI's vary from the time you schedule them, even in a down year last year the Zips RPI was 120, so that wouldn't be a bad matchup for one of those teams. I'm not asking for Duke to come in, but would Illinois State be so hard?

[Blue & Gold]

I'm not asking for Duke to come in, but would Illinois State be so hard?

Thaaaaank you.

[skip-zip]

MDZip...I could have sworn we'll owe Pitt another road game. If not, you're right. That is pretty amazing.

[Captain Kangaroo]

I'm not asking for Duke to come in, but would Illinois State be so hard?

That's why the Bracket Buster's demise sucks so much. It brought in Nevada, VCU, Creighton, Valpo and other worthy mid-major opponents every other year. We haven't replaced that game.

[Dave in Green]

I think it's important to understand that there's a wide diversity of opinion on this, and no reasonably workable solution is going to satisfy all. The really hardcore Zips basketball fans are going to show up at the JAR for as many games as possible regardless of the opponent quality. They may wish for better home game opponents, but prefer seeing the Zips beat up on cupcakes to other entertainment options. Other fans run the gamut from those being willing to show up at the JAR for a couple of the better teams that the Zips could realistically be able to attract to those fans who wouldn't show up for anything less than a national power.

For example, how many more fans would be likely to show up at the JAR if the Coppin States, Bethune-Cookmans, South Carolina States and Lipscombs were replaced by Valpos, Ionas, Louisiana Techs and Illinois States? Based on previous attendance at such games I think at best it might create a minor attendance blip. It likely would somewhat help the Zips' RPI, though winning road games against higher-ranked opponents is the best way to raise RPI. Even losing road games against high-RPI teams can help more than winning home games against low-RPI teams.

The Zips coaching staff starts with a budget to work with and input from the AD about having at least a certain percentage of OOC home vs. road games. They work within those initial constraints to try to put together the best schedule they can for the players, the fans, the program and UA. Hopefully they take some of the more productive suggestions from fans like those who post here and incorporate that into their thinking.

[K92]

Are better opponents in the JAR worth breaking the 21 game a year win streak? Curious to hear your answers.

[Captain Kangaroo]

If the Zips coul

Are better opponents in the JAR worth breaking the 21 game a year win streak? Curious to hear your answers.

If the Zips couldn't beat other "upper mid-major" programs on their home court, and instead played all cupcakes, it would accomplish little more than hide the fact that we wouldn't really be an "upper mid-major?"

But we are a legitimate upper mid-major basketball program, right? So it isn't much of a risk to schedule home-home series with the likes of MTSU every year, right?

[Dr Z]

....fans would be likely to show up at the JAR if the Coppin States, Bethune-Cookmans, South Carolina States and Lipscombs were replaced by Valpos, Ionas, Louisiana Techs and Illinois States?

Put me in this category. I also think you would have to consistently do it, and market it before you can judge an actual attendance comparison. Most fans assume the Zips are playing the cupcakes since we have been doing just that.

Are better opponents in the JAR worth breaking the 21 game a year win streak? Curious to hear your answers.

Pahlease. If a tree falls in the woods...

[MDZip]

And now we can start complaining about the conference schedule Our double crossovers this year are CMU and NIU. I really did like the format where it was your division, the other division and finish with yours again. Not as big a fan of this one, we don't see Can't til the end of February and then again in two weeks. And will already be done with Buffalo before we ever see the Flushes.

Tues., Jan. 5 – at Buffalo*
Fri., Jan. 8 – Western Michigan*
Tues., Jan. 12 – at Central Michigan*
Sat., Jan. 16 – at Toledo*
Tues., Jan. 19 – Eastern Michigan*
Sat., Jan. 23 – Miami (Ohio)*
Tues., Jan. 26 – Northern Illinois*
Sat., Jan. 30 – at Ball State*
Tues., Feb. 2 – at Ohio*
Sat., Feb. 6 – Central Michigan*
Tues., Feb. 9 – at Bowling Green*
Sat., Feb. 13 – at Northern Illinois*
Tues., Feb. 16 – Buffalo*
Sat., Feb. 20 – at Can't State*
Tues., Feb. 23 – at Miami (Ohio)*
Sat., Feb. 27 – Bowling Green*
Tues., March 1 – Ohio*
Fri., March 4 – Can't State*

[Hilltopper]

I really like having our final 3 games of the season at home.

[zippy5]

Final 3 at home is huge. Tough 4 game stretch to start - probably the top 4 besides UA until recent UB developments. Win 3 of those then rack up the wins in the cupcake portion in the second half of January.

[Valpo Zip]

Are better opponents in the JAR worth breaking the 21 game a year win streak? Curious to hear your answers.

The hard core fans know the reality of who are these wins accumulated against...the casual fans don't give a damn because they are STILL not showing to games.

[K92]

The hard core fans know the reality of who are these wins accumulated against...the casual fans don't give a damn because they are STILL not showing to games.

This sounds like you don't think the streak means anything.

[Hilltopper]

This sounds like you don't think the streak means anything.

It does to the players and recruits.

[Dave in Green]

One key recruit's take on the subject:

“I built my career on winning, and they have 20-plus wins every year [at Akron],” Robotham said. “That’s something I’m used to doing, and I don’t plan on changing.”

[morris buttermaker]

One key recruit's take on the subject:

Akron needs to recruit better than that

[Dave in Green]

In considering the big picture of Zips basketball scheduling, let's at least all start from the same place with the basics: 31 = NCAA maximum number of regular season games; 18 = MAC-scheduled conference games; 13 = Available games to be scheduled out of conference. With that in mind we have tournament, road, home and overall scheduling to discuss.

The Zips have been facing their biggest name opponents in tournaments which are always away from the JAR. The exceptions are when a tournament allows UA to host a lesser opponent as the NIT Season Tip-Off did this year with Charleston Southern, which was only 13-18 last season. I think most would agree that adding one weak home opponent in exchange for shots at Villanova, Arkansas and Green Bay is a fair tradeoff. Iona and UC Santa Barbara are both respectable mid-majors the Zips get to meet on a neutral court in the Las Vegas tournament. Those two tournaments eat up 6 of the Zips' available 13 OOC dates and account for 1 unexciting home game. No one has expressed major objections to the Zips' recent tournament strategy.

Of the remaining 7 open OOC dates, 2 are on the road and 5 at the JAR. That adds up to a season OOC split of 7 away games and 6 at the JAR. Taking the 2 road games first, Cleveland State is a solid opponent and Coaches vs. Cancer is a worthy cause. Hard to fault that. The game at Marshall is one of those home-and-away series we'd like to see more of. But it was scheduled back when Marshall had a decent program and they've lately taken a fall. It was a good idea at the time but it's not always predictable when teams are going to fall in competitiveness and prestige before all the games are played. Sometimes it works the opposite way and teams turn out to be even better than when they were originally scheduled.

Of the remaining 5 home games, the first one with Hiram is exactly what several have suggested on this forum: Instead of playing a weak D-I team that hurts RPI even when you win, play a quality lower division team that has no negative impact on RPI. Virtually every D-I team in the country schedules 1 or 2 early season tuneup home games with lower division teams for precisely this reason.

That takes care of 27 of the Zips' 31-game schedule and leaves us with 4 home games that are really at the heart of this discussion. If the Zips had been able to schedule 4 more respected opponents in place of the 4 on the schedule (Coppin State, Bethune-Cookman, South Carolina State and Lipscomb), there would be little to seriously criticize about the overall schedule.

[skip-zip]

I'm absolutely THRILLED that we get 3 in a row at home to close the season. I can pick that schedule apart all I want, but it gets trumped, big time, by those 3 games.

When the end of February comes along, and we are all sitting here thinking about our maximum position with the often-lofty and hypothetical "What If We Win Out" proposition......this year.....it will be a very realistic possibility.

[Dave in Green]

Getting Buffalo on the road in the first conference game of the season is another piece of great news. The Zips have struggled recently in Canada. But with all of UB's player losses and a new head coach there's a good chance they will be most vulnerable early in the season. Remembering last season's loss at the Q when it was the Zips who were hurting, the Zips should smell blood in the water and attack without mercy.

[Valpo Zip]

If the Zips had been able to schedule 4 more respected opponents in place of the 4 on the schedule (Coppin State, Bethune-Cookman, South Carolina State and Lipscomb), there would be little to seriously criticize about the overall schedule.

If the zips schedule 4 more respected opponents in place of those 4, there would be NOTHING to criticize. I, personally will be very happy and much more excited about the OOC schedule. We're not delusional fans who are impossible to please and we're not asking for the moon. Are 4 entertaining OOC home games/year too much to ask for? And I feel compelled to remind that by entertaining home games, I am not asking for Duke, NC or OSU. I am talking a decent midmajor.

And for those of you who are worried about the winning streak...if we cannot beat a decent midmajor at home and if the only way for us to have a winning streak is by playing cupcakes then, we should have the decency to admit that we are not that good...and may be this streak-based recruiting strategy needs revisited.

[Dave in Green]

Ada Zip, what you ask for is not unreasonable. I like to think of the streak-based recruiting strategy as making the most of what you have. Coach Dambrot first built up the Zips from losers to winners with local players. Then he started leveraging the 20+ win seasons to recruit more talented players from around the country. If it can be leveraged to recruit more top-notch players like Noah, that makes for a stronger Zips team, and a stronger Zips team will be able to win 20+ games against tougher competition. Fans just want to see a light at the end of the long tunnel from losers to winners to big winners.

[skip-zip]

Being "Big Winners" = Showing that you can compete on a NATIONAL level, rather than a MAC level. At a minimum, I think this means Top 100 wins (although I often doubt whether that's good enough for the "fringe" fans). And the fewer you have on your schedule, the fewer chances you have to make that kind of impression on your fans.