2024-2025 Schedule Thread

[mkaufman1]

I didn't see one made yet but figure this would be a good way to track it. Keeping this as the main schedule post.

I know @MasonFanatic helped out last year.

All we know so far is

Home to Tulane - date TBD
Away to ECU - date TBD (maybe Saturday November 16th?)
@duke Tuesday December 17th per Rothstein-bot

 

[mkaufman1]

Opening up the commentary I hope that we can improve our scheduling this year. Since we have several games to fill I expect something to the effect of:

4 buy games at home (at least 1 against a sub 300 NET team, maybe a 2nd)
1 buy game at a P5
1 new home/home
1 neutral game

And if we do an MTE, I expect 3 more games somewhere, possibly with another game added as part of that participation.

Scheduling is hard but I do expect some improvement considering Mason finished top 100 (93) in the NET. I know @Patriotsince81 and @tblack33 love our home games against teams that win 3-5 games per year.

 

[GMUSSTN]

In that video of Austin Ball giving away t-shirts at Mason Day, he said something about the home opener being November 7th or 8th. I'd have to go watch it again...wondering if they already have someone lined up for that date. Probably the start of our 8-year home/home with UNC

 

[tblack33]

I’m boycotting any non D1 games this season and I hope you all do as well.

 

[gmujim92]

Not gonna be popular with some folks, but until they change the NET formula, the best schedule is one that includes a lot of teams we can demolish by 20+ points.

It sucks, but the NET rewards teams more for beating NJIT by 35 than going on the road and beating Tulane by 3.

Don’t want to get to March 2025 and be outside the bubble because we refused to participate in gaming a crappy system.

 

[mkaufman1]

I’m boycotting any non D1 games this season and I hope you all do as well.

I hope we don't have one of those games this year, but I get why programs do it. Its usually an easy game to fill and very much a glorified practice.

Super common, but yes, I'm with you, I'd prefer if we filled it with at least a d1 program.

Not gonna be popular with some folks, but until they change the NET formula, the best schedule is one that includes a lot of teams we can demolish by 20+ points.

It sucks, but the NET rewards teams more for beating NJIT by 35 than going on the road and beating Tulane by 3.

Don’t want to get to March 2025 and be outside the bubble because we refused to participate in gaming a crappy system.

Woohoo more games against the blind sisters of Fairfax!!

 

[Patriotsince81]

Scheduling is hard but I do expect some improvement considering Mason finished top 100 (93) in the NET. I know @Patriotsince81 and @tblack33 love our home games against teams that win 3-5 games per year.

Hey, don't discount how good Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow, Sister Teresa's School for the Blind, and the BRYC All Stars can be. I thought I taught you better! LOL.

 

[MasonFanatic]

The return game at ECU was tentatively set for Saturday, November 16 when the contract was signed.

The official NCAA first day of the season would be November 4, since November 5 is Election Day. So that might be the opener.

Typically the Gold Rush game is the first Friday, so that would be November 8 if our usual pattern continues.

 

[2011WinOverVillanova]

Too bad we don’t have the guts to emulate vcu and put a clause in every coach’s contract that if they leave Mason? They gotta bring their new team to Fairfax. Thus we gotta settle for the NJITs and Coppin States…. A home game against Providence would’ve been epic. To some of the more influential/big money donors on here: why can’t we pull that clause off?

 

[GMUgemini]

Too bad we don’t have the guts to emulate vcu and put a clause in every coach’s contract that if they leave Mason? They gotta bring their new team to Fairfax. Thus we gotta settle for the NJITs and Coppin States…. A home game against Providence would’ve been epic. To some of the more influential/big money donors on here: why can’t we pull that clause off?

To be fair, it has been like 13 years between our coaches going anywhere we’d actually want a return game with (Miami in 11-12 and now Providence in 24-25).

Edit: I’ve got to imagine Skinn gets it done with Miami before Coach L retires.

 

[gmujim92]

To be fair, it has been like 13 years between our coaches going anywhere we’d actually want a return game with (Miami in 11-12 and now Providence in 24-25).

Edit: I’ve got to imagine Skinn gets it done with Miami before Coach L retires.

We’re probably gonna be better than the U next season so I doubt it happens … L’s ego couldn’t handle losing to Mason

 

[GMU79]

We’re probably gonna be better than the U next season so I doubt it happens … L’s ego couldn’t handle losing to Mason

Maybe, but, I think he might do it.

 

[Old Ram]

Not gonna be popular with some folks, but until they change the NET formula, the best schedule is one that includes a lot of teams we can demolish by 20+ points.

It sucks, but the NET rewards teams more for beating NJIT by 35 than going on the road and beating Tulane by 3.

Don’t want to get to March 2025 and be outside the bubble because we refused to participate in gaming a crappy system.

The only downside of this is possibly ending up on the wrong side of the bubble like Indiana State did this past year (only played two P5’s and lost to both- no big wins). The deck is stacked and a pretty decent NET is no guarantee of an at-large when you play in the wrong conference.

 

[2011WinOverVillanova]

To be fair, it has been like 13 years between our coaches going anywhere we’d actually want a return game with (Miami in 11-12 and now Providence in 24-25).

Edit: I’ve got to imagine Skinn gets it done with Miami before Coach L retires.

It’s the point of planning for future coaches.

 

[HoopsAdmin]

In that video of Austin Ball giving away t-shirts at Mason Day, he said something about the home opener being November 7th or 8th. I'd have to go watch it again...wondering if they already have someone lined up for that date. Probably the start of our 8-year home/home with UNC

He said November 4th in the video. Seems like there's something else happening on the 4th, but sure - seems perfect for a season opener!
* edit: Election day is the 5th.

 

[mkaufman1]

To be fair, it has been like 13 years between our coaches going anywhere we’d actually want a return game with (Miami in 11-12 and now Providence in 24-25).

Edit: I’ve got to imagine Skinn gets it done with Miami before Coach L retires.

It’s the point of planning for future coaches.

Honestly- I would say that the h/h requirement really should have started with Kim. We knew that he was a young up and comer and there was no reason to not be proactive. Either agree to a h/h or your new school has to buy it out at a million or two.

Hopefully Marvin thinks a little bit more proactively and considers putting that in Tony's contract.

 

[jruby]

Honestly- I would say that the h/h requirement really should have started with Kim. We knew that he was a young up and comer and there was no reason to not be proactive. Either agree to a h/h or your new school has to buy it out at a million or two.

Hopefully Marvin thinks a little bit more proactively and considers putting that in Tony's contract.

How about Tony just spends 20 years at Mason! Then we don't have to worry about it.......HA

 

[GSII]

Wont happen, but the run wasnt supposed to either......

In 2026, the 20th Anniversary of our FF run, we should have Mich St, Unc, Wsu and Uconn on our non conf schedule. All at Home too.

 

[GMUgemini]

Would like to see a home and home against WVU start next season. I know it probably won’t happen, but I thought a relationship was formed between the coaches when that WVU player collapsed.

 

[2011WinOverVillanova]

That mountain west - A10 scheduling alliance or bracketbusters type thing was an intriguing concept that didn’t get off the ground. Maybe we should try to play some of them. A UNLV or a Boise St might be interesting. Certainly Air Force would get a lot of interest from the Air Force vets in the area…. More interesting non conference games will increase attendance