2023-24 Schedule

[jessej]

does anyone know when the A-10 schedule, with dates, will be released?

===
from last year
Sept 7

A-10 Men’s Basketball Schedule Features Record 135 Games; 79 National Telecasts

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The 2022-23 Atlantic 10 Conference men’s basketball schedule will feature a league-record 135 total games. There will also be 79 nationally televised and digitally produced games across the league’s three media partners: ESPN, CBS Sports, and NBC Sports. The A-10 announced...

atlantic10.com

 

[Where's the party?]

I know nothing about the intricacies of putting together a Mid-Major schedule. I do however agree that we should not be putting non-D1 teams on the schedule. Unlike baseball, where the top 10% of D3 can easily whip the bottom 20% of D1 in one game, basketball has fewer variables and things like size and athleticism matter more. While I wish more D1 teams played the better D3 teams in baseball (they won't because they have nothing to gain by doing it), I don't want to see it in basketball where the D3 team has no chance (that is unless you are playing the Dave Paulson Patriots, where I think i recall being down at halftime to one).

 

[FreeGunston12]

I know nothing about the intricacies of putting together a Mid-Major schedule. I do however agree that we should not be putting non-D1 teams on the schedule. Unlike baseball, where the top 10% of D3 can easily whip the bottom 20% of D1 in one game, basketball has fewer variables and things like size and athleticism matter more. While I wish more D1 teams played the better D3 teams in baseball (they won't because they have nothing to gain by doing it), I don't want to see it in basketball where the D3 team has no chance (that is unless you are playing the Dave Paulson Patriots, where I think i recall being down at halftime to one).

Queens played us tough. Randolph Macon showed up Larranaga in a preseason game. Might want to hold off on the D3 hate until we've whipped a few under coach Skinn. I'd be curious to hear how we've faired against D3s in the past 15 years.

Funny how everyone has this opinion about D3s and then thinks the P5 should hold different views towards scheduling Mason.

Regardless, one constant no matter the coach here is the difficulty scheduling the types of games we want to see in the non-con. I don't really expect that to change anytime soon, even if Skinn turns the program around.

 

[gmujim92]

I know nothing about the intricacies of putting together a Mid-Major schedule. I do however agree that we should not be putting non-D1 teams on the schedule. Unlike baseball, where the top 10% of D3 can easily whip the bottom 20% of D1 in one game, basketball has fewer variables and things like size and athleticism matter more. While I wish more D1 teams played the better D3 teams in baseball (they won't because they have nothing to gain by doing it), I don't want to see it in basketball where the D3 team has no chance (that is unless you are playing the Dave Paulson Patriots, where I think i recall being down at halftime to one).

As has been noted, D3s don’t count in the computation of your NET, so they hurt you a lot less than playing really bad D1s. And as has also been noted, the difference in competition between a good D3 and a low-level D1 is not much if anything.

 

[GMU1983]

Pretty good rundown on ideas to help the A 10:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjlicWWIGxE

 

[JimP]

Outside of making sure the team gets some competition in in what might otherwise be a big gap in the schedule, I'm not a fan of playing D-3's. That said, if it doesn't hurt the NET any more than playing Maryland Eastern Shore does, I can accept it. It's been going on forever with schools at Mason's level. I remember St. Bonaventure playing Elmira College in the 90's.

 

[GMU79]

Queens played us tough. Randolph Macon showed up Larranaga in a preseason game. Might want to hold off on the D3 hate until we've whipped a few under coach Skinn. I'd be curious to hear how we've faired against D3s in the past 15 years.

Funny how everyone has this opinion about D3s and then thinks the P5 should hold different views towards scheduling Mason.

Regardless, one constant no matter the coach here is the difficulty scheduling the types of games we want to see in the non-con. I don't really expect that to change anytime soon, even if Skinn turns the program around.

Randolph-Macon is no joke.

 

[GMUgemini]

It doesn’t hurt, but the flip side of this is that the win also doesn’t count. So it’s a glorified scrimmage no matter how you parse it.

I do agree, though, that if there is a choice of putting another 300+ RPI team on the schedule and playing a non-D1 school might as well play the non-D1 school because it isn’t going to screw with your SOS.

As for scheduling philosophy, after the Final Four Coach L basically stopped taking guarantee games (outside of Duke in ‘07) and played strong mid-majors home and home and played the P5s in the MTEs. Without the Bracket Busters guaranteed two games—the return game from the previous year plus the current season’s game — doing this is slightly harder, but it’s a scheduling strategy that can still work, so long as the other mid-majors also want to do it.

 

[gmujim92]

It doesn’t hurt, but the flip side of this is that the win also doesn’t count. So it’s a glorified scrimmage no matter how you parse it.

I do agree, though, that if there is a choice of putting another 300+ RPI team on the schedule and playing a non-D1 school might as well play the non-D1 school because it isn’t going to screw with your SOS.

As for scheduling philosophy, after the Final Four Coach L basically stopped taking guarantee games (outside of Duke in ‘07) and played strong mid-majors home and home and played the P5s in the MTEs. Without the Bracket Busters guaranteed two games—the return game from the previous year plus the current season’s game — doing this is slightly harder, but it’s a scheduling strategy that can still work, so long as the other mid-majors also want to do it.

Yeah pretty sure we could get games against all the best mid-majors if our Final Four wasn’t 17 years ago lol. Lotta work for this staff to bring this program back to some kind of relevancy.

 

[MasonFanatic]

The MW, MVC, and A10 should schedule a bracket busters style event to guarantee their best teams another good noncon game.

 

[gmubrian]

The MW, MVC, and A10 should schedule a bracket busters style event to guarantee their best teams another good noncon game.

Seems like it would be in the best interests of each of the conferences, and each program, especially with the consolidation of conferences that is going on. I am really interested to know why something like this hasn't happened.

Has the conferences leadership balked at it?
Do the coaches/ADs of the individual programs not actually wanted it?

 

[GMUgemini]

Seems like it would be in the best interests of each of the conferences, and each program, especially with the consolidation of conferences that is going on. I am really interested to know why something like this hasn't happened.

Has the conferences leadership balked at it?
Do the coaches/ADs of the individual programs not actually wanted it?

We signed a deal with the Mountain West, but it was supposed to start in the 20-21 season, which obviously got canceled. Now why it didn’t just start up later I don’t know (it was meant to be 4 seasons).

I do know San Diego State didn’t like the deal, said they didn’t need help scheduling teams. And so maybe they convinced the other schools to tear up the deal when they had a chance?

Curious to know how they feel about it now that the PAC 12 has been dissolved and it might be harder to schedule those teams in the OOC?

Edit: if we were playing in this next season, we would have been paired with San Jose State (NET 92 last year). A Q2 road, Q3 home game.

Rest of the field

vcu vs San Diego State
Dayton vs Utah State
Fordham vs. Boise State
St. Louis vs. Nevada
Mason va San Jose State
Duquense vs New Mexico
GW vs UNLV
St. Joes vs Colorado St.
Davidson vs Fresno St.
St. Bonaventure vs. Air Force
Richmond vs. Wyoming

Last four teams get no game.

 

[Verdad]

We signed a deal with the Mountain West, but it was supposed to start in the 20-21 season, which obviously got canceled. Now why it didn’t just start up later I don’t know (it was meant to be 4 seasons).

I do know San Diego State didn’t like the deal, said they didn’t need help scheduling teams. And so maybe they convinced the other schools to tear up the deal when they had a chance?

Curious to know how they feel about it now that the PAC 12 has been dissolved and it might be harder to schedule those teams in the OOC?

Edit: if we were playing in this next season, we would have been paired with San Jose State (NET 92 last year). A Q2 road, Q3 home game.

Rest of the field

vcu vs San Diego State
Dayton vs Utah State
Fordham vs. Boise State
St. Louis vs. Nevada
Mason va San Jose State
Duquense vs New Mexico
GW vs UNLV
St. Joes vs Colorado St.
Davidson vs Fresno St.
St. Bonaventure vs. Air Force
Richmond vs. Wyoming

Last four teams get no game.

I'll take any team, home or away, that is even remotely sniffing top 100 NET

 

[MasonFanatic]

I do know San Diego State didn’t like the deal, said they didn’t need help scheduling teams. And so maybe they convinced the other schools to tear up the deal when they had a chance?

There were some A10 schools that were didn't like it, either. "Would any of our fans go to Wyoming in December?" Etc. Maybe moving it to February would help, at least for the top teams with significant buzz.

 

[Five Two]

Maybe moving it to February would help, at least for the top teams with significant buzz.

this. set it up like BracketBusters, though. Don't set the matchups in the summer, set them up in early Feb so it gives the top teams another quality game coming down the stretch

 

[MasonFanatic]

this. set it up like BracketBusters, though. Don't set the matchups in the summer, set them up in early Feb so it gives the top teams another quality game coming down the stretch

Exactly.

 

[gmujim92]

To make sure that all the leagues would be inclined to participate in a BB-style event, you’d have to limit it to the top 5-6 teams in each league (by NET?) at some predetermined cutoff point.

Nobody needs to jump through hoops to arrange OOC games between teams that have no chance at meaningful postseason play. If you’re not at least in position to play your way into a NIT bid, piss off.

But giving the top MM teams another opportunity to enhance their metrics should have merit considering how hard the power conferences are freezing out almost everyone else.

 

[GMUgemini]

this. set it up like BracketBusters, though. Don't set the matchups in the summer, set them up in early Feb so it gives the top teams another quality game coming down the stretch

I miss bracket busters. I also like the added return game the following season (home-and-home).

Yeah, Jim, that makes sense. Only issue I see with that is those teams below the cutoff line will be missing a game on their schedule that they didn’t necessarily know about before the season (I suppose they could schedule a game with the other MM teams who are on the outs).

 

[GMUgemini]

There were some A10 schools that were didn't like it, either. "Would any of our fans go to Wyoming in December?" Etc. Maybe moving it to February would help, at least for the top teams with significant buzz.

That seems a silly complaint. There’s, what, two schools you MIGHT say that about (Wyoming and Boise). Anyone here have a problem going to the Bay Area, San Siego, New Mexico, Vegas/Reno, or Colorado in December?

 

[jessej]

Hoping and expecting that the Conference schedule dates will be released today, if not this week