Mason2006Patriot
Specialist
We should play Duke and Kentucky in the non conference as well.
Game 8: AT University of Northern Iowa, Wednesday, November 30th, 8 PM, ESPN3
- Thread starter Washingtonian
- Start date
Nah, we've played them 6 seasons in a row now. Would be great to keep it going.
OK, I move that we all negotiate a settlement here with Crew: You don't have to run naked... we'll allow you to wear sneakers and knee-high gym socks.
Vurbel
Hall of Famer
Is it bad to dream of Paulsen being successful and moving to a bigger school, and Shaka failing at Texas, and when it is all said and done Shaka ends up in Fairfax?
Vurbel
Hall of Famer
MasonCrew
Starter
Well... I waited for the boys to get back, then did my lap, and gave them a little special treat for their effort. In case anyone was wondering if the players read the board, they do. Jaire and a couple of the other guys mentioned my post as inspirational and motivating in their game. It's actually what they talked about in their last timeout.
Re Kentucky and Duke. I agree that we are again on their level, but I'm not 100% keen on the idea of scheduling them in our OOC as we might give away too much of our hand, which will need in late March.
Re Kentucky and Duke. I agree that we are again on their level, but I'm not 100% keen on the idea of scheduling them in our OOC as we might give away too much of our hand, which will need in late March.
I'm in the minority it seems, but I'm fine with letting the UNI contract expire. 4 years was fine. There are other schools closer to home that are probably of that same profile of a UNI. I don't think we need to fly 1/2 way across the country to find a quality opponent willing to play us home-and-home. Not to turn this into a OOC thread, but I would replace UNI with ODU and keep the JMU deal going. I realize RPI-wise ODU hasn't been UNI, but we'll get a better crowd for ODU at EBA than UNI.
I like the idea of a long term deal with a school outside the region. Keeps our name out there beyond the confines of Northern VA.
Definitely agree about consistently scheduling some of the old CAA matchups. But, every game with UNI has been very competitive and they've been a respectable program for several years now. Continue to schedule the games against them, and they continue to be highly competitive, you build up an anticipation factor when you see them on the schedule. Surely, we'd draw more with ODU and JMU, but the longer we play UNI, the more fans will recognize it's a game they should 100% attend.
Pablo
Hall of Famer
It seems to me that in scheduling OOC games, you should consider several factors including conference affiliation, recruiting, and the number of alumni residing in the area. If you want another CAA school, how about the College of Charleston because it's downtown in such a great city to visit?
Finished the series 3-3...pretty even.
For Midwest teams...Kent State usually is a pretty good game. There's Valpo who has had a run of decent teams lately, Wisconsin-Milwaukee (which is being coached by my pick to succeed Hewitt -- LaVall Jordan), and then from the MVC there's Illinois State, and Southern Illinois maybe.
ODU, Towson, Hofstra, Drexel for recruiting.
Charleston is a great place to visit.
How many people outside of UNI, and GMU fans watched or even knew this game was going on? It was on ESPN3.....
That said, I would like to continue have this game.
It's a good thing to have a couple of games against teams from a distance. It gets wider name recognition, which can be vital for securing top-25 votes and NCAA at-large births on the bubble (when we again reach that level of play).
A good mix of local rivalry games and distance matchups serves a team better in the long run. The outside products are less well known to the players and coaches in terms of preparation and style of play. It teaches all how to prepare for and face the unknown. The inside rival games present tough game atmospheres to overcome. The greater the OOC diversity the more acclimated and confident a team will be to defeat any team, any time, anywhere. That's Tourney gold!
A good mix of local rivalry games and distance matchups serves a team better in the long run. The outside products are less well known to the players and coaches in terms of preparation and style of play. It teaches all how to prepare for and face the unknown. The inside rival games present tough game atmospheres to overcome. The greater the OOC diversity the more acclimated and confident a team will be to defeat any team, any time, anywhere. That's Tourney gold!
OP
Washingtonian
Hall of Famer
- Thread Starter
- #198
I wouldn't mind either William and Mary or UNCW back on the schedule.
The JMU game should have never gone away, but maybe it was a scheduling on one end or both ends.
It will be interesting to see if Northern Iowa or another MVC school is on next year's schedule.
patriotchild
Starter
We were all in such a rush to get out of the CAA, so yeah, lets schedule mediocre to bad CAA teams that will be a drag on any eventual at large considerations... A game here or there is fine, but its dumb if we sign a multi year deal with any CAA team.
Nostalgia is nice and all, but it's time to move on if you want this program to be legit.
Nostalgia is nice and all, but it's time to move on if you want this program to be legit.
The CAA and A-10 have always played each other.
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