Non-Con schedule out

[HouClone]

Sucks that money influences football and basketball non-con schedules. Only reason we are playing these low end (no disrespect to them) teams is so that we can play them at home and get the revenue. Even way back we had low end games, but there were always some good non-conf teams playing at home or on the road and this is not counting Tournament type games. Guess the shift started in the 90s. Now, except for Iowa and a Big East-Big 12 Challenge team (which is going away), it is all low end.

1990: Minnesota, Baylor, Iowa, Northern Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, Drake
2000: Morningside, Texas Southern, Northern Iowa, Southern, Southern Miss, Tenn Tech, Iowa, Drake (awful)
2024: Miss Valley State, Kansas City, IU Indianapolis, Marquette, Jackson State, Iowa, Omaha, Morgan State (ugh)

Feel bad for these low end schools. They typically play every non-conf game on the road except for maybe 1 in order to obtain money to fund their sports. Mississippi Valley State was 1-30 last year. Their first 13 games (all non-conf) were all away. 0-13.

 

[CyPunch]

The people complaining about having some buy games mixed in with Maui and Marquette are the same people who will declare the season over if we lose a game or two in Maui. Fun exercise to watch.

 

[madguy30]

ISU wasn't a bad team that magically got good.

I think it's more like ISU had played nothing but hot garbage, and even jumping the competition up to teams with a pulse was a problem. The only good team in that tournament was A&M, who also was down two starters.

I'm not saying they were bad but they were a bit disjointed and far better later. It's a long season and how a team is operating one month can be very different the next no matter the talent available.

Not having Ward was likely a factor but even a week after that tournament the offense opened a bit with better sharing of the ball etc.

Example Cujo seemed to take 'green light' to extremes that weekend and really settled in after.

Imo putting nearly a week between that tourney and DePaul looked calculated to test the group a bit and give a hard correction to any trends that weren't great prior even if DePaul was plain bad.

 

[madguy30]

Plus how do we know staff hasn't tried to get another power 5 program at home but they want a 2 for 1 type deal.

Anything out of ZRF on the inside info for the staff's thought process?

 

[theshadow]

Even way back we had low end games, but there were always some good non-conf teams playing at home or on the road and this is not counting Tournament type games. Guess the shift started in the 90s. Now, except for Iowa and a Big East-Big 12 Challenge team (which is going away), it is all low end.

1990: Minnesota, Baylor, Iowa, Northern Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, Drake

Take the 6 best non-con games (other than Iowa) from 1990 and move them to the "conference" schedule to make up the difference (14 Big Eight games vs. 20 Big 12 games). Then see what's left.

 

[alexssdean12]

Yep. Some of the wealthier schools and blue bloods might schedule a little tougher (they can afford to buy games and the blue bloods play games vs each other that don't end up hurting them when they lose because theyre both blue bloods) but even they play a certain number of total slappy games.


Last season Kansas opened with Fort Hays State (D2 exh), followed with NC-Central (253) Manhattan (337), Eastern Illinois (320) Kansas City (214)

Duke opened the season last year with an exhibition game vs UNC-Pembroke (D2), and followed it with KP 336 dartmouth. They also played Bucknell (276), La Salle (195) and Southern Indiana (328), Charlotte (105), Hofstra (113), and Queens (269)

I think there is a point lost. Its not that ISU can afford to give up a buy game its who ISU is scheduling for buy games. Duke scheduled some top 200 teams in the non-con. Iowa State wont have a projected top 200 buy game this year. Our best next year is Kansas City at 232! We could have switched those games against Morgan State (339) Mississippi Valley (362), Jackson State (300). Any of these local teams and it would have been better:

Drake - 47
Bradley - 57
UNI - 109
Southern Illinois - 116
SDSU - 135
ST Thomas - 159
Illinois State- 178
ST Louis- 197

Iowa State is absolutely able to handle these teams. We got punished by our non-con last year. I would have liked to see them play some fringe Q3 games.

 

[ClonerJams]

Once the Big East challenge dies, hopefully we can do home and homes with a close Big East opponent like Creighton or Marquette.

 

[alarson]

I think there is a point lost. Its not that ISU can afford to give up a buy game its who ISU is scheduling for buy games. Duke scheduled some top 200 teams in the non-con. Iowa State wont have a projected top 200 buy game this year. Our best next year is Kansas City at 232! We could have switched those games against Morgan State (339) Mississippi Valley (362), Jackson State (300). Any of these local teams and it would have been better:

Drake - 47
Bradley - 57
UNI - 109
Southern Illinois - 116
SDSU - 135
ST Thomas - 159
Illinois State- 178
ST Louis- 197

Iowa State is absolutely able to handle these teams. We got punished by our non-con last year. I would have liked to see them play some fringe Q3 games.

I'm going to be blunt. Who the **** cares? They're buy games. The purpose is to pad out the schedule. The first few are especially designed as warm-up games to tune up before we hit meatier games in Maui. Every school has these. If you look at the slots we're filling (as I broke down earlier), it makes perfect sense we are scheduling the teams we are.

I'm sorry, but this is the stupidest ******* thing to care about.

Not to mention a lot of those others would either want a home and home or a significantly higher price tag. Neither of which is worth giving.

We're going to have a SOS near the top of college basketball again next year. Complaining that we're scheduling meaningless games against 200+ teams vs scheduling meaningless games vs 100-200 level teams is the most asinine thing.

 

[Cyched]

TJ shouldn’t receive his next extension until he schedules, Duke, Zags, and the Celtics right out of the gate.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

Is there proof of this? Genuinely asking.

Yes, it's counted in the overall SOS metric and then the committee uses non con SOS metrics independently to punish teams. It's absolutely covered twice all while ignoring an loaded two month conference slate.

 

[bozclone]

The Clemson coach complaining to the Media about Big 12 non con schedules and then the media running with the narrative was the issue for Iowa State late year. Iowa State was not the same team in the Big 12 that it was in the non con. There was little credit given for improvement. If we would have played this year’s non con last year, we would have been killed by Marquette and any of the teams in Maui this year. This years schedule if fine for the team we return.

 

[Messi]

Cool to see

 

[madguy30]

TJ shouldn’t receive his next extension until he schedules, Duke, Zags, and the Celtics right out of the gate.

Or just not be allowed to coach at all until it happens.

I want ISU/UConn, Sunday afternoon on ESPN+ in mid November because why else even have a season?

 

[cyfan92]

I'll project the Maui bracket:

ISU plays against Memphis.. Let's say they win that (Q1 win)
We'd likely play UNC (Q1a), if you win that you play UCONN (Q1a), if you lose, we probably play Auburn (Q1a)

That's 3 Q1 games in Maui, Marquette is likely Q1, and at Iowa will be Q1 at worst.. That is 5 Q1 games in the non-con and one of them is a true road game. That's a harder slate and the same amount of Q4 games as last years UConn schedule (see below).



Duke played 3 Q1 non-con games, the at Arkansas game ended up almost Q3.
UNC played 5 Q1 non-con games, none on the road

If our jersey said Kentucky and we returned the roster we are, everyone would be talking about if we could win Maui versus the 15% of our schedule that is a Q4 buy game. Please also note that Big 12 season is 20 games this winter, not 18..

 

[HouClone]

The Big 12's non-conf schedule was hurt by not having the Big 12-SEC Challenge. In related news, why hasn't the Big 12-Big 10 Challenge happened yet? They are both Fox affiliated conferences.

 

[CyCrazy]

Minus Maui and Marquette, this is pure garbage again. We should be better than this ****.

Well this triggered people. Lol.

 

[1UNI2ISU]

The Big 12's non-conf schedule was hurt by not having the Big 12-SEC Challenge. In related news, why hasn't the Big 12-Big 10 Challenge happened yet? They are both Fox affiliated conferences.

FOX doesn't get B12 basketball until '25-26.

Patience friend.

 

[brokenloginagain]

I'm always a sucker for a isu mbb scheduling debate.

But it seems to me, quite often, that we forget it takes two to tango.

WHY would any top team schedule US?

You think Shaka is going to let TJ come into wisconsin and showcase our program??

You think any blue blood wants to travel to Iowa in December?

What's in it for THEM?

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

I'm always a sucker for a isu mbb scheduling debate.

But it seems to me, quite often, that we forget it takes two to tango.

WHY would any top team schedule US?

You think Shaka is going to let TJ come into wisconsin and showcase our program??

You think any blue blood wants to travel to Iowa in December?

What's in it for THEM?

What's wrong with a simple home and home deal?

Anymore the cold December is weak because if we did schedule someone big it would likely be early December when it's not that bad.

Also if your a big shot program what better way to test your team than playing in a tough venue in Hilton? It's great experience for conference play or tournament time.

I guess your content with very lower level opponents and if we get a tougher opp we need to bend over and take a 2 for 1 deal.

 

[AlaCyclone]

What's wrong with a simple home and home deal?

Anymore the cold December is weak because if we did schedule someone big it would likely be early December when it's not that bad.

Also if your a big shot program what better way to test your team than playing in a tough venue in Hilton? It's great experience for conference play or tournament time.

I guess your content with very lower level opponents and if we get a tougher opp we need to bend over and take a 2 for 1 deal.

I think a home and home with any major conference team is cool. For example, I loved the Oregon State home and home a few years back. Going to, seeing and experiencing new places is always good.