What we know about next year's non-conference schedule

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

If you really want to get creative, you schedule good programs from states where marijuana is illegal and recommend a hotel fairly close to a dispensary. Worked to perfection against Indiana a couple years ago.

Half their rotation was suspended.

Wisconsin doesn't sell pot to anybody. What the hell are we doing?

 

[FeralFelidae]

I'll bet we could schedule something with Loyola if we'd get over ourselves. Would a home-and-home with Loyola be the end of the world?

 

[PURPLECAT88]

Would a home-and-home with Loyola be the end of the world?

Probably not, but if that downside is worth asking about, it's definitely not worth it.

 

[Catreporter]

Pitt at NU in 2023 (a game I would like to forget seeing) was in the final ACC-BT matchup season. I think 2021 might have been as well.

 

[FeralFelidae]

Probably not, but if that downside is worth asking about, it's definitely not worth it.

What downside?

 

[PURPLECAT88]

What downside?

The end of the world. You have to admit, that would seriously suck.

 

[pschatz25]

Those games against Pitt were part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. We have hosted a few power conference teams at WRA as part of home-and-home series. Off the top of my head Oklahoma, Baylor, and Butler (started before they were in the Big East) in the last ten or so years.

Playing Georgia Tech in Milwaukee would be very strange. Are we sure this is for real? Will there be a return game in Nashville next season? I like to go up to Milwaukee for a Bucks game now and then so I'm pretty interested in going, but I"m not sure I see the logic for either team or the venue unless this is part of a larger event.

By the way, we've played Marquette 28 times (14-14 split), but not since 1994. We've played Milwaukee twice, last in 2011.

 

[Just Gary]

I really would like to see a Chicago/Phoenix Classic 8-team tournament. The location would be in Chicago one year and Phoenix the next. For the Illinois side, it would be Illinois, Northwestern, DePaul, and Loyola. On the Arizona side, it would be Arizona, Arizona St, Grand Canyon, and UNLV. Of course the B1G schools and B12 schools would be separated on opposite sides of the bracket. To me that would be an exciting tournament.

 

[macarthur31]

Pitt at NU in 2023 (a game I would like to forget seeing) was in the final ACC-BT matchup season. I think 2021 might have been as well.

Argh, I should've went to the ACC-B1G Challenge page on wikipedia to confirm - yes, this is correct, both of those were ACC-B1G games. (Strange how we drew Pitt so frequently in such a short time.).

I scanned KenPom for schedules during the Collins era: 11 seasons, and the 'Cats played 127 non-conference games.

Of those non-conference games:

• 23 were considered Neutral, Semi-Home or Semi Away. (18.1%)
  • 14 of those were against Power Conference (defined as Big XII, Big East, ACC, Pac 12, SEC). Cats went 5-9 in those. (11%)
  • 9 were against non Power conference teams, and went 7-2 in those. (7.1%)
• 10 were considered ACC-B1G Challenge games (7.8%)
  • Cats went 4-6 in those.
• 4 were Gavitt Games/Big East opponents affiliated. (3.1%)
  • Cats went 2-2 in those.
• 81 were against non Power Conference opponents, and they were played either home or away. (63.8%)

This leaves...

• 9 that were Power Conference opponents in Home or Away (7.1%)
  • Nov 14, 2013 away vs. Stanford (L, 71-58)
  • Dec 19, 2015 away vs. DePaul (W 78-70, OT)
  • Dec 3, 2016 home vs. DePaul (W, 80-64)
  • Dec 16, 2017 away vs. DePaul (W, 62-60)
  • Dec 22, 2017 away vs. Oklahoma (L, 104-78)
  • Dec 8, 2018 home vs. DePaul (W 75-68)
  • Dec 21, 2018 home vs. Oklahoma (L, 67-79, OT)
  • Dec 17, 2022 home vs. DePaul (W, 83-45)
  • Dec 16, 2023 away vs DePaul (W, 56-46)

After scanning this, my takes:

• We really leaned on the special event (ACC-B1G Challenge/Gavitt Games) or the tourney/exhibition to get power conference opponents.
• We really love scheduling DePaul. I'm guessing that's due to proximity - it's technically a power conference opponent, and likely the easiest to travel to.
• We haven't executed a "home and home" with a power conference team since Oklahoma in 2018. How much of that is intentional vs we're just not a palatable "home and home" dance partner anymore?

 

[Secho99]

Thanks for that. I do remember one year we played at Texas A&M Corpus Christi and they were so excited to have B1G school visit their campus. Unfortunately the game was not televised. I just want a non-con schedule that is not a negative when it comes to deciding if we should make the tourney.

I recall a game played on the road at Texas Pan American (now Texas Rio Grande Valley) early in the 2010-11 season. I watched it on a web stream, which was not yet a common way to broadcast a game. I remember that the camera was at court level, basically like you were sitting at the scorers table, and there was no score bug so the camera occasionally pointed at the scoreboard to give an update. We won the game but it was uncomfortably close.

 

[phatcat]

We won the game but it was uncomfortably close.

Sounds....strangely...familiar

 

[combes]

I really would like to see a Chicago/Phoenix Classic 8-team tournament. The location would be in Chicago one year and Phoenix the next. For the Illinois side, it would be Illinois, Northwestern, DePaul, and Loyola. On the Arizona side, it would be Arizona, Arizona St, Grand Canyon, and UNLV. Of course the B1G schools and B12 schools would be separated on opposite sides of the bracket. To me that would be an exciting tournament.

Why UNLV? What am I missing? They aren’t in Arizona.

Speaking of schedules, Underwood is going all Tom Izzo this year. Duke, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri. That’s just nuts.

 

[Just Gary]

Why UNLV? What am I missing? They aren’t in Arizona.

Speaking of schedules, Underwood is going all Tom Izzo this year. Duke, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri. That’s just nuts.

I could not think of another team in Arizona and Las Vegas seemed close enough.

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

I really would like to see a Chicago/Phoenix Classic 8-team tournament. The location would be in Chicago one year and Phoenix the next. For the Illinois side, it would be Illinois, Northwestern, DePaul, and Loyola. On the Arizona side, it would be Arizona, Arizona St, Grand Canyon, and UNLV. Of course the B1G schools and B12 schools would be separated on opposite sides of the bracket. To me that would be an exciting tournament.

I really like this premise. How about a Philly tournament with Villanova, Temple, Penn and St. Joe’s?

 

[loyolacat]

Keep St.Joes out...they have an annoying mascot, a Redhawk in a costume that needs to go to the drycleaners, who flaps his wings ALL game long....pretty soon you arent watching the game and you just want to go down on the floor and do some damage.....But I love your concept ...seems like teams are frightened to play same area opponents ....but the concept of Chicago vs ........ is great...reminds me of the old double headers at Chicago Stadium....where usually two Chicago area teams would face national opponents from around the nation.....UCLA and Wooden were often involved in those.....always filled the Stadium and great atmospheres....

 

[CappyNU]

I really like this premise. How about a Philly tournament with Villanova, Temple, Penn and St. Joe’s?

Philly already has the Big 5. https://www.wellsfargocenterphilly.com/big5classic

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Keep St.Joes out...they have an annoying mascot, a Redhawk in a costume that needs to go to the drycleaners, who flaps his wings ALL game long....pretty soon you arent watching the game and you just want to go down on the floor and do some damage.....But I love your concept ...seems like teams are frightened to play same area opponents ....but the concept of Chicago vs ........ is great...reminds me of the old double headers at Chicago Stadium....where usually two Chicago area teams would face national opponents from around the nation.....UCLA and Wooden were often involved in those.....always filled the Stadium and great atmospheres....

Hey, c'mon now. Loyola joins the Atlantic 10 a couple years ago and you're already thinking about skinning the RedHawk? My son has been at Saint Louis U for 3 years and I've grown to respect the RedHawk - you try getting a college kid to flap his or her arms for a couple hours... thats rare dedication. I agree the outfit could use an update.

I like watching the A10 games in general. Kids play hard and very few prima donnas.

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

Philly already has the Big 5. https://www.wellsfargocenterphilly.com/big5classic

Yeah. I’m well aware.

 

[Gatabowl]

If you really want to get creative, you schedule good programs from states where marijuana is illegal and recommend a hotel fairly close to a dispensary. Worked to perfection against Indiana a couple years ago.

Half their rotation was suspended.

Wisconsin doesn't sell pot to anybody. What the hell are we doing?

Yeah it’s impossible to get weed on a college campus normally.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Yeah it’s impossible to get weed on a college campus normally.

Believe what you want, but Indiana's trip to the dispensary the night before their game at Welsh-Ryan two years ago was well understood by the NU student body. Regardless of Indiana's official denial. Lets just call that blatant hypocrisy.

When the drug is legal, you can't be prosecuted. Why do you think so many college students like Amsterdam?

 

[barney31]

You could schedule Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Duke, Mizzou, and the darlings of the NCAA Tourney Oakland for your non-conference schedule.....

 

[pschatz25]

We have a non-conference tournament!

We'll be back in Arizona with Butler, Mississippi State, and UNLV for the Arizona Tipoff in Tempe.

LINK

 

[macarthur31]

We have a non-conference tournament!

We'll be back in Arizona with Butler, Mississippi State, and UNLV for the Arizona Tipoff in Tempe.

LINK

all these teams were kenpom 35-75 last year, so barring 1-year severe program declines/improvements, 'Cats look to have two bites at the Quad 2 apple.