Top 50 vs Top 50 Non Con schedule

[ABC]

Glad to see Boyd Nation back at work.

http://www.boydsworld.com/breadcrumbs/nonconference2008.html

I hadn't paid attention before but a few teams, play a couple of games in Kansas in a row. For example Washington State plays at K-State on March 11 and in Wichita the next night.

Arizona State is in Manhattan on May 6 and Wichita May 7.

I wonder how often that happens and if the schools (WSU and KSU) work together to put some of these trips together.

WSU appears to have a very good non-con schedule.

These are WSU non-con games vs last year's top 50.

2/29 Wichita State at Long Beach State
3/1-2 Wichita State at Long Beach State
3/12 Washington State at Wichita State
3/14-16 Texas Christian at Wichita State
3/18 Wichita State at Oral Roberts
4/2 Oral Roberts at Wichita State
4/8 Wichita State at Kansas State
4/9 Oklahoma at Wichita State
4/15 Wichita State at Nebraska
4/23 Wichita State at Oklahoma State
4/29 Kansas State at Wichita State
4/30 Wichita State at Oklahoma
5/13 Oral Roberts at Wichita State

Boyd missed Arizona State at WSU on May 7.

[haysdb]

Only 4 teams play more non-conference games against the top 50 than WSU's 17:

• Cal State Fullerton - 24
• Long Beach State - 21
• UCLA - 20
• Pepperdine - 20

All of Wichita State's non-conference games against the top 50 come against teams who also play a lot of non-conference games against the top 50:

• Long Beach State - 21
• Nebraska - 16
• Texas Christian - 16
• Washington State - 13
• Oral Roberts - 12
• Kansas State - 11
• Oklahoma - 11
• Arizona State - 10
• Oklahoma State - 9

I don't know how to describe this statistically, but intuitively it feels like we are very well "connected". We're playing good teams that are playing other good teams. All but two of these teams play strong conference schedules as well.

Brent has put together an excellent schedule.

[BostonWu]

K-State was top 50 last season???

[haysdb]

K-State was top 50 last season???

Yup. K-State's and KU's baseball programs no longer suck.

[goshox24]

Watch out for Kstate this year. They have improved every year under Coach Hutt and they have a very good outfielder, Byron Wiley. This guy could play for any team in the country and is a sure fire professional player. They should finish in the upper part of the Big 12 this season.

[Shocker85]

Only 4 teams play more non-conference games against the top 50 than WSU's 17.

I don't know how to describe this statistically, but intuitively it feels like we are very well "connected". We're playing good teams that are playing other good teams. All but two of these teams play strong conference schedules as well.

Brent has put together an excellent schedule.

I see a few things at work here.

-Yes, on "connected." WSU's coaches have spent 30 years playing anyone anywhere, which has to make putting a schedule together much easier. The WSU-Fullerton/LBSU connection has really developed over the years.

-These teams, including the Shox, "get it" in terms of putting together a schedule that the Selection Committee can't brush off. They also "get it" that you have to travel to assemble a good schedule.

-Brent/Gene recognize that the MVC has some very weak teams and a good non-con must be assembled to counter the MVC RPI killers.

-You notice two distinct geographical areas represented here:
1) So Cal is very well represented, probably because of the Pac-10, WCC, and Big West are sort of intertwined and all have strong members. Makes the scheduleing easy for travel considerations. So Cal baseball talent has always been strong, too.
2) Southern Plains - probably somewhat the WSU effect. OSU, OU, ORU, K-State, WSU are all withing easy bus rides and the programs are strong due to the great talent being developed in KS and OK. This proximity helps WSU, and the 4 Big 12 teams are putting some other strong teams on their schedules from elsewhare, as well.

-Notice the glaring absence of teams from the deep South on this list. Augie Garrido and any number of coaches in Florida refuse to play non-con games away from home. They love bringing in weak sisters in the non-con and beating on them to pad their records.

Boyd Nation does some excellent analysis and oftem makes me say, "Hmmm." I predict the uniform starting dates this year are going to change some things in college baseball. It might not be immediate, but give it 2-3 years and we might see some shifting of power. I sure hope so.

--'85.