What Do We Do With 9 Valley Teams?

[WuDrWu]

Creighton will leave. What if we can't replace them next year?

What happens in St. Louis....does the 9th place team fail to make the tournament? How do we do the brackets?

Next year, we have to replace 3 games. BB and CUx2. Where do those games come from? How many road apples can we afford in a season where we're likely going to be the unanimous choice for 1st (ok we aren't, but we should be and I promise you we'll be the best team in the league) and there will be some bad, bad Valley teams, nationally speaking. SIU will be marginal at best. MSU a little better. Drake is, well, Drake. UNI is a play in team. ISUr is going to be average (at best)...Bradley COULD be better...Evansville, average at best and Indiana State will be solid.

Our conference could have just 2 top 100 teams...with us being 1 of them. 16rr games. That leaves 15 non-cons to schedule. We MUST schedule up to be in a position to get an at large.

Decent games against Tulsa and Davidson (and perhaps @ Detroit), 2 good and 2 bad in the KC Tourney....Tennessee will be good. That still leaves 7 games to schedule. These have to be 7 quality games imho. High quality. At a MINIMUM you have to replace CUx2 and BB with top 75 games...at a MINIMUM.

With the 2 bad games in the tourney, I'll take 2 more sacrificial lambs and that's it. 5 anywhere anytime games.

Thoughts?

[jdmee]

All teams get in. 8/9 vs 1, 4 vs 5. 3 vs 6, 7 vs 2.

[ShockerPrez]

I agree. We should call every perrenial power, including KU, and ask when they would like us to show up to play them. We will pay for our own gas to get there.

[shock]

This is why i want to play Kstate and KU. there is one good game a year there. i would also like to see some games in the south east.

[wusphlash]

I think will still have a series with CU. After that, let's start with the list of "26 potential" replacements. Evaluate who will be the best of the bunch. Tell them that if they even want us to consider voting for their inclusion, they better plan a trip to Wichita next year.

[SubGod22]

Number one seed gets a bye and the 8/9 teams play to face them?

You're correct in that being able to replace CU for next season will be difficult. I guess it depends on what the exit fees are for short notice from whatever conference we poach. As far as scheduling, I'm not sure all 7 remaining will be quality, but at least 5 need to be something good. I'd love to see us line up a H/H with a MWC school. Just about any of them would do. New Mexico, UNLV, CSU, Wyoming, SDSU, Utah State.

Also wouldn't mind playing a game in the SE. Ole Miss? Georgia? I don't know if I'd be a fan of getting bought out by either, but both provide decent RPI games and exposure in a recruiting area. In the ACC I'd look to Georgia Tech, Virginia, NC State. Would even be willing to be bought out by Miami, Duke or UNC. I don't know who all returns from those teams, but it would be good experience and I think we'd have a chance on national TV.

A lot may also depend on if we have someone lined up for the following year to add to the MVC. Looking into maybe even trying to buy a school like Belmont could be attractive. Setting something up, buy or H/H with Murray, Ohio, Bucknell, Denver, NMSU, Valpo, Charlotte, Richmond, Harvard, UTEP, Dayton, Arlington, Wright State or ORU. Most of those are in areas we recruit and all are Top 150 types and most have at least a shot at being Top 100. Some are Top 50. None would hurt the RPI/SOS numbers. I'd also add Creighton to the list. So maybe we'd only be adding one CU replacement game.

What if our schedule looked something like

2 cupcake tourney teams
Texas/DePaul/who's the other?
Davidson
@Detroit
Tennessee
Tulsa
Denver
@Charlotte (w/return)
@Miami
Dayton (w/return)
@Indiana
@Michigan

Worst case scenario is 10-4 in my mind and all schools, outside of the cupcakes and DePaul could be Top 100 competition.

[calfan]

I think Doc we have to replace 4 games. Don't forget the MVC- Mountain West Challenge is gone I think.

[moshock]

We could solve the MVC's 9 team problem by making it an 8 team league. I hope we have been looking around.

Arch Madness will be horrible without BJ there. It would down right suck if BJ and the Shox were to leave the MVC

[Ta town]

a series with VCU would be sweet

maybe try to get a home and home with a MWC team

hopefully get a game with Creighton

find another BCS school willing to do what Tenn did or even a home/home/nuetral

[_kai_]

1) I'd hope we schedule a neutral court game with CU if they leave. Sprint center?

2) Can you imagine how empty St. Louis will be? Unless replaced with an equivalent that I just don't see out there, Arch Madness may need to move elsewhere.

3) Scheduling will be even more of an issue. Conference wide RPI's will be down for sure.

4) If CU is leaving, the mvc is going to take a hit. I don't see any logical outcome where the MVC increases quality in this move. Best bet for WSU is for some big time movement in conferences and we either join an existing league, or there is so much movement, mvc remnants and other conferences combine for a larger olympic sport conference.

[Ta town]

I know WSU always needs home games but DO NOT schedule SWAC, Big South, etc. Try to keep it to at least top 20 conferences. Those bottom feeders just suck the RPI right out of you no matter what.

[SubGod22]

a series with VCU would be sweet

I don't think Shaka is interested

maybe try to get a home and home with a MWC team

Exactly!

hopefully get a game with Creighton

Would love to see it. Don't know if it happens right away. Maybe in a few years.

find another BCS school willing to do what Tenn did or even a home/home/nuetral

This is what I'm hoping for from an Ole Miss, 'Bama, Georgia, GT, Vandy.... Preference for me would be a team in the SE.

[SubGod22]

STL will be fine as long as ISU/BU step up and become a player. Even if SIU can get respectably competitive. They'll sell a lot of tickets just because they're close. But if none challenge for the top spot, it'll be WSU on one side and a ghost town everywhere else.

[Shockthemonkey]

Yesterday I was sitting in front of a couple of CU fans (they were f'n everywhere) and I asked them during a time out what they thought about the big change. They seemed a little unsure of it. They admitted they will lose and miss the experience of STL but were looking forward to the great teams that would be coming to Omaha for conference games but figured they'd have to pay higher ticket prices. I'm sure CU fans will still travel to where ever the new tourney is for their conference but I'm betting there will be some remorse fairly quickly after the fact.

As for the Valley, I hope they figure something out and the sooner the better. I'm betting there will be some transition time (at least a season) and that will be tough for us and our scheduling.

Here's hoping we find greener pastures or that the powers to be in this conference know what they are doing and have a plan they aren't sharing. Love them or hate them, STL will be a lot less crowded without the snobby CU fans roaming the concourses and that won't be good for the bottom line. Another favorite quote I heard from one of them yesterday. "I hope all the fans of the weird teams know who to root for today" My daughter looked at me and said AWKWARD!

[pinstripers]

I just cannot see that there are other pastures to go to, greener or not.