College Bball Thread

[Josh 12,397]

7 hours ago, BGleas said:

Meh! Lot's of way to build toughness, including playing numerous top 10 teams both neutral site and on the road. 

We have something like 4 games against the preseason top 5. One of those on the road and two in tournament style neutral site locations. 

In neutral court games, IU fans represent.  There's nothing like the adversity you feel (especially for college age kids) when you feel everybody and everything is against you.  You don't get that playing in Atlanta where at least half the crowd will be cheering for you.

I feel pre-conference games on the road help prepare you for Big Ten road games which are more important imo.  

[BGleas 7,880]

1 hour ago, Josh said:

In neutral court games, IU fans represent.  There's nothing like the adversity you feel (especially for college age kids) when you feel everybody and everything is against you.  You don't get that playing in Atlanta where at least half the crowd will be cheering for you.

I feel pre-conference games on the road help prepare you for Big Ten road games which are more important imo.  

The bottom line is that at the end of the day this is absolutely not a team that will go into tournament play untested. 

[Scotty R 1,913]

2 hours ago, Josh said:

In neutral court games, IU fans represent.  There's nothing like the adversity you feel (especially for college age kids) when you feel everybody and everything is against you.  You don't get that playing in Atlanta where at least half the crowd will be cheering for you.

I feel pre-conference games on the road help prepare you for Big Ten road games which are more important imo.  

I know you don't care but there are very few power programs who play true non conference road games. We played two last year so it isn't like we never play on the road.

[Josh 12,397]

2 hours ago, Scotty R said:

I know you don't care but there are very few power programs who play true non conference road games. We played two last year so it isn't like we never play on the road.

Ummmm....did you see the list from USPS that there was only 7 that don't? 

[Josh 12,397]

3 hours ago, BGleas said:

The bottom line is that at the end of the day this is absolutely not a team that will go into tournament play untested. 

Different argument.  I'm trying to go into conference play with a road game or two under our belt.  

 

[Uspshoosier 44,502]

1 hour ago, Josh said:

Different argument.  I'm trying to go into conference play with a road game or two under our belt.  

 

I can understand why programs have gone away from playing true road games in the non conference but in my opinion I’m with you on teams testing themselves before conference play on the road.    For me from a bracketology side of things it’s a very low risk/ very high reward type of deal.     Playing neutral games are fine but it’s nothing like playing a game  on campus in a hostile setting.   If a team loses on the road in one of these marquee matchups big deal they were suppose to lose anyway however if you win one of these early games on the road then you have a big piece that will hold up in March.   IU got smashed by Kansas last year on the road and it didn’t affect their seeding one bit.   Just a road loss to NET top 5 team.  No one but IU fans remember the final score and beat down.     IU winning at Xavier turned out to be one of the best road non conference wins of the year and helped IUs résumé tremendously.   Some people were shocked IU was in that first 16 reveal as a 4 seed.  Committee showed right there how much stock they were going to put in big road wins.   If I was in charge of a teams schedule they would be playing at least 1 true road game a year 

[Josh 12,397]

4 minutes ago, Uspshoosier said:

I can understand why programs have gone away from playing true road games in the non conference but in my opinion I’m with you on teams testing themselves before conference play on the road.    For me from a bracketology side of things it’s a very low risk/ very high reward type of deal.     Playing neutral games are fine but it’s nothing like playing a game  on campus in a hostile setting.   If a team loses on the road in one of these marquee matchups big deal they were suppose to lose anyway however if you win one of these early games on the road then you have a big piece that will hold up in March.   IU got smashed by Kansas last year on the road and it didn’t affect their seeding one bit.   Just a road loss to NET top 5 team.  No one but IU fans remember the final score and beat down.     IU winning at Xavier turned out to be one of the best road non conference wins of the year and helped IUs résumé tremendously.   Some people were shocked IU was in that first 16 reveal as a 4 seed.  Committee showed right there how much stock they were going to put in big road wins.   If I was in charge of a teams schedule they would be playing at least 1 true road game a year 

You've won some goodwill back with me, but you're the one who triggered me at first!  Like an arsonist who puts out his own fire lol

I couldn't agree more

[Uspshoosier 44,502]

21 minutes ago, Josh said:

You've won some goodwill back with me, but you're the one who triggered me at first!  Like an arsonist who puts out his own fire lol

I couldn't agree more

 

[RaceToTheTop 24,243]

5 hours ago, Josh said:

Ummmm....did you see the list from USPS that there was only 7 that don't? 

Did you read the "this list will be updated periodically as we count down to the 23-24 tip off"?  It's not a complete list because not all schedules are finalized.

Also have to wonder how many teams are only playing a single road game because of a conference challenge has them playing on the road.

IMO, the mandated 20 conference game schedule has produced fewer and fewer true road games.  You are already guaranteed 10 power 5 road games.  Add in a conference tournament and the average team plays another two games against power 5 teams on neutral courts.  The point of making your non-conference schedule tougher is kind of a moot point when 70% of your SOS is going to be against teams in your conference.

[Stuhoo 76,478]

2 minutes ago, RaceToTheTop said:

Did you read the "this list will be updated periodically as we count down to the 23-24 tip off"?  It's not a complete list because not all schedules are finalized.

Also have to wonder how many teams are only playing a single road game because of a conference challenge has them playing on the road.

Yup. If we played a single road game at Southwest Wyoming Tech that wouldn’t make us more prepared.

I do agree that some road games are a win/win. Playing at Auburn would have been just about as tough as playing them in Atlanta, and would’ve been better for our tournament metrics.

[Josh 12,397]

1 hour ago, RaceToTheTop said:

Did you read the "this list will be updated periodically as we count down to the 23-24 tip off"?  It's not a complete list because not all schedules are finalized.

Also have to wonder how many teams are only playing a single road game because of a conference challenge has them playing on the road.

IMO, the mandated 20 conference game schedule has produced fewer and fewer true road games.  You are already guaranteed 10 power 5 road games.  Add in a conference tournament and the average team plays another two games against power 5 teams on neutral courts.  The point of making your non-conference schedule tougher is kind of a moot point when 70% of your SOS is going to be against teams in your conference.

Yeah...update me as you get it.  My guess is it doesn't grow near the "there are vary few teams that play non-conference road games". I'd put money that the comment is still wrong when you're checking your updates

[RaceToTheTop 24,243]

12 hours ago, Josh said:

Yeah...update me as you get it.  My guess is it doesn't grow near the "there are vary few teams that play non-conference road games". I'd put money that the comment is still wrong when you're checking your updates

Not sure what you are saying with the last sentence.

I will say that I'd rather IU play three neutral court games than one road game.  If you want to advance in the tournament, neutral court ones are the ones you have to win. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,720]

Too good not to share.  Oscar Robertson grabbing a rebound during 1959 NCAA Regional Semifinal at Manhattan, KS, between Cincinnati and Kansas State.

[Josh 12,397]

10 hours ago, RaceToTheTop said:

Not sure what you are saying with the last sentence.

I will say that I'd rather IU play three neutral court games than one road game.  If you want to advance in the tournament, neutral court ones are the ones you have to win. 

Disagree!

Calipari has said the same thing and hoo boy has his team nosedived in the tourney since he started that strategy.  The stats don't back your theory up.

[go iu bb 4,916]

5 hours ago, Josh said:

Disagree!

Calipari has said the same thing and hoo boy has his team nosedived in the tourney since he started that strategy.  The stats don't back your theory up.

It probably had more to do with his depending on freshmen especially when combined with those freshmen increasingly becoming good but not great. 

[Loaded Chicken Sandwich 8,324]

5 hours ago, go iu bb said:

It probably had more to do with his depending on freshmen especially when combined with those freshmen increasingly becoming good but not great. 

Not so much depending on freshmen, but the freshmen not living up to the hype. The last few years it's been BJ Boston and co(that team was horrid). TyTy Washington and lost to the mustache but they were lead by Oscar. Last year it was Cason Wallace, who was good but Livingston didn't come near the hype and the other freshmen throughout the last 3 seasons haven't come near the hype either. Same with Noel team. Same with the Randle team during the regular season. His teams at Kentucky rely on point guards. John Wall, Brandon Knight, Teague, De'Aron Fox, Ashton Hagan etc. This year's is Wagner and he definitely looks better than Devin Askew or Wheeler.

[RaceToTheTop 24,243]

On 8/18/2023 at 5:03 PM, Josh said:

Disagree!

Calipari has said the same thing and hoo boy has his team nosedived in the tourney since he started that strategy.  The stats don't back your theory up.

Link the stats instead of a Kentucky anecdote.  U Conn had three neutral court non-con games last year and one road game….and that was a 21 point laugher at Florida.

[str8baller 4,840]

10 hours ago, RaceToTheTop said:

Link the stats instead of a Kentucky anecdote.  U Conn had three neutral court non-con games last year and one road game….and that was a 21 point laugher at Florida.

They also suffered a losing stretch in conference that saw then slip to a 4th place finish in the BE.  4/5 of the losses in that stretch were on the road. 
 

Both things can be true. Road games are a tough environment and getting some reps in can’t hurt for conference play.  
 

But the tourney is neutral site games in big arenas and coaches have tried to schedule more of those the last ten years or so to prep for season ending tourneys.   
 

But with AD budgets stretched there’s an emphasis on getting a ton of home games, often against cheap opponents, too. You can’t do them all. 

[Uspshoosier 44,502]

 

[Demo 17,949]

1 hour ago, Uspshoosier said:

 

Jalen Coleman-Lands says that kid’s career is just getting started!