2022-23 Out of Conference Schedules.

[tribecalledquest]

Upper level WCC teams are really aggressive scheduling.

The MVC needs to get back to that.

[BCPanther]

Upper level WCC teams are really aggressive scheduling.

The MVC needs to get back to that.

As a UNI fan, I'm basically that John Travolta looking around gif as everybody else's schedule comes out with a couple exceptions ever year.

[unipanther99]

n 2011 UNI played Syracuse, Iowa, Iowa State, TCU, Indiana and New Mexico. We beat four of those six, came out of the non-conf. 9-3.

We laid a few eggs early in the conference schedule, won 8 straight, and then the bottom fell out in February when Lucas O'Rear got hurt.

It sucked, but we gave ourselves a chance at an at-large. There's really no risk in scheduling tough for MVC schools. You're never getting an at-large bid with a soft schedule anyway. The problem is some coaches schedule to win just enough to not get put on the hot seat.

[BuBrave2006]

Nothing confirmed, but I've at least heard a few things about Bradley's schedule that give me reason for optimism. We've got 5 games unaccounted for, but at least one of them will likely be a non-D1. Of the remaining 4, I'm cautiously optimistic that at least 2-3 of them will be against quality teams. Throw in Auburn, Eastern Michigan (hopefully good with Emoni) and Northwestern/Liberty and its possible that our schedule ends up respectable.

[VUGrad1314]

n 2011 UNI played Syracuse, Iowa, Iowa State, TCU, Indiana and New Mexico. We beat four of those six, came out of the non-conf. 9-3.

We laid a few eggs early in the conference schedule, won 8 straight, and then the bottom fell out in February when Lucas O'Rear got hurt.

It sucked, but we gave ourselves a chance at an at-large. There's really no risk in scheduling tough for MVC schools. You're never getting an at-large bid with a soft schedule anyway. The problem is some coaches schedule to win just enough to not get put on the hot seat.

I don't know. The year they got an at large Drake had one of the softest non-conference schedules I've ever seen. They just didn't stumble during it. Granted the two extra Q2 wins provided by the COVID schedules and Elgin's impending retirement might have been important factors that influenced the committee that year so I think your point still stands. In a normal year you give yourself no chance with a soft OOC schedule.

[tribecalledquest]

Nothing confirmed, but I've at least heard a few things about Bradley's schedule that give me reason for optimism. We've got 5 games unaccounted for, but at least one of them will likely be a non-D1. Of the remaining 4, I'm cautiously optimistic that at least 2-3 of them will be against quality teams. Throw in Auburn, Eastern Michigan (hopefully good with Emoni) and Northwestern/Liberty and its possible that our schedule ends up respectable.

Define respectable? The schedule should be an at large worthy one for this team.

[BuBrave2006]

Nothing confirmed, but I've at least heard a few things about Bradley's schedule that give me reason for optimism. We've got 5 games unaccounted for, but at least one of them will likely be a non-D1. Of the remaining 4, I'm cautiously optimistic that at least 2-3 of them will be against quality teams. Throw in Auburn, Eastern Michigan (hopefully good with Emoni) and Northwestern/Liberty and its possible that our schedule ends up respectable.

Define respectable? The schedule should be an at large worthy one for this team.

Taking into account Bradley has Auburn (top 50) and Northwestern/Liberty (top 100ish) confirmed already (throw Eastern Michigan in there too since maybe they'll be good with Emoni), I've heard rumors of matchups with at least two other borderline top 50 teams from last season as well as top 150ish team last year that recently made a sweet 16 and brings most of their players back and should be good. If (very large if here, I have varying degrees in confidence in each source telling me about these) that all ends up true, I think Bradley could give themselves theoretical at large chances if they went 9-2 or better against that non-con.

Optimistic yes, but looking at it as more of a numbers game, that's where I see it if what I'm being told comes to fruition.

[BuBrave2006]

Nothing confirmed, but I've at least heard a few things about Bradley's schedule that give me reason for optimism. We've got 5 games unaccounted for, but at least one of them will likely be a non-D1. Of the remaining 4, I'm cautiously optimistic that at least 2-3 of them will be against quality teams. Throw in Auburn, Eastern Michigan (hopefully good with Emoni) and Northwestern/Liberty and its possible that our schedule ends up respectable.

Define respectable? The schedule should be an at large worthy one for this team.

Taking into account Bradley has Auburn (top 50) and Northwestern/Liberty (top 100ish) confirmed already (throw Eastern Michigan in there too since maybe they'll be good with Emoni), I've heard rumors of matchups with at least two other borderline top 50 teams from last season as well as top 150ish team last year that recently made a sweet 16 and brings most of their players back and should be good. If (very large if here, I have varying degrees in confidence in each source telling me about these) that all ends up true, I think Bradley could give themselves theoretical at large chances if they went 9-2 or better against that non-con.

Optimistic yes, but looking at it as more of a numbers game, that's where I see it if what I'm being told comes to fruition.

For what it's worth I'm no longer expecting this. I expect people to perhaps not be the most enthusiastic with Bradley's schedule.

[Chuck A]

UIC is at Northwestern on Dec 20.

[Purple35]

I am constantly amazed that fans work with the theory that a non-con game will be against a quality opponent without really ever identifying what that means. Any team that can beat you is a quality opponent.
The other theory is that somehow our team will not only beat all these quality opponents, usually on the road on a Sunday afternoon, but that the next step is to get that 2nd NCAA bid, which is just lying around because the P-5s all ran out of .500 records. Every single program in the country is looking for a tough game they can win that won't hurt their conference record.
The whole thing is, with conference games or any other game, you want people showing up and cheering, and coming back. That's what conference games are supposed to do. Play those games and let your theory of quality non-con wins go frittering off to Butterfly Land. If playing too many conference games keeps you from a quality non-con schedule, the solution is simple.
Become an independent.