Bear Down Wildcats

Like Greg Hansen said, the Conference of Champions has become the Conference of Chickens.

I thought when CSM canceled the series with UNC he said they would resume it once UA got back on track again.

It really is a joke with where the program is at now tbh.

We aren't gonna be as ready as we should be for a 1-2 possession, let's say regional final game v an elite team, by beating up the relatively weak PAC w weak PAC refs and a few teams like Pepperdine and UC Irvine sprinkled in.

Save the one decent pre conference tourney we r in every year our schedule is always trash. Now we have been an elite recruiting machine for over half a decade now, right on par w the Dukes and kentuckys of the world and u don't see them shying away from non-conf tough battles.

If UCLA can get Kentucky to come play them at Pauley, why can't we??? And if no one will, what's wrong w some neutral site games v Kansas or Duke or unc or Oklahoma or mich St or nova or osu or Syracuse or Texas or etc. tons of teams out there to play.

Last season, in the first 13 games the Cats played 1 away game, at Gonzaga. Not a single game east of Tucson, until the PAC schedule sent Arizona to Utah.

That's Duke worthy.

The evolution of scheduling is absurd. The reluctance to do home and homes makes for a lot of chickens (beyond the Pac-12). And people who locked in those season tickets many years ago were probably under the impression they'd get the same or similar games.

Now games are either cupcakes or moved elsewhere for marquee opponents. The overly strategic/business approach to scheduling is draining the entertainment value.

It would help if the NCAA tournament committee would switch to using a rating that takes into account margin of victory,
and where the game is played like BPI, Sagarin, KenPom, etc.

Using RPI which only cares about wins and losses is one of the reasons no one would risk a loss at Arizona. They get no
credit for flying all the way out to Tucson and playing Arizona tough.

Merkin wrote:Last season, in the first 13 games the Cats played 1 away game, at Gonzaga. Not a single game east of Tucson, until the PAC schedule sent Arizona to Utah.

That's Duke worthy.

It doesn't make sense. Let's get some respectable up-and-comers are on the schedule: VCU, Dayton, Northern Iowa, Wichita State (we owe them payback anyway), Florida Gulf Coast, Stony Brook, Harvard, etc.

What's up with our international schedule? Any trips abroad planned?

PennZona20 wrote:It really is a joke with where the program is at now tbh.

We aren't gonna be as ready as we should be for a 1-2 possession, let's say regional final game v an elite team, by beating up the relatively weak PAC w weak PAC refs and a few teams like Pepperdine and UC Irvine sprinkled in.

Save the one decent pre conference tourney we r in every year our schedule is always trash. Now we have been an elite recruiting machine for over half a decade now, right on par w the Dukes and kentuckys of the world and u don't see them shying away from non-conf tough battles.

If UCLA can get Kentucky to come play them at Pauley, why can't we??? And if no one will, what's wrong w some neutral site games v Kansas or Duke or unc or Oklahoma or mich St or nova or osu or Syracuse or Texas or etc. tons of teams out there to play.

Because pauley is an empty ghost town.

And I'm guessing you're forgetting our neutral site games with gonzaga and Michigan state next year.

gumby wrote:The evolution of scheduling is absurd. The reluctance to do home and homes makes for a lot of chickens (beyond the Pac-12). And people who locked in those season tickets many years ago were probably under the impression they'd get the same or similar games.

Now games are either cupcakes or moved elsewhere for marquee opponents. The overly strategic/business approach to scheduling is draining the entertainment value.

I feel like this is in large part due to Duke. Once K stopped doing home-and-homes I feel like it gave other marquee programs permission to request home games and neutral site games in return in a place where they were looking to recruit.

Beachcat97 wrote:

Merkin wrote:Last season, in the first 13 games the Cats played 1 away game, at Gonzaga. Not a single game east of Tucson, until the PAC schedule sent Arizona to Utah.

That's Duke worthy.

It doesn't make sense. Let's get some respectable up-and-comers are on the schedule: VCU, Dayton, Northern Iowa, Wichita State (we owe them payback anyway), Florida Gulf Coast, Stony Brook, Harvard, etc.

What's up with our international schedule? Any trips abroad planned?

Those are lose/lose games for a major. Win and you were supposed to. Lose and you lost to a midmajor.

Our schedule really isn't that bad. There are just fewer teams total willing to commit to home and homes with other majors. Plus, we have scheduled a few programs (Mizzou, UNLV) that looked good when we set them, and turned out a lot weaker than we thought.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

Beachcat97 wrote:

Merkin wrote:Last season, in the first 13 games the Cats played 1 away game, at Gonzaga. Not a single game east of Tucson, until the PAC schedule sent Arizona to Utah.

That's Duke worthy.

It doesn't make sense. Let's get some respectable up-and-comers are on the schedule: VCU, Dayton, Northern Iowa, Wichita State (we owe them payback anyway), Florida Gulf Coast, Stony Brook, Harvard, etc.

What's up with our international schedule? Any trips abroad planned?

Those are lose/lose games for a major. Win and you were supposed to. Lose and you lost to a midmajor.

Our schedule really isn't that bad. There are just fewer teams total willing to commit to home and homes with other majors. Plus, we have scheduled a few programs (Mizzou, UNLV) that looked good when we set them, and turned out a lot weaker than we thought.

Which is exactly what can happen when you schedule a Northern Iowa, Wichita State, FGC, Stony Brook, etc. Those programs are not built for sustained success. A coaching change or roster instability can sink a mid-major, even temporarily, and now you're facing a sub-200 team from a shit conference because two years ago they went to the Sweet Sixteen.

Our schedule really isn't that bad?

NCSOS 2015-16
50 UCLA
58 ASU
96 Stanford
143 Oregon State
163 Utah
168 Oregon
229 Washington
232 California
235 USC
247 Colorado
276 WSU
303 Arizona

It is the worst of a bad Pac-12.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

Beachcat97 wrote:

Merkin wrote:Last season, in the first 13 games the Cats played 1 away game, at Gonzaga. Not a single game east of Tucson, until the PAC schedule sent Arizona to Utah.

That's Duke worthy.

It doesn't make sense. Let's get some respectable up-and-comers are on the schedule: VCU, Dayton, Northern Iowa, Wichita State (we owe them payback anyway), Florida Gulf Coast, Stony Brook, Harvard, etc.

What's up with our international schedule? Any trips abroad planned?

Those are lose/lose games for a major. Win and you were supposed to. Lose and you lost to a midmajor.

Our schedule really isn't that bad. There are just fewer teams total willing to commit to home and homes with other majors. Plus, we have scheduled a few programs (Mizzou, UNLV) that looked good when we set them, and turned out a lot weaker than we thought.

Then we really just need to make sure we're in at least one good pre-conference tourney every year, with the chance of facing another elite program or two.

KaibabKat wrote:Our schedule really isn't that bad?

NCSOS 2015-16
50 UCLA
58 ASU
96 Stanford
143 Oregon State
163 Utah
168 Oregon
229 Washington
232 California
235 USC
247 Colorado
276 WSU
303 Arizona

It is the worst of a bad Pac-12.

And that's why they gave us Wichita State in the first round.

Beachcat97 wrote:

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

Beachcat97 wrote:

Merkin wrote:Last season, in the first 13 games the Cats played 1 away game, at Gonzaga. Not a single game east of Tucson, until the PAC schedule sent Arizona to Utah.

That's Duke worthy.

It doesn't make sense. Let's get some respectable up-and-comers are on the schedule: VCU, Dayton, Northern Iowa, Wichita State (we owe them payback anyway), Florida Gulf Coast, Stony Brook, Harvard, etc.

What's up with our international schedule? Any trips abroad planned?

Those are lose/lose games for a major. Win and you were supposed to. Lose and you lost to a midmajor.

Our schedule really isn't that bad. There are just fewer teams total willing to commit to home and homes with other majors. Plus, we have scheduled a few programs (Mizzou, UNLV) that looked good when we set them, and turned out a lot weaker than we thought.

Then we really just need to make sure we're in at least one good pre-conference tourney every year, with the chance of facing another elite program or two.

We've been in them the last two years.

Bottom line, we used to schedule 3/4 cupcakes a year OOC and the rest solid programs. We now have reversed that and schedule 3/4 solid programs and the rest cupcakes. When those 3/4 solid programs have down years it looks even worse and IMO does not prepare us for March. Also our conference does us no favors being the only major conference not involved in a Intra-conference showdown.

Seeing how the scheduling change coincided with the coaching/AD change, I don't foresee this lousy schedule changing anytime soon. I am just praying that somehow we luck into the Champions Classic the next time it re-up's (I think it is due this year).

PennZona20 wrote:
If UCLA can get Kentucky to come play them at Pauley, why can't we???

Well fwiw Los Angeles is not Tucson and the amount of talent that Los Angeles has is >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Tucson and Phoenix combined.

Half of these home and homes are done for recruiting purposes a la ours vs. UNLV.

reach out to pastner, get an acc team on the calendar

FYI you can buy the Las Vegas Tournament tickets now. Its at the Orleans and the cheapest was $125 for 2 tickets for both days:

http://ev2.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce ... ELLAR&cgc=" target="_blank

Not great teams but its vegas.

Jesus. Arizona will roll that tournament.

gronk4heisman wrote:Bottom line, we used to schedule 3/4 cupcakes a year OOC and the rest solid programs. We now have reversed that and schedule 3/4 solid programs and the rest cupcakes. When those 3/4 solid programs have down years it looks even worse and IMO does not prepare us for March. Also our conference does us no favors being the only major conference not involved in a Intra-conference showdown.

Seeing how the scheduling change coincided with the coaching/AD change, I don't foresee this lousy schedule changing anytime soon.

Arizona will be making its first Final Four in spite of its strength of schedule, it seems.

Play Gonzaga every year. Renew the UNC home-and-home. Get a Big Ten school to agree to a series every two years and let's get back to being a real program again.

Seriously, the SOS Arizona has had the last five seasons is the kind Nebraska used to routinely schedule in pre-conference football games and never do a thing with in the postseason.

It will be a terrible disadvantage for this team in conference road games next season and allows for very little growth curve with this program. To me, it matters just as much as recruiting, especially when playing in the only Power 5 hoops conference that works against itself.

Quick, who is the best coach in college to never make a Final Four appearance?

Think there is a connection?

Even the football program used to schedule OOC like this:

1 Div I-AA patsy
1 mid-major patsy
1 decent school, power conference or independent (BYU)

Was OK State the last power conference game at Arizona stadium?

Merkin wrote:Quick, who is the best coach in college to never make a Final Four appearance?

Think there is a connection?

Even the football program used to schedule OOC like this:

1 Div I-AA patsy
1 mid-major patsy
1 decent school, power conference or independent (BYU)

Was OK State the last power conference game at Arizona stadium?

Maybe it's a Greg Byrne thing? Do all our sports teams try to avoid any OOC challenges (I wanna say our baseball team went to Rice for a three game series either this year or last)?

gronk4heisman wrote:

Merkin wrote:Quick, who is the best coach in college to never make a Final Four appearance?

Think there is a connection?

Even the football program used to schedule OOC like this:

1 Div I-AA patsy
1 mid-major patsy
1 decent school, power conference or independent (BYU)

Was OK State the last power conference game at Arizona stadium?

Maybe it's a Greg Byrne thing? Do all our sports teams try to avoid any OOC challenges (I wanna say our baseball team went to Rice for a three game series either this year or last)?

Can't imagine Hawaii or Grambling bringing in the fair weather FB fans, nor will they travel to Glendale for BYU.

gronk4heisman wrote:

Merkin wrote:Quick, who is the best coach in college to never make a Final Four appearance?

Think there is a connection?

Even the football program used to schedule OOC like this:

1 Div I-AA patsy
1 mid-major patsy
1 decent school, power conference or independent (BYU)

Was OK State the last power conference game at Arizona stadium?

Maybe it's a Greg Byrne thing? Do all our sports teams try to avoid any OOC challenges (I wanna say our baseball team went to Rice for a three game series either this year or last)?

Good point on footballl. Maybe Byrne has a sweet tooth.

As a fan, I would love to see stronger opponents in the preseason, and I say preseason because that's what non-con is when you have 18-21 games that follow before the tournament. But in terms of getting the team ready for March and April, I just don't know if it matters. Again, 18-21 games follow, and those games are what really shape the team into its end result. If anything, I wouldn't mind an old Lute trick of throwing a non-con opponent into the middle of the Pac schedule during ASU week, if for nothing more to make that one week when I don't check out.

thenewazcats wrote: If anything, I wouldn't mind an old Lute trick of throwing a non-con opponent into the middle of the Pac schedule during ASU week, if for nothing more to make that one week when I don't check out.

That was a great scenario when it was included in the schedule. It gives the players a fresh look at a quality opponent outside of the Pac-12, and also gives them a chance of another marquee game late in the season heading towards the tournament.

midnightx wrote:

thenewazcats wrote: If anything, I wouldn't mind an old Lute trick of throwing a non-con opponent into the middle of the Pac schedule during ASU week, if for nothing more to make that one week when I don't check out.

That was a great scenario when it was included in the schedule. It gives the players a fresh look at a quality opponent outside of the Pac-12, and also gives them a chance of another marquee game late in the season heading towards the tournament.

And resulted in that Miles Simon heave to break Huggins' heart. Feb. 11, 1996. Cincy was No. 5.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqj7DYy23D0" target="_blank

Date set.

Merkin wrote:Date set.

Same day (November 25th) as the Territorial Cup.

Merkin wrote:Date set.

I'm sure you will be able to get these tickets as a comp the day before for gambling at the penny slots. This has to be at best the 10th best preseason tournament.

Main Event wrote:

Finally a decent game, assuming A&M is still good this year.

Why in Phoenix? WE are not ASU. Guess machina is happy now.

Wow we are going to have very few home games this year. Already 6 neutral site games and 1 road game. In normal seasons we have 17 maybe 18 home games. Only like 15 this year.

84Cat wrote:Why in Phoenix? WE are not ASU. Guess machina is happy now.

Because we aren't playing aTm in college station.

ASUHATER! wrote:Wow we are going to have very few home games this year. Already 6 neutral site games and 1 road game. In normal seasons we have 17 maybe 18 home games. Only like 15 this year.

1 game against MSU, 2 games in Vegas, 1 game @Mizzou, and 1 game in Houston. The rest OOC are all home games.

1 game against msu, 1 game against Gonzaga, 1 in Houston, 3 in Vegas and 1 at Missouri =7

Only 6 home ooc games and 9 conference.

ASUHATER! wrote:1 game against msu, 1 game against Gonzaga, 1 in Houston, 3 in Vegas and 1 at Missouri =7

Only 6 home ooc games and 9 conference.

Wouldn't necessarily call the home games "games".

Definitely a better schedule though. Neutral games against aTm, Gonzaga and msu and the good not great Vegas tournament and conference games against ucla, Oregon, etc should mean oureally episode and sos is better.

ASUHATER! wrote:1 game against msu, 1 game against Gonzaga, 1 in Houston, 3 in Vegas and 1 at Missouri =7

Only 6 home ooc games and 9 conference.

We're only playing two in Vegas. It's a 4 team bracket with us, Santa Clara, Vandy, and Butler. We'll play two other teams associated with this tourney at home. Those 4 small schools will have their own bracket in Vegas

I slept on the Zaga game, not sure how I didn't include that. Either way 6 away from McKale only.

Ah I read several places it was a 8 team tournament in vegas. Guess they were mistaken.

ASUHATER! wrote:Ah I read several places it was a 8 team tournament in vegas. Guess they were mistaken.

There are 8 teams playing, but like I said there's two separate brackets. The 4 tiny schools will duke it out with each other and play 2 games each. We play Santa Clara and then the winner of Butler/Vandy.

Not next year, but a Power 5 home-and-home:

Glad the AD is listening to those who want to see us upgrade the home schedule. Now it's up to Baylor to still be good (and not on probation).

ASUHATER! wrote:Wow we are going to have very few home games this year. Already 6 neutral site games and 1 road game. In normal seasons we have 17 maybe 18 home games. Only like 15 this year.

19 home games last year by my count. Thats what I dont like about it, and I'm sure most season ticket holders feel the same. Nothing wrong with sacrificing a home game or two to get tougher teams, but quit the neutral site BS.

Neutral sites are the best we're going to be able to do when it comes to scheduling many top tier teams. Tucson is just too tough a place to play. Not many teams want to fly halfway across the country to go to Tucson (with a few connections if they're flying commercial) to get their ass handed to them on national television. But Vegas, LA, or even Phoenix allows for the coaches to get out and see national prospects and for alumni to get a chance to see that team live. And it's the same for us. I doubt we'd be interested in playing in South Bend or Bloomington, but Chicago or Indy? Absolutely...

Chicat wrote:Neutral sites are the best we're going to be able to do when it comes to scheduling many top tier teams. Tucson is just too tough a place to play. Not many teams want to fly halfway across the country to go to Tucson (with a few connections if they're flying commercial) to get their ass handed to them on national television. But Vegas, LA, or even Phoenix allows for the coaches to get out and see national prospects and for alumni to get a chance to see that team live. And it's the same for us. I doubt we'd be interested in playing in South Bend or Bloomington, but Chicago or Indy? Absolutely...

Yup. The days of top 20 non conference teams coming to McKale are probably mostly dead.

+1 chi.

Cats nation is loud and proud and widespread. Games in la, Vegas, or phx are practically home games.

Its the price of a big boy program and the visibility of these games are awesome.

I would love a home and home with unc though.

"UCLA will play Michigan in a home-and-home basketball series over the next two seasons."

KaibabKat wrote:"UCLA will play Michigan in a home-and-home basketball series over the next two seasons."

been there, done that.

KaibabKat wrote:"UCLA will play Michigan in a home-and-home basketball series over the next two seasons."

Nice winnable game for Michigan in a big recruiting hotbed in front of an apathetic, late-arriving, totally somnambulant crowd. Nice work by Beilein.