I just looked on our men’s basketball schedule and noticed we are now playing St. Mary’s of the Woods (ostensibly the younger sister of St. Mary’s of the WCC?) I must now rescind my compliment on men’s hoops for removing all D3 cupcakes and replacing them with real opponents. I still like the overall schedule greatly. Just wish we could swing something with local D1 teams in the area for a holiday tourney. With people home for the holidays, you might get an ok crowd? So many D1 teams in the area we never play. Also, do we pay St. Mary’s for this? Ie, is it a buy game?
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Interestingly (not kidding!), they also play the MU-Middletown and MU-Hamilton teams (December and November)!
Nobody is in Oxford during the holidays except the folks in The Knolls. I think it’s a smart idea to play this NAIA club on Dec 29. We play Wright State on Dec 22 and - without the SMW game - we wouldn’t play again until our MAC opener at Central on January 3. I think the SMW game is designed to refocus the team after the holiday layoff.
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Right, but blowing out a D3 team as a tune up with no one in attendance seems like a miss. Do bigger programs do this? Honestly curious. Maybe it’s standard fare across men’s hoops?
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You would prefer we schedule Kansas or Gonzaga for that layoff refocus game?
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Yep. And it might even make us money. At least it’s real competition. I might be in the minority here but to me, playing cupcakes doesn’t do much to show where you stand. In fact, I think it’s where bad habits start.
OK. Agree to disagree on that one - especially with a program that hasn’t won in any meaningful manner in 20 years. I think Steele has a plan…and it’s not feeding an incubating team into a meat grinder.
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I’ll go back to a post I made a year or so ago and remind us all that this program has no standing to complain about “cupcakes”. Miami has been like a piece of stale Angel food cake.
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Maybe so. Might be that we can’t find a legit team for the date. I would still personally prefer a bigger game all things equal.
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When we were having success in the 90s, at a time when UC, X and UD were still regularly playing in Oxford, I’m guessing we still scheduled a non-D1 opponent (Hiram College, Findlay come to mind) on occasion. I see nothing wrong with scheduling a non-D1 opponent to fill the gap in the schedule over the holidays between Wright St. and the MAC schedule. Short of having Duke or Kentucky in town, nobody is attending a Dec 29 game in Oxford regardless of opponent. And, it’s the one game where players 9-13 on your roster can get a lot of minutes.
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Here’s where I see it a little different. You could schedule a big game and get paid (or go on the road to play one which is more likely instead of staying in Oxford) and still play the entire team. Say it’s against Kansas and they’re #1. Won’t be close. Let everyone in. Big deal if it’s a lopsided score. At least it’s a real barometer. Beating SPAULDING!!! by 30 didn’t do much to steer us to greatness last year. And it’s not like a great memory is made for anyone especially the athletes. 90 year old former MU benchwarmer or walk on won’t talk about the time they hung 12 points on a cupcake. They will talk about getting in a game against a biggie. I may be wrong though. I often am. Just how I personally see it.
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Was it David Foster in the late 80s/early 90s who scored the first points of his career in his junior or senior season? If you’re a player like that, would you remember scoring double figures against a non-D1 opponent, or getting in the Duke game with two minutes to play, down by 40 and not scoring?
Personally, I would remember the one time I scored double figures wearing a Miami uniform. There’s zero joy in stepping on the court after your team is already down 40.
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I don’t mind one non-D1 opponent. Use as a game to get some guys who aren’t regulars some reps. Two is gross, and three is unacceptable.
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Wasn’t the Wright St. game originally scheduled for Christmas Day?
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I like that party. It’s Xmas morning and all is Wright with the world when that game’s on the docket. (Did you see how masterfully I just did that?) #excellence
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Yes, $2.5k. Lower division buy games are cheap.
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Thanks for the knowledge MooreHawk. Very helpful!
slightly carbonated drink sales might even cover that…
I’m fine with a tune up game before conference play. Give everyone a chance to go into the MAC schedule feeling confident. Also, perfect things against an opponent who isn’t yourself in practice. Nothing like playing CMU after losing by 20 and shooting 30%. I want everyone dreaming about all the baskets they made, not missed.
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Yes!
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