What are everyone’s thoughts on the non-conference schedule?
Best winning percentage in a long time, but a couple losses you probably want back.
How would you rate it?
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I guess it would depend on whether I am rating this on how Miami has been the past 10-15 years or rating for where I’d like the program to be.
Based on Miami’s past decade+, this is a clear 4.5 of out 5. We went 8-4. UM and IU we probably can’t expect to beat, but I wish we kept one of those close (we showed we could play with both for a half). Vermont and Wright are clear disappointing losses, but we beat everyone else we should beat. Over the past decade+. you can’t say we ever did that.
On the scale of where I’d like the program to be, I’d say this is more of a 3 out of 5. Ideally, we wouldn’t lose games like Vermont and Wright, they aren’t good this year, and we’d also be more competitive with schools like IU and UM the whole game, maybe even winning a game like that every once in a while. We didn’t really play a “good” mid-major so its hard to measure exactly how good we are.
I think its pretty clear regardless this is the best Miami team we’ve had in a long time. A team that beats bad teams and wins most of the games they should win is usually a good MAC team. I don’t think we’ll win the league, but I’d be disappointed if we didn’t finish top 4. I’d like to see us get to at least the semis in the MAC tourney.
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HoosierHawk painted an accurate picture imho. I think this team is constantly improving. I would not be surprised if we are in the mix for the championship by March if everyone stays healthy. I think we’ll make some type of post MAC tournament.
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The Vermont loss made me vote 3 instead of 4. I was very disappointed by that game. Would’ve loved to beat Wright State, but understand how that game got away from us. Otherwise, went about according to plan—the one ‘surprise’ win probably being at App State to open things.
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The transient nature of retooling rosters every year makes it hard to have normal (read how it used to be) expectations. At least for me. That said, I see a team that is a million miles better than we were but still haven’t played together that much. We should be really good by end of year and if we can keep the band together another year, we will be that team we think of when we imagine knocking off an IU or Michigan. I also see this as year two even though it’s year three. The first year team doesn’t count as the coaches inherited a lot of pieces that they might not have picked given the choice. Roster got better last year and a ton better this year.
Too many D3 teams. Get on the phone and work out home and home with Ohio Valley, Missouri Valley, Colonial, A10, anyone. We know Dayton isn’t playing Miami. Neither are Xavier or Cincinnati.
Just get away from the D3 teams. It’s disgusting beating Defiance or Beverly or whoever by 50, 60, or 83 points. It’s not needed or necessary.
Why not do road trips out west? At Portland and Portland State? At Santa Clara and Pepperdine or Loyola Marymount or all three? San Francisco and St Mary’s? Get a home and home with them.
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Last time Miami finished 5th or higher in the MAC standings I was a junior in high school, in 2010-11. It could be better but I’ll give it 4/5.
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Ohio, Toledo, WMU and EMU played 1 non-D1 game.
Kent St, Akron, Buffalo, BGSU and us played 2.
Ball State and NIU played 3.
CMU played 4.
No MAC team played zero. I wonder why…
If you find the games disgusting, just turn them off and don’t watch. Miami scheduled them during winter break for a reason.
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Why not D2 games instead of D3. Would still be a step down in competition from D1, but prolly better quality opposition than D3.
I wonder if there’s a reason we don’t do this. Have also wondered about junior college teams in the same regard.
Probably price, why pay more for a lower division game than we have to. D3, D2, NAIA all guaranteed wins where starters will barely play, why not just save money
Is it price? I’d love to know….
I had been retired four years when you were in Junior High. 2010 doesn’t see that long ago for many of us.
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I turned off those games and canceled my season tickets over a decade ago
Cool
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The Wright state game is what keeps it from being a 4 for me.
Even though Vermont seems to be down this year, it was a road game in a tough environment against a traditional mid-major power. I can excuse that one. Also, who knows, Vermont may till rip of like 12 in a row once they get into their league. They do it almost every year.
But Wright State, especially in hindsight, is rough. Home game - granted we don’t have much of a home court advantage - against a like opponent, with similar talent, who hasn’t been very good since we played them is a tough one to swallow. We were awful on defense and fell apart on offense in the second half. Not to mention we can’t seem to beat them which as a life long Miami basketball fan is unfathomable.
I actually left the Indiana game feeling alright. We were in it with under ten minutes to go against a power conference team that was a matchup nightmare for us.
Overall I feel good, not great about our prospects. Still worry about the guard play, but we’ll just have to see how it plays out. The MAC looks like it’s ass this year. 11-12 league wins should be the expectation.
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The answer to your questions all have the same answer: money. The team isn’t looking for home/homes. The team is looking for just a home buy during finals week and following the holidays. Sacred Heart was $80,000. Bethany was $3,000.
Miami basketball starts with a budget of $0 for buy games. Any buy games have to come from getting bought. Miami got $100,000 from Indiana and $60,000 from the Ft. Myers tourney. So Sacred Heart took half of that. You’re complaining about the state of college athletics, not Miami.
EDIT: and your games out west comment? Where does that travel money come from? And then that cuts into the budget to buy home games, so the team ends up traveling more. Seriously, everything you threw out is just, “spend more money” with thought about reality.
And then followed it up with, “so I decided to give less money to the program.” Alright. Cool. Hook 'em.
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Jive is right…from what I’ve heard, the staff has a very specific formula for non-con scheduling and it does all come down to dollars.
They like close power 5 buy games to keep travel expenses low and true home/homes that are easily accessible by bus or plane (direct commercial flights).
Very different than football scheduling
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We are a very poor potentially rich program.
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I had no idea what the games cost and can certainly appreciate any financial related considerations. I don’t love the D3 games from a competition standpoint, but if I’m hearing you right they may be the best we can do budget wise. If so, I can respect that.
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Not sure how anyone could consider the non-conf as anything other than a 4. A monster win on the road vs App St was certainly not expected. They are an excellent program coming of a 27 win season and had won 15 in a row at home. Won by double digits. You can’t possibly of thought Miami would win on the road vs two Top 25 Big Ten teams? The IU game was a 5 pt game with 9 minutes to go. Michigan game was a 1 pt game at half. When’s the last time Miami beat a P5 team? Got two solid wins in a mini-tourney in Florida.
Now let’s talk about Wright St and Vermont. Wright St had the two best players on the floor that game and it wasn’t close. Yes, we played horrible defensively all game but with 5 minutes left it was also a tie game. When’s the last time Miami beat Wright St? That is a physically mature team with almost all of their players redshirted and they play 5th year seniors. It was evident. So maybe at best that was a 50/50 game if being generous to Miami going in. As for Vermont–if you thought that should have been a win on the road–well you haven’t been paying attention to college hoops for the past 20 seasons. Vermont rules the America East and has made the NCAA Tourney about 10 times in the last 20 seasons. They rarely lose at home. In no way should anyone thought that was a book-it win. Last year was a miracle shot win vs Vermont. We did not play well in the first half against Vermont but somehow cut it to 2 with less than 2 minutes and had chance to tie at FT line.
As for the non-D1 games–EVERY D1 team plays non D1 game(s). Its done for a purpose–we buy wins just like we are bought by P5 teams. Scheduling for mid-major teams is a massive headache. Home and homes are hard to find especially vs any team in a conference better than the MAC. Ask any HC in the MAC about scheduling and they just shake their heads.
If last year’s Miami team went 9-9 in MAC, this year’s team should eclipse that mark–I think something in the 11-7 or 12-6 range which should place Miami right around the 4th seed maybe 3rd if things break right. Could be looking at a 20 win season in that case which for a program that hasn’t been above ,500 in 15 years is nothing short of a “5”…
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