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I really appreciate the Wolfpack extending the basketball season so that the latest OOC SOS summary will appear before we move into baseball and the long drought before football…
[See the full post at: OOC Strength of Schedule]I like the idea of punishing the weak OOCs like that, because like VaWolf says – well within your control. If’n you schedule to make the NIT, don’t be surprised when you end up there.
Improving OOC SOS during the year is a sign that your opponents are doing well withing their respective leagues and at least some of those teams are power conference teams. We sit there and wring our hands over how tough it is to beat the Woffords and Boises of the world, but when March rolls around you are glad that’s who you played. Playing Texas State and UNC- may let somebody go for 45 points but it doesn’t get you in the dance.
Gott has the scheduling formula figured out. He should present a paper at the coaches meeting next weekend…..if he’s not coaching.
Gott has the scheduling formula figured out. He should present a paper at the coaches meeting next weekend…..if he’s not coaching.
It works to State’s favor that some coaches never figure this whole thing out. If more teams started scheduling better, it would make it harder to have an OOC ranked in the Top 50.
I think it is easy to confuse scheduling strong opponents and big names. Who knew Boise State had a basketball team and that it would be such a quality win. Richmond, Wofford, La Tech, etc. doesn’t get everyone excited like playing some of the big names might, but at the end of the season those games can make the difference in hearing your name called.
I think it is easy to confuse scheduling strong opponents and big names.
It definitely is, but you also have to sympathize with season ticket holders who are not going to get excited over a game with BSU or watching a loss to Wofford. Though for now, a S-16 (or better) finish should sell plenty of tickets for next year.
It helps us to have a large arena and to be very proximate to a major airport, too. We make for easy travel and a solid “take” for road teams that might be in demand as RPI-helpers, even if more coaches do wise up.
Tenn may have shown to be not as good as Gott thought heading into the season, but Cinci, Purdue and WV provided some big names along with the Boise’s of the world. Good mix of teams and like stated above, teams that competed well in their conferences despite not being a brand name.
Perhaps even more importantly, WVU and Cincy helped toughen our hides. We learned how to be physical before it was too late.
If you want players to grow, improve and learn to play well, they have to play against good competition, not cupcakes. I think that’s part of the reason Gott’s teams improve toward the end of the year. They haven’t feasted up to 20 wins against Sisters of the Mercy Bi-Directional Tech.
Communism is not love. Communism is a hammer which we use to crush the enemy. Mao Zedong
Yeah, they were definitely battle-tested as well as having a good RPI. Great use of the OOC. They played Villanova tough as if they’d had a few cracks at physical play before.
“You can imagine how happy I was to hear in the early Gottfried interviews that he had to redo the OOC schedule for his first year as coach”
^You weren’t alone, sir.
Very interesting stuff as always – thanks.
It definitely is, but you also have to sympathize with season ticket holders who are not going to get excited over a game with BSU or watching a loss to Wofford. Though for now, a S-16 (or better) finish should sell plenty of tickets for next year.
^I do not sympathize. If one wants to be willfully ignorant that’s fine … But if one complains about those games online, on talk shows, to the AD, etc. then I go on my personal crusade to stomp that ignorance. A Herb-style OOC schedule should be complained about. Sidney thought he was doing well by scheduling Florida but apparently did not understand how scheduling works. One or two ‘marquee’ home games can be fun, but they mean about ****-all towards a body of work.
I’ll back up season ticket holders who complain about a Herb or Sidney OOC schedule all day long. If they’re complaining about Gott’s though what exactly do they want? And do they realize that they’d be complaining about the end product (making the NCAA, getting a good seed)?
This falls into “I want to bitch and moan” territory for me.
My question is how flexible is the basketball schedule? In football teams schedule years in advance and by that time that team will be in a down cycle. I assume that the flexibility is greater in basketball. I also think that the with the opportunities to go pro at different times in both sports plays a huge roll in scheduling. Trying to project what players they have coming back and the coach that team may have are difficult at best. Example if the Pack scheduled the Shockers two years from now and Marshall leaves are they going to be the same team? Are the buy outs similar to what they are in football? On the surface I wouldn’t think so. What is the lead time to buy out in comparison to say football?
All good questions, but I don’t have many answers. But as I mentioned in the article, Gottfried was hired in the spring and redid the OOC schedule for that fall. So most games appear to be done rather last minute.
Obviously home/home games with teams like WVU and Cincy have a little longer scheduling period. I have no clue about the buyout figures.
Thanks for all the info. Very informative and interesting. When you schedule these lower named teams the margin of error as it relates to competitiveness is much greater. Boise State and the Woffards are no locks to be good any year.
I believe aside from negotiated home-and-home deals – like with Cincy and Tennessee the past couple of seasons – all other non preseason tournament games are scheduled during each off season.
We owed Missouri a game down there this season, but for a reason I can’t recall it I think it was pushed to next season (it may have been nixed altogether). Missouri had a coaching change of course, and the new staff may not have been comfortable with that game this season (with seemingly good reason as Missouri was pretty poor). I don’t know who we got on the schedule to make up for that game, but I think it may have been La Tech (don’t hold me to it).
The key is to schedule the Wofford’s and La Tech’s, who even though they’re from a ‘weaker’ conference those teams will offer a good challenge and help the metrics such as RPI ranking because they’re likely to finish near the top or win their conference outright.
Gottfried and his staff do an excellent job of identifying these teams for the upcoming season and getting them on the schedule. This is one area where Gottfried’s program can not be knocked. It also eliminates any possibility of a coach/program (Herb!) making weak excuses about scheduling. Herb knew exactly what he was doing scheduling Arkansas Pine-Bluff every season.
“We were tremendously fortunate to get a win tonight against this seasoned Arkansas Pine-Bluff team.” Ok Herb.
Gott seems to have been consistent from day 1 on scheduling and recruiting, since then he seems to be improving in other areas. I know I’m not the only person surprised that this team keeps getting kudos for defense.
Thank you Ms Yow.
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