This is not about the OOC, it is about a sticking point that a legion of fans consistently complain about.
The same fans asking for an upgrade in schedule are talking out of both sides of their butts....they complain about the lack of recruiting, the recruiting misses and lack of front line talent BUT, they want to act as if RU has UConn, UCLA, Kansas State talent from last year.
We had a shoe-string level of talent, no true team speed or athletes, a bench that consisted of Dean Reiber, Oskar Palmquist, Antonio Chol (late addition, injured) Jalen Miller and Aiden Terry as FIVE of the 13 kids on scholarship.
With 8 players of relative ability, we think RU was going to improve its resume by having depth to outscore teams like Seton Hall, Michigan, Northwestern??? These are teams we lost to at home. And these 7-8 players were going to play and win 2 out of 3 games in 3 days??
Let's set up the schedule with last year's roster in November and play 3 games in 3 days with Mulcahy banged up, Caleb off knee surgery and we had no idea how good Mag could have been in November of last year. Would RU has won 2 of those games in Charleston or Atlantis or Cancun, whatever venue you pick, if you don't have 10 to 11 legitimate, front line players, good luck.
Here's my compromise....so you don't blow your chance of not making the NCAAS by December 1st....
Land Papa Kante.....
Land a real PG not named Paul Mulcahy from the portal, who can the ball in transition and get some easy baskets.
Find me a guarantee that Mawot Mag is the Bionic Man, and will be ready to go by mid-October.
Tell me we get Mulcahy back, he's playing off the ball and Fernandes or someone much better than Mulcahy and Simpson, is running the point.
If I have an 11 player roster where JaMicheal Davis the 12th best player on the roster and is Antonio Chol is 13th and battling to get minutes, and I'll play anyone, anywhere.
Pike isn't stupid folks, this past years roster was not good enough to win 21+ games and put teams away, with scoring, transition baskets and enough depth......
Once the talent is upgraded, then we can bump up the scheduling. As of right now, mid April, it's not a lock that RU is a NCAA team for 2023-24. If the upgrades on the roster happen, it won't matter what the OOC is like.