Scheduling Changes effective for 2018/2019 - for B1G 10

[BigEastPhil]

Some changes to be aware of effective next year:

- BIG 10 goes to 20 game in conference schedule from current 18 games. Thus we will see 10 of the 13 conference schools at the RAC each year.

- Thus 7 of the 13 schools we will play twice each year and the balance of 6 schools once each year.

- 2 of the 20 conference games will be played in December (similar to this year) and the balance from Jan. 1 forwards.

- Rivalries will be protected and thus always play twice each year. The 3 rivalries that I am aware of are as follows: Indiana vs Purdue; Michigan vs Michigan State and Illinois vs Northwestern. Seem to be all in-state rivals.

- Regional Rivals will play each other 10 x over the next 6 years meaning you will play home and home in 4 of the next 6 seasons. For Rutgers, I would presume this would be Maryland and Penn State and thus we will have home and homes with them for 4 of the next 6 years and only play them once in 2 of the next 6 years.

- All Other Conference Matchups will occur 9x over the next 6 years meaning we will play the other 11 schools (excluding PSU and Maryland) twice in 3 of the next 6 seasons and once in three of the next 6 seasons as well.

 

[knights1212]

Phil, thanks for the information. Some of this was things I did not fully know.

 

[RU-ROCS]

Something tells me RU's seven games with home-and-home matchups will include the top 5 teams in the Conference. No conspiracy theory, just RU's luck when it comes to such things!

 

[DennisHajekRC84]

Geo and Thiam better hit the weight room extra hard...

 

[PiscatawayMike]

Geo and Thiam better hit the weight room extra hard...

...and the buffet line. :pizza::burger::fries:

 

[RURM85]

Assuming that an increase of in-conference games, from 18 to 20, means Rutgers plays 2 less OOC games, from 13 to 11, thus, not an increase in total number of games.

With lock-ins of the BIG - ACC Challenge opponent, Seton Hall rivalry and in some years a Big East opponent for the Gavitt games, that means 2 less cupcake games, although would not call Stony Brook or Hartford cupcakes this year due to the outcomes of the games.

 

[knights1212]

As far as I know the 11 OOC games will be much tougher next season. We are supposedly playing Fordham, Seton Hall & Massachusetts on the road. We should play on the road in the ACC-BIG Challenge which I hope is at Pitt. We also could play a Big East team in the Gavitt games. If we do we should have a home game as we were at St. John's in Nov 2015 and at Depaul in Nov 2016. We were not in the Gavitt games this past November. Nova and Georgetown were the two Big East teams not involved this past season so maybe we could get Georgetown at home. Either way the schedule will be much tougher with at least 4 of the 11 games on the road. U Mass and Fordham are both very small arenas.

 

[DennisHajekRC84]

As far as I know the 11 OOC games will be much tougher next season. We are supposedly playing Fordham, Seton Hall & Massachusetts on the road. We should play on the road in the ACC-BIG Challenge which I hope is at Pitt. We also could play a Big East team in the Gavitt games. If we do we should have a home game as we were at St. John's in Nov 2015 and at Depaul in Nov 2016. We were not in the Gavitt games this past November. Nova and Georgetown were the two Big East teams not involved this past season so maybe we could get Georgetown at home. Either way the schedule will be much tougher with at least 4 of the 11 games on the road. U Mass and Fordham are both very small arenas.

yeah, anyone thinking we're going to improve the record by leaps....yikes.

 

[RUChoppin]

yeah, anyone thinking we're going to improve the record by leaps....yikes.

Yeah, going to be a tougher road.

We get an extra conference home game, at least... and the odds have to be against us facing 4 of the Top 5 in the conference twice again (MSU, Purdue, Ohio St, Nebraska).

We may end up being a better team with the same (or worse) record.

 

[MGSA99]

There is no such thing as a cupcake game when we ARE the cupcake.

 

[PiscatawayMike]

We need to get toughened up. Next year's schedule will do that. I think the weak OOC slate this season hurt us more than helped us.

 

[Sideline20]

As far as I know the 11 OOC games will be much tougher next season. We are supposedly playing Fordham, Seton Hall & Massachusetts on the road. We should play on the road in the ACC-BIG Challenge which I hope is at Pitt. We also could play a Big East team in the Gavitt games. If we do we should have a home game as we were at St. John's in Nov 2015 and at Depaul in Nov 2016. We were not in the Gavitt games this past November. Nova and Georgetown were the two Big East teams not involved this past season so maybe we could get Georgetown at home. Either way the schedule will be much tougher with at least 4 of the 11 games on the road. U Mass and Fordham are both very small arenas.

I was hoping the B1G / ACC game would be at Pitt too but even though we have been projected at 14th forever the last 2 years we got Miami and Florida State. I suppose the B1G will give us another top 6 ACC team next year - figure at Va. Tech or at Louisville.

 

[Mr_Twister]

Can the fans on this board have some input on the officials for each game? Always a consideration around here.

 

[Duff366]

We need to get toughened up. Next year's schedule will do that. I think the weak OOC slate this season hurt us more than helped us.

Not sure I agree with this, we played 5 or 6 cupcakes at the beginning of the year and then played a really good game against Florida State.. then we played a couple more cupcakes and then beat Seton Hall.. then proceeded to lose to aforementioned cupcakes in Stony Brook and Hartford, then played Michigan State really tough. The cupcakes didn't hurt until we lost to the cupcakes.

 

[hinson32]

As far as I know the 11 OOC games will be much tougher next season. We are supposedly playing Fordham, Seton Hall & Massachusetts on the road. We should play on the road in the ACC-BIG Challenge which I hope is at Pitt. We also could play a Big East team in the Gavitt games. If we do we should have a home game as we were at St. John's in Nov 2015 and at Depaul in Nov 2016. We were not in the Gavitt games this past November. Nova and Georgetown were the two Big East teams not involved this past season so maybe we could get Georgetown at home. Either way the schedule will be much tougher with at least 4 of the 11 games on the road. U Mass and Fordham are both very small arenas.

Is the Mullens Center that small?

 

[PiscatawayMike]

Is the Mullens Center that small?

Not really... 9,500 capacity.

http://www.mullinscenter.com/


Rose Hill is dinky and old.

http://fordhamsports.com/sports/2013/7/17/GEN_0717130925.aspx

 

[RUChoppin]

Is the Mullens Center that small?

Web says it seats 9,493. So, bigger than the RAC, but smaller than every other B1G arena but Northwestern.

Fordham's Rose Hill Gymnasium seats just 3,200.

 

[bac2therac]

Not sure I agree with this, we played 5 or 6 cupcakes at the beginning of the year and then played a really good game against Florida State.. then we played a couple more cupcakes and then beat Seton Hall.. then proceeded to lose to aforementioned cupcakes in Stony Brook and Hartford, then played Michigan State really tough. The cupcakes didn't hurt until we lost to the cupcakes.

the cupcakes gave the team bad habits...playing at home all 13 non conference games led to bad habits.

 

[knights1212]

I don't know why I thought U Mass still played at the Cage. I'm glad the arena is over 9,000.

 

[RUChoppin]

I don't know why I thought U Mass still played at the Cage. I'm glad the arena is over 9,000.

Well, they changed to the Mullins Center in 1993... but the last time we played at UMass was in 1995. Looks like we've only played in the Mullins Center twice - 1994 and 1995. The Feb 6th game in 1993 looks like it was just two days after the Mullins Center opened, but it was held at the Cage.

 

[yellowlot]

Not really... 9,500 capacity.

http://www.mullinscenter.com/


Rose Hill is dinky and old.

http://fordhamsports.com/sports/2013/7/17/GEN_0717130925.aspx

I like rose hill, has character. would not want steady diet of it, but once in awhile those type of venues are great.

 

[PiscatawayMike]

I like rose hill, has character. would not want steady diet of it, but once in awhile those type of venues are great.

I agree. Rose Hill is historic and has a great atmosphere for hoops, whether it be college or high school ball.

 

[MGSA99]

The Mullins center is the house that Camby and Calipari built. See what cheating can get you?

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

the cupcakes gave the team bad habits...playing at home all 13 non conference games led to bad habits.

I don't know how fans or people arrive at this, but it is what it is....the team wasn't deep enough/nor talented enough to develop "bad habits"...there were a few new additions that were playing in Year 1 of big time basketball and learning and having some shots go through the basket, I think helped in the Florida State and Seton Hall games....also to a lesser extent both Michigan State games.

The team essentially ran out of gas/legs, but I didn't see any specific basketball habits, other than just not enough skill/playmakers. I think we all want to see better teams playing at the RAC, which is as simple as that....adding items that have nothing to do with who you played or didn't play, didn't factor into that equation for what I saw.

Next year we will hear the same things about the soft schedule, because Fordham and UMass are not planning to be towards the middle of the pack on the A10 and if we somehow drew Pitt on the road, we'll get killed for that as well.......they will be picked towards the bottom....so a bottom quarter B1G team will travel to 2 Bottom quarter A-10 teams, with better talent, but likely 4-5 newcomers (Mathis, Myles Johnson, maybe Strickland, Harper Jr and perhaps another frosh as well).

20 B1G games is more than enough evidence to figure out what players can improve upon, mixed with a Seton Hall or Georgetown etc....I don't see the fascination with a younger roster, playing this type of schedule in the OOC.....We traveled to Miami, Seton Hall, Fordham, Stony Brook last year and it was year 1....same habits from year 1 to Year 2??

 

[michstfr]

With regards to non-conference is Rutgers going to NOT play in a exempt Tourney next year??? Part of their RPI being over 200 is not merely the overall record it is the very poor non-conference schedule. That needs to change. I can understand trying to shield the team the last few years but at some point you need to step back into the real world and that means participating again in exempt pre-conference tourney's.

Georgetown is being hurt by this. Georgetown has had a decent conference year, 5 wins and a number of close losses. But their RPI is still over a 100 despite having just 1 non conference loss to Syracuse in OT. It is because they played a DREADFUL non-conference schedule outside of Syracuse. And they did it intentionally. They pulled out of the prestigious PK80 Tourney in Portland instead of potentially facing a field that included Michigan St, UNC etc. Ewing did it to protect his young team but I think he regrets it now. May cost them an NIT bid because of such a weak RPI and strength of schedule.

 

[RUChoppin]

With regards to non-conference is Rutgers going to NOT play in a exempt Tourney next year??? Part of their RPI being over 200 is not merely the overall record it is the very poor non-conference schedule. That needs to change. I can understand trying to shield the team the last few years but at some point you need to step back into the real world and that means participating again in exempt pre-conference tourney's.

Georgetown is being hurt by this. Georgetown has had a decent conference year, 5 wins and a number of close losses. But their RPI is still over a 100 despite having just 1 non conference loss to Syracuse in OT. It is because they played a DREADFUL non-conference schedule outside of Syracuse. And they did it intentionally. They pulled out of the prestigious PK80 Tourney in Portland instead of potentially facing a field that included Michigan St, UNC etc. Ewing did it to protect his young team but I think he regrets it now. May cost them an NIT bid because of such a weak RPI and strength of schedule.

Don't know if that would be in the cards for next year, but maybe.

Our OOC is already getting harder next year. We're trading two of our easier OOC games for conference matchups (1 home, 1 away) and adding two away OOC games. So, instead of having 11 home OOC games, 9 home B1G games, and 9 away B1G games..... we'll have 8 home OOC games, 2 away OOC, 10 home B1G, and 10 away B1G.

That's already a step up, so Pike might hold off another year on the non-exempt tourney.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

I think we should see where the recruiting lands this spring and what shakes out there before jumping the gun on what options we should take advantage of.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

20 B1G games is plenty of difficult games. For at least the next 2 years I don't see needing to formulate a schedule for NCAA tournament purposes.

What happens next if in year 3 Pikiell is 9-23?

Pencil (didn't say pen) in 4-16 in B1G. You better have 5 cupcakes to assure 10+ wins.