Since 1983-84, we've had one season with 20 wins. Read that sentence a few times then tell me we should hold to a higher standard of scheduling than Syracuse University.
We finally get to be like Syracuse (non-conference schedule announced)
- Thread starter Local Shill
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You're overreacting. The worst attendance in 30 years? It will probably be the best in the past 5 years, people just want to see the team win. You think people were excited to go see a 7-25 team play a good non conference team? No way. More people will be interested in a winning team beating inferior teams by 40 than losing by 40.
I will certainly go to more games if they win. I don't want to see them lose games against good teams.
22 games is a lot to ask from season ticket holders....ticket prices are lesser but package is higher because of the ridiculous number of games
Ummm, no all of the "big boys" do not do the same thing. But it hardly matters, as we're not one of them.
Look, there should be a limit to how embarrassing it has to be. One decent non-conference game is not too much to ask. In overall philosophy, I have no objections, but to carry it out literally to every available slot on the schedule ... just a bit much. (Actually, not nearly enough.)
Again, don't care about RPI, but giving the fans something to look forward to and giving the players a measuring stick and hoping for something to get us noticed in December all count, too.
Look, there should be a limit to how embarrassing it has to be. One decent non-conference game is not too much to ask. In overall philosophy, I have no objections, but to carry it out literally to every available slot on the schedule ... just a bit much. (Actually, not nearly enough.)
Again, don't care about RPI, but giving the fans something to look forward to and giving the players a measuring stick and hoping for something to get us noticed in December all count, too.
Having 22 home games alone is enough to kill the average attendance. Combine that with the fact that most of them are against nobody opponents in November and December makes it almost a lock that my prediction will be accurate. Of course, I can expect some laughably inflated announced attendance figures so we shall see what the administration is actually comfortable releasing. People aren't stupid. Beating weak low major competition is not going to be enough to get people to pay good money on a Wednesday night in November to watch a team that even the coach obviously has no faith in.
I am sure the big ten home and away game in early December is the excuse to not schedule another road game, year one and year two you can get away with a schedule like this...by next year we better be in some pre season tournament, and have a more competitive home slate, even with a younger roster that will probably be less competitive
People are again missing the point....there are two B1G conference games in early December mixed in with Florida State and Seton Hall in mid December. ...if those two December games are on the road in the B1G, it creates a tougher early season than what people believe or want to account for....it's not out of the question that even if one of the two B1G games is home, that it's not going to be a challenge.
We are not in RPI/BPI mode to be figuring whether the schedule is good enough for a post season bid like the NIT or NCAA's, so I'm fine with the schedule, especially with 4 of the top 9 healthy or likely players not having played any major basketball (Johnson, Baker, Mensah and likely Doucoure).
I don't think we should penalize the program, given that we don't know and aren't likely to know what those two games look like.
We are not in RPI/BPI mode to be figuring whether the schedule is good enough for a post season bid like the NIT or NCAA's, so I'm fine with the schedule, especially with 4 of the top 9 healthy or likely players not having played any major basketball (Johnson, Baker, Mensah and likely Doucoure).
I don't think we should penalize the program, given that we don't know and aren't likely to know what those two games look like.
Some just like to complain. Seton Hall & Florida State both made the NCAA last year. We also will have two BIG games in the first week of December and at least one will be on the road. Just 16 months ago we finished a 7-25 season. Pikiell wants wins to build confidence. I don't blame him one bit. I assume moving forward future OOC schedules will be tougher. I will be at every home game as usual. If people do not want to attend it is their choice. I'm sure there will be many offers to get people to attend.
I remember people here getting excited when we received a vote for top 20 early last year. Let's win games, get the excitement moving forward after a better then expected season last year.
Down the road a couple years we can address the schedule. Last year was an enjoyable season for us, we won games early.
Down the road a couple years we can address the schedule. Last year was an enjoyable season for us, we won games early.
Most students that come to watch games don't follow the team closely. They hear from their friends how well the team is doing and join to go watch. Wins can create good atmospheres. Granted blow outs can get boring but Rutgers is not yet the kind of team that will blow out ooc teams consistently. We need this schedule at his point in time.
The Big Ten has said that it will be one home game and one road game for each team.
unfortunately though it works the opposite too...team gets off to great start due to cream puff schedule and everyone sets unrealistic expectations and talks top 25 (totaly ridiculous when this happened last year) and the team wins 3 or 4 conference games when reality sets in. I see the exact same thing happening this season
students do not go to games until the post Christmas break Big 10 season starts...that was proven last year, they may attend the first game in large numbers but besides SHU and maybe FSU you will see an empty student section until late January
As long as we see the same brand of basketball. It was fun watching the team last year (first time in years). If we see some improvement and player development to go along with the hustle and fundamentals then I am ok with it. The process has begun, as we all know there are no quick fixes here. Once it happens (success in recruiting etc) it will be an explosion.
The scheduling strategy of easy out of conference games was meant as a means to have a winning season .This is very important to break a decade cycle of losing seasons and to create a positive perception with top tier recruits.Fan reaction from 2000 season ticket holders wasn't a consideration because attendance for most November and December games at the RAC have been poor for a long time.
Colonel: There is overwhelming evidence that people are, in fact, stupid.
They'll never do it, but what they should do is make one or two of those games free to season ticket holders.
Sorry Colonel Rutgers, I missed your reply last night.
First of all, I don't feel like I'm "blindly" trusting anyone. My trust is based on what I've seen and heard over the past year and a half. Speak to me in five years and maybe my trust will have been proven to be misguided, I really don't think it will.
With regard to your statement that the schedule is evidence of "giving up before the season starts," I think a good argument can be made that exactly the opposite is true. Last year's team learned to compete, gained experience in close games and gained confidence during the non-conference season. I think it bore dividends in the conference campaign as the team was much more competitive than I expected, that's evidence to me. Yes, we are in the B1G not the NEC, there will be plenty of tests when we get to the conference slate.
We are trying to build a program basically from scratch. Ultimately, the success of the program and our long term attendance will be based on a consistent, high-level product on the court, that may not happen overnight.
In the meantime, I'm sure we could boost attendance in the short term by scheduling some bigger name opponents, I don't see how that really helps us build the program.
Those of us who have been going to games for decades (most of the board) can attest to this.
Couldn't agree more. Huge part to a rebuilding program. Get excitement going again..
Let the good times roll.
1/2 price hot dog night. No wait, the dogs aren't that good. Free hot dog nite. [cheers]
For us old codgers who were around when the RAC first opened, the hot dogs nowadays are way better than they were in early 70's. They boiled them, and I have yet to meet anyone who thinks boiled hot dogs are edible.
WHICH IS BETTER THAN.......
scheduling a decent OOC which could easily leave us 6-7 and risking losing the team and ultimately finishing 9-23 and effectively ending the Pikiell regime.
Look, Pike has been around and he will know when it's best to schedule up for the type of team he has. If he had a team of his own 3rd and 4th year guys, I guarantee we wouldn't see a schedule like this.
Like the schedule, personally. We're not at a place yet where we're ready to start ramping up the difficulty. Let's get this team some confidence, work in the new pieces, and get a nice head of steam rolling into the conference schedule. After Pike/Co. have boosted the overall roster's talent level and depth through recruiting, then we can start looking toward taking on some more challenges.
Outside of season ticket holders, no one is really going to remember or care in a couple of years who we played in 2017-18. They'll only care about the win total. Rutgers needs to get off of the mat and string together some 15+ win seasons to start changing perceptions.
Outside of season ticket holders, no one is really going to remember or care in a couple of years who we played in 2017-18. They'll only care about the win total. Rutgers needs to get off of the mat and string together some 15+ win seasons to start changing perceptions.
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The overall average ranking of this year's schedule vs. last year's kenpom was is 125.1... whereas the teams we played last year finished the season with an average ranking of 123.9.
We won all 13 games last year against teams that finished worse than 100th, and play 14 games this year against teams that finished last year worse than 100th.
The question is how we'll do against the teams ranked 65-100. Last year, we went 2-4 against those teams, and this year we again have 6 games against teams that finished in that range.
We won all 13 games last year against teams that finished worse than 100th, and play 14 games this year against teams that finished last year worse than 100th.
The question is how we'll do against the teams ranked 65-100. Last year, we went 2-4 against those teams, and this year we again have 6 games against teams that finished in that range.
This is a five-year building project, so I'm OK with the 2017-18 schedule... with one exception. We should have scheduled a game at MSG due to the fact the B1G tournament will be played there this season. It would have benefited the team to have played a game there before the tourney gets underway.
Syracuse plays Kansas, Maryland, Georgetown, Connecticut, Iona (NCAA last year), Oakland (NIT last year) OOC this season, so even if Rutgers scheduled a few more real games, it would not be at a higher standard than Syracuse. However, like usual, all of SU games are in New York except Kansas which is a neutral site game.
Overall revenue may increase or it may not. I suspect that more than a few STHs on the fence each year will drop out rather than pay for four more meaningless games. $$$$
Right now the Orange has a program that will get good programs willing to go to Syracuse because of its stature .Also has a fanbase that will fill up the Carrion Dome making other programs want to put their teams in environments like that before their conference games start.
Let Syracuse's fortunes decline and that will end.
But Syracuse does have G-Town (a shell of what it once was 29-36 for last two years)
Maryland ( quality still)
UConn ( Jimmy V Classic opponent being held at at MSQ)
Kansas (HoopHall Miami Invitational )
and Iona ( a pretty good program but a game that can't be claimed as against a top program)
Wouldn't claim such a great OOC, but being invited to those tourneys is something and the other OCC opponents I didn't gush over but won't claim unworthy of being considered a fairly good opponents.
Rutgers isn't the type of program to get OOC opponents willing to hit the RAC, for one the attendance at the RAC isn't a reason for top programs from other conferences to schedule OOC games there and RU MBB hasn't earned ( yet) the type of respect to have top programs want their players have a taste ( in a road game) of the type of competition they might find post season before their conference season starts.
Exactly. At the end of the year all anybody remembers is your record. This is what you do while building a program. Football is doing it all wrong with that schedule. 3 top 5's in the 1st 5 games is a recipe to get your head kicked in and incur mounting injuries. They should have bought that UW game out and scheduled lighter.
Once you get better, schedule tougher opponents. Nothing wrong with this schedule at all. It's what others do while building to become competitive. You have to start somewhere. If we have a winning record at the end of the year that's all anybody's going to remember.
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Not saying it will happen, but wins against the "cupcake" home games might just give RU a better chance for a winning record, one good enough for a NIT bid.
Not only Syracuse this was also Pitt's m.o. for the Jamie Dixon years. They got fat every fall on bottom feeders and mid majors in the OOC.
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