Article about Northwestern scheduling

[64NIT]

I want to present an excerpt from this article about Northwestern's scheduling and how it is affecting mid-majors.

Because the Big Ten has moved to a 20-game league schedule, B1G coaches have less flexibility in crafting their schedules. Given the Big Ten/ACC challenge and other early-season tournaments, it is challenging ??” and, in many cases, unwise ??” to schedule top mid-majors and other marquee non-conference matchups. So, in Northwestern??™s case, you can expect four lower-tier mid-majors to fill out Northwestern??™s schedule next season.

From a fan perspective, it isn??™t really exciting to see the Wildcats play the likes of Mississippi Valley State or Sacred Heart. But, with the upped number of conference games, it??™s inevitable. High-major teams need to rack up wins during the non-conference slate, and games against low competition provide opportunities for younger players to get experience and teams to develop a rhythm in the season??™s early months.

If this is the case for NU, it might be the case for other B1G teams and other high major conferences that are going to 20-game conference schedules. Such a position is going to put many mid-majors in a bind when it comes to scheduling high major teams. This will create a divide between the high majors and everyone else that will only get wider.

Here's the link to the entire article:

https://www.insidenu.com/2018/6/14/...all-schedule-big-ten-non-conference-2018-2019

 

[tornado]

this is hardly anything new or that we didn't see coming-
Georgetown has truly perfected the art of never scheduling any decent non-conference opponent - only cupcakes that guarantee wins
https://www.sbnation.com/college-ba...wn-basketball-schedule-2017-cupcake-city-baby

 

[Da Coach]

Here is a similar case- University of Iowa is pulling out of the yearly Hy-Vee Classic, using the excuse of their 20-game Big Ten schedule as the reason.
The Hy-Vee Classic has been played yearly in Des Moines at the Wells Fargo Center and pitted Iowa and Iowa State against Drake and UNI.
But it is well known that Iowa and Iowa State wanted to end the event, because too often they lost to the MVC schools.

Hy-Vee Classic to end after 2018, as Iowa announces it's pulling out
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/s...8-after-iowa-announces-pulling-out/702807002/

Hawkeyes opt out of Hy-Vee Classic, ending 8-year tradition
http://www.kcci.com/article/hawkeyes-opt-out-of-hy-vee-classic/21528799

 

[Mikovio]

I want to present an excerpt from this article about Northwestern's scheduling and how it is affecting mid-majors.



If this is the case for NU, it might be the case for other B1G teams and other high major conferences that are going to 20-game conference schedules. Such a position is going to put many mid-majors in a bind when it comes to scheduling high major teams. This will create a divide between the high majors and everyone else that will only get wider.

Here's the link to the entire article:

https://www.insidenu.com/2018/6/14/...all-schedule-big-ten-non-conference-2018-2019

This just places more importance on the exempt tournaments. May be our only shot at a B1G (like Penn State) until the postseason. Though I do think they're making a mistake. Nebraska and Penn State's bubbles popped last year and had 263 and 323 ranked noncon SOS's respectively. This goes to show B1G teams need the Q1 wins any way they can get them and can't just expect a good conference record to impress the committee. Maybe some day NW will see the value in picking up the phone when Loyola calls, even if it might hurt their pride.

The Big XII still has just 10 teams so they can't go to 20 games (yet).