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Braves to play at Northern Illinois this season

TheHeemyMonster said:
The only reason why I like this game is because it just gives me a reason to go up to Chicago and its actually a road game that I will be able to drive to. However I much rather see the Braves play a decent road game vs a top 100 rpi team and watch it on TV. This is no way shape or form is going to help us in any way get a bid to the NCAA's. Very dissappointing
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I'm certainly no expert on the RPI stuff. But NIU plays at Illinois and Illinois is rated #25 in one of the pre-season polls, posted in one of the threads I read here. We play NIU, Illinois plays NIU, hopefully we play Illinois in Las Vegas. The NIU game could be a big help to us in the RPI depending on how these games play out.
 
There's always value in playing in-state competition as it tends to cultivate recruiting opportunities...especially in the Chicago metro area. In addition, if BU can develop a relationship with NIU as it has with Loyola and Depaul over the years, it would be a scheduling coup as NIU's RPI gradually improves...
 
I know I'm not in P-town anymore so it really doesn't matter............... But I'd have NO interest in ever seeing Bradley play Northern. Bring on DePaul, Loyola, or St. Louis anyday.
 
NIU, SENO, SIU E'ville, Its all good, as long as we don't travel to play UW Plattville:!::badgrin:

I'm lost:!: Can someone please help me, my GPS is reading DeKalb is 70 miles west of Chicago, yet some are saying its in Chicago:? JK:lol:
 
Scheduling

Scheduling

This current scheduling situation is a great example of why we MUST have an AD with a basketball coaching background and good Div. I basketball networking contacts. Our Coach is a very busy guy---He has a trip to Brazil to organize and run, we are entering a prime recruiting time, and he has to be thinking about the upcoming season, etc. This leaves little time for the very time-consuming job of scheduling which should be one of the primary duties of the AD. I hope our President understands and accepts this because if she doesn't, we all can very likely look forward to years of weak schedules and "ho-hum" opponents.
 
We don't have a weak schedule, we have a top 25 schedule if we win the right games. Last year we were given the opportunity too, but we just didn't win the games. I don't want us to play all top 25 teams during the non-conference, no other teams do it. We've got the opportunity again this year, will we take it? And I'm sure whoever the AD is next year will schedule a couple big programs for us to play and give us another opportunity:) One of these years...... I hope it's this year.
 
Scheduling

Scheduling

BUR, I agree with you that our schedule has not been weak and that what we need is wins. While this years schedule could be very good with BYU, and possibly Illinois or Utah in the LV tourn., we also have some real "crips" on the schedule. Our first two home games in the LV Tourn. are not good. NIU is a lower level mid major and a W against them will be meaningless. Chicago games are great but somehow I feel we could do much better in Chi. with the large number of good opponents in that area. My real concern is that we not begin to have scheduling problems to the extent that we find ourselves in a poor schedule situation year after year. Our post season tournaments the last couple of years were awful and while they may have helped our W's, they weakened our overall schedule. They were "hyped" being big, but they were not. Again, in my view, the key to all of this is the AD. I wonder how much of our current scheduling "fell between the cracks" as a result of the KK and Interem AD situation. The Pres. needs to get off the dime and locate and hire a qualified AD for Bradley.
 
I don't disagree but Illinois is going to play the same two teams we do leading into Las Vegas so I guess you could say Illinois has a weak schedule too, Illinois is ranked #25 in one pre-season poll so lets see how we both do against them. But from what I've read here, the two teams we both are going to play, aren't too bad.

Regarding NIU: the way we've played on the road, I'll be happy if we beat them by a point or two. It's a good game:)
 
Scheduling

Scheduling

BUR- I know Ill. plays the same 2 teams in the LV Tourn. as we do. However, these are terrible games for a BCS school like Ill. and very likely could bite them later in the year if they are on the selection or seeding bubble. I cannot agree that NIU is a good game for us---we don't gain anything except perhaps some Chi. alum attendance. If our road play is as bad as last year or so bad that we can't beat NIU by more than 1 or 2, we are in for a long and very disappointing year again. Oh well- there are always meaningless post season tournaments we can get into.
 
Could become a "trap" game... Maybe after coming off an emotional high or emotional letdown in Vegas... then into DeKalb.
 
wizard said:
Again, in my view, the key to all of this is the AD. I wonder how much of our current scheduling "fell between the cracks" as a result of the KK and Interem AD situation. The Pres. needs to get off the dime and locate and hire a qualified AD for Bradley.
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wizard I am also questioning this game! I'm also of the school of thought that we could probably have scheduled a much better rpi school on the road then NIU. Is this due to the AD situation or is this just a typical scheduling problem. NIU does zero for us except bolster our record, I hope. Let's get either a seasoned AD or one tha can get this schedule of ours to the next level. We need a Gonzaga like schedule folks anything else is just like everyone else even close to the ISU schedule we critisized.
 
SFP said:
wizard I am also questioning this game! I'm also of the school of thought that we could probably have scheduled a much better rpi school on the road then NIU. Is this due to the AD situation or is this just a typical scheduling problem. NIU does zero for us except bolster our record, I hope. Let's get either a seasoned AD or one tha can get this schedule of ours to the next level. We need a Gonzaga like schedule folks anything else is just like everyone else even close to the ISU schedule we critisized.
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This game has NOTHING to do with the fact we have an interim AD.

We have a staff that is committed to get a game in the Chicago area every year. That has led to series vs. UIC, Milwaukee, and NIU. All of which have done very little for our RPI.

The AD does have somewhat of a say in the financial matters to balancing the overall athletic dept. budget. . .but do not believe for a second that one game indicates the lack of an AD has any relevant impact.
 
agreed, plus, likely this game is a result of actions taken by the prior AD anyway....as securing opponents has been going on a long time, and this game didn't just come about in the past few weeks
 
Let's face it guys until the AD question is resolved every decision will be scrutinize. Yes this could have been worked on prior to KK leaving but I'm sure KK has the connections to have at least turned a lot of stones over to try and create a favorable schedule. Also I was just questioning playing NIU and what do we really get out of going there. Playing up in Chicago is great but it really only helps if we play a team that gets media attention. How much media attention does NIU get up there? They are also not located that close to Chicago.

BTW does anyone know what we are doing about our AD situation. Besides playing BYU and the LV tourney our schedule is very average. We cannot compare our non-con schedule with Illinois because they have a much better conference schedule that they can count on. We need to start scheduling like the Gonzaga's and Memphis of college basketball win or lose. We have a decent rpi where most top teams would not mind playing us on their court. We need to start taking those chances. 20 win seasons do not do to much for me if the schedule is average. I'd rather not win 20 and play some top 20 teams not just one or two a season at best. We need to start walking the walk if we want to be one of the premier non-BCS schools.
 
I don't think we scheduled Milwaukee, it was a return game from the Bracket Buster. For those who think we have a weak home schedule, this is a good one compared to the mid-70's. Back then if your school name began with St., as in Ambrose or John's you had a good chance of playing in the fieldhouse. Shows how loyal BU fans are. We show up no matter who we play.
 
Scheduling wasn't as important in the 1970's as it is today.

We did not schedule Milwaukee, but it was an opponent we handpicked, for the sole purpose of the road game.
 
The only time BU should play WIU, EIU, SIUE or NIU is on our terms and in our arena, there is absolutely no reason to ever visit any of those schools arenas. This game with NIU is nothing but an opportunity to have an extremely bad lose that might only be corrected by winning the MVC or the tourney.

This is the exact type of game that gives any selection committee a real and valid reason to avoid BU as an atlarge with a lose, but it does absolutely nothing with a win. Playing this game in DeKalb makes no sense, and that includes the fact it is over 70 miles to the west in the middle of nowhere from Chicago.

If I had season tickets I would be very upset with the non conference home schedule.. I understand the Vegas tourney but Idaho State? The overall RPI of our non conference schedule will end up being average but the eye test of who we play is not real strong other then the Vegas trip and those only become great if we can win BOTH games.
 
I dont know how we can expect to not play any "bad loss" teams on the road and then expect that a decent or good BCS team will come play in Peoria.
 
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