Scheduling Q&A

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mlaprey
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Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by mlaprey »

Good afternoon everyone - thought with today's schedule release, it would be a fine time to do our annual Q&A on all things scheduling, etc.

First off, we are very happy with the non-conference schedule as it is currently constructed. We looked at trying to fill the slate out with teams we know will be at the top of their league. Asheville, Charleston, Iona, Nevada, and FGCU should all be picked to win their conference. Providence, Alabama, and the three teams at Barclays will all be NCAA tourney-level teams. And we are still working on that last game that fits in with our scheduling philosophy.

It should be another record year for TV appearances. We are on ESPN eight times already (ties the record), and that's with the Mountain West and SEC yet to release their clearances... Including this coming season, we will have made 23 regular season appearances on ESPN. From 2006-15, we made 10. CBS Sports Network also has eight of our games and NBC Sports Network one.

A little disappointed that our first A-10 TV game isn't until the 4th game of the conference slate, especially with two Saturday games, but throughout the rest of January through March, we have an outstanding schedule of national TV games thanks to the league partnerships.

Still working on a local TV package for our games that aren't picked up nationally. Those games will also be streamed via the A-10 Network in a much-improved production format that won't involve me plugging my computer into the scoreboard matrix.

Fire away with questions - I'll answer everything I can.

Thanks,
Mike
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ramster
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by ramster »

Thank you Mike,
Very nice job on the schedule.
The obvious question that will come your way is who is the other team that we will play in the preseason NIT? Rumor on the board here has frequently mentioned Oakland City. When will we know who that team will be? And why is the NIT so late in announcing it? What happened to FDU who we thought was in at one time?
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ramster
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by ramster »

Do you see the A10 playing another similar conference in the future during the OOC Game schedule? Some talk here has been about matching up with the AAC for example. Thoughts?
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by Rhody15 »

What are the chances we pick up the one additionnal non-conference game? Also, any idea if it would home or away?
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RF1
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by RF1 »

I have the following scheduling questions and would appreciate it if you add your inside take:

Maximum allowed 31 games
There are only 29 games (11 OOC and 18 A-10) listed as of now. It is my understanding that with the NIT Tip=Off being an exempt tournament, URI could have up to 31 games. You mention in your post that one additional game is still being sought. What gives? Is URI playing four NIT Tip-Off games as are most of the other tournament participants? What games are part of the tournament (my assumption is that three of them are UNC-Asheville, vs SHU, and vs UVa/VU). If URI has refused to play non D1 Oakland City as Bill Koch is reporting (which I am personally pleased if the case), why then did URI not get an outside fourth tournament game as appears to be the case with Seton Hall playing FDU (Knights play no other tournament games)?

Buy games
What are the one time home buy games (my assumption is that Charleston and Iona may be buy games)?

Holy Cross series
You posted last year that this series was a 2-1 with the middle game being at the DCU Center in Worcester in 2017. That is not the case with this released schedule. Does URI still owe HC a Worcester DCU game? Will it be played next year when according to form URI would also be playing at Brown and at PC?

H&H series
Other than the normal Brown and PC, please confirm the other current H&H series (my assumption is Alabama, Nevada, and FGCU), Will they be returned next year? Rothstein had earlier reported the FGCU return game may be in 2019-20 after a one year hiatus.

2018-19 Tournament
Many tournaments a year from now are already announcing lineups. Opposing teams such as PC, GW, VCU, and Dayton have been announced for tourneys next season. Any news for URI? Can you minimally confirm that URI is far along in negotiations for a tournament?

Easier Scheduling
Many have assumed that a successful season winning the A-10, making the NCAA Tournament, and advancing to the 2nd round would make scheduling a bit easier for URI. Was this actually the case? With the Big Ten and ACC going to 20 game league schedules and thus eliminating many possible OOC game possibilities, what is the future scheduling outlook for a school such as URI outside the P5?

Odds of getting a local TV partner to supplement national network TV games
There are eleven games that presently have no TV and this number could rise if any games are added to the schedule. The former arrangement with COX was great for Rhode Islanders. I understand that COX however made the decision to pull the plug at a late date just before last season started. ASN (formerly part of WJAR parent Sinclair) however was an additional TV partner last year for the league and some of their produced games were picked up locally by outlets such as MyRITV and MeTV. I would think however that local options may not be inclined to actually produce the games on their own. Do you therefore think it is likely that more URI games will be shown locally?



Thanks.
Last edited by RF1 6 years ago, edited 15 times in total.
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TruePoint
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by TruePoint »

Mike - excellent of you to do this. It is great outreach on the part of the athletic department to come directly to the fans and engage in a discussion, and we always greatly appreciate it.

Wondering if you could handicap the odds of filling the last open slot in the schedule with a team that fits the scheduling philosophy, and possibly elaborate a little about how the team prioritizes playing the max number of games versus playing the types of games that will best fill out the resume for March (i.e., how would the program view a choice between scheduling a game against a team expected to have a bad RPI and having one less game than the maximum permitted)?
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reef
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by reef »

What time do you think the PC game will be on Dec 2 ??
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by RhowdyRam02 »

Thank you for taking questions, it's always appreciated. What are the possible game times for Friday at Barclays? What were the biggest differences coming up with the schedule off of a tournament appearance? What surprised you in the process?
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mlaprey
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by mlaprey »

ramster wrote:Thank you Mike,
Very nice job on the schedule.
The obvious question that will come your way is who is the other team that we will play in the preseason NIT? Rumor on the board here has frequently mentioned Oakland City. When will we know who that team will be? And why is the NIT so late in announcing it? What happened to FDU who we thought was in at one time?
We are only playing one home date as part of the NIT Season Tipoff. There were a few scheduling snags along the way with the tournament that ESPN and the schools involved tried to overcome. There was no single team that was going to fill the field that could have played us and Seton Hall, so they were able to find an additional team to play SHU as part of the event. With our games on Nov. 13 and 19, we opted to not try to shoehorn another game into that week. ESPN - who runs the NIT Season Tipoff along with several other tourneys - were extremely accommodating in tough scheduling circumstances.
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by mlaprey »

ramster wrote:Do you see the A10 playing another similar conference in the future during the OOC Game schedule? Some talk here has been about matching up with the AAC for example. Thoughts?
Huge fan of this concept. We're going to need it, when all of the football leagues go to 20 conference games.
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mlaprey
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by mlaprey »

Rhody15 wrote:What are the chances we pick up the one additionnal non-conference game? Also, any idea if it would home or away?
Working on closing up that last game; I'm hopeful by the end of the week but still some hurdles to clear. Likely a non-home game.
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by mlaprey »

RF1 wrote:I have the following scheduling questions and would appreciate it if you add your inside take:

Maximum allowed 31 games
There are only 29 games (11 OOC and 18 A-10) listed as of now. It is my understanding that with the NIT Tip=Off being an exempt tournament, URI could have up to 31 games. You mention in your post that one additional game is still being sought. What gives? Is URI playing four NIT Tip-Off games as are most of the other tournament participants? What games are part of the tournament (my assumption is that three of them are UNC-Asheville, vs SHU, and vs UVa/VU). If URI has refused to play non D1 Oakland City as Bill Koch is reporting (which I am personally pleased if the case), why then did URI not get an outside fourth tournament game as appears to be the case with Seton Hall playing FDU (Knights play no other tournament games)?

We can play a max of 30. Could have been 31 if we had two home games from the NIT Season Tipoff. I covered the extra game issue in another post. Asheville will be our lone home game.

Buy games
What are the one time home buy games (my assumption is that Charleston and Iona may be buy games)?

Our buy games are Asheville (via the NIT tournament), Holy Cross and Iona. We flip-flopped away and home dates with Holy Cross and will visit the DCU Center next season.

Holy Cross series
You posted last year that this series was a 2-1 with the middle game being at the DCU Center in Worcester in 2017. That is not the case with this released schedule. Does URI still owe HC a Worcester DCU game? Will it be played next year when according to form URI would also be playing at Brown and at PC?

We'll be at DCU next year.

H&H series
Other than the normal Brown and PC, please confirm the other current H&H series (my assumption is Alabama, Nevada, and FGCU), Will they be returned next year? Rothstein had earlier reported the FGCU return game may be in 2019-20 after a one year hiatus.

Alabama and Nevada come to the Ryan Center next year; we travel to CofC, Providence, Holy Cross and Brown; we return FGCU in 2019-20.

2018-19 Tournament
Many tournaments a year from now are already announcing lineups. Opposing teams such as PC, GW, VCU, and Dayton have been announced for tourneys next season. Any news for URI? Can you minimally confirm that URI is far along in negotiations for a tournament?

URI is in discussions for MTE's through 2021-22. We have one set for next year but we take our cue from the tourney organizers for announcements.

Easier Scheduling
Many have assumed that a successful season winning the A-10, making the NCAA Tournament, and advancing to the 2nd round would make scheduling a bit easier for URI. Was this actually the case? With the Big Ten and ACC going to 20 game league schedules and thus eliminating many possible OOC game possibilities, what is the future scheduling outlook for a school such as URI outside the P5?

Scheduling as a quality A-10 team is difficult across the board. We had a few more opportunities and a few more schools willing to engage, but also had a few schools add a four-letter word before saying "no." 20-game league slates will eliminate so many of the precious chances to schedule up. Our reputation for a team that is well-coached, well-prepared, and hyper-competitive scares off a lot of teams. I had a coach tell me "we know you're good, we know you can come in here and beat us, and our fans won't understand."

Odds of getting a local TV partner to supplement national network TV games
There are eleven games that presently have no TV and this number could rise if any games are added to the schedule. The former arrangement with COX was great for Rhode Islanders. I understand that COX however made the decision to pull the plug at a late date just before last season started. ASN (formerly part of WJAR parent Sinclair) however was an additional TV partner last year for the league and some of their produced games were picked up locally by outlets such as MyRITV and MeTV. I would think however that local options may not be inclined to actually produce the games on their own. Do you therefore think it is likely that more URI games will be shown locally?

We're working on closing up a local/regional TV partner. Hope to have that buttoned up shortly.



Thanks.
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mlaprey
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by mlaprey »

TruePoint wrote:Mike - excellent of you to do this. It is great outreach on the part of the athletic department to come directly to the fans and engage in a discussion, and we always greatly appreciate it.

Wondering if you could handicap the odds of filling the last open slot in the schedule with a team that fits the scheduling philosophy, and possibly elaborate a little about how the team prioritizes playing the max number of games versus playing the types of games that will best fill out the resume for March (i.e., how would the program view a choice between scheduling a game against a team expected to have a bad RPI and having one less game than the maximum permitted)?
We want to play the max. Last year we didn't, but had 30 regular season games. Would like to reach 30 again, but want to make sure that the last game fits our plan. We want to have one of the top non-conference SOS in the country. Right now, we have so many opponents that are going to be favored to win their league or right up there among the top 2-3. The four teams at Barclays might be the best neutral site quartet in *any* MTE this year. Nevada is going to be arguably the best matchup between non "power" conference teams all season.

It's September so we're inclined to get this last game done yesterday.
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by RF1 »

Thanks for answering my questions. Very disappointed that the NIT Tip-Off could not provide URI an acceptable fourth tournament game as it did with the special accommodation for Seton Hall. I guess per the organizers, we should feel fortunate at our level to have gotten three good games. This setback makes getting that last game very crucial for NCAA Tournament consideration. I would think you are looking at another home opponent.

I would think with your four confirmed road games next year (@PC, @ Brown, @Charleston, and @ DCU Center vs HC) that URI will not be looking for additional road games for that season. I don't relish your task of having to get quite a few home games next season (only have Alabama and Nevada locked in as of now).
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by theblueram »

RF1 wrote:Thanks for answering my questions. Very disappointed that the NIT Tip-Off could not provide URI an acceptable fourth tournament game as it did with the special accommodation for Seton Hall. I guess per the organizers, we should feel fortunate at our level to have gotten three good games. This setback makes getting that last game very crucial for NCAA Tournament consideration. I would think you are looking at another home opponent.

I would think with your four confirmed road games next year (@PC, @ Brown, @Charleston, and @ DCU Center vs HC) that URI will not be looking for additional road games for that season. I don't relish your task of having to get quite a few home games next season (only have Alabama and Nevada locked in as of now).
Based on the new formula set by NCAA, I would think we would want at least 1 more top road game next year.
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theblueram
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by theblueram »

Mike
my question is how will scheduling change going forward now that the NCAA has de-emphasized the RPI and increased the value of Top 50-75 road games? It's tough to get those in conference, since the number of opportunities are limited.
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Unread post by RF1 »

theblueram wrote: Based on the new formula set by NCAA, I would think we would want at least 1 more top road game next year.
Based on recent practice, I don't think URI wants to play FIVE road games. I would think there will minimally be two neutral site games as part of the MTE tournament Mike alluded to and would think we would be looking at possibly another neutral site game in a somewhat close venue such as in the NYC area or at Mohegan Sun.
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by CT Rhody »

theblueram wrote:Mike
my question is how will scheduling change going forward now that the NCAA has de-emphasized the RPI and increased the value of Top 50-75 road games? It's tough to get those in conference, since the number of opportunities are limited.
Yes would love to hear Mike's insight on how this adjustment by the NCAA is changing their scheduling strategy?
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Unread post by CT Rhody »

I love how Mike does that, another thing the program is doing to reach out to their fan base and seperate themselves from other programs.

Here are my questions
1) As you might answer on an earlier post, impact of new NCAA valuation guidelines on URI's schedule strategy and was that change well received within the program?
2) Dan publically wasn't happy playing three road games last year, how did you talk him into playing four next year?
3) Great insight on scheduling coming off a tournament bid, do you foresee that getting any easier with sustained success?
4) Are you pursing a 2 for 1 with regional but projected top 150 RPI programs to save on buy games? If so, do programs want to do 2 for 1's or are those too hard to get for where the program currently stands within the landscape?
5) When if ever do we see the Uconn's, Boston College's, Harvards, etc back on the schedule? Seems strictly from a financial and travel standpoint a no-brainer but obviously much more variables go into it.

Thanks Mike
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by reef »

Great job Mike answering our questions and you do an outstanding job

Looks like the scheduling is in great hands

We are building something special here at URI and we should dominate the top of this conf the next 5 years or at least as long as DH stays here
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Unread post by steviep123 »

Mike, thanks for doing this and for all your hard work.

Here's my question: I was at the Evening with Dan Hurley event a few months ago in Boston. In speaking with the AD Thorr Bjorn at the event, he mentioned URI was in negotiations for a potential neutral site match up with "an opponent we'd be excited about" likely at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island. Is this still being worked on?
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by Taylor Swift »

reef wrote:What time do you think the PC game will be on Dec 2 ??
I'm hoping for late afternoon/evening. I still have last year's schedule up at my desk at work, and last year's game at the DDC was at 4:30. I believe last time it was at the RC it was a 7/7:30 game?
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by RhowdyRam02 »

Yes, your recollection of the 2015 game sounds right to me. That was an ESPN game
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by wpbrown8267 »

yes, the 2015 game was at 7p, that place was rocking! If we had EC that year we would have beat them

You all remember this -
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mlaprey
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by mlaprey »

theblueram wrote:Mike
my question is how will scheduling change going forward now that the NCAA has de-emphasized the RPI and increased the value of Top 50-75 road games? It's tough to get those in conference, since the number of opportunities are limited.
The new NCAA calculations definitely favor playing road games versus quality opponents. A road game in column 1 can be top 75, while a home game has to be top 35...big difference. Once the NCAA settles on a new metric, which will take into account all of the different data points, then I think the new calculations will be a big improvement.
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by mlaprey »

CT Rhody wrote:I love how Mike does that, another thing the program is doing to reach out to their fan base and seperate themselves from other programs.

Here are my questions
1) As you might answer on an earlier post, impact of new NCAA valuation guidelines on URI's schedule strategy and was that change well received within the program?
2) Dan publically wasn't happy playing three road games last year, how did you talk him into playing four next year?
3) Great insight on scheduling coming off a tournament bid, do you foresee that getting any easier with sustained success?
4) Are you pursing a 2 for 1 with regional but projected top 150 RPI programs to save on buy games? If so, do programs want to do 2 for 1's or are those too hard to get for where the program currently stands within the landscape?
5) When if ever do we see the Uconn's, Boston College's, Harvards, etc back on the schedule? Seems strictly from a financial and travel standpoint a no-brainer but obviously much more variables go into it.

Thanks Mike
1. The impact will, in my opinion, be felt more when the new metric(s) are in place. This year the new valuations came out after 75% of our schedule was done, which I thought was a bit too late to roll out for 17-18.
2. We played a challenging schedule and three of those games - Valpo, Providence, Houston - were decided by four possessions. Nothing's done in a vacuum. Our games next year will also be tough, but that's the MO going forward.
3. God, I hope so...many teams from perceived larger schools or football conferences will still be leery about potentially taking a loss to an A-10 school, but the more our program elevates on the nation stage, the more the scheduling process *should* be easier.
4. 2 for 1's are rare. Prior to the Holy Cross series, I think our last 2/1 was BC. Like everything, a 3-year series needs to make sense.
5. Local rivalries/matchups are always great to have on the schedule. We've had a great relationship with Harvard for preseason scrimmages but have not had mutual dates to play in the regular season. Other teams throughout the region, we've had conversations with all of them. Or have at least tried to...
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by mlaprey »

steviep123 wrote:Mike, thanks for doing this and for all your hard work.

Here's my question: I was at the Evening with Dan Hurley event a few months ago in Boston. In speaking with the AD Thorr Bjorn at the event, he mentioned URI was in negotiations for a potential neutral site match up with "an opponent we'd be excited about" likely at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island. Is this still being worked on?
That particular game fell through. And yes, it would have been an exciting opponent...sorry.
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by mlaprey »

Taylor Swift wrote:
reef wrote:What time do you think the PC game will be on Dec 2 ??
I'm hoping for late afternoon/evening. I still have last year's schedule up at my desk at work, and last year's game at the DDC was at 4:30. I believe last time it was at the RC it was a 7/7:30 game?
Waiting to hear back from CBSSN on tip time - they're the ones who make that call.
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by CT Rhody »

mlaprey wrote:
CT Rhody wrote:I love how Mike does that, another thing the program is doing to reach out to their fan base and seperate themselves from other programs.

Here are my questions
1) As you might answer on an earlier post, impact of new NCAA valuation guidelines on URI's schedule strategy and was that change well received within the program?
2) Dan publically wasn't happy playing three road games last year, how did you talk him into playing four next year?
3) Great insight on scheduling coming off a tournament bid, do you foresee that getting any easier with sustained success?
4) Are you pursing a 2 for 1 with regional but projected top 150 RPI programs to save on buy games? If so, do programs want to do 2 for 1's or are those too hard to get for where the program currently stands within the landscape?
5) When if ever do we see the Uconn's, Boston College's, Harvards, etc back on the schedule? Seems strictly from a financial and travel standpoint a no-brainer but obviously much more variables go into it.

Thanks Mike
1. The impact will, in my opinion, be felt more when the new metric(s) are in place. This year the new valuations came out after 75% of our schedule was done, which I thought was a bit too late to roll out for 17-18.
2. We played a challenging schedule and three of those games - Valpo, Providence, Houston - were decided by four possessions. Nothing's done in a vacuum. Our games next year will also be tough, but that's the MO going forward.
3. God, I hope so...many teams from perceived larger schools or football conferences will still be leery about potentially taking a loss to an A-10 school, but the more our program elevates on the nation stage, the more the scheduling process *should* be easier.
4. 2 for 1's are rare. Prior to the Holy Cross series, I think our last 2/1 was BC. Like everything, a 3-year series needs to make sense.
5. Local rivalries/matchups are always great to have on the schedule. We've had a great relationship with Harvard for preseason scrimmages but have not had mutual dates to play in the regular season. Other teams throughout the region, we've had conversations with all of them. Or have at least tried to...
Great info Mike, thanks for posting. I am curious however, the A-10 has been a top 5-7 conference in terms of annual bids over the last decade or so, why does the perception of the league never seem to align with the results of the league? My take is due to the bottom feeder programs namely Duquesne and Fordham substantially hurting the league but what's your take on that?
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rambone 78
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by rambone 78 »

Looks like we will have a 5th road game to fill out the schedule.

Announcement this weekend?
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by Rhody15 »

rambone 78 wrote:Looks like we will have a 5th road game to fill out the schedule.

Announcement this weekend?
Could be a neutral site. When I asked if he could provide any details on that last game, his response was, "Working on closing up that last game; I'm hopeful by the end of the week but still some hurdles to clear. Likely a non-home game."
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by steviep123 »

mlaprey wrote:
steviep123 wrote:Mike, thanks for doing this and for all your hard work.

Here's my question: I was at the Evening with Dan Hurley event a few months ago in Boston. In speaking with the AD Thorr Bjorn at the event, he mentioned URI was in negotiations for a potential neutral site match up with "an opponent we'd be excited about" likely at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island. Is this still being worked on?
That particular game fell through. And yes, it would have been an exciting opponent...sorry.
Any chance of that being revisited/tried again for a future season? I'm guessing you can't say who the opponent is, but it would be great to know!
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by bigappleram »

CT Rhody wrote:
mlaprey wrote:
CT Rhody wrote:I love how Mike does that, another thing the program is doing to reach out to their fan base and seperate themselves from other programs.

Here are my questions
1) As you might answer on an earlier post, impact of new NCAA valuation guidelines on URI's schedule strategy and was that change well received within the program?
2) Dan publically wasn't happy playing three road games last year, how did you talk him into playing four next year?
3) Great insight on scheduling coming off a tournament bid, do you foresee that getting any easier with sustained success?
4) Are you pursing a 2 for 1 with regional but projected top 150 RPI programs to save on buy games? If so, do programs want to do 2 for 1's or are those too hard to get for where the program currently stands within the landscape?
5) When if ever do we see the Uconn's, Boston College's, Harvards, etc back on the schedule? Seems strictly from a financial and travel standpoint a no-brainer but obviously much more variables go into it.

Thanks Mike
1. The impact will, in my opinion, be felt more when the new metric(s) are in place. This year the new valuations came out after 75% of our schedule was done, which I thought was a bit too late to roll out for 17-18.
2. We played a challenging schedule and three of those games - Valpo, Providence, Houston - were decided by four possessions. Nothing's done in a vacuum. Our games next year will also be tough, but that's the MO going forward.
3. God, I hope so...many teams from perceived larger schools or football conferences will still be leery about potentially taking a loss to an A-10 school, but the more our program elevates on the nation stage, the more the scheduling process *should* be easier.
4. 2 for 1's are rare. Prior to the Holy Cross series, I think our last 2/1 was BC. Like everything, a 3-year series needs to make sense.
5. Local rivalries/matchups are always great to have on the schedule. We've had a great relationship with Harvard for preseason scrimmages but have not had mutual dates to play in the regular season. Other teams throughout the region, we've had conversations with all of them. Or have at least tried to...
Great info Mike, thanks for posting. I am curious however, the A-10 has been a top 5-7 conference in terms of annual bids over the last decade or so, why does the perception of the league never seem to align with the results of the league? My take is due to the bottom feeder programs namely Duquesne and Fordham substantially hurting the league but what's your take on that?
I'm a big homer but there is no time in the last decade that the A10 has been considered a Top 5 or 6 league...even before the P5 and NBE we always have been more in the 7-8 range. There is a fairly significant dip within those couple spots in terms of resources, infrastructure, history, etc.
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mlaprey
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by mlaprey »

steviep123 wrote:
mlaprey wrote:
steviep123 wrote:Mike, thanks for doing this and for all your hard work.

Here's my question: I was at the Evening with Dan Hurley event a few months ago in Boston. In speaking with the AD Thorr Bjorn at the event, he mentioned URI was in negotiations for a potential neutral site match up with "an opponent we'd be excited about" likely at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island. Is this still being worked on?
That particular game fell through. And yes, it would have been an exciting opponent...sorry.
Any chance of that being revisited/tried again for a future season? I'm guessing you can't say who the opponent is, but it would be great to know!
Got a better one for 18-19...
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sf2010
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by sf2010 »

mlaprey wrote:
steviep123 wrote:
mlaprey wrote:
That particular game fell through. And yes, it would have been an exciting opponent...sorry.
Any chance of that being revisited/tried again for a future season? I'm guessing you can't say who the opponent is, but it would be great to know!
Got a better one for 18-19...
That's a brutal tease considering you can't actually tell us about it for another full year :lol:

Good news is we have a lot of winning to do between now and then. Thanks for your great work on the schedule, and the transparency in coming here to answer some questions.
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by ElmCityRhody »

would 18-19 begin w/ a ""U" and end w/ a "N" and have "CON" in the middle per chance ?
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by steviep123 »

mlaprey wrote:
steviep123 wrote:
mlaprey wrote:
That particular game fell through. And yes, it would have been an exciting opponent...sorry.
Any chance of that being revisited/tried again for a future season? I'm guessing you can't say who the opponent is, but it would be great to know!
Got a better one for 18-19...
Is this better one confirmed or working on? If confirmed, then great!!! If working on, then good luck and hope you land it!
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by CT Rhody »

bigappleram wrote:
CT Rhody wrote:
mlaprey wrote:
1. The impact will, in my opinion, be felt more when the new metric(s) are in place. This year the new valuations came out after 75% of our schedule was done, which I thought was a bit too late to roll out for 17-18.
2. We played a challenging schedule and three of those games - Valpo, Providence, Houston - were decided by four possessions. Nothing's done in a vacuum. Our games next year will also be tough, but that's the MO going forward.
3. God, I hope so...many teams from perceived larger schools or football conferences will still be leery about potentially taking a loss to an A-10 school, but the more our program elevates on the nation stage, the more the scheduling process *should* be easier.
4. 2 for 1's are rare. Prior to the Holy Cross series, I think our last 2/1 was BC. Like everything, a 3-year series needs to make sense.
5. Local rivalries/matchups are always great to have on the schedule. We've had a great relationship with Harvard for preseason scrimmages but have not had mutual dates to play in the regular season. Other teams throughout the region, we've had conversations with all of them. Or have at least tried to...
Great info Mike, thanks for posting. I am curious however, the A-10 has been a top 5-7 conference in terms of annual bids over the last decade or so, why does the perception of the league never seem to align with the results of the league? My take is due to the bottom feeder programs namely Duquesne and Fordham substantially hurting the league but what's your take on that?
I'm a big homer but there is no time in the last decade that the A10 has been considered a Top 5 or 6 league...even before the P5 and NBE we always have been more in the 7-8 range. There is a fairly significant dip within those couple spots in terms of resources, infrastructure, history, etc.
It's not about being a homer or not, it was preferenced with annual NCAA bids, those are facts, not opinions. Anybody have exactly where we rank in that category?
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by scine20 »

I know (or assume) that this is decided by the conference and TV networks but are you guys disappointed that you have zero weekend games in February and March? I've never heard of a school playing zero weekend games in that time frame. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if URI is the only school in the country not to play a weekend game after January.
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by RF1 »

scine20 wrote:I know (or assume) that this is decided by the conference and TV networks but are you guys disappointed that you have zero weekend games in February and March? I've never heard of a school playing zero weekend games in that time frame. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if URI is the only school in the country not to play a weekend game after January.

Not when URI will play four straight Friday nights in February on ESPN2. The program will get FAR more national exposure playing on ESPN2 on slow Friday nights than busy Saturdays on less watched outlets.

Feb. 2 Fri. at VCU Siegel Center ESPN2 B101 7 p.m.
Feb. 9 Fri. Davidson* Thomas M. Ryan Center ESPN2 B101 7 p.m.
Feb. 16 Fri. at St. Bonaventure * Reilly Center ESPN2 B101 7 p.m.
Feb. 23 Fri. Dayton* Thomas M. Ryan Center ESPN2 B101 7 p.m.
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scine20
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by scine20 »

RF1 wrote:
scine20 wrote:I know (or assume) that this is decided by the conference and TV networks but are you guys disappointed that you have zero weekend games in February and March? I've never heard of a school playing zero weekend games in that time frame. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if URI is the only school in the country not to play a weekend game after January.

Not when URI will play four straight Friday nights in February on ESPN2. The program will get FAR more national exposure playing on ESPN2 on slow Friday nights than busy Saturdays on less watched outlets.

Feb. 2 Fri. at VCU Siegel Center ESPN2 B101 7 p.m.
Feb. 9 Fri. Davidson* Thomas M. Ryan Center ESPN2 B101 7 p.m.
Feb. 16 Fri. at St. Bonaventure * Reilly Center ESPN2 B101 7 p.m.
Feb. 23 Fri. Dayton* Thomas M. Ryan Center ESPN2 B101 7 p.m.
I understand all that. I'm just surprised that there's no weekend games after January.
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by RF1 »

scine20 wrote: I understand all that. I'm just surprised that there's no weekend games after January.

It may not be typical but it is certainly a very good sign that ESPN thought so much of URI hoops to want to televise it on four straight Fridays.
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by RhowdyRam02 »

I'm confused scine20, my liver and I have always considered Friday night part of the weekend, a more fundamental part of the weekend then Sunday in fact. Please explain
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by reef »

Agree much more exposure on Friday nights in Feb . We will have the spotlight which is great
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by ATPTourFan »

Easier for me to get to games on Friday night. Happy about that.
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by CT Rhody »

Think about all the bars that show ESPN Friday nights accross the country, the visibility will be priceless for the program.
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by RF1 »

CT Rhody wrote:Think about all the bars that show ESPN Friday nights accross the country, the visibility will be priceless for the program.

Friday nights in February have far fewer sports events happening than the a Saturday day and or night during that month. Fridays are a big NBA night. Some NHL games. Small number of college basketball on Fridays with it limited mostly to smaller leagues like the Ivy and MAAC that are not on tv. Big night for college hockey in some regions (NE and MW) but they typically are not televised in big numbers.

Saturdays in February have a lot of games in nearly every sport being played all day long. NBA, NHL, NCAAA MB, NCAA MH. Many tv outlets, including non sports networks televise these games throughout the day.

If URI were to play on a Saturday, it would have far more tv sports competition and the game would likely be on a low tier tv outlet such as the regional CBS Sports Network. Not many would have access to viewing the game and with so much else to watch would choose to if they could. A URI 7pm friday night game would likely be about the only college basketball game on a national network. Furthermore, most all cable systems bundle ESPN2 to most of their customers. With less sports televised on a Friday night and URI on ESPN2, it will get far more eyeballs. It gets even better when you consider that Rhody is on every February Friday at 7pm for four straight weeks.
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by NYGFan_Section208 »

yes, but to scine's point....aren't you bummed/frustrated/disappointed/whiny/crying/miserable/offended/sad/mad/feeling singled out/isolated/picked on... about no games on Saturday in February? because it sounds like you should be? :lol: :lol: :lol:

(I actually think this is better...no problem getting to the Fri night games at home and the away games will be something decent to watch on Friday night...and then as a bonus...will get to pick and choose from all that is on on Saturday...total win win.)
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theblueram
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Re: Scheduling Q&A

Unread post by theblueram »

I'm actually not a fan of saturday night games. I missed so many two years ago due to scheduling conflicts. Love Friday night games though!!!
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