Ball State MAC Challenge Opponent

[ZoomZoom]

Their top team that does nothing for UL or the league from a NET ranking perspective.

Yes, it’s a D-1 game. But nobody is going to confuse it with a SEC/ACC challenge game or needle mover.

Just two more games that solidifies the one bid league status of the MAC and SBC. Has nothing to do with any coach, it’s just where the leagues are in the food chain.

[Turbine]

Holy Toledo don't Buffalo me and dont tell Kent but we can have a Ball but we cant go Bowling in with MAC Challenge basketball.

ps WAM excluded

[Cajunsmike]

My point exactly. Their top team that does nothing for UL or the league from a NET ranking perspective. And this league went 12-12 vs an absolute pitiful basketball conf.

If we are satisfied with this, might as well schedule 28 non-D1's, save us the $$ and hope to win an auto bid.

This is what Coach Q was hired to lead the program beyond. One can only hope.

Coach Q has no say on the opponents chosen in the Challenge. Perhaps the league will move away from this going forward. As far as bad conferences go, I think 23 of the 31 leagues were bad conferences last year. That is the number that are one bid conferences.

[Cajunsmike]

Yes, it’s a D-1 game. But nobody is going to confuse it with a SEC/ACC challenge game or needle mover.

Just two more games that solidifies the one bid league status of the MAC and SBC. Has nothing to do with any coach, it’s just where the leagues are in the food chain.

What it does do is allow schools to get another home game against a D1 opponent. Probably the main benefit.

[VObserver]

What it does do is allow schools to get another home game against a D1 opponent. Probably the main benefit.

Agreed. The two challenge games and the conference schedule are beyond the control of the coach. I do fully expect to see a much stronger and more rewarding non-conference schedule moving forward.

[CajunSID]

The bigger picture, in my opinion, is where the Sun Belt is as a basketball league. It is borderline historically bad and it has been for too long.

Those basketball units are worth so much $$, and it seems like the only solution the league has continued to implement is a D1 home game.

Presuming the non-P4 schools get squeezed out of the football playoff and the NCAA basketball tournament expands (it will sooner rather than later), basketball remains vital to increased league revenue, sustainability and indiv school leverage.

And maybe I am wrong, but the mid-majors can still compete in a neutral site win or go home scenario every year despite NIL, transfer and other roadblocks.

[VObserver]

The bigger picture, in my opinion, is where the Sun Belt is as a basketball league. It is borderline historically bad and it has been for too long.

Those basketball units are worth so much $$, and it seems like the only solution the league has continued to implement is a D1 home game.

Presuming the non-P4 schools get squeezed out of the football playoff and the NCAA basketball tournament expands (it will sooner rather than later), basketball remains vital to increased league revenue, sustainability and indiv school leverage.

And maybe I am wrong, but the mid-majors can still compete in a neutral site win or go home scenario every year despite NIL, transfer and other roadblocks.

I agree completely with this; hence my extreme disappointment with our lack of urgency in trying to move to the PAC. Membership there would be a huge financial boost, would greatly enhance basketball recruiting, and would put control of our destiny back in our own hands. Even a 4th place finish in the PAC would possibly position us for an at large bid, provided our OOC schedule was tough enough.

[ZoomZoom]

The bigger picture, in my opinion, is where the Sun Belt is as a basketball league. It is borderline historically bad and it has been for too long.

Those basketball units are worth so much $$, and it seems like the only solution the league has continued to implement is a D1 home game.

Presuming the non-P4 schools get squeezed out of the football playoff and the NCAA basketball tournament expands (it will sooner rather than later), basketball remains vital to increased league revenue, sustainability and indiv school leverage.

And maybe I am wrong, but the mid-majors can still compete in a neutral site win or go home scenario every year despite NIL, transfer and other roadblocks.

I’m sure the benevolent NCAA is doing this to help the lessers. Follow the money.

The NCAA is reportedly in discussions to potentially expand the men's basketball tournament from 68 to 72 or 76 teams, possibly as early as the 2026 tournament. NCAA President Charlie Baker has confirmed these discussions with CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery, the media rights holders for March Madness. The expansion would likely involve an increase to either 72 or 76 teams, with 76 being the more favored option.
——-

Basically, the NCAA is probably using this to thin the 65+ and automatic lower NET seeds from the field.

[JamesTheJeweler]

We hire a new coach… we have genuine excitement about our program for the time in quite a while… and we’re already hearing beatching about the first game. It’s so depressing on here.

LoL! Dude Im definitely was one of the loudest critics of the program under Marlin. Unbearable probably. But man, I am as excited as I can get about our new coach! At this point, I don't care much about the schedule. That was already done before he got here. Im just ready to be back in the dome and see us kicking @$$!!!!!!

[Cajunsmike]

LoL! Dude Im definitely was one of the loudest critics of the program under Marlin. Unbearable probably. But man, I am as excited as I can get about our new coach! At this point, I don't care much about the schedule. That was already done before he got here. Im just ready to be back in the dome and see us kicking @$$!!!!!!

That is partially true. The MAC games, the conference games, the continuation of home and home series, and a couple of games which were negotiated by the previous staff are on the schedule. However there are a few games in which the current staff has had input on. I am guessing that number is 6. I have heard we will play 31 games due to participation in another MTE. Overall, the jeweler is right in that approximately 80 percent of this schedule had no input from the current staff.