Scheduling - 10 D1 Teams in Indiana

[Coach]

Just a thought - Here are the ten D1 teams in Indiana................................can't we get games with most of them either home/home, 2 for 1 or even a buy now & then? Cheap travel, maybe not even an overnight stay for some of them necessary and even a home/home in the same season to help scheduling for both teams (Ball State, IUPUI, Valparaiso) involved?

Ball State

Butler

Evansville **N/A MVC home/home already

Indiana

INDIANA STATE

IPFW

IUPUI

Notre Dame

Purdue

Valparaiso

 

[Bally #50]

Just a thought - Here are the ten D1 teams in Indiana................................can't we get games with most of them either home/home, 2 for 1 or even a buy now & then? Cheap travel, maybe not even an overnight stay for some of them necessary and even a home/home in the same season to help scheduling for both teams (Ball State, IUPUI, Valparaiso) involved?

Ball State

Butler

Evansville **N/A MVC home/home already

Indiana

INDIANA STATE

IPFW

IUPUI

Notre Dame

Purdue

Valparaiso

Don't hold me to it, but I think we have played everyone of those teams in the past five years or so. We played IU in a scrimmage only during that time but have played them multiple times in the past decade. I certainly would love to see us play some of those teams on a home and away basis like we do with Ball State but we know now that our chances of playing Butler like that again seem unlikely now they are in the A-10. Valpo wouldn't really hurt or help us and IUPUI and IPFW are "dangerous" for us because losing to them is so embarrassing when it happens. I am still angry about that horrible Tuesday lunch game a couple of years ago at Conseco (which we are going to do this year again at Banker's Life).

 

[treeman]

i think valpo would be a great addition to our schedule. there would be a lot of interest by the students because of friends that might attend valpo and the same could be said for the entire fan base. they have a good basketball tradition, low travel cost, and while they aren't a household name or anything they certainly are a respectable opponent. i have no interest in playing IUPUI or IPFW, most people probably think they are division II.

 

[Coach]

Just throwing out the home/home thing for discussion. Playing LA-Monroe home/home last season was an rpi killer & would have made a big difference if we had been in any kind of position to hope for an at large bid, which ultimately we were not, so the games did not mean anything to us even though both were wins. I know the road game was played to get Lathan on a court close to his home town & I applaud that but a home/home with Ball State or Valpo or maybe even IUPUI seems to make more sense for most seasons on a regular basis. All three of those teams have pretty solid seasons once in a while as do we.

 

[Bally #50]

I see your point, coach but we are already playing IUPUI and Ball State on a home, then away basis, so that leaves just Valpo in the conversation. As I said earlier, it doesn't hurt us or help us to play Valpo but they are solid and we have played them 2 times or so in the past five so I'd say it is already maybe in the works, or at least on an occasional basis.

 

[Sycamore Proud]

I see your point, coach but we are already playing IUPUI and Ball State on a home, then away basis, so that leaves just Valpo in the conversation. As I said earlier, it doesn't hurt us or help us to play Valpo but they are solid and we have played them 2 times or so in the past five so I'd say it is already maybe in the works, or at least on an occasional basis.

I'm pretty sure they feel that same way about playing us. I just don't see it happening on a regular basis. I'm guessing both camps feel a win is no big deal, but a loss is a bad loss.

 

[Bally #50]

Trust me, I feel a lot worse after a loss to IUPUI than a loss to Valpo. IUPUI almost seems like a D2 team as I think someone else had commented, so it worsens the whole situation when you can't beat them. If we play at Banker's Life, it at least feels a little bit better. I can see why Coach L. dislikes this part of his job. If we could afford to "buy" a couple of games at HC, it would make it easier on him, that's for sure. I am sure RP wishes he could do it too~

 

[bent20]

I don't remember a game against Valpo, but maybe it's just slipped from memory. For most fans, I don't think playing Valpo or IPFW really amounts to much. I'd be more for playing regional rivals on a regular basis, like Eastern Illinois. Scheduling isn't easy though. Just because they're in state doesn't mean they will want to play us.

 

[Bally #50]

Bent, I looked back 6-7 years and did not find a Valpo game. Either my error was a "senior" moment or the site was not correct as there were games missing on some of the schedules. Who knows. I remember playing up there, certainly within a decade but maybe I was dreaming it. We lost, at least in my head we did. HAPPY 4th by the way to all~

 

[Parsons]

Games against Volpo:
2001 71-54 H Lost
2002 81-56 A Lost
200359-53 A Lost
2004 70-68 H Won

I would play Valpo every year.

 

[Bally #50]

Thanks for finding that. The GoSycamores site went right to that year and quit. I knew we had several straight years with them somewhere along the line.

 

[4Q_iu]

Games against Volpo:
2001 71-54 H Lost
2002 81-56 A Lost
2003 59-53 A Lost
2004 70-68 H Won

I would play Valpo every year.

Agree! Would much rather play Valpo, ISU-Muncee, buttler than iupui or ipfw as part of the non-conf schedule

 

[Coach]

Valpo has a tiny gym but the point I was trying to make was for the Sycamores to make an effort to do a home/home in the same season with Ball State or Valpo like we did with LA-Monroe last season. Set it up for about a three year contract. The home team will usually be the favorite but as with any in-state games either team could sweep the other in a given season? Again cheap travel and could even use the visitor's conference officials for each game like is done for the BracketBuster games. Usually none of the teams be it ISU, Ball State or Valpo would be an rpi killer for each other.

The ISU-Butler series was a home/home in the same season for a few years back when Dave Schellhase was Sycamore coach. He told me it would be two easy wins each season............although it didn't become two easy wins for the Sycamores as planned?

 

[4Q_iu]

Valpo has a tiny gym but the point I was trying to make was for the Sycamores to make an effort to do a home/home in the same season with Ball State or Valpo like we did with LA-Monroe last season. Set it up for about a three year contract. The home team will usually be the favorite but as with any in-state games either team could sweep the other in a given season? Again cheap travel and could even use the visitor's conference officials for each game like is done for the BracketBuster games. Usually none of the teams be it ISU, Ball State or Valpo would be an rpi killer for each other.

The ISU-Butler series was a home/home in the same season for a few years back when Dave Schellhase was Sycamore coach. He told me it would be two easy wins each season............although it didn't become two easy wins for the Sycamores as planned?

I don't know if we need to play a home/home annually; I'd like an annual game with each.

As to Schellhase... Joe Sexson wasn't a bad coach and likely taught Schellhase a fair amount while in west laffy.
We were 3-2 vs Sexson at buttler; both losses (on the road) were close 5 in OT in Dec 1983 and a single point the next season.

 

[Bob Evans]

I really liked Schellhase and the up-tempo style. That had to be fun for the players and a good recruiting tool. 'Play here and you will easily score 15ppg'. ISU pulled the plug on him too fast to suit me.

For the teams in Indiana that won't schedule us, there are plenty of good teams in Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee who would be good additions. We wouldn't need to go to Wyoming, etc. to have a great schedule and institute some great rivalries.