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Post by willtalk on Aug 1, 2019 12:13:09 GMT -8
I would not be as hot about playing Gonzaga in the preseason. They are the type of team that overproduces in respect to their ratings. Some types of teams are just bad matchups. They type of teams you want to play in preseason are those that are hight enough to not drop your RPI, but low enough to supply the team practice to get the rookies and team into sync. You want them low enough so that they will not provide a major threat of an upset. You can add some higher rated teams toward the end of the preseason to provide some real competition, but they need to be the types of teams that are overrated or high enough that a loss to them will not hurt the teams RPI. Playing a few teams rated higher than you serves that purpose. It is a win and no loss situation. You have the potential for an upset while still not taking a major drop with a loss.
You want to be the team that pulls off the upset. Putting yourself in a position to be upset is what you want to avoid. Playing Gonzaga increases the chance of the latter while not even providing the opportunity of the former. The problem is that the higher you are rated the fewer team become available to create that sort of scenario, so you are stuck mostly with playing teams that are high enough to not drop you RPI, while still not representing a threat to upset you.
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Post by bvrbooster on Aug 1, 2019 12:50:01 GMT -8
So you want only teams in the Goldilocks zone? Not good enough to beat you occasionally, heaven forbid, but capable of keeping it within 10 or so? That way, you can tell recruits, "Besides playing in a very tough conference, you'll be competing on a national level against a bunch of lesser programs who don't realistically have a hope of matching up with us- kind of like playing one on one against your kid sister when you were 15 and she was 12. We'll play a different slate of patsies every year, and always at home, so that there will never be any chance of any sectional rivalries developing. We'll never play a Gonzaga, or any other school you might have considered, because we want to do everything we can to keep programs like that from developing even further."
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Post by 411500 on Aug 1, 2019 13:19:22 GMT -8
willtalk - I think I understand the mathematics of what you are getting at....
But what you suggest sure does not do much to arouse the competitive spirit. To excite the crowd. To feel the tension of facing a dangerous opponent..To generate memories.
College sports is a business, but it's not all business.
GO BEAVS !!
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Post by willtalk on Aug 4, 2019 13:04:33 GMT -8
Either I did not make my post clear enough or you guys did not read well enough. Notice I said that when playing teams close to your level, you want to play teams better than yourself so that your team is the one doing the upsetting. If you chose to play teams not close to you team in talent, then let it be the better lesser teams ( midrange ) not the ones on the bottom of the RPI. All in all, my formula requires playing better, not lesser teams.
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Post by 411500 on Aug 4, 2019 13:32:56 GMT -8
willtalk - I thought I read what you had to say pretty closely. Certainly more than "well enough."
Your post made some good points, I thought.
However, you started with: "I would not be as hot about playing Gonzaga in the preseason." And then went on to make your points in its regard.
My point is that even if playing Gonzaga doesn't make good sense by some measures it makes great sense by others. Namely, having a competitive opponent from near the neighbourhood. Playing a tough opponent for whom home and home would be quite do-able. Playing an opponent that could beat you on a given night.
Non-conference games with Gonzaga would be good for the Beavs, for OSU basketball, and good for Beaver fans on many levels....
No amount of RPI juggling or math dancing can get around it. Playing Gonzaga home and home every "preseason" could be a really great thing for OSU basketball.
If what I write doesn't make sense to you, I'd be glad to learn why.
GO BEAVS !!
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Post by nwhoopfan on Aug 4, 2019 16:40:05 GMT -8
Stanford has been playing Gonzaga semi regularly in OOC for years. Seems to be OK for the Card, so I don't see any reason it wouldn't be OK for the Beavs. 2 meetings in the Tourney give OSU and GU a bit of history.
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Post by bvrbooster on Aug 4, 2019 18:54:07 GMT -8
One other thought on it: If we played them home and away regularly, every other year we'd have at least one road game against a quality opponent who will have over 5,000 fans in the building. That's a great tuneup for conference play. Also, it's only a 7 hour drive, and Spokane's a pretty neat city. It would make a good event for a Rebounders road trip.
I really like the idea.
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