I admit that I am a bigger football fan than I am a basketball fan. I have only casually followed the basketball program since graduating in 89. The last few years I have attended several games each year. This topic has probably already been thoroughly discussed but what has happened to the level of play in the MAC?
The MAC gets very little respect nationally. As far as Group of 5 football conferences, are we the worst basketball conference? I know several FCS football conference schools that are superior to the MAC in basketball.

Screw RPI

Sun Belt 6-13 NCAA tourney record since 2007

CUSA 14-14 NCAA tourney record since 2007

MAC 3-10 NCAA tourney record since 2007 (all Ohio wins, Go Cats!)

Both CUSA & Sun Belt have been multi-bid leagues multiple times in that time frame too. MAC hasn't in this century.

You can't argue with the truth. RPI has never been Ohio's friend. In multiple sports, if Ohio had a respectable RPI that was in the ball park for a invite, Ohio has been left out. Unless Ohio wins the MAC tournament, they will left out no matter what the winning percentage or RPI is.
Accept it, believe it, bank on it.

I think the overall asnwer is the MAC focused its limited resources on football success and basketball has suffered as a result.

I'll add that the best three MAC basketball programs the last 10 years (Ohio, Akron, Buffalo) didn't really schedule like programs that wanted at large bids. Especially Akron. Dambrot was completely secure and could have been much more aggressive scheduling.

Sort of on that train of thought, if a MAC basketball program made a concerted effort to recruit players out of Atlanta, Memphis, etc - they might be surprised how many they could get interest from and really good ones at that.

100 programs added? Please quantify.

My own interpretation of what I have heard and read over the years is that top Division 1 teams have always been wary about scheduling MAC teams, and to definitely avoid playing them at their own home arenas. It also appears that the emphasis on coaches these days is to try to pad your winning percentage early, which might explain the reason that certain challenging situations are avoided in the early part of the season. Is it my imagination, or has the out of conference scheduling become pretty dull and uninspired in recent history in terms of the Bobcats themselves? I am also curious about the logistic and expense of becoming more involved in early season tournaments.

This is spot on. Akron NEVER scheduled like they should have during the Dambrot era ... and it ultimately cost them a couple of years where they could've got at-large consideration. It's an epidemic in the MAC (scheduling that is)

It could be the case. On the flip side, if the MAC would knock the number of "required" home games down by two, we'd see more road games of greater interest to the general fan base - at least based on the conversation on here. And, it's assumed that those games might make the program a little bit of spending money. Knowing the economics of this would actually be pretty cool. It could explain a lot of the "why are we scheduling this team or that team" questions. The other explanations would come from the other teams being unwilling to play us, or play us when we want to play them.

But that MAC Mandate changing a little would be a step in the right direction.

How many of the CUSA wins were Memphis. How many are teams that are still in the conference since the AAC poached them?

Good thing for you, you're getting two name brands in this year's schedule, and maybe more if they can beat Clemson.

Ha . I'm just going to grab a bag of 🍿 popcorn and see how this one goes

Monmouth got hosed that year .... and their league was baaaaad.

I'm guessing if Monmouth scheduled like that every year .... had similar results every year .... that they would eventually break thru.

Nobody had heard of Monmouth...so that probably didn't help.

But it wasn't that long ago that a lot people had never heard of Gonzaga or Wichita State or Butler for that matter.

Those teams didn't grow into really strong, national college basketball programs by playing Alabama A&M, Prairie View, Coppin State and NW Ohio every year.

I'm not saying Ohio is going to turn into a Top 25 program by scheduling better. But they sure as hell would pump some excitement into the program if they scheduled some teams our causal fans may have heard of ... or that some of our more hardcore fans actually respected.

And heavens forbid....if the stars aligned and they actually ripped off a 11-1 non-conference season .... maybe.....JUST MAYBE....they'd be in line for to join the at-large discussion with a good MAC season.

It will NEVER happen with the way they schedule now.

So your solution is to just quit trying? Ok...let's just schedule the entire SWAC and MEAC and play one road game at DePaul each year and get excited!