Very interested to see how marketing dept. handles Marietta game, couple differences between this year's game and when they visited in December 2011...

-This year's game being preseason makes it different from '11, which was in December in the middle of winter break, which brings me to a problem my friend had...

-Someone in the marketing dept. had the bright idea to sell O-Zone tickets to Marietta fans, who were occupying said seats. When the O-Zone started standing to do their usual in-game routine (which I'm told there was a decent crowd of about 30-40 OZoners, considering it was the middle of break), they were yelled at by the MC fans to sit down, and were eventually asked to do so by the marketing crew. When my friend talked to one of the marketing people post-game, he was told there was a mistake, and those tickets should never have been sold to MC fans in the first place. I think Brooks was still in charge back then (I'm not 100% sure), but only someone like him could've come up with this kind of bone-headed move. I knew Drake has cleaned up marketing's act by 1000000%, but I'm still very eager to hear what happens in November (because from personal experience, I can say the majority of MC fans are not the friendliest people in the world).

Just putting my two cents on that...

I don't know how long the ticket office has been doing this, but aside from the O Zone bleachers, all of the general admission student seating sections, including the upper bowl, are sold to the public during games when students are not on campus. I like to sit in the section between the O Zone and press row because it is general admission, it's a good vantage point for basketball, and I am among more involved fans. During last year's UMass and Kent games and the Marshall game two years ago, I have had people ask me to move because I was in their seats in those sections and they even showed me their ticket.

I would imagine the exhibition game will be handled like any other in-session game. Some Marietta fans can snatch up their small allotment and the rest will sit in any of the other public non-GA seats.

St. Bonaventure coming to town on December 6th.

Arkley tweeted Phillips is content with 29 games despite being allowed 31. They include 18 conference and 11 non-conference. Home vs. Appalachian State, Alcorn State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, UNC-Wilmington, Belmont and St. Bonaventure, away vs. Evansville and Florida Gulf Coast and three in Hawaii tournament.

here's how the non conference shakes out based on last year's RPI-

51 Belmont
94 St Bonaventure

148 @ Fl Gulf Coast

216 @ Evansville
267 AR Pine Bluff
282 UNC Wilmington

315 Alcorn St
336 Appalachian St


Diamond Head Classic (3 games)
4 Wichita St
29 George Washington
35 Colorado
49 Nebraska

154 DePaul
163 Hawai'i
180 Loyola Marymount

----------------------

compared to last year's schedule-

23 UMass
24 @ Ohio St
75 @ Richmond
80 Mercer

111 Northern Iowa
179 @ Oakland
192 Valparaiso

203 @ UNC Ashville
216 Evansville
221 @ Morgan St
275 Alabama A&M

337 Longwood

We all know there's a fine line between being passionate/rabid and being just rude and disrespectful. In many of my encounters, plus the way my friend described what happened, the Marietta fans involved clearly crossed that line.

By MAC standards, I think a home schedule that includes Belmont and St. Bonaventure is pretty darn good. Do some research on Belmont...they are an EXCELLENT basketball program. We can only aspire to get on the level that they have been at.

whoa, let's not get too carried away now. Belmont is a nice enough mid major but they're hardly a program we should aspire to be like.

True, they've been to the dance 6 times in the last 8 seasons, but they're also 0-6 during that stretch. Prior to that run they've had 0 tournament appearances. The rest of their post season history includes 1 CIT appearance (1-1) in 2009 and 2 NIT appearances in 2004(0-1) and 2014(2-1). Belmont wasn't even a D1 program until 1996 and has achieved most of their success in the Atlantic Sun Conference, a conference that is more low major than mid major. Belmont's average attendance last year was 2,719, compared to Ohio's 6,124. Beyond their recent string of earning the automatic bid from a conference weaker than the MAC I can't find a single reason why the Ohio Bobcats should aspire to be like the Belmont Bruins.

With that being said, I think they're a good team to schedule for non conference play. But let's not go crazy on the accolades.

Agreed.  I think playing them about every other year on a regular basis would be outstanding for both programs.  I'd be pleased as punch to be able to take a weekend road trip to Nashvegas to watch the Cats play at Belmont every 5 years.

St. Boneventure is NOT repeat NOT an excellent program.  18-15 last year overall 6-10 in conference, no postseason play.

Belmont IS a very good mid major program  Neck and neck with us. 

I will be very clear now.  There are no NAME schools that the casual fan can get excited about on this schedule.  I KNOW it is difficult to get a name school to Athens.  I KNOW the staff works hard at this, but they've got to redouble their efforts.

Example:  Does the staff know that Davidson has two kids from Central OH playing significant mins?.  One is Brian Sullivan from Upper Arlington...who's a pal of Stevie's.  During this past offseason, did the staff make a call down to McKillop (who, if you have not noticed, is doing lots of recruiting in our state) to say hey, we're only 75 mins from Columbus, lot's of folks from Cbus would come down here to see your two Columbus kids...

I can tell you Znidar at the Dispatch, and even possibly the CBus tv stations would have done a nice game preview featuring Stevie and Sully...

I have personally gone so far as to have a good friend of mine, who is close to UA Coach Tim Casey, ask Casey to make a phone call to McKillop about this possibility for next year, even tho Stevie will have graduated.  Would still be a better game than Alcorn State. 

Back to the "name" opponents debate....

The most obvious name opponent I'd like to have on any schedule is Marshall.

Really any mid-major (Davidson, FGCU, Northern Iowa, etc.) is not likely to create the "wow" factor among casual fans. Perhaps the year after a deep tournament run, but beyond that, I agree in that the shelf life is limited.

On the other hand, if we were to ever land Dayton or Xavier, I think the Convo might explode.

App State will be on Saturday, November 15 according to their athletics website.