I used to think exactly the same way you did. In football, I totally agree. The difference between Division 1 and 3 is light years in difference. In basketball, I don't believe the gap is all that far from the bottom of Division 1 and top teams in D3. I watched A LOT of Division 3 basketball last year and came away very impressed by the overall quality of basketball played.

I don't think that's true. Division II Findlay defeated Ohio State in an exhibition game a few years ago. I know II and III are different (scholarships being the key). Ohio State was not a powerhouse that year, but Findlay was not a powerhouse D-II team either. They won the national championship last year, however. But it does show that the talent differential isn't that huge from one level to the next.

There are a fair number of athletes who pick a D-III school over a D-I school. One I know of is Greg Micheli, who led Mount Union football to the national championship game three times as quarterback (and he was the punter as a freshman). He got offers from FCS schools but passed on them because of Mount Union's tradition and because of academics. Every year, there are D-III players who get drafted into the NFL. It's rarer in the NBA, but there are very good D-III basketball players who certainly could play D-I.

And even if that weren't true, what's the difference if we play Marrietta or if we play Norfolk State? To me, we're likely to draw slightly better attendance by playing Marrietta and it won't hurt the RPI. There's a place on the schedule to go up against a team you're probably going to blow out, and to me, that's a best-case scenario for filling that kind of role on the schedule.

Now I do agree I'd like to see a slightly better overall schedule, but this one game in particular isn't the issue.

But OCF, college basketball scheduling is light years different than it was during Coach Snyder's tenure.  There is very little grounds for comparison, IMO.  Money (television) plays a much great role today. 

Groce has to schedule in the space occupying the distance between a rock and a hard place while those two things are slowly coming together. It's almost a minor miracle we've been able to avoid playing schools like Marietta on a yearly basis.

No, Jeff.  We should be able with ease to do whatever our fanbase desires, however rational or not the fanbase's expectations may be.

Just because they play quality basketball doesn't mean they can beat us or other D1 teams.   Pretty much any kid that can get on a D1 roster goes that route...That means 3,000 kids were picked before these guys.  I know the top recruits don't always turn out to be the best players, but it is OK to admit that these teams are inferior and every D1 team should pound them and be disappointed if they don't.  Talking up the D3 opponent as if it would be acceptable to lose to them is not necessary...McKinney.

On the topic of "We have become what we hate"...I see what you are saying to a certain extent, but I think the great majority wants to see a good mix.  Like I proposed earlier in the thread, I would like to see our OOC schedule split up evenly by 3 categories, programs bigger/better...programs similiar...and programs smaller/worse. 

You sir just effectively ended no less than TWO Jeff McKinney post next season about the strength of DIII teams.

Might have to make this quote my new signature...Make it last!

Oxford Tech, for one.  And that's a crying shame.

Here's the most recent past schedule posted on their horrible not-up-to-date web site.  It's from 2009-10.  This is the worst OOC scheduling in the MAC?  In D-1? We better start looking in the mirror, before we cast stones like that.

I have to agree. My point has been that the program should have Marshall, Duquense, West Virginia, Pitt and Ohio State on the basketball schedule yearly to convince local fans that we are a legit D1 program. After that if we want to play the little sisters of the poor at home it doesn't really matter. Miami already has Xavier, Dayton, UC, Wright State on the schedule. They are going overboard on the schedule with Kentucky, Colorado and New Mexico. There is no point of having the schedule too strong but this isn't football either where 2 extra wins makes a difference in getting into a bowl game. A similarly weak hoop schedule can't be justified especially when there are 12-14 non-con games these days. With such a large non-conference there is no reason why the program isn't playing at least 3 BCS schools a year on the schedule. If the program loses all 3 it doesn't really hurt anything but if the team can win 1 or 2 games that helps immensely with post season selection and seeding.

Why play Duke, UCLA, or Kansas when you have in an 8 hour driving radius Indiana, Purdue, Ohio State, Pitt, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisville, Maryland, Georgetown, Syracuse UVA, North Carolina. Playing 3 schools on the road at that level along with a prestigous preseason tourney would be good for the recruiting and the fans. Then play better to have solid mid majors at home through bracketbuster for 2 more quality names yearly.

Imagine if the schedule was Louisville, Georgetown, North Carolina, Marshall, Old Dominion(BB), Witchita State(BB), and then lets say in a tourney we play Santa Clara, Hawaii and USC. The other 5-6 games could be tune ups at home against low majors. The formula maybe is 3 regional BCS schools on the road, a pretigous tourney, Marshall, and good home and return bracketbuster opponents. This year we are looking at only 1 BCS school in Louisville, Marshall, and a medicore return bracketbuster game. Granted we are hurting ourselves even more by losing to low majors in the Convo but eitherway the schedule Is not strong enough.