Winthrop at home since we went there for the bracketbuster as well

Wasn't sure if we would play them next year or the year after.

It used to be that the follow up game was mandatory for the next year, but last year they changed the rule so teams could schedule their follow up game in either of the next two years.

Four somewhat easy travel games for future home and homes I would like to see are WKU,EKU, YSU, and Evansville.  For you folks that want to look down on YSU, they are a Horizon team and that league kicked our arse this year.  Why we don't play CSU is just amazing to me.  We had a home and home awhile back, but that never led to a long term scheduling arrangement.

I personally took notice that our fan base does (and did) respond when we scheduled a namebrand team in the Convo.  Take for instance the Temple game this year.  It was Winter break, the typical crowd is terrible and the Convo was rocking.  I didn't take the time to look up the attendance, but it was really strong compared to most no-name brand Winter break competition.

The difficulty in getting top teams to come to a mid-majors home is well documented here and I'm sure most fans don't understand the art of scheduling (at least I don't).  But I think it would be nice to invest what money we do have in bringing in 1-2 namebrand teams per year to the Convo.  I would begin with looking through the mid/bottom third of all the ACC, Big East, Big 12, etc... and then go from there.  You may make 20 calls and get shut out everytime, but I hope if it's feasible, we're trying to get a name or two every year.  Heck, just one every once in awhle is nice.  Once again, what we proved this year was that even a name like Temple,got people a little more excited than say--well literally everyother non-conference team that came to the Convo this year. 

*"Hey Jim wanna come to the Walsh game?"  Nah
*"Wanna come to the Delaware game?"  Nah
*"Wanna come to the Texas A&M (Corpus Christi that is) game?"  Nah
*"Wanna come to the St. Francis game?"  Nah
*"Hey, Temple's in the top 25 and playing in Athens next week, interested?"  Sure

I think it brings electricity to the Convo and gives area fans who aren't big OHIO or MAC fans a reason to give us a try.  When we get them to come, they're typically impressed at the quality athletics available. 

Secondly, I hope that when we pick Holiday Tournaments/big name away games we pick one's as exciting as the Las Vegas Tournament.  However I do wish we'd stay away from Kansas and @Kansas for example.  Once again, I'd go for mid/bottom big conference competition where we stand a chance to be competitive vs. 56 point destructions.  Kansas, Duke, UNC, Pitt, Ohio State--let's just stay away from these games vs. Top 10 type teams and instead go no higher than Top 15-30 types.

Finally, and going against what I just said in point #2, I'd love to get WVU back on the schedule.  Great local flavor and a big name team.  We run into my thoughts on point #1 about they probably don't want/need to be coming to Athens, but with Jim's ties to Morgantown I hope he's trying to get a WVU, a Dayton, or a Xavier to do a 2/3 for 1 some time down the road.

Just some random pie-in-sky thoughts.

With the rule change I think we, like most, are electing to go two years out, so the Bracketbuster and return games makes for 1 home 1 away, rather than 2 home one year, then 2 away the next.

A loaded team like Marshall coming to Athens?  Why, they're better than anyone in the MAC!  How did we get such a huge program to come?

One of these schools beat a Final Four team.



But I largely agree with your post.

When is the switch to semesters?

Year after next.

Thanks.  I gather that there's a consensus that this will be good for both hoops and basketball--having students on campus for that big chunk of the foot and hoop seasons for which they are not now (quarter system with long winter break) on campus, so hurting student attendance for home games.

Reason #233 I'm glad you have nothing to do with the athletic department...