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  • Slive on basketball scheduling

    by
    LarryVaught1
    Published on 07-16-2013 02:49 PM
    9 Comments Comments


    Speaking of scheduling, I want to take a moment to comment on SEC men's basketball. The fact that the SEC has won three of the last eight NCAA men's basketball championships, has two schools represented among the top 10 that have won multiple men's basketball championships, and is third in the number of championships won by a conference, does not offset the fact that last year men's basketball season did not meet our high expectations.

    So to focus more directly on men's basketball from a conference perspective, last week we announced the appointment of Associate Commissioner Mark Whitworth to the newly created full‑time position of director of men's basketball.

    In this role, Mark will serve as liaison with our coaches, oversee the tournament, prepare the conference schedule, work closely with our media partners in matters pertaining to men's basketball, and coordinate non‑conference scheduling.

    At the same time we have asked Greg Shaheen, former NCAA vice president for men's basketball, to consult with the conference and our member institutions about non‑conference basketball scheduling. As I said in Destin, no one of our institutions is an island. Whatever one of our institutions does with scheduling affects all of us.
    1. Categories:
    2. Basketball
    Comments 9 Comments
    1. UKHistory's Avatar
      UKHistory - 07-16-2013, 02:28 PM
      And with Kentucky's scheduling, it brings great visibility and frankly sets the bar for the rest of the SEC to take on a more national presence against quality opponents.

      The home schedule is weaker than many would like for UK--both last year and to a lesser degree this year. UK may be an island but it the needle and other SEC teams should look to copy what we do.
    1. KSRBEvans's Avatar
      KSRBEvans - 07-16-2013, 02:36 PM
      Glad to see them including Shaheen, who knows his stuff. The conference is going to have to provide some incentive for good (or penalty for bad) scheduling. What teams are doing now really puts them, as well as other conference teams, at a disadvantage for at-large selection. As we've discussed before, teams can upgrade their OOC schedules without being completely exposed as shams.
    1. UKHistory's Avatar
      UKHistory - 07-16-2013, 03:49 PM
      What I don't want to see is the SEC focus solely on increasing home attendance and revenue by going to a round robin for the sole purpose of ensuring at least one sell out crowd with UK on the schedule.

      It might work for football to be so insulated but it doesn't work in basketball. Especially if the league is average or below average as has been the case at times.
    1. MickintheHam's Avatar
      MickintheHam - 07-16-2013, 07:49 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by KSRBEvans View Post
      Glad to see them including Shaheen, who knows his stuff. The conference is going to have to provide some incentive for good (or penalty for bad) scheduling. What teams are doing now really puts them, as well as other conference teams, at a disadvantage for at-large selection. As we've discussed before, teams can upgrade their OOC schedules without being completely exposed as shams.
      The day for having weak SEC basketball schedules is over!! With the SEC Network we now have more advertising slots to fill than ever. I f Kentucky is playing Longview, Ole miss better be playing a Top 10 team. Even Cal will feel some pressure from Whitworth to improve the pre season schedule. We are the bell cow and will have to carry the conference until this others come up with prime time games.
    1. dan_bgblue's Avatar
      dan_bgblue - 07-16-2013, 08:15 PM
      I guess the Cats could mirror the OOC schedule that Bama has in football this season. VaTech, Georgia St, and Chattanooga. The only reason they have VaTech on the schedule is they are playing them in the Chik-Fil-A ickoff game to start the season.
    1. MickintheHam's Avatar
      MickintheHam - 07-16-2013, 09:59 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by dan_bgblue View Post
      I guess the Cats could mirror the OOC schedule that Bama has in football this season. VaTech, Georgia St, and Chattanooga. The only reason they have VaTech on the schedule is they are playing them in the Chik-Fil-A ickoff game to start the season.
      You can't fault Saban on the schedule. His first game every year has been a National TV blockbuster. UA v. Michigan last year was nothing to sneeze at. Wait til he goes to Ireland to play Notre Dame in a few years. That will be a real blockbuster and a major TV ratings moment!
    1. BarristerCat's Avatar
      BarristerCat - 07-16-2013, 10:03 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by MickintheHam View Post
      You can't fault Saban on the schedule. His first game every year has been a National TV blockbuster. UA v. Michigan last year was nothing to sneeze at. Wait til he goes to Ireland to play Notre Dame in a few years. That will be a real blockbuster and a major TV ratings moment!
      Plus, even if you consider that to be poor OOC scheduling, it's clearly not hurting SEC football.
    1. KSRBEvans's Avatar
      KSRBEvans - 07-16-2013, 10:21 PM
      The football teams can afford to have some weak sisters in the OOC because the conference is such a meat grinder. The opposite's true for basketball.

      Still, you can game the RPI. If the NCAA is stupid enough to keep using it, the SEC should be smart enough to take advantage of it.
    1. CitizenBBN's Avatar
      CitizenBBN - 07-16-2013, 10:42 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by MickintheHam View Post
      The day for having weak SEC basketball schedules is over!! With the SEC Network we now have more advertising slots to fill than ever. I f Kentucky is playing Longview, Ole miss better be playing a Top 10 team. Even Cal will feel some pressure from Whitworth to improve the pre season schedule. We are the bell cow and will have to carry the conference until this others come up with prime time games.
      (not directing this at you Mick, just at the league office...)

      Please tell the league office for me they can stick it in their ear to ask UK basketball do do more. They treat basketball like the bastard at the family reunion for 3 generations and then finally figure out it can make money, great I'm all for it, but 12 of the 13 other schools have a lot of work to do before they come back to UK asking for more.

      We've been carrying this bunch of deadbeats since they cut the bottoms out of the basket and they've left 100s of millions on the table over the last couple of decades thanks to their unwillingness to run more than football well. Our football has been bad, come up to Lexington and rip us new holes for that one and we deserve it, but don't come up here with your new found appreciation for basketball and even think about telling us what we HAVE to do.

      I'm thrilled they're going to start stepping things up in the league office, don't get me wrong I think this is GREAT, but UK has a get out of jail free card until I'm too old and gray to see the games.

      ....

      It really is good news for SEC basketball. If the schools won't get their **** together the office is going to have to get them moving, just as I was totally fine (and even suspect it happened) for them to send the message to UK that they need to get their football house in order. They have to keep all the schools carrying their weight, UK included, but they have to start insisting the other revenue sport be managed professionally.

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