UWGB series? Not likely

[Sir Lawrence]

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20081213/GPG020101/812130554/1225/GPG02

From the article:

This is the fifth year of a 10-year contract between UWGB and UW. It calls for eight games in Madison and two in Green Bay. The Badgers will travel north next season and then again in the final year of the deal, the 2013-14 season. The Badgers last played in Green Bay on Nov. 30, 2002 – the first regular-season game at the Resch Center. That was part of the previous five-game contract that had the teams play three times in Madison and twice in Green Bay – a deal that Dick Bennett agreed to when he was coaching at UW.

Current Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan was all for continuing the series when he took over, and the Badgers approached UWGB in 2003 about continuing the series, but they weren't willing to play more than two road games during the 10 years.

"I think being able to play Wisconsin for us is a good deal," UWGB athletic director Ken Bothof said. "I think it's important for our program. Would we have liked it to be more games played in Green Bay? Yes, but we also understand the landscape in basketball, and we understand that Wisconsin needs a certain number of home games."

UW has nearly the identical arrangement with UW-Milwaukee.

UWM also has a series going with Marquette. Former MU coach Tom Crean offered the Phoenix the same four-for-one arrangement that Marquette has with UWM, but the Phoenix declined.

"I'd love to play Marquette, but a four-for-one or an eight-for-two, are those good deals for where our program's at?" Phoenix coach Tod Kowalczyk said. "I don't think they are. Milwaukee is in a different situation because (its home arena) is literally on the same block (as Marquette's). For us, it's about getting quality opponents to come here for our fans to see. For example, UMass being a home-and-home series, those are the types of games we need.

"Tom apologized when he offered us (the four-for-1), and said it's a bad deal for us and if I were you, I wouldn't take it. That's what he told me. But he said because we offered it to Milwaukee, I can't offer you anything else, and I certainly understand what Tom did."

Kowalczyk, a former Marquette assistant coach under Crean, said no new talks about a series have been discussed with new MU coach Buzz Williams.

Bothof said he would like to explore the possibility of a series with Marquette but wouldn't do a deal like the 10-year contract with Wisconsin.

"It puts us at too much of a disadvantage to do that with another institution," Bothof said.

[chapman]

Interesting, and I see the point for both sides.  While it would be fun to pack the Resch Center once in a while, playing road games at Horizon League teams isn't something we want to do very often.  Plus we won't be able to beat up on UWM every year if we offer UWGB a 2 for 1 or a 3 for 1 and try to get something different out of UWM.  Pretty sad though that what seemed like a good chance for a series with UWGB last year was actually an "offer" they were told not to take.

[jce]

So they'll do a four-and-one with UW but not MU?

Forget it...we don't need to play them  just like we don't need to play UWM.

[TallTitan34]

"I'd love to play Marquette, but a four-for-one or an eight-for-two, are those good deals for where our program's at?" Phoenix coach Tod Kowalczyk said.

I guess I don't see how it is a bad deal for them.  They have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  If anything, I think it would be a bad deal for us.

[OneMadWarrior]

C'mon guys we really need to play in Green Bay every other year becasue we all know it is one of the greatest recruiting hot bed's in the US

Seriously, I think we';d be better off playing in cities where we could get a good game and some other positive recruiting pub along with it. I'd liek to see us play a game in Cali that isn't part of the NCAA tournament. San Francisco or Loyola Marymount maybe.

[Muhoops85]

I, too, would like to see MU pursue other games before revisiting this series . . . as I was watching Wake Forest v Wright State today the commentators actually referred to UWGB and UWM as the two hyphen schools in the Horizon league.  There is no benefit in this series for us.