I know I probably shouldn't bring it up...

[IAmMarquette]

because everytime it's mentioned we have to endure the same circular debate, but I just couldn't resist.

Taken from ESPN insider Bracket Banter

It's not just UConn and it's not just Syracuse. Check out these nonconference SOS ratings for the Big East:
• Georgetown (No. 319)
• Connecticut (No. 311)
• Syracuse (No. 214)
• Pittsburgh (No. 189)
• Louisville (No. 180)
• St. John's (No. 170)


Only Seton Hall (No. 88), Villanova (No. 40) and Marquette (No. 21) have played top-100 nonconference schedules in the Big East. The conference learned a long time ago that piling up impressive W-L records in nonleague play would inflate everyone's RPI once its members began playing one another. The Big East isn't the only conference guilty of this practice -- most of the so-called "power" leagues do it -- but they certainly have it perfected.

Seems MU has the toughest nonconference schedule in the Big East. I'm not using this as an excuse for the home scheduling, and I'd love to see an Arizona or Wake Forest back in the Bradley, but this offers some perspective.

[CTWarrior]

Wow!  That's amazing!  Our non-conference schedule is ranked number 21?  It cannot be possible that only 20 teams played better non-conference schedules than we did.   We played Texas Tech, Duke, UW and a host of nobodies, though ND State is probably pretty good.  I can't believe only 20 teams did better than that.

[rocky_warrior]

Not sure where he got his numbers (if anyone knows please share), but they don't match up with Ken Pomeroy's RPI or ratings at all.  There Marquette is #176 and #265 respectively.

[dwaderoy2004]

espn's insideRPI numbers has MU non-con SOS at 198.  so yeah, lunardi misread something...

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Besides, most of the "debate" about our non-conference schedule is about the home games that Marquette season ticket holders are asked to pay for. In effect, what they've provided to us in the last 3-4 years is a "gigantic turd" (to use a 4everwarriors phrase) in exchange for our loyalty in purchasing season tickets. But hey, at least we're getting "20 wins."

[MarquetteFan94]

IMO, NonConference SOS doesn't mean much.  We played a tough enough OOC slate with Texas Tech, Duke and Wisconsin.  By the end of the season our SOS will probably be in the 20-40 range....good enough for me!

At the end of last season our SOS ended up at 22.  Also, Florida's OOC SOS of 253 last year didn't seem to penalize them too much in postseason play.

We definitley don't need to dig up the home OOC schdule debate again but the fact remains that when you play in a conference like the BE there is nothing wrong with padding the win column with some buy games....EVERY major team in America does it.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Besides, most of the "debate" about our non-conference schedule is about the home games that Marquette season ticket holders are asked to pay for. In effect, what they've provided to us in the last 3-4 years is a "gigantic turd" (to use a 4everwarriors phrase) in exchange for our loyalty in purchasing season tickets. But hey, at least we're getting "20 wins."

Do you want a team that competes for a NCAA berth each year or a couple extra solid games?  That's the question you have to ask yourself.

The athletic department has already answered it for you, however, as the additional revenue and exposure from going to the NCAA tournament are far better.

Bear in mind also that last year's team was twice removed from the NCAAs so we were going to schedule down.  This year's team has 3 sophomores and a freshman starting, again we are going to schedule down.

It's a balancing act and as shown in the example of other Big East teams (as well as Pac Ten teams, Big 12 teams and others) it's the way of the world.