[Rosiak's Blog] A few nuggets

[ToddRosiakSays]

A few nuggets

Written by: Todd Rosiak


Here's a few opponents and dates for next season in the wake of the Maymon commitment.

Nov. 22 -- vs. UW-Milwaukee 

Nov. 28 -- vs. Northern Iowa

Nov. 29 -- vs. Dayton (both games part of Chicago Invitational at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates, Ill.; dates are assuming MU wins a pair of home games in advance)

Dec. 6 -- vs. Wisconsin

Dec. 16 -- vs. Tennessee (SEC-Big East Invitational at Sommet Center in Nashville)

MU is also exploring adding another home-and-home or neutral site event beginning this season.



http://blogs.jsonline.com/muhoops/archive/2008/05/28/a-few-nuggets.aspx

[spartan3186]

Wow getting the schedule early this year... I really like the addition of UNI beats the hell out of Savannah State

EDIT: NM i didnt realize UNI was in the Chicago Invitational i didn't read very well

[The Lens]

I like this…

The Chicago Invite replaces the Maui
@ Tennessee replaces @ UW
Wisconsin replaces UWM (our marquee non conf home game last season)
UWM replaces IUPUI (our 2nd best non conf home game)

Plus a possible home & home or neutral court game…we’re already ahead of last year.

[Big Papi]

Looks like a definite upgrade from last year and frankly I didn't think last year was so bad when judged as a whole and not in cut up bits.

[The Lens]

Playing Duke and OSU is better than No. Iowa and Dayton but also playing Tennesse and Bucky instead of just Bucky makes it better.

I'm just glad we'll have at least one compelling game at the BC this Dec.  Working yourself into a lather for UWM is not the easiest thing.

[Ready2Fly]

I like this…

The Chicago Invite replaces the Maui
@ Tennessee replaces @ UW
Wisconsin replaces UWM (our marquee non conf home game last season)
UWM replaces IUPUI (our 2nd best non conf home game)

Plus a possible home & home or neutral court game…we’re already ahead of last year.

IUPUI was much better than UWM last year.  I don't really get the fixation people have with UWM being on the schedule.  A lot of years it will hurt the RPI as much as any other no-name school.

[The Lens]

The fixation comes from season ticket holders who enjoy a little of the back story (cross town team etc).  Yes they were brutal, yes they were well below IUPUI in RPI but there was far and away more energy in the BC, the restuarant before and the bars after than for any other Nov / Dec game. 

It didn't feel like a typical BUY game.

[mosarsour]

December 6th is already marked on my calendar. I cannot wait to take it to Bucky one more time!!! FIRE UP MARQUETTE FIRE UP!!!

[RawdogDX]

IUPUI was much better than UWM last year.  I don't really get the fixation people have with UWM being on the schedule.  A lot of years it will hurt the RPI as much as any other no-name school.

The ones who are excited are the ones who remember that sports are supposed to be fun and not minute rpi math exercises.

[Ready2Fly]

So watching MU blow out a vastly inferior "rival" is more fun than playing a team with a name you don't necessarily know but will actually be a tough test?

[ChicosBailBonds]

So watching MU blow out a vastly inferior "rival" is more fun than playing a team with a name you don't necessarily know but will actually be a tough test?

Apparently for locals...yes.  For the rest of us...no. 

[mviale]

4ever will have to choose between Tennessee and Marquette

[The Lens]

Apparently for locals...yes.  For the rest of us...no. 

Some of us spend a few thousand dollars on MU tickets and while I do enjoy seeing MU play just about anyone, I also like when I'm not the only one there.  There was a buzz in the BC that night that didn't come back til Big East play commenced.  Sorry if I enjoy watching MU beat up on a Mid Level Horizon League team instead of a top level Summit League team.   

[4everwarriors]

4ever will have to choose between Tennessee and Marquette

Maybe I'll sit on the Vols bench with my Warrior's hat on.

[mosarsour]

Maybe I'll sit on the Vols bench with my Warrior's hat on.

...and orange body paint.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

So watching MU blow out a vastly inferior "rival" is more fun than playing a team with a name you don't necessarily know but will actually be a tough test?

I'll agree that UWM is not a great program.

I'll also agree that playing UWM doesn't really benefit MU that much (public perception, RPI, etc).

But, I have to be honest and say that playing a cross-town school (not rival) is still more fun than playing a lot of other schools.

I wouldn't trade UWM for a home and home with a school from a major conference... but I will trade most smaller buy games for UWM.

Even if it doesn't help MU's RPI... it's still a more interesting game that most of the buy games. I can admit that. I got excited to see MU blow UWM's doors off.

[spiral97]

Maybe I'll sit on the Vols bench with my Warrior's hat on.

Wear a poncho too then.

[RawdogDX]

So watching MU blow out a vastly inferior "rival" is more fun than playing a team with a name you don't necessarily know but will actually be a tough test?

please. like every team we schedule is a 'tough test'. They are a crap local team replacing a crap game that wouldn't be discussed on the message board.

I'm 2100 miles away.  I was not born in milwaukee (downtown chicago, not like all you burb people).  And I have no doubt in my mind that there will be more traffic by me and by many others on sites like this because local games and rivalries are fun.  And as for 'vastly inferior' we are talking about a team who was good enough to be chanting 'bring on marquette' at their games and meaning it.  Granted they suck now but so do a lot of teams we play every year.

When i'm out and about and meet someone from milwaukee who knows crap about basketball and i'll bring up our streak against uwm and talk smak about them.  I don't do that with any other crap game.  which is what it is, because uwm sucks, they suck so very very bad.  If i had a nickel for every time we beat them consecutively I'd have as much as the average uwm grad makes in an hour.  Eat it u-wub!


see much more fun, i can't understand how anyone can't see this.

[mu_hilltopper]

Some of us spend a few thousand dollars on MU tickets and while I do enjoy seeing MU play just about anyone, I also like when I'm not the only one there.  There was a buzz in the BC that night that didn't come back til Big East play commenced.  Sorry if I enjoy watching MU beat up on a Mid Level Horizon League team instead of a top level Summit League team.  

+10000000.

You hit the nail on the head.  The rest of you, feel free to listen to some other game that night, cozy in your own home.

[Pakuni]

I really didn't care about the UWM "rivalry" until last year, when MU beat the snot out of them so badly Rob Jeter had a hissy fit.
That was fun.

[77ncaachamps]

I'm still waiting for a West Coast trip that doesn't include stops in Hawaii or Alaska. 

[mviale]

agreed - when is Marquette going to travel to Cal Berkeley or USF?

[ecompt]

playing UWM serves several purposes. It draws well, it's a chance for the backups to play significant minutes and it keeps the local Badger boosters at the Urinal quiet about us "ducking" the Panthers, 

[nola03]

playing UWM serves several purposes. It draws well, it's a chance for the backups to play significant minutes and it keeps the local Badger boosters at the Urinal quiet about us "ducking" the Panthers, 

I don't buy most of that.

Attendance wasn't the announced 18,000.

Three starters played 30 minutes.

The Badgers fans lost interest once the game was played. Afterall, they proved their case.

[wadesworld]

I don't buy most of that.

Attendance wasn't the announced 18,000.

Three starters played 30 minutes.

The Badgers fans lost interest once the game was played. Afterall, they proved their case.

I think the game is boring - I left at halftime last year - but I do have to say that the attendance, although maybe not 18,000, was much more than any of our other home non-conference games were last year - it probably doubled the attendance of the 2nd most attended non-conference home game - and the backups would have played if Tom Crean wasn't a dick and didn't play the starters until there were 2 minutes left and we were up by 40 (definitely not the only game he did that for, but this one it was probably to shut up those people who were calling him out for not playing UWM - proving it's pointless to just win by 30 points).