OT: Question for Brian

[kevinfootes]

Brian mentioned that we've played home games against both Duke and UCLA in the past 30 years. We did play Duke in 1984, according to a media guide that I found. I can't find any mention of a home game against UCLA during this timeframe. Can anyone verify that this game was played? I have a recollection of Southern Cal, but not UCLA. I could very well be missing something. We also had a home game against Kansas in '83 that I missed in my earlier post.

[kshoe]

Brian mentioned that we've played home games against both Duke and UCLA in the past 30 years. We did play Duke in 1984, according to a media guide that I found. I can't find any mention of a home game against UCLA during this timeframe. Can anyone verify that this game was played? I have a recollection of Southern Cal, but not UCLA. I could very well be missing something. We also had a home game against Kansas in '83 that I missed in my earlier post.

We played UCLA at home in the 96-97 season and lost. That was the Jeff Harris led team and we kept it close for most of the game but as was often the case that year, lost down the stretch. The game was on ESPN and was right before Christmas (we may have even bumped MU/Illini from the Savvis for the right before Christmas game). That was back when we were relevant in the minds of ESPN and if it wasn't a sell-out it was close.

We returned the game the next season which was Larry's first. We were 8-0 when we played them and they beat us again.

p.s. I'm pretty sure the Duke series was a 2 for 1.

[kevinfootes]

We played UCLA at home in the 96-97 season and lost. That was the Jeff Harris led team and we kept it close for most of the game but as was often the case that year, lost down the stretch. The game was on ESPN and was right before Christmas (we may have even bumped MU/Illini from the Savvis for the right before Christmas game). That was back when we were relevant in the minds of ESPN and if it wasn't a sell-out it was close.

We returned the game the next season which was Larry's first. We were 8-0 when we played them and they beat us again.

p.s. I'm pretty sure the Duke series was a 2 for 1.

Thanks.

[Taj79]

I think if you go back, the major difference is schedule is the conference schedule. We had seen glory teams like Louisville, Marquette, DePaul, Cincinnati, and Memphis each and every year while in the Great Midwest and Conference USA. That was a home-and-home EACH year because of low numbers -- first in GMW and then CUSA. Prior to that, the Metro Conference brought us the likes of some of the same names along with Georgia Tech, Florida State, and Virginia Tech (Yes, they have long passed us by). The Midwest Cities had Butler and Xavier but Butler was the crap of the league back then and X was starting its rise in a small time conference as it went up to the highest mid-majors. So if you throw ouit those league teams, what do you get?

I only go back 35 years but in the beginning, Kansas Oklahoma and illinois were the only teams from the "upper echelon' that we sniffed at home in old Kiel and the old Arena. I consider Grawer to be the start of the modern era and in his ten-year term, we saw Memphis State, Oklahoma State, Cal, Kansas, Purdue and Georgia Tech come to town. Ten years. Six national power teams. Bradley with Hersey Hawkins came as well. I don't know if they count. The only time we got to really play anybody was in the NIT years of 88 - 90. And in those runs, all but one game (DePaul) was played on the road.

Spoon rolls into town and his seven years bring to town almost the same numbers Grawere did. Seven years. Six teams --- So Cal, Umass (w/Calipari), UCLA, Vandy, Illini, Kansas and K State. Of course, we also get three NCAA trips and an NIT in there so that might up the strength of the Spoon schedule artifically.

Romar has three years and four team. Alabama, Cal and Mizzou (twice).Soderberg has five years and four teams in West Virginia, iowa, Gonzaga and North Carolina in Roy Williams gift game to Psycho T. Sodie also got two NIT trips with two of those on the road. So our dearth of great teams on the schedule should be no surprise.

The problem to me is that short of bringing in Xavier, Dayton and Temple, the A10 is a relatively weak league. A weak home schedule that includes GeeDub, La Salle, the Bonnies, Umass and some others when added to a weak OOC scheudle, is just plain murder. But don't be mislead ---- it has been par for the course for the last 35 years.

And with Chaifetz and Rick I don't expect there to be many takers out there now. Even less than before.

[Bay Area Billiken]

We played UCLA at home in the 96-97 season and lost. That was the Jeff Harris led team and we kept it close for most of the game but as was often the case that year, lost down the stretch. The game was on ESPN and was right before Christmas (we may have even bumped MU/Illini from the Savvis for the right before Christmas game). That was back when we were relevant in the minds of ESPN and if it wasn't a sell-out it was close.

We returned the game the next season which was Larry's first. We were 8-0 when we played them and they beat us again.

p.s. I'm pretty sure the Duke series was a 2 for 1.

In the games with UCLA, Steve Lavin was UCLA's Coach; Spoon was SLU's Coach. I was at the game at Pauley Pavilion on a Saturday afternoon in Larry Hughes' year at SLU. SLU received a good course of California cuisine at crunch time of a close game. The game matched Hughes v. UCLA's Baron Davis. John Wooden was in attendance.

Duke did play SLU at Kiel Auditorium during one of the early Grawer years, as did Georgia Tech and Oklahoma State. Duke blew out SLU that night.

Among SLU's bigger wins in the modern era was a big home win over Kansas in a game that matched the Robertson brothers. That game was on TV shortly before Christmas.