Extra Game Next Week?

[BLIKNS]

According to Jerry Palm latest Bracketology has SLU vs. Drake in the Play In game

[BillsBeliever!!!]

10 minutes ago, BLIKNS said:

According to Jerry Palm latest Bracketology has SLU vs. Drake in the Play In game

That would be a great game

[Bay Area Billiken]

35 minutes ago, BLIKNS said:

According to Jerry Palm latest Bracketology has SLU vs. Drake in the Play In game

I would take that game right now!

[Bay Area Billiken]

2 hours ago, Cowboy said:

-I like a game just stay sharp, finding the right dance partner is the issue

-Stu said on Frank's show yesterday if we are in the championship game then we won't play an extra game

That extra game is high risk, high reward.  It's like gambling.

And it may be irrelevant anyway.  St. Mary's went that route in the past, in 2009 and 2011 (playing an extra game, at home, after the WCC Tournament, vs. Eastern Washington and Weber State, respectively, both from the Big Sky), which got the Gaels nowhere, other than hosting first round NIT games.

[cgeldmacher]

We'd have to be pretty sure that we are out and that winning this game puts us back in the conversation.  Drake would be thinking the same way.  The last thing you would want is to possibly be in, but then lose that last game and push yourself out of the discussion.  Not that I think we would lose, but you never know what will happen.

[SLU_Lax]

To me, it looks like a desperate move.  The general public does not care about SLU and seeing us play the game is probably viewed as an admission that we cannot get in based on our season of work.  It makes it easier for us to be left out in my opinion.  Even if we win, it could simply be brushed off as too little/too late.  I do not want to pick up the game for that reason.  If it was scheduled a while ago, it would not look as much like we were trying to make up for our shortcomings.

[CenHudDude]

3 hours ago, kshoe said:

Wouldn't a win for Drake over SLU be exactly the type of win that could get them in in the tournament?

The road is littered with many a MVC team that went into their conference tournament thinking they were on the right side of the bubble, only to lose in the first two rounds and then magically find themselves pushed out of the tourney by bid stealers from other conferences. Drake should want this game more than SLU if they lose in the MVC tourney. 

 

Wouldn’t Drake want the game to be played at SLU?

[kshoe]

35 minutes ago, CenHudDude said:

 

Wouldn’t Drake want the game to be played at SLU?

Maybe. Could be the first coin flip ever where the winner goes on the road.

[cheeseman]

In other posts threads people have said that some players need to heal so if this is so then why would you even consider playing another game?  

[HoosierPal]

1 hour ago, cheeseman said:

In other posts threads people have said that some players need to heal so if this is so then why would you even consider playing another game?  

If we aren't in the A10 final and/or comfortably in the NCAA, the game is needed.  If we don't make the NCAA, the guys have all summer to heal.

[cheeseman]

9 hours ago, HoosierPal said:

If we aren't in the A10 final and/or comfortably in the NCAA, the game is needed.  If we don't make the NCAA, the guys have all summer to heal.

If we are not in the A10 final we won't be in.  Playing another game will not do it.  My question was if there are players who are not healthy - I never said that but others have - then what is to be gained by playing the game if it won't do the trick.  

[slufan13]

I'm all for it but I just don't see a realistic opponent other than Drake. We've talked about Arizona, Belmont, Wright St, etc but none of those teams have incentive to play the game. They either are ineligible for the tournament or are not getting an at large bid just because they beat SLU. Maybe there is the incentive to play the game and try to make the NIT but with the smaller NIT field, I still think some of those teams are longshots for that. I just think a lot of athletic departments are not going to want the COVID risk/cost unless the NCAA tournament is the reward. I hope I'm wrong and there are probably other options out there for teams we could play but it kind of seems like Drake or bust to me

[wgstl]

You only schedule another game if we lose to umass or lose badly to the bonnies. Otherwise just submit your resume and hope for best. 

[billiken_roy]

i would welcome a game next week if we didnt win the conference tourney vs one of the blue bloods like duke that are on the bubble.   otherwise a waste of time.  we need a high profile win to get the committee's attention.

[brianstl]

3 hours ago, slufan13 said:

I'm all for it but I just don't see a realistic opponent other than Drake. We've talked about Arizona, Belmont, Wright St, etc but none of those teams have incentive to play the game. They either are ineligible for the tournament or are not getting an at large bid just because they beat SLU. Maybe there is the incentive to play the game and try to make the NIT but with the smaller NIT field, I still think some of those teams are longshots for that. I just think a lot of athletic departments are not going to want the COVID risk/cost unless the NCAA tournament is the reward. I hope I'm wrong and there are probably other options out there for teams we could play but it kind of seems like Drake or bust to me

I think we might be looking at this the wrong way.  Part of me wonders if they A10 might already have a hand shake agreement with conferences or teams that might increase the pool of teams available to include teams that win their conference tournament.  Then you might be talking about having a Loyola, Drake, Belmont or Wright St. as a conference champion not worrying about a loss costing them a bid and probably not hurting their seeding. 

One NCAA tournament unit is worth over $1.6 million to the A10 and it members.  Conferences like the MVC, OVC and the Horizon are hurting for cash because of the pandemic.  The A10 agrees to send the team they think is in jeopardy of missing the tournament on the road to play the game  and pay the conference champion $100,000 or more like it is a big time buy game.  It would seem to make financial sense for all involved.

[wgstl]

11 minutes ago, brianstl said:

I think we might be looking at this the wrong the wrong way.  Part of me wonders if they A10 might already have a hand shake agreement with conferences or teams that might increase the pool of teams available to include a teams that win their conference tournament.  Then you might be talking about having a Loyola, Drake, Belmont or Wright St. as a conference champion not worrying about a loss costing them a bid and probably not hurting their seeding. 

Would be pretty cool if A10 and MVC already has something arranged that is Drake losses early, they would play with SLU or Richmond. 

[NH]

Vanderbilt (a team with nothing to play for) just scheduled a game at Cincinnati (a team with nothing to play for). That said, a win at either of those teams would still be a resume booster. Part of me wonders whether there are any teams who may not be on the bubble but still could be open to adding another game.

 

[wgstl]

3 minutes ago, NH said:

Vanderbilt (a team with nothing to play for) just scheduled a game at Cincinnati (a team with nothing to play for). That said, a win at either of those teams would still be a resume booster. Part of me wonders whether there are any teams who may not be on the bubble but still could be open to adding another game.

 

It would be worth it for a team like richmond.  For us, It's not worth the risk.  

[RUBillsFan]

First, I really hope that Northern Iowa knocks off Illinois State tonight in the MVC tournament, so that they move on to play Drake in Drake's 1st game.  I think UNI is the better team / has a better chance of beating Drake, but also UNI has a distinct revenge motive.  Drake destroyed UNI in UNI's 1st MVC tournament game last year and which likely knocked them out of the NCAAs that never came to be.  UNI should be looking to return the favor.

We should really just throw a boatload of money at Colgate for a buy game next week.  Colgate is currently sitting #9 in the NET, so even a home game should be a Q1 game (although they may drop a ton if we destroy them).  The problem is that Colgate's games in the Patriot league tournament 3/6 and should they advance 3/10 and 3/14.  I wonder how far Colgate drops in the NET if they lose in round 1.  If they do & their NET is still top 30 or so, they really have nothing to lose by taking $ from us for a buy game next week.  They wouldn't be in line for an at-large despite the good NET unless they play an OOC game against someone pretty good (like us) and win to prove their high NET isn't a fluke.

[kshoe]

1 hour ago, RUBillsFan said:

First, I really hope that Northern Iowa knocks off Illinois State tonight in the MVC tournament, so that they move on to play Drake in Drake's 1st game.  I think UNI is the better team / has a better chance of beating Drake, but also UNI has a distinct revenge motive.  Drake destroyed UNI in UNI's 1st MVC tournament game last year and which likely knocked them out of the NCAAs that never came to be.  UNI should be looking to return the favor.

We should really just throw a boatload of money at Colgate for a buy game next week.  Colgate is currently sitting #9 in the NET, so even a home game should be a Q1 game (although they may drop a ton if we destroy them).  The problem is that Colgate's games in the Patriot league tournament 3/6 and should they advance 3/10 and 3/14.  I wonder how far Colgate drops in the NET if they lose in round 1.  If they do & their NET is still top 30 or so, they really have nothing to lose by taking $ from us for a buy game next week.  They wouldn't be in line for an at-large despite the good NET unless they play an OOC game against someone pretty good (like us) and win to prove their high NET isn't a fluke.

The committee would look through that and won't value a victory over Colgate as a true Quad 1 win.

 

There is an underlying theme from many in this thread that this doesn't make sense if we win the two games this weekend and are in the A10 final. To me it simply comes down to whether we will have done enough should we lose in the final. Personally, I think we'll be on the wrong side of the bubble in that scenario due to the inevitable bid stealing that occurs and will need something more to get in. That's why a game should be played.

[NH]

7 minutes ago, kshoe said:

The committee would look through that and won't value a victory over Colgate as a true Quad 1 win.

 

There is an underlying theme from many in this thread that this doesn't make sense if we win the two games this weekend and are in the A10 final. To me it simply comes down to whether we will have done enough should we lose in the final. Personally, I think we'll be on the wrong side of the bubble in that scenario due to the inevitable bid stealing that occurs and will need something more to get in. That's why a game should be played.

If I had to guess, I would assume there is a handshake agreement between all teams that those squads playing in the final will not schedule games between the Semis and the Championship. They will be expected to quarantine/isolate. Regardless of whether we are at risk of actually getting COVID, the A-10 can’t risk the optics of jeopardizing the championship game by one or both of the participants going into COVID protocol following a midweek game. 

I believe Ford and Mooney have both said in interviews that they wouldn’t schedule a game if their team is playing in the championship.

[BilliesBy40]

11 hours ago, kshoe said:

The committee would look through that and won't value a victory over Colgate as a true Quad 1 win.

 

There is an underlying theme from many in this thread that this doesn't make sense if we win the two games this weekend and are in the A10 final. To me it simply comes down to whether we will have done enough should we lose in the final. Personally, I think we'll be on the wrong side of the bubble in that scenario due to the inevitable bid stealing that occurs and will need something more to get in. That's why a game should be played.

You’re right about the bid stealing but we’ll be firmly in with 2 wins in the the A10 tourney.

[slufan13]

We may need to schedule and beat Gonzaga to make it

[Lando Griffin]

If I were Chris May and Travis Ford I would be on the phone with any bubble team that would listen setting up road games Thursday and Saturday.  
 

SLU loses nothing if they drop these games and has everything to gain by winning.  If they can rack up a late Quad 1 win or 2 and stay in the conservation as the major conference teams bubbles pop all the better.

The A-10 might have done SLU a favor by dragging out a week between semi and finals as it gives SLU the chance to see if they can back their way in.  
 

Hello Duke? Hello Mich St? Hello Mountain West teams? Let’s play ball.

[CenHudDude]

Maybe something can be set up with Drake if they lose today.