Debate Topic: Hardest or Easiest A-10 Schedule?

[SluSignGuy]

With the A-10 opponents announced today, I wanted to pose a question to the Billikens.com community (one I’m admittedly borrowing from a friend).

Would you rather see the Billikens play the easiest possible A-10 schedule (i.e., the teams projected to finish near the bottom), or would you prefer they play the toughest schedule against the league's projected top teams?

The case for playing the easiest schedule is that it maximizes our chances of earning a first-round bye in the A-10 tournament, especially important given how rare at-large bids have been for the conference in recent years.

On the other hand, the case for playing the toughest schedule is that it would give us a better chance at building an NCAA Tournament-worthy resume. A first-round bye in the A-10 tournament would still be possible, just harder to secure.

Curious to hear what others think.

[VeniceMenace]

Playing the patsies sends a detrimental message to your players. I cannot picture Majerus ever approving that approach.

[Old guy]

There is play and again, there is play. Playing the hardest teams provides the best level of hard fought experience to the players, but the largest risk of loss. Playing the easiest schedule is the way to accumulate wins but learn relatively little. I prefer our team to reach the conference portion of the games ready to beat them all, rather than as a weaker team after playing only easy to beat teams.

[thetorch]

No matter how tough the A10 schedule is, its not earning us an at large bid.

Play the easiest schedule, win the most games, get the highest seed.

[Lord Elrond]

1 minute ago, thetorch said:

No matter how tough the A10 schedule is, its not earning us an at large bid.

Play the easiest schedule, win the most games, get the highest seed.

Very true. Play whatever schedule helps us win the A10 tournament

[Taj79]

I don't know how you predict who is hard and who is soft especially given the transfer portal and mass defections.  Davidson returns two guys who averaged a combined 7.5 ppg last year.  Dayton two averaging 18.7.  Duquesne 3 at 22.9 ppg.  Fordham one ay 3.8 ppg.  Mason one at 9.1 ppg.  Geedubya two at 22.4 ppg.  La Salle no one.  Loyola two at 16.4 ppg.  Rhode Island one at 2.8 ppg.  Richmond two at 12.8 ppg. SLU two at 23.8 ppg.  The Bonnies one at 1.7 ppg (plus injured Dasonte Bowen who played only 10 games last year).  St. Joes four (including Deuce Jones from La Salle) with 33/9 ppg.  And VCU with no returning starters projected but three guys off the bench who were part time starters last year.  So when you get your home-and-home opponents, the best appeasr to be St. Joes, Geedubya, Loyola and us.  The key across the entire league is developing chemistry and hoping you have ballers on the roster.

[wgstl]

If the OOC is weak, easy a10 and hope they don’t look into how you got 25 wins

 

[HoosierPal]

When you are looking at good versus easy in the conference schedule, you are basically reviewing the double play opponents.  You are going to play each team once, so the doubles are the key.  I would be extremely disappointed if we didn't double on Dayton, Loyola, and yes, VCU.  So that leaves just 2 options for me and that makes the difference between easy and hard somewhat minor. 

[HoosierPal]

2 hours ago, Taj79 said:

I don't know how you predict who is hard and who is soft especially given the transfer portal and mass defections.  Davidson returns two guys who averaged a combined 7.5 ppg last year.  Dayton two averaging 18.7.  Duquesne 3 at 22.9 ppg.  Fordham one ay 3.8 ppg.  Mason one at 9.1 ppg.  Geedubya two at 22.4 ppg.  La Salle no one.  Loyola two at 16.4 ppg.  Rhode Island one at 2.8 ppg.  Richmond two at 12.8 ppg. SLU two at 23.8 ppg.  The Bonnies one at 1.7 ppg (plus injured Dasonte Bowen who played only 10 games last year).  St. Joes four (including Deuce Jones from La Salle) with 33/9 ppg.  And VCU with no returning starters projected but three guys off the bench who were part time starters last year.  So when you get your home-and-home opponents, the best appeasr to be St. Joes, Geedubya, Loyola and us.  The key across the entire league is developing chemistry and hoping you have ballers on the roster.

I look at the full roster and not just the returning players.  Yes, chemistry is maybe the most important piece of building a transfer roster.  

I use this website to look at rosters. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1j_LyW0_d70G0RgVApJbwdJKDlE0TknB_1CG8Q_HMto4/edit?gid=2014337867#gid=2014337867

I look at how many double digit scorers are on the roster, and how many starters from previous teams are on the roster to get a sense of what each team has. GW stands out with 7 double digit scorers.  LaSalle has 5, St. Bonnie 4, Rhody 4, Mason 4, and SLU, Richmond, Fordham, Duquesne all 3. The rest are two or one.  Certainly this isn't a perfect prediction, but for me it indicates which teams should be able to have a potent offense.  Defense?  That's a big unknown. 

[Aquinas]

First I want to see the regional games of Loyola and Dayton.

Then the hardest, typically VCU. These are more desirable home games to attend or watch, than any bottom feeder A10 team and while  very tough road games, they are what is needed to prepare the team for rowdy, load unfriendly venues in post season games.

To win a tournament game, you generally have to beat a higher seeded team in a tough environment. 

[juniorbill76]

This may be an uncommon take, but I’d like to watch good, competitive games throughout the season, regardless of the post-season. Give me the tougher opponents.

[gabriel]

I'm a fan of it. I am in line that it makes us a better team.

I think when you have a clear 4 or 5 teams that are at-large candidates, this format works best for optimizing tournament teams. But with the performance of the league the last several years, this format makes it more likely for the one clear at-large team to take a bad loss. 

I personally would like to see the better teams come through Chaifetz and make the team better 'battle-tested"

[SLU_Nick]

I just want for one time the A-10 to not lay an egg in the non-conference.  I see that A-10 teams (not named SLU) have managed to schedule a few marquee power 5 opponents.  One of these years, I just want the conference to go 11-1 in the non-con and gain respect.  It is so deflating to watch these (non-SLU A-10) games in Nov/Dec with hope and then just realize it's a zero bid league again.  

Take St Joes last year for instance - they beat Tx Tech (!) and Villanova....but of course they lose to Central Connecticut and Charleston to make sure its zero bid.  

Then Dayton of course - Beat Marquette and UConn, then immediate lose to GW by 20.  Zero bid confirmed. 

Given the above, Torch is right.  We need to be George Mason from last year and just rack up wins in the conference and hope to win the conference tourney.

[someoneelse]

This is one bid league, probably.  Get to the top 4 and take your chances in the A-10 Tourney.  

[cgeldmacher]

We should always have the goal of dominating the league including the best teams twice.  If that still isn't good enough to get us an auto bid, so be it.

[ACE]

A few years ago, I'm saying take the toughest schedule, but in today's college basketball world where it has been made nearly impossible for non P6 schools to earn at large bids, the answer is to have the easiest conference schedule.  It offers a better chance at a double bye - thus a better shot at winning the conference tournament, which is essentially now the only path to an NCAA bid.

[Cowboy]

19 hours ago, ACE said:

A few years ago, I'm saying take the toughest schedule, but in today's college basketball world where it has been made nearly impossible for non P6 schools to earn at large bids, the answer is to have the easiest conference schedule.  It offers a better chance at a double bye - thus a better shot at winning the conference tournament, which is essentially now the only path to an NCAA bid.

-I'm in the same boat and really don' t like that the industry has evolved to change my thinking

-great topic, Steve

[White Pelican]

2 hours ago, Cowboy said:

-I'm in the same boat and really don' t like that the industry has evolved to change my thinking

-great topic, Steve

Same boat.