Post by Commissioner on Sept 9, 2017 23:36:03 GMT -5
Well, IUPUI hasn't released it's schedule, so they have 4 games we don't know about, but I doubt that any are much good.
My subjective ranking of the best non-conference games is below. My subjective criteria is basically, what would interest most as a fan of each team. So I place a big premium on home games and rivalries, then competitive winnable games. Thus a game like Detroit at UCLA is interesting, but not as good on the schedule as Western Michigan in Calihan Hall. Neutral court games are better than road games, simply because they are much more winnable. And I figure it doesn't take much to schedule a guarantee game. If you disagree, to each his own.
My subjective top 10:
1. Oakland v. Michigan State @ Palace in Detroit.
2. Detroit v. Michigan @ Palace in Detroit. Oakland gets a slight edge for these two games, since Oakland is more likely to make national noise this year than Detroit, and MSU is better than UM. But its great for both teams: getting neutral court games against in-state Big 10 rivals on a floor closer to both Horizon campuses than either B10 campus counts, these days, as a major scheduling coup.
3. UIC v. DePaul. DePaul ain't what it used to be, but it's still a home game against in-city Big East rival.
4. Green Bay @ Wisconsin
4. Milwaukee @ Wisconsin. At least Wisconsin will play its other state schools. Both Horizon schools get a short road trip for a whack at their big brother state school.
6. Youngstown State v. Kent State @ Akron. Neutral court against one of the better MAC programs, located just a half hour away.
7. Detroit v. Western Michigan. A MAC favorite visits Calihan. Western has always drawn well for Detroit, and the rivalry, though not super hot, goes way back.
8. Oakland v. Eastern Michigan. Local MAC team at home.
9. Northern Kentucky v. ?? in Bahamas Showcase. Iona, Weber State, Vermont, Bradley, and Coastal Carolina will all be solid mid-majors this year, with the first 3 perennially among the best mid-majors. Presumably, NKU will play one or two of them. I might rate it higher if I knew for sure who they might play.
10. Detroit v. Toledo. A good MAC program that has some sense of rivalry with the Titans, and the game is at home. Beats out Toledo @ Cleveland State simply due to longer history.
My subjective ranking of the best non-conference games is below. My subjective criteria is basically, what would interest most as a fan of each team. So I place a big premium on home games and rivalries, then competitive winnable games. Thus a game like Detroit at UCLA is interesting, but not as good on the schedule as Western Michigan in Calihan Hall. Neutral court games are better than road games, simply because they are much more winnable. And I figure it doesn't take much to schedule a guarantee game. If you disagree, to each his own.
My subjective top 10:
1. Oakland v. Michigan State @ Palace in Detroit.
2. Detroit v. Michigan @ Palace in Detroit. Oakland gets a slight edge for these two games, since Oakland is more likely to make national noise this year than Detroit, and MSU is better than UM. But its great for both teams: getting neutral court games against in-state Big 10 rivals on a floor closer to both Horizon campuses than either B10 campus counts, these days, as a major scheduling coup.
3. UIC v. DePaul. DePaul ain't what it used to be, but it's still a home game against in-city Big East rival.
4. Green Bay @ Wisconsin
4. Milwaukee @ Wisconsin. At least Wisconsin will play its other state schools. Both Horizon schools get a short road trip for a whack at their big brother state school.
6. Youngstown State v. Kent State @ Akron. Neutral court against one of the better MAC programs, located just a half hour away.
7. Detroit v. Western Michigan. A MAC favorite visits Calihan. Western has always drawn well for Detroit, and the rivalry, though not super hot, goes way back.
8. Oakland v. Eastern Michigan. Local MAC team at home.
9. Northern Kentucky v. ?? in Bahamas Showcase. Iona, Weber State, Vermont, Bradley, and Coastal Carolina will all be solid mid-majors this year, with the first 3 perennially among the best mid-majors. Presumably, NKU will play one or two of them. I might rate it higher if I knew for sure who they might play.
10. Detroit v. Toledo. A good MAC program that has some sense of rivalry with the Titans, and the game is at home. Beats out Toledo @ Cleveland State simply due to longer history.