Questionable scheduling

[skyvue]

I"m not trying to make a big deal out of it, but how did it happen that five out of our first seven games are being played somewhere other than Norman?

We played in the Old Spice tourney -- fair enough -- but how about some more home games before and after that event?

 

[DenverSooner]

It is actually more than that. OU opened at home, went to Arlington, went to Orlando, is going to Tulsa, home, Fayetteville, OKC and then three home games before conference play. If they can make it through that stretch it will benefit them later in the season.

 

[velvetj]

They wanted to play in front of some people?

 

[ArdmoreSooner]

Only thing I can guess is it helps RPI or SOS?!?! I do think it helps just for down the road purposes. This team struggled closing out games in conference last year and going on the road could help that.

 

[skyvue]

Only thing I can guess is it helps RPI or SOS?!?! I do think it helps just for down the road purposes. This team struggled closing out games in conference last year and going on the road could help that.

I agree there are potential benefits, but on the flip side--for creating excitement among the fans, this is not at all ideal.

 

[MsProudSooner]

Sherri has said she likes early road games or trips like the tournaments the men and women just played in because getting the team out of town helps build team chemistry. Perhaps that's one of the reasons. Our fans don't show up well for OOC games, so you might as well get some experience that will help you be a better team come January.

 

[bocabull]

I like it. Our attendance is terrible in these pre season warm up games. It's better to be a marquee home game for the UTA's & ORU's of the world than playing in an empty LNC.

 

[ArdmoreSooner]

I agree there are potential benefits, but on the flip side--for creating excitement among the fans, this is not at all ideal.

These early games are so poorly attended I am not sure. Most fans don't care until after football. So maybe makes a little sense until after football regular season.

 

[coolm]

IF we schedule easy teams then I'd rather play them on the road. We get more out of it.

 

[skyvue]

IF we schedule easy teams then I'd rather play them on the road. We get more out of it.

Well, we don't get more money out of it. But with sparse early-season crowds at LNC, maybe the lost money is not that great.

I don't know -- part of it is a wounded pride thing with me, I guess. I mean, who are we, Coppin State? We're going more than a month with just one game in Norman, while playing on the road against the likes of UTA and ORU.

 

[TheGimper]

Well, we don't get more money out of it. But with sparse early-season crowds at LNC, maybe the lost money is not that great.

I don't know -- part of it is a wounded pride thing with me, I guess. I mean, who are we, Coppin State? We're going more than a month with just one game in Norman, while playing on the road against the likes of UTA and ORU.

By comparison, Oklahoma State has 6 straight road games in December before they enter Big 12 play. Five of those 6 should be easy wins, which doesn't exactly make for exciting basketball. But OSU fans will have the added benefit of getting plenty of opportunities to see their team in December.

But purely from a fan of the game standpoint, I'll enjoy watching more competitive basketball from TV with the two neutral games and one road game.

Also, something to keep an eye on, Ohio is currently unbeaten and could be ranked by the time they come to Norman. They haven't left Athens yet and will go on the road 3 times before coming here, but their only tough game is a Memphis team that has yet to find it's identity.

 

[UHsurfer12]

They wanted to play in front of some people?

I laughed.

 

[ByronHoustonsSweatyPalms]

By comparison, Oklahoma State has 6 straight road games in December before they enter Big 12 play. Five of those 6 should be easy wins, which doesn't exactly make for exciting basketball. But OSU fans will have the added benefit of getting plenty of opportunities to see their team in December.

But purely from a fan of the game standpoint, I'll enjoy watching more competitive basketball from TV with the two neutral games and one road game.

Also, something to keep an eye on, Ohio is currently unbeaten and could be ranked by the time they come to Norman. They haven't left Athens yet and will go on the road 3 times before coming here, but their only tough game is a Memphis team that has yet to find it's identity.

But they do get Gonzaga at home. It's been so long since we have had a good nonconference opponent at home that fans won't know how to react.

 

[KCRuf/Nek]

I laughed.

Me too. Beat me to it. :ed

 

[suncoastsooner]

By comparison, Oklahoma State has 6 straight road games in December before they enter Big 12 play. Five of those 6 should be easy wins, which doesn't exactly make for exciting basketball. But OSU fans will have the added benefit of getting plenty of opportunities to see their team in December.

But purely from a fan of the game standpoint, I'll enjoy watching more competitive basketball from TV with the two neutral games and one road game.

Also, something to keep an eye on, Ohio is currently unbeaten and could be ranked by the time they come to Norman. They haven't left Athens yet and will go on the road 3 times before coming here, but their only tough game is a Memphis team that has yet to find it's identity.

We play like we have so far this season Ohio will beat us. They have every single person returning from a team that won 29 games, took the MAC going away and got to the sweet 16 where they took a #1 team to OT. I have always questioned the early season polls even more in basketball than I do football but I Ohio not being ranked in the preseason was a big miss by the voters. They were a pretty good team last year and everyone is back. They got ignored because of the mid-major label and not being amid-major "name school"; if the same team had Gonzaga, Butler, Wichita State, or VCU on the fron og their jersey they would have started the season in the top 20.

 

[SoonerinNC]

I think we have a good mix of tough games with cupcakes. I wouldn't want a tougher schedule.

The women normally play a tough schedule and that hurts the development of the newcomers. Sherri has a hard time going deep on the bench at best but while Kruger keeps playing his new guys against all opposition in pre-conference Sherri tends to shrink into the short bench.

For example Manning and Kornet got a total of 11 minutes against UCLA. Kornet did not get off the bench until the 6 minute mark of the first half against Hawaii even though our shooting was horrendous up to that point. She ended up playing 13 minutes after having a career game the previous game against Oregon.

I think her tough schedule hurts us when we get to conference play because it reduces the important minutes of the newcomers and we lack depth in the conference games.