Texas Southern Scheduling Model: A Powerful Anti-Jank Weapon

[dpdoughbird06]

https://twitter.com/deadspin/status/946187713430065157

It's ridiculously extreme, but I appreciate this rationale for a smaller school on a mission. Mike Davis knows how to butter his bread.

Fun to ignite another scheduling debate and contrasting the path of least resistance taken by some of our Valley brethren this year...

 

[Michigan Red]

Completely agree with this mindset/strategy. Give yourself a chance and play some folks, see what you have. I'm sure 0-13 doesn't sit well, but at least you played and lost vs. not playing at all.

 

[Hamdonger]

Bull-freakin-SPIT.

I'm not buying it. Especially here. This board would have a collective heart attack and keel over.

 

[Hamdonger]

I get what he's doing.
But 0-13. C'mon. And is he getting home and homes with that scheduling?

 

[Bird Friend]

I get what he's doing.
But 0-13. C'mon. And is he getting home and homes with that scheduling?

No, he's not. And this type of scheduling is exactly why Jank left N. Texas State, as the AD said he was requiring Jank to schedule all non-con games as away guarantee games . . .

 

[MadBird]

I don't like it. Who's "the game" for anyway? Play at home for the students and fans and moms and dads. Take your act on the road if you want, but no home games for the first two months of the season? I think it's a joke. Oh, and don't those students have to miss class for those road trips? Never mind . . . .

 

[Reggie Redbird]

Davis is paying for his own salary this way. All these buy games fill the coffers of their athletic department. I'm surprised their football team doesn't play FBS buy games, but their basketball team seems to do the trick.

I have a post in another thread, and here's the content:

Texas Southern funds their athletic department operations playing those games. I'm guessing they probably cleared over $600,000 playing:

at #18 Gonzaga
at Washington State
At Ohio State
At Syracuse
At #3 Kansas
At Clemson
At Oakland
At Toledo
At Oregon
At #21 Baylor
At Wyoming
At #15 TCU
At BYU

I'm surprised not to see Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Houston, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State on the list so they get more buy games they can bus to.

Last year they played games including at Arizona, at Louisville, at Cinci, at LSU, at TCU, at Baylor, and we can also mention at SIU. That is nothing like what they did this year. Davis beat Michigan State in East Lansing and Kansas State in Manhattan in 2014-2015 plus Temple in Philly in 2013-2014. They will pick off some of these teams.

 

[RedbirdNation24]

Yeah I agree with the majority here. It's more about the money than anything. Smaller schools need that extra boost and that's an easy way to get it. I don't think that does as much good as some might think for the team. Going into the conference season 0-13 can really damage the psyche of a team. Take it from a guy who played on more than his share of losing sports teams all the way up through college. :angry-banghead:

 

[V Boy]

Oakland did this a while back. Not a new thing. And it did help them build the program to where they are now, which is pretty competitive.

 

[Hamdonger]

I don't like it. Who's "the game" for anyway? Play at home for the students and fans and moms and dads. Take your act on the road if you want, but no home games for the first two months of the season? I think it's a joke. Oh, and don't those students have to miss class for those road trips? Never mind . . . .

:clap:

 

[Hamdonger]

I would rather be 13-0 with a cupcake schedule&games in front of our homies, and generate some fan excitement and energy...as opposed to 0-13 and getting your butt handed to you on most nights, with a very remote chance of winning maybe one of those games.

I just don't see players...or the fan base...buying into that strategy, unless you're somehow recruiting 4 and 5 stars exclusively.

 

[Hamdonger]

Now if they go on a 20 game winning streak from here on out, then whoopsadaisy...all bets are off.

 

[Reggie Redbird]

Now if they go on a 20 game winning streak from here on out, then whoopsadaisy...all bets are off.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see them at 18-2 or better the rest of the season until the NCAAs. As long as they win their conference tournament, that is what matters most to them. Davis can sell his team on scholarships, playing a lot on national TV and I’m front of scouts, championship bids, and NCAA bids.

 

[CaliRdBrd]

Now if they go on a 20 game winning streak from here on out, then whoopsadaisy...all bets are off.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see them at 18-2 or better the rest of the season until the NCAAs. As long as they win their conference tournament, that is what matters most to them. Davis can sell his team on scholarships, playing a lot on national TV and I’m front of scouts, championship bids, and NCAA bids.

This is exactly what kids being recruited want to hear.

 

[Buffett]

Cruise control in their 2nd to dead last SWAC rated conference once it starts. last years out of conference record 12 wins 98 losses

 

[Hamdonger]

Now if they go on a 20 game winning streak from here on out, then whoopsadaisy...all bets are off.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see them at 18-2 or better the rest of the season until the NCAAs. As long as they win their conference tournament, that is what matters most to them. Davis can sell his team on scholarships, playing a lot on national TV and I’m front of scouts, championship bids, and NCAA bids.

This is exactly what kids being recruited want to hear.

It's a hard sell, man. 0-13. Very high risk. Literally. With high reward. The risk? Alienating a fan base and not getting good players because of the strategy. The reward? If they become a regular Dance'r...then maybe it's not a bad deal. But when they don't make The Dance on a regular basis...I think the strategy implodes.

What a player really wants to know is this: HOW DO I MAKE AN NBA ROSTER?? Or, if not there, a respectable professional roster?

Really interesting convo, that's for sure.

 

[Hamdonger]

Ok. So they've made The Dance 3 of last 4. Haven't advanced. But they've made it. Hmmm.

Better than our 20 yr track record.

Question. Would our fan base accept such a non-conference fate?? Apples to oranges, though, because Texas Southern play in such a weak conference. Maybe it's the only hand that Davis can play...

 

[Hamdonger]

You know what, just looked at the conference teams. Wow. I'll backtrack. I guess perhaps it IS the only hand Davis can play.

Still don't like it, but I understand the picture more clearly now.

 

[Phantom]

Generally, I like the idea. Teams from low major conferences can take the nothing-to-lose approach here, as the big schools will happily pay them to come play. The big boys get the W's, while the little guy gets the money, a game on a big stage, and at least the chance for an upset which could pay off later. It's a win-win for both schools really. Low-majors aren't really in the same scheduling purgatory as mid-majors, except for the reality that they will almost never get a return game. Most big schools will happily pay a low-major for a one and done long before they'll agree to even a 2-1 with a good mid.

Still, even if a school like this wins out but gets eliminated in their conference tourney, they won't be in the mix for an at-large, despite their crazy schedule. No 18-13 SWAC team will be in that discussion. But, as was mentioned above, here is a school that has danced regularly in recent years, and playing big schools each year like this can only help recruiting and facilitate an upward program trend. If/when Texas Southern starts making Sweet 16s, people will credit their wild scheduling strategy as one of the catalysts.

 

[bombay]

Davis is able to take chances on players who have had issues elsewhere. Two years ago he had a Denver kid, Chris Thomas, who was a former 5* but had bounced around as much as Lofton due to various issues. He was a star that '15-'16 season, though. Last year Lofton. He also had a couple of 7'ers last season who had had problems. One from Auburn, the other from somewhere in, I think, Ohio. He gets some serious talent who must view it as last chance u.