FU Hoops '23-24 Schedule

[FurmanFan23]

No teams in the southeast will play us.

[Affirm]

No teams in the southeast will play us.

Unfair.
Can we and should we move to the A-10?
CAA?
Would that increase our ability to get higher profile OOC competition?
Would it raise the level of our in-conference competition?
[Yes, I realize we’ve won the SoCon only once in 43 years, so we probably ought to see if we can do that a lot more frequently before we get so brave above improving our in conference competition!)
Anyway, I guess we need to work on getting a game in Pullman WA, Corvallis OR, Ames IA, Stillwater OK, etc., IF any of the schools in such distant places are not as scared as CU, USC, UGA, etc., apparently are scared to play us.

[apaladin]

While not completely relevant to Furman, St. Josephs University in Philly has released their entire non-conference schedule. So things are moving and I wonder if we suffer from lack of a major media market. Let's hope that we will hear more news on the upcoming non-conference schedule.

We suffer from being a mid-major that has a knack of whooping up on these P6 schools, we are on the cusp of being a frindge Top 25 program to be honest but not there yet.........
What P6 school wants to sign up to pay a mid-major a bunch of money to come in there and kick their butt around the gym? Well not many or not any apparently lol

We are the 37th largest media market in the country so that is not it. Ranked ahead of a lot of markets you wouldn’t think we were. Ranked ahead of Milwaukee, Las Vegas, Jacksonville, Louisville, New Orleans, Memphis, Buffalo etc of course all but Louisville are pro cities.

[stonemd]

Seems it’s had to get “buy” games w P6 teams. So the next best option is home and home series w top mid majors. Don’t get the payout but still have a chance to improve our long ranking /NET. College of Charleston, Belmont, too MaC schools etc

[apaladin]

No teams in the southeast will play us.

Unfair.
Can we and should we move to the A-10?
CAA?
Would that increase our ability to get higher profile OOC competition?
Would it raise the level of our in-conference competition?
[Yes, I realize we’ve won the SoCon only once in 43 years, so we probably ought to see if we can do that a lot more frequently before we get so brave above improving our in conference competition!)
Anyway, I guess we need to work on getting a game in Pullman WA, Corvallis OR, Ames IA, Stillwater OK, etc., IF any of the schools in such distant places are not as scared as CU, USC, UGA, etc., apparently are scared to play us.

Don’t see how conference affiliation would change anything regarding scheduling.

[Affirm]

No teams in the southeast will play us.

Unfair.
Can we and should we move to the A-10?
CAA?
Would that increase our ability to get higher profile OOC competition?
Would it raise the level of our in-conference competition?
[Yes, I realize we’ve won the SoCon only once in 43 years, so we probably ought to see if we can do that a lot more frequently before we get so brave above improving our in conference competition!)
Anyway, I guess we need to work on getting a game in Pullman WA, Corvallis OR, Ames IA, Stillwater OK, etc., IF any of the schools in such distant places are not as scared as CU, USC, UGA, etc., apparently are scared to play us.

Don’t see how conference affiliation would change anything regarding scheduling.

Presumably, maybe wrong, a different, higher level conference (which A-10 is) would make it slightly more attractive for other big name schools to schedule us in regular season. Beyond that, the level of conference play overall would be presumably (maybe wrong) higher in another conference - at least we'd be playing the likes of Richmond & VCU & GW & George Mason & Davidson & Fordham & Duquesne & Saint Louis & Saint Bonaventure & Saint Joseph & URI & UMass regularly.
... Earlier in this thread were comments "no teams in the southeast will play us" and then a response was "we have to go way up north or way out west". Yes, it is unfair of Clemson and USC and UGA to shun us, but if we could get one game against the likes of Gonzaga or Arizona or Texas A&A or Michigan State or Syracuse or UConn, etc., that would be very good. What I mean is that going way up north or way out west is not necessarily a bad thing, that is, as long as we don't have to make more than about 1 or 2 of those long trips during the regular season. And yes, I realize going to DC & Pittsburgh & Saint Louis & NY & Philadelphia & Rhode Island & Massachusetts is more than to Spartanburg & Cullowhee & Johnson City & Chattanooga & Macon & Birmingham, etc., but we would at least get those A-10 teams to regularly come play us at our place, in addition to us going to their places.

[RaleighDin]

No teams in the southeast will play us.

Unfair.
Can we and should we move to the A-10?
CAA?
Would that increase our ability to get higher profile OOC competition?
Would it raise the level of our in-conference competition?
[Yes, I realize we’ve won the SoCon only once in 43 years, so we probably ought to see if we can do that a lot more frequently before we get so brave above improving our in conference competition!)
Anyway, I guess we need to work on getting a game in Pullman WA, Corvallis OR, Ames IA, Stillwater OK, etc., IF any of the schools in such distant places are not as scared as CU, USC, UGA, etc., apparently are scared to play us.

Don’t see how conference affiliation would change anything regarding scheduling.

Presumably, maybe wrong, a different, higher level conference (which A-10 is) would make it slightly more attractive for other big name schools to schedule us in regular season. Beyond that, the level of conference play overall would be presumably (maybe wrong) higher in another conference - at least we'd be playing the likes of Richmond & VCU & GW & George Mason & Davidson & Fordham & Duquesne & Saint Louis & Saint Bonaventure & Saint Joseph & URI & UMass regularly.
... Earlier in this thread were comments "no teams in the southeast will play us" and then a response was "we have to go way up north or way out west". Yes, it is unfair of Clemson and USC and UGA to shun us, but if we could get one game against the likes of Gonzaga or Arizona or Texas A&A or Michigan State or Syracuse or UConn, etc., that would be very good. What I mean is that going way up north or way out west is not necessarily a bad thing, that is, as long as we don't have to make more than about 1 or 2 of those long trips during the regular season. And yes, I realize going to DC & Pittsburgh & Saint Louis & NY & Philadelphia & Rhode Island & Massachusetts is more than to Spartanburg & Cullowhee & Johnson City & Chattanooga & Macon & Birmingham, etc., but we would at least get those A-10 teams to regularly come play us at our place, in addition to us going to their places.

Better conference means higher NET rankings for opponents during the season, which presumably would raise our own NET ranking just by association. That means more Quad 1 / 2 game opportunities for us, but also a higher likelihood that we're a Quad 1 / 2 game ourself - essentially scheduling us and potentially losing is less of a risk because it's not considered a bad loss. At this point, everyone knows we're good, but it's not reflected in the #'s because our league holds us back to an extent.

[furpep]

I had written earlier about my thoughts on media market, but maybe the problem just is the perennially weak SoCon. It just does not have any heft and I do believe a change to A-10 or other league would be better for now, but Davidson moved there and I have not seen them really have the success they had in the SoCon, plus we must think of football, travel, etc. It is a dilemma we have to face, and probably the best thing for Furman is to keep winning and be an annual SoCon champion. With wins and NCAA appearances comes respect and higher NET rankings.

[Affirm]

Yes, dilemma.
A-10 has neither football nor women’s golf.
Otherwise A-10 has every sport that Furman has, plus about 8 other sports that we do not have.
(Richmond competes in CAA for FB and in Patriot League for W Golf.)

[youwouldno]

There's no dilemma, Furman moving to the A-10 would be accompanied by a football move to the CAA.

[FU Hoopla]

I still say the best move would be to form a brand new league, all fresh blood, best of the best hoops mid-majors anywhere in this vicinity..............

And yes then football is also a free agent to go or stay however they see fits best....................

[Affirm]

There's no dilemma, Furman moving to the A-10 would be accompanied by a football move to the CAA.

So you would suggest that we would move to the A-10 for all sports except football, which apparently is what Richmond and Davidson both do?
By the way, the A-10 has every sport that we have except for Women's Golf. Richmond competes in the Patriot League for Women's Golf. Davidson does not have Women's Golf. (Davidson does have the following sports that we do not have, and they compete in A-10 in these sports: baseball, swimming & diving [M & W], field hockey, wrestling). Also, the A-10 has several sports that the SoCon apparently does not have.

[Affirm]

I still say the best move would be to form a brand new league, all fresh blood, best of the best hoops mid-majors anywhere in this vicinity..............

And yes then football is also a free agent to go or stay however they see fits best....................

Interesting.
Have we previously discussed what schools we would hope to be with in this brand new league? Who are they?
Maybe Belmont for one?
Maybe CofC for one?
Who are the good possibilities?

[FU Hoopla]

I still say the best move would be to form a brand new league, all fresh blood, best of the best hoops mid-majors anywhere in this vicinity..............

And yes then football is also a free agent to go or stay however they see fits best....................

Interesting.
Have we previously discussed what schools we would hope to be with in this brand new league? Who are they?
Maybe Belmont for one?
Maybe CofC for one?
Who are the good possibilities?

Thread with some suggestions:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3725

[Affirm]

I still say the best move would be to form a brand new league, all fresh blood, best of the best hoops mid-majors anywhere in this vicinity..............

And yes then football is also a free agent to go or stay however they see fits best....................

Interesting.
Have we previously discussed what schools we would hope to be with in this brand new league? Who are they?
Maybe Belmont for one?
Maybe CofC for one?
Who are the good possibilities?

Thread with some suggestions:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3725

Thanks!
I now remember that 2/6/2023 post.
Not sure if I made additional suggestions and comments then, but here are some now.
1. Was the omission of Samford just inadvertent?
2. I suggest Iona as an addition to the list.
3. I suggest Hofstra as an addition to the list.
4. I suggest Fairfield as an addition to the list. (FU vs. FU.)
5. I suggest Stetson as an addition to the list.
6. Also, though not on your initial list, you later mentioned Lipscomb and UNCW and W&M
… so your initial list of 20 + those 3 + my latest 4 additions plus maybe also Elon makes
a total of 28.
There could be a very good conference created from those approximately 28 teams, and it could be a conference of 10 teams, or 11, 12, etc., whatever good number and school combination we might be able to get that would be beneficial and practical.