At Kentucky to open the season
Wow thats a legit schedule!
Not sure how good Buffalo is supposed to be this season but that game is a good get for Carbondale fans.
Nevada, Buffalo twice and Kentucky--where's Duke?
Not sure how good Buffalo is supposed to be this season but that game is a good get for Carbondale fans.
They've got three-four starters back I believe
Finally a schedule I can agree with! I love the games with Kentucky, Winthrop, UMASS, and two games vs Buffalo. Which usually has a good team.
Only games I hate is Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Howard. I'll be disappointed if we lose one of those two games.
Winnable games-
Buffalo x2
Pine Bluff
Howard
UMASS
Little e
Murray State
SLU
SEMO
Winthrop
Not winning -
at Kentucky
At CSU
Nevada/Tulsa
Twitter: CPTNDONUTS
Former WIDB Sports Director and Dawg Pound President. Since my freshmen year, SIU Basketball has not appeared in a NCAA or NIT postseason game.
I like this too. I wonder if Jerry Kill has anything to do with this tougher schedule? If so, GIVE 'EM HELL JERRY!
I'm not sayin' -- I'm just sayin'!
Nevada, Buffalo twice and Kentucky--where's Duke?
UK plays Duke just before us. So there's your Duke connection.
I do like the ramp up in the sked.
"The bureaucratic mentality is the only constant in the universe." ~Dr. Leonard H. McCoy
Finally a schedule I can agree with! I love the games with Kentucky, Winthrop, UMASS, and two games vs Buffalo. Which usually has a good team.
Only games I hate is Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Howard. I'll be disappointed if we lose one of those two games.
Winnable games-
Buffalo x2
Pine Bluff
Howard
UMASS
Little e
Murray State
SLU
SEMO
Winthrop
Not winning -
at Kentucky
At CSU
Nevada/Tulsa
I will never understand why SIU fans always hold UMass to this mythic status. Their RPIs over the last 3 years is 240, 193, and 170.
Anyway, I am expecting Kentucky, Buffalo(twice), and Nevada to beat SIU pretty easily. The talent gap between those programs and SIU is just too great.
Murray and Tulsa are probably out of reach too. I would argue SLU should be significantly better as well.
SEMO will be a challenge with their talent levels being a tossup.
I am predicting a 6-7 OOC record.
CSU, Murray and Tulsa are not out of reach. Also, we arent going to play Tulsa we are going to get a second top 10 or 15 opponent in Nevada after we beat UMass. The SLU game is at home and that program is growing could be a huge win for the Dawgs. We will not be under .500 OOC.... I am going with 9-4 and I think that would be respectable with losses at Buffalo, UK, Nevada and maybe a surprise loss too. Hopefully we can pull together a 10-3 mark and get ourselves really rolling. I dont see it as impossible.
I know some will say "You wanted a tougher schedule and they schedule Kentucky and you're still bitching ... ", but I'm not a big fan of this game. Kentucky is one of a small handful of elite teams you basically have no chance to beat. I'd much rather Southern have scheduled a neutral court event with some regular BCS-type opponents, or scheduled a road game against a marquee opponent who isn't going to be in the preseason top 5 in just about every poll ... an Iowa, Missouri, Northwestern, Auburn, etc. ... someone you actually have a chance to beat and enhance your resume.
Yes, I'd rather play Kentucky than another bottomfeeder, but I don't know that it really serves the stated purpose of building an at-large resume. Also, I love how Hinson is changing his tune about that now ... I thought midmajors didn't have a chance for at-larges anymore?
I like it. Go big or go home.
So we lose a few? Dawgs get a little exposure and perhaps, some valuable experience. It seems contradictory, but I'd rather lose to a power team than beat a nobody and see how they stack up on the road against a force.
March on triumphantly!
