Basketball: Schedule Poll

[mslacat]

I have been getting really ticked off about the Big Sky Basketball scheduling over the past 5-6 years. It used to be for the longest (at least from the 1970's thru the 90's) the Bobcat / Griz game was always the last game of the first 1/2 and second 1/2 of the season. These were the "conferences rivalry weeks". Unfortunately right now I think the Bobcat / Griz is the only true rivalry in the conference. Anyway starting sometime in the early 2000's the Bobcat/Griz games started to creep up the schedule earlier and earlier. I was told that the Big Sky commissioner's office prepares the schedule via-computer and it is totally random when the Cat/Griz game is. I really think that is a load of crap, that the comish's office can not figure out how to schedule a proper rivalary schedule. The last four years the Bobcat Griz game has either been the very first game in January or the in the second week, and I think this hurts the programs. here are some thoughts.

- If there is one game that student should be able to attend it is the Bobcat Griz. Currently every year one school's students get screwed.
- The first game of the season no-one has anything invested yet in the conference season. The game means almost nothing. By the second go around the interest is higher, but there is no anticipation, yea they already met, and this is how it turned out.

I think this is all hurting premier rivalry in the Big Sky. Currently the excitement for the Cat / Griz basketball game is a mere shadow of what it used to be.

But I am a basketball nut, am I over blowing this? What do you guy's think?

[Ponycat]

I completly agree. The only benefit is a selfish one in that it is easier to get a ticket, which in the long run shows that this hurts the programs and has hurt the rivalry.

What is the Weber St./Idaho St. schedule like. They used to have a pretty heated rivalry.

[mslacat]

Weber and ISU play on Jan 29th and again on Jan 31st. Yes two days apart.

[Domako]

I think the timing sucks as well. It always used to be the last game in both halves of the conference schedule. It also used to be the only game
of that week. You got all week to prepare for them and by the time you got to game day the anticipation was very high.

Having a rivalry game right before the conference tourney was always key too because you wanted momentum going into the tourney.
Case in point, 1986...we beat Larry K. and a first place griz team right before the tourney. We knocked them down so they ended up
with the second seed and went on to win the conference tourney beating the Griz in the championship game. I still think winning that
rivalry game was the reason we won the whole thing.

In 1987 when we met the last game of the first half, both teams were undefeated in conference. Talk about a heated game!

As it is now, the games usually mean much less and the basketball rivalry has lost its edgy, scrappy play because of it.

JMO

[longhorn_22]

What will it take for Fullerton to start listening to the fans? This is a serious question. And not only for this topic either. I have emailed him SEVERAL times about about multiple topics and only get BS responses from his overpaid secretaries, if at all. It's really getting to be a joke.

[4everacatfan]

What will it take for Fullerton to start listening to the fans? This is a serious question. And not only for this topic either. I have emailed him SEVERAL times about about multiple topics and only get BS responses from his overpaid secretaries, if at all. It's really getting to be a joke.

Honestly I think it would require DIVINE intervention Fullerton just doesn't care. I remeber as a student how we would actually have to go wait in line outside the Weds. before to get our tickets in the early morning because if you didn't you were not going to get one. Those games rocked especially the years it was the last game of the season at the Fieldhouse. I thought I read on a different subject it is computer generated but in football they go back in and hand schedule the rivalry games. Did anyone else remember reading that? why can they not do that with basketball.

The only positive thing this year is that he mens and women's games are double headers but not true double headers. the women's game is at 2 and then they clear everyone out and the men's game starts at 7 but for the first time in a long time they are in the same town on the same day!!!

[GOKATS]

What will it take for Fullerton to start listening to the fans? This is a serious question. And not only for this topic either. I have emailed him SEVERAL times about about multiple topics and only get BS responses from his overpaid secretaries, if at all. It's really getting to be a joke.

Honestly I think it would require DIVINE intervention Fullerton just doesn't care. I remeber as a student how we would actually have to go wait in line outside the Weds. before to get our tickets in the early morning because if you didn't you were not going to get one. Those games rocked especially the years it was the last game of the season at the Fieldhouse. I thought I read on a different subject it is computer generated but in football they go back in and hand schedule the rivalry games. Did anyone else remember reading that? why can they not do that with basketball.

The only positive thing this year is that he mens and women's games are double headers but not true double headers. the women's game is at 2 and then they clear everyone out and the men's game starts at 7 but for the first time in a long time they are in the same town on the same day!!!

I think it was my post on the BSC computer scheduling and how MSU and um managed to work out the last game for football with the bye and cooperation from other BSC members. I'm really pissed about this years BB schedule,and there's no way in hell that I'm gong to defend Fullerton, but one other thing that has to be factored in with conference BB is the weekend travel schedule, especially with nine teams, i.e.; Cats travel: ISU/WSU, EWU/PSU, NAU/Sac. St. (the griz usually alternate those same teams the same weekend). Teams coming to Montana hit both MSU and um the same weekend. What totally screwed up BB scheduling was adding UNC (and no I'm not placing any blame on the Bears). I'm not saying it would be easy, but it sure as hell seems to me that they could figure out some way to have both rivalry games, i.e. Cat/griz when the students are on campus.

[feb]

it appears that the BSC has lost sight of the fact that they are here to serve the schools and not the other way around. The only thing the bracket buster does is screw up the schedual even more. The schools AD's and coaches should be part of the process.

[BozCatFan]

I'd like to know why the Holiday tournament is a Sun-Mon event? The entire schedule for MBB sucks, there are way too many weeknight games.

Doesn't MSU and the BSC relate what day of the week games are played to attendance? It's utter stupidity to be playing a MBB game on a Sunday, Monday, Tues, Wed. I know Thu and Sat are traditional nights but even that was thrown out the window this year.

Good luck drawing fans this year Cats. I'll be there with the 2,000 other die hard fans, if the powers that be would wake up we might actually pack the house once in a while and get MSU hoop attendance where it should be.

[kcatz]

Hey Domako (and probably MslaCat too) what year did Larry Frost get hit in the head with the Squirt can? For those of you who currently see Larry Frost on the nightly news, just use your imagination!!! That was about my favorite CAT/griz memory of all time!! Well not the losing for a stupid reason, but seeing his fat !@$ fall to the ground...funny S@#%

[MSU01]

Whatever computer was used to generate this horrible schedule needs to be thrown out the window - the Cat/Griz game should NOT be played at either location before school is not in session. If the conference can schedule football season so that the Cat/Griz is the last regular season game, surely they can make sure that the first basketball meeting isn't until mid-January at the earliest. You can randomly devise a schedule while also leaving room to tweak things that are utterly ridiculous such as a conference game on December 6 and Cat/Griz on January 3rd. It's also ludicrous that we only have two Saturday conference home games - that'll be good for attendance with those who travel from out of town to attend games!