http://raycomsports.com/sports_labs_docs/m-baskbl/2015-16_accmbb_matchup...
2014/2015
Tech will play UVA and Miami home and away in 2014/15 as these are our designated "Rivalry Games". We will play Georgia Tech, Duke, Pitt, BC and Notre Dame at home. We will play Clemson, UNC, WF, NC State and Louisville away. FSU and Syracuse are listed as Repeats which are non rival home and away games.
2015/2016
Tech will play UVA and Miami again home and away. Wake Forest and Pitt are the Repeats. Home slate will include FSU, Clemson, UNC, NC State, and Louisville. Away slate will include GT, BC, Duke, Syracuse and Notre Dame.
This seems to be a pretty good slate to see where Buzz is at. I am excited to see how Buzz will do against Syracuse, Pitt and Duke at home next season.
What are your thoughts on the schedules?
Comments
Too bad Harrell won't ever have to come to Cassell.
I am more curious as to how Buzz schedules OOC for his first season. Does he go with the challenging schedule approach or pad his W/L with a bunch of cupcakes. I'd like to see us start up a series with VCU when we have a little more talent to actually compete with them.
I'd be ok if we went soft on the OOC for at least a year, just to inflate wins while the young guys are getting used to the college game. Maybe schedule a tough OOC game in Year 2, and then go nuts in Year 3. If anything, it would also help us get exposure later in the seasons when our inflated win total has us potentially playing meaningful games longer than we realistically should.
To give you an idea of Buzz' OOC SOS:
2013-14: 166 VT 2013-14: 163
2012-13: 84 VT 2012-13: 256
2011-12: 156 VT 2011-12: 157
2010-11: 198 VT 2010-11: 339
So historically not much different than what we have been used to. One caveat to that is that I would expect to see him possibly buffer it upwards a little based on the ACC slate being a lower SOS than Buzz usually had in the Big East. The overall Marquette SOS for most years was in the top 50 based on their conference schedule. If the ACC slate wont get us there than Buzz will probably try to work in a couple of opponents that will to help with the NCAA selection.
Tech also will play in the ACC/B1G challenge this year.
we will?
There is a possibility that this years challenge will be the largest yet, with potentially 14 games with B1G adding Rutgers and Maryland, while we add Louisville. ACC will have 15 teams and the B1G 14. Since we were one of the three that were not included last year, we automatically are in this season regardless of the total number of teams that end up participating this year.
ahhh, thank you. i wasn't aware that there was a rule to protect schools from missing it 2 years in a row. so will L'ville sit out, or will the worst team that did participate last year miss out?
I am sure that the ACC office keeps some kind of rotation. Not sure exactly how the priority will work.
Yeah on the road too. Wouldn't be surprised if we end up with Maryland though.
(((((I see a trip to Piscataway in our future))))))
Have to admit , I think ACC did a pretty good job for us in terms of home games. Getting UVA,SU, UM, Duke, Pitt, ND then UVA, LOU ,PITT, UNC and NCSU the next year is pretty balanced set of games for a season ticket holder (which I'm not )
Agreed. We alternate getting UNC & Duke home & away, so that is much better than missing out on one of them entirely. It's pointless being in the ACC if we're not playing those guys annually.
I like our designated rivalry games which are our two biggest ACC rivals unlike football where we're forced to play BC every year
We've never had any rivalry with Miami in basketball. That has only been in football. I think the biggest reason we were assigned Boston College as a rival was Weaver volunteering to take the short straw of being designated their rival. Boston has worked out in football and basketball to become a challenge for us, so yes, something of a rival. If a rivalry could mean zero interest from the fans in all the traditional rivalry activities. If I were to try to manufacture a 'new rival' in the current ACC, I would select Pittsburgh. I can see enough similarities and enough differences to create some excitement about playing them in both revenue sports. I don't see BC getting excited about playing anyone outside of New England, and I don't see Miami getting excited about playing anyone (other than Notre Dame) outside the state of Florida. We've absolutely never been excited about playing Miami in basketball, only in football, and then only when they still sort of mattered.
Why would a nationally ranked team in which VT had a decent history with be "Weaver volunteering to take the short straw"?
When the BC/VT rivalry was designated, VT and BC had mini-rivalry that included regular season and ACC Championship drama. Besides Miami or UVA, I don't know who else could have been VT's rival in football.
Technically, the rivalry on the field is still pretty hot. Say what you want about BC, but VT lost to them last year and barely beat them the year before in OT. On the field, it's actually a rivalry unlike UVA.
As a current student I can say that Miami in football gets everybody up more than any other ACC teams other than maybe Clemson or FSU, maybe even more so. I think it's a decent rivalry and the mention of Miami gets a reaction from most Hokies, doesn't really matter what sport. It's more personal than Duke or UNC. They're a rising program under Larranaga so it'll be fun to compete with them in basketball.
The BC rivalry is the cross-division mandated rivalry, and we're matched up with them because we were the only two schools left and we both came from the Big East. Miami had FSU in state, Clemson and GT are 2 hours apart. The NC schools have eachother and UVA and UMD were old ACC cronies. We got the short end of the stick, but that could change if we add UConn at some point.
Most of the schedule was likely set by Johnson so buzz will likely only have very few games to add if any. Had heard the WVU series was renewed don't know if that's true or not but doubt you see a huge difference from last seasons ooc. Trip to cancun for tournament also.
If it was indeed set prior to Whit coming on board and Johnson's firing, then it will be an incredibly soft OOC schedule, since Johnson was in survival mode. The comparison above of Buzz's OOC schedule strength had the solid caveat included that it was balanced against a stronger conference strength than we've had in the ACC. SO, after the first season, we might see Buzz dial it up towards the more challenging side, and we can hopefully say goodbye to Elon and the like.
I am fine with 3-4 games against Elon, Radford and the like... but it gets a little boring when 10 of your 12 OOC games are against these 'cupcake' schools. After a preseason trounemant and the ACC/Big Ten challenge, we should have around 8-9 OOC games. I'd say no more than 4 cupcake games, a home and away with 2-3 BCS schools and 2-for-1's with 2-3 mid majors. Just off the top of my head, what about something like:
@ WVU
@ Georgetown
vs Tennessee
vs VCU
vs ODU
vs Elon
vs Radford
vs UNCG
vs VMI
Without having to write six paragraphs of addendums, of course an occasional weak OOC game is acceptable. multiple ones, even. But the farce of our OOC schedules the past two seasons is not acceptable to me as a season ticket holder. When I'm given eight home games in Nov/Dec to watch, it would be nice if they weren't virtually all at that level. Otherwise, I'm just paying to watch a scrimmage game. All that aside, I think both Whit & Buzz will act like professionals and schedule as well (appropriately) as they operate the other components of their responsibilities. It's refreshingly positive.
And if you are going to focus on scheduling regional teams, at least focus on scheduling the better ones George Mason compared to Longwood, VCU compared to Old Dominion/Radford. I would even be in favor of scheduling Mt St Marys from Maryland over some of the lesser talented teams around here.
VA State tourney in Blacksburg. Book it. It's all I want.
Yeah Horse, I am with you. You could do it annually and make it a great big event. I think you could draw a huge crowd to Blacksburg for an all weekend type event.
I'd switch out Elon/UNCG/ODU with GMU so that we can switch home-and-homes with GMU and G'town so that we'd have one game a season in the DC area and the other team comes to Cassell. Both teams are decent draws from major conferences.
I agree that it would be ideal to have games in the DCarea every year.