The Missouri Valley Conference was hoping to release its men’s basketball schedule by Aug. 22. However, the Valley is waiting for ESPN to finalize its programming, so it might take a couple more days to figure everything out.
Illinois State likely will release its schedule when the Valley does the same.
Most of ISU’s nonconference opponents are already known because those schools have released their schedules.
The Redbirds will be at SIU-Edwardsville on Nov. 15 in what looks to be the regular-season opener. North Florida of the Atlantic Sun Conference will be at Redbird Arena on Nov. 21, while Central Michigan will visit on Dec. 5 and Niagara on Dec. 13. ISU again will host a Thanksgiving tourney Nov. 27-29 with Norfolk State, Southeast Missouri State and St. Bonaventure.
ISU will be on the road to face Ohio University on Dec. 16 before going to Utah on Dec. 19 for the first Missouri Valley/Mountain West Challenge. The Redbirds also will be at Illinois-Chicago, but no date is known for that game.
There is one more nonconference game to be announced, in addition to ISU being home for a BracketBuster Game in February.
ISU also will have an exhibition game against Quincy on Nov. 11 at Redbird Arena. The Redbirds will hold a scrimmage with Loyola, that is closed to the public, instead of another exhibition game.
I have heard from Redbird fans already who are crying for ISU to play some marquee teams in the nonconference. Every other Valley team will play at least one opponent from a BCS football conference.
ISU and other Valley schools are never going to get home-and-home series with BCS teams. Those days are gone. ISU’s philosophy is not to play anyone for a “guarantee” game on the road without that team coming back to Redbird Arena.
The MVC/Mountain West Challenge gives the Redbirds a great opportunity to get a quality team to Redbird Arena every other year. That’s a plus. Also, Niagara has a bunch of athletes who started their careers in the Big East and will be no pushover, as ISU found out last season.
I would urge ISU coach Tim Jankovich to get in an exempt tournament every year that allows the Redbirds an opportunity to play big schools on a neutral court. Creighton is doing it this year in Orlando, while Bradley is going to Vegas in the same setup. Having three games at home for Thanksgiving break in an exempt tourney is hurting the Redbirds’ schedule.
Creighton certainly had a good-looking nonconference schedule last year. But that didn’t seem to matter to the NCAA tourney committee after ISU spanked the Bluejays in the Valley tourney semifinals.
The sad reality is that, unless a team wins the Valley regular-season title outright and doesn’t embarrass itself in the Valley tourney, it won’t have a chance for an NCAA at-large bid.
How many at-large bids to the NCAA tourney did the non-BCS schools get last year? Four out of 30.
Right now, it appears the Redbirds’ game at Utah could be the biggest of the season. The Utes were an NCAA tourney squad last year. A victory in Salt Lake City would give the Redbirds a lot of credibility come March. Yet, everything for all the Valley schools these days seem to be riding on those four days in St. Louis.
As far as the league schedule, word out of Wichita is that the Shockers might want to move a Valley home game at Koch Arena to the new 15,000-seat downtown Intrust Bank Arena. Any opponent would gladly trade to get out of noisy Koch Arena.
Mr. Benson any chance you can interview Coach Jankovich and ask him about the schedule? 2 years in a row, this is just terrible.
Jim,
Here is the problem – there are only a select few people who have a “press pass” and thus the opportunity to interview Jank on his yet-again, atrocious job scheduling. I don’t see WJBC doing it, so could you PLEASE ask him how for the third straight year, he has put together a schedule that embarrasses us alum? Sure scheduling is tough, but he is the only one in the Valley that seems to not have a clue as to how to do it.
Of course, I trust that you can figure out a way to ask him that won’t get your boss upset at you.
I can’t wait for the thanksgiving tournament at Redbird!!!!!!!
For all you fans out there….. don’t bother with season tickets. Instead just buy the MVC tourney pass. Because with this schedule – even with a perfect non-conference record, we still will have beaten virtually nobody.
For the sake of entertainment, could coach Jankovic at least have brought in to Redbird Arena a decent regional team? I understand that you’re not going to get a Big 10 team here very easily, but how about a Butler? A DePaul? A Western Kentucky? A Dayton? Someone!
[...] State’s schedule continues to be a sore spot with some Redbird [...]
Everyone’s a genius. Like all it takes is to pick up the phone and say, “Hey, BCS team that has little to gain and everything to lose from a loss at Redbird Arena, you’re coming here.”
I’m sure he, his staff, and Zenger all tried their best. It would be absurd to assume otherwise. They can’t even get home-and-homes…only pay-for-play road guarantee games seem to be an option.
Maybe take some pride in a program that no one wants to risk a loss against – take it as a perspective of respect rather than a lack of effort from arguably one of the best coaches in the nation, and certainly a Top 3 in ISU history.
Ungrateful tools…
Ungrateful? Answer these questions:
What is there to be grateful about?
Who is saying that people just want to see BCS teams come to Redbird Arena? This is a SOS issue, in re getting into the tournament.
How do you know Jank and Zenger did their best? Why would it be absurd to assume otherwise when every other program in the MVC was able to schedule better games?
One of the best coaches in the nation? Are you high? Did you watch the last 3-5 minutes of any of ISU’s games last year?
And that “Top 3 in ISU history”, what is that based on? Cause it can’t be anything that’s been accomplished on the court.