Wichita State can't find BCS schools who will play them

[DWadle1983]

This is from Andy Katz's blog on ESPN Insider dated yesterday.


Shockers can't find gamesposted: Thursday, June 22, 2006 | Feedback | Print Entry

Here's a shocker: Wichita State's run to the Sweet 16 in March has made it untouchable for high-major schools.
Wichita State, ranked No. 21 in ESPN.com's June Top 25 with four starters back, is still searching for four nonconference games. Right now, the Shockers' only possible "RPI-quality game" against a "big six" conference team (ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10 and SEC) could be a meeting with Kansas State in a tournament in Las Vegas.

Wichita State coach Mark Turgeon said he wrote a letter to every one of the schools in those six conferences except Vanderbilt (he worked with coach Kevin Stallings), North Carolina (he is close with coach Roy Williams), K-State (because WSU already might play the Wildcats) and Providence (the Shockers just completed a home-and-home series with the Friars). He even suggested that he would start on the road, something you would think big six schools would gobble up.

What kind of response did he get? Not much.

Wichita State has the marquee nonconference, Sweet 16/Bracket Buster rematch game at George Mason on Nov. 18 on ESPN2, but that isn't a game against a high-major. So, as much as the Missouri Valley Conference teams talk about their status as more than a mid-major conference and perform well in the NCAA Tournament to back up the claim, they still can't get high-profile games against the traditional major conferences, especially games on TV.

"A few schools said they could play, but would only do [our home game] in Kansas City -- but I don't have a base in Kansas City," Turgeon said. "That doesn't make sense for us."

Turgeon still is holding out hope that he'll nab one or two of these types of games, but he is realizing the mid-major schools still are forced to play each other instead of being able to step up for a higher-profile game.

[HebrewHammer]

i wonder if maryland will play them?

[Bier Guy '99]

Mark Turgeon: Hi, is this Gary Williams?
Gary Williams: Yes.
MT:Hi, this is Mark Turgeon from Wichita State, we'd like to see about scheduling a home-home series with your basketball program. We'd be willing to start on the road if that's ok with you... Think we could work something out?
GW: Sure... let me check my calendar... it's right here... now, let me see here... (Click)

[AmesPanther]

Quite honestly I don't blame the BCS schools. If they win the media and 90% of the population doesn't care. If they lose the media rips them and so will 90% of the population. WSU isn't going to bring a big tv package or a ton of money to the table. It's not worth the risk. You schedule easy teams and when you schedule a tough team you pick one you can match up against, but that also brings TV and money to the table.

We saw how bad the Valley schools got ripped with the teams they got in this March. It's BS, but we saw the CBS guys sitting there saying Valley teams shouldn't be in.

The media doesn't respect the Valley teams enough. The population isn't well informed. It sucks.

Right now if I was an AD at a BCS school I'd avoid 75% of the Valley teams.

With the Valley having a lot of teams ranked well this year it helps. Get 3-4 teams in the dance every year with at least 1 of them making a good run and as time goes on this will change. It isn't going to happen over night though.

[ejacobson]

All very true and very good points Ames, but the attempts to get BCS schools at actually play MVC schools needs to be documented so that next spring when the pundits are ragging on the MVC for not playing the ACC and SEC enough, there will be basketball minded people who can say, look the MVC did what they could to play and no one would, Jim Les (I believe) said it best "Play us, play us and call us mid-major" if the BCS boys want to say the MVC doesnt belong they need to prove and play the MVC schools and show their dominance, which they know they cannot, so they wont. Its a BS cycle.

[Panthers to the Bone]

ejac-

That Jim Les quote is my signature on every post. See below. All very true statements. The Valley should keep a running tab of how many times each school gets turned down to play BCS teams. Then present that info to the NCAA Selection Committee.

[panther2317]

I hope every Valley coach is calling Doug Elgin and getting a tally sheet together on the numer of times the BCS conference schools have said "no" to us. Now...they'll spin it and say, "we would have played them at our place and then a nuetral site, but they wouldn't do that!"

[chester]

I also think it's kind of funny that Katz is reporting that the BCS schools won't play WSU because he works for an entity that could help w/that. If ESPN threw a few bucks at a BCS school to play WSU, those schools would do it. ESPN chooses not to help out a Wichita State, then pretends it's stunned when no one will schedule them. TV networks play matchmaker all the time, they just (still) refuse to do it for the Missouri Valley.

[panther2317]

ESPN could play match-maker, but so could CBS, Fox Sports and others. Since the Valley is a part of CBS's championship week coverage again next year...you think they'd want to get Valley teams on their network playing BCS conference schools early in the year.

[Panthers to the Bone]

http://www.thesouthern.com/articles/2006/07/11/sports/16892389.txt

Another article about MVC Scheduling. The next article will have UNI's schedule in it.

[Panthers to the Bone]

The article as promised earlier about UNI's schedule:

http://www.thesouthern.com/articles/2006/07/16/sports/16932306.txt

An overall look at MVC scheduling:

http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2006/07/16/sports/16930905.txt

As for Missouri State and Maryland, they probably won't share Christmas cards or a home-and-home series.

"After they didn't call, we called back," Hinson said.

Maryland offered one game, Hinson said, at a neutral site.

"Read between the lines," the Missouri State coach added. "They barked, I bit. They didn't realize we bit in the Missouri Valley."

---YOU GOTTA LOVE BARRY---

[panther2317]

I love Barry...a great guy and an underrated coach. MSU is going to be loaded this year. They get everyone back...plus Deven Mitchell, quite possibly their most athletic player is back from a medical redshirt and playing well in their version of the PTL in Springfield.

[UNIAlum95]

How sad for Indiana State...

that they have to sacrifice 2 for 1s with Purdue (finally) and Indiana. Even a former MVC coach like Painter doesn't give them enough due. Every UNI fan should thank the stars that the state legislature is behind this series as evidenced by ISU's talk a few years ago about backing out. It caused a major uproar in the house and legislation was threatened.

[Panthers to the Bone]

Update on the Shockers. Wichita will play LSU in a home and home, while playing at Syracuse as part of a "one and done"...something that most in the Valley look down upon. But, I guess, if you can't find a game...at all...even in August, then you have to take what you can get.

[panther2317]

I know we look down upon it...but it's a game with a BCS conference team that the talking heads normally fawn over...and that almost always lose a few games in th Carrier Dome to "mid-major" opponents. Go Shockers!