Challenging games on at UNLV, Arizona and Stanford. At the Save Mart Center? Um... not so much a challenge. If a few easy wins leads to a better team in December and later in the season, is it worth it for fans?
You tell me. I'll be there regardless. That's what the boss tells me.
The home men's basketball schedule is very poor. Presbyterian College? Is Steve Cleveland joking? Liberty? University of Portland? St. Mary's? Only the San Diego State game is mildly interesting, but when that one is the highlight of the entire home schedule, you know there's a problem.
We have a 16,000-seat arena on campus and that's the best Cleveland could come up with? It seems like his scheduling philosophy is to hope for an NIT bid thanks to piling up the wins against inferior opponents. It doesn't seem like the university put much time or effort into creating a schedule that was good for the fans.
Good point, John. Here's what Cleve tells me... It's tough for Fresno State, like many mid-majors, to attract the big names of college basketball to the Save Mart Center. Those schools realize how hard it is to win on the road; that's why they steer away from these games.
If I'm the head coach of BCS wherever, I say, "Sure, we can play... But you gotta come to My House."
As a fan, do you say I don't care how hard it is. Find a way...?
It's tp put ablam on anybody right now regarding the home schedule because I dont know who to blame. It doesnt really look as if Cleve is to blame, I mean he has put together some tough games on the road. Im pretty sure that he would rather play those at home, instead of on the road. Maybe we are just not offering enough guaranteed money to get these games at home. If we can get a sellout in the SMC from a good opponent, there ought to be enough money there to up the guarantee.
Maybe it is time we start believing the coaches that nobody wants to come to the SMC and play us.
Regardless of this years home schedule, I think Cleveland has done an outstanding job with this program and is taking us the right direction. We are finally starting to get some high quality high school players, which is badly needed to take us to the next level. And he is doing it the right way.
Another solid point... Now it's my turn to play Devil's Advocate on the other side of the arugment...
Nov. 29, 2003: No. 10 North Carolina traveled to unranked Cleveland State to play a nonconference game which meant nothing to the Tarheels. UNC barely escaped with an 82-76 win.
Why did UNC travel to Cleveland State? Personal relationships.
Part of a coaching staff's responsibility is to draw from its ties. These ties to various schools are often the differencw between solid schedules and not-so-sexy ones.