Drat! Zagthunder is right about Illinois January 2

[ZagNative]

Well, drat! Not so much drat about the confirmation that the Zags will play Illinois January 2, but about the probability Zagthunder's unnamed source was also right about a very early season game (Nov. 17) against Michigan State, as ZagThunder announced in this guboards thread.

Regarding the Illinois game, this from a Paul Klee post on IlliniHQ.com:

CHAMPAIGN - For the first time, Illinois' annual game at Chicago's United Center will be played after the holidays.

Bruce Weber said Illinois will face Gonzaga at the UC on Jan. 2. He said the game will be nationally televised on CBS.

"That was the big thing, to get TV involved," Weber said today. "For Gonzaga to play us, their whole thing is TV. That's why they're playing these games, to get exposure."

It will be a day game, though Weber was unsure of the time, and likely part of a college basketball doubleheader. He said Duke is involved in the other half of the doubleheader.

The Illinois-Gonzaga matchup initially was going to be played on Dec. 5. But Illinois scheduled a home football game against Fresno State on that date and wanted to avoid a conflict.

Gonzaga and Illinois have signed a contract for a four-game series. The games are expected to be played in Chicago-Seattle-Champaign-Spokane. The Zags are coming off a Sweet 16 appearance, their second in three years, but figure to be young, with up to eight first-year contributors.

Let the dirge begin! "Bring out ye dead! Bring out ye dead!"

See if this schedule looks right to you ... Well, not "right," so much as "accurate," basked on known information.... I think one of those December 28 or 29 dates is wrong ...



Note: Edited to add GoZags' Wake Forest info in post below to chart for dates.

8/4/09 Additional Edit: Edited to swap the calendar to count the conference games (dates not determined yet), for purposes of counting possible additional games that might be scheduled. (See my post below today.)

I'm still skeered!

[sittingon50]

"I'm not dead yet!"

"I'm feeling better!"

[CDC84]

Let's just hope that the CBS doubleheader doesn't turn into a "regionalized" game like Gonzaga/UConn last season.

[dnj116]

wow, this is shaping up to be my favorite non-conference schedule that i can remember. this is great to be getting these top-notch series' with such teams.

[GoZags]

Wake is either Dec. 4 or Dec. 5 (in K2).

[CDC84]

I hope that WF date is right. It would be great for school to be in session for that game.

[BobZag]

That Memphis game is in Feb., I'm fairly sure.

There might be one or two, at most, games not known yet; typically there are 15 or so ooc games. There are 15 listed already.

Good job, ZN. That's almost a wrap.

[cbbfanatic]

Let's just hope that the CBS doubleheader doesn't turn into a "regionalized" game like Gonzaga/UConn last season.

CBS games usually are regional, right?

[ZagNative]

I didn't number the Div. II or III exhibition games, so there are fourteen listed, 12 of which are Division I, and counting Maui as 1. I believe last year we played 12, or no more than 13, Div I OOC games.

I still wonder if the staff would be looking to schedule a closed-door scrimmage with a high profile team, as they did last year with Texas ...

[ZagMania]

Is that date finalized for Duke @ MSG? If so I'm very excited that I'll be able to see the Zags play in person for the second time!

[ZagNative]

I've never seen a solid confirmation for the date of Duke at MSG. I'll look again, but I checked recently and still didn't see a firm date ..

[BobZag]

Bakersfield is D1 and not an exhibition.

[chieftain]

This certainly seems to be the toughest schedule I've seen so far. It's exciting and I think the exposure will be great, especially if they manage to smoke a couple of these teams.

[wiszag]

I like the fact that we'll probably be underdogs in these games and we'll get return games. Most likely this will be a down year and we'll still be getting exposure next year as a residual effect. All is good. Plus I plan to go to both NYC and Chicago for the games.

[zagthunder]

I'm thinking Wake Dec 5; Duke Dec 19.

[ZagNative]

Bakersfield is D1 and not an exhibition.

I edited the chart in the first post to count the CSUB game as a Div. I school toward the limit of allowable games under NCAA rules.

For counting purposes, I also added the WCC regular season games, ending with a total of 27 games, not counting Augustana, which I'm pretty sure is not Division I.

As I read the NCAA rules, it looks like we could look forward to possibly seeing (a) one additional Division I game and (b) one scrimmage added like we played last year against Texas or one additional non-Division I game.

The NCAA rules for the maximum games allowed, all 431 pages of them can be checked in this pdf file. Hopefully, that link will take you near page 224, where Section 17.3 is located.

From those rules:

17.3.5 Number of Contests.

17.3.5.1 Maximum Limitations—Institutional. A member institution shall limit its total regular-season playing schedule with outside competition in basketball during the playing season to one of the following (except for those contests excluded under Bylaw 17.3.5.3;

(a) 27 contests (games or scrimmages) and one qualifying regular-season multiple team event per Bylaw 17.3.5.1.1; or

(b) 29 contests (games or scrimmages) during a playing season in which the institution does not participate in a qualifying regular-season multiple team event.

Maui, of course, is our multiple team event, so we are allowed 27 Div. I games, plus Maui. In addition, per 17.3.5.3(g) and (h), we are allowed two non-Division I exhibition-type games, or one such exhibition game plus a private scrimmage.

the Exhibition games and scrimmage, as I read the rules, can be played as early as after the team's first allowable practice (October 16).

I get cross-eyed reading the NCAA database of rules, so it's possible I've misinterpreted something, so feel free to chip in if you think I've made a mistake.

[CDC84]

While this year's non-league sked is certainly challenging, it doesn't touch the 2006/07 sked:

Eastern WA
Rice (at Spokane Arena)
Baylor (at Spokane Arena)
North Carolina (at NYC)
Butler (at NYC)
Idaho
Portland St.
Texas (at Phoenix)
Washington St.
UW
at Georgia
Duke (at NYC)
Nevada (at Seattle)
at Virginia
at Stanford
Memphis (Spokane Arena)

Gonzaga played 8 non-league teams who made the NCAA tournament that year. They also played 3 teams in the AP top 10. That sked featured 9 BCS opponents and 3 of the best non-BCS programs that exist. It featured 3 trips back east. The Zags also played an insane 5 games in 10 days in late January which included 2 (!!) different road trips.

Of the programs who have some measure of control over their scheduling, very, very few have put together a non-league sked as daunting as the 2006/07 Gonzaga sked. It wasn't just the quality teams that GU faced, but all the travel and how the games were spaced out. It was crazy.

[Juskickenit2]

WF in the Kennel 2? Damn I graduated two years too early. I would have gladly failed enough classes to be there for this one... If only I had the gift of foresight.

[BobZag]

It would appear the Zags are at the limit of 27.

[NotoriousZ]

"I'm not dead yet!"

"I'm feeling better!"

I feel happy!


Great stuff.

[ZagNative]

It would appear the Zags are at the limit of 27.

BZ, I skipped a number and have edited and corrected the table accordingly. We have pretty good data for 26 Division I games, including Maui. We're allowed 28, counting Maui. I've plugged Idaho in early in the season, which would bring the number to 27, so shouldn't we have the option of one more Division 1 game, plus a scrimmage or Div. II game?

Edited to add: If you count Maui as 3 contests, then we're at the limit even without Idaho or any other additional Div. I school. I think we could still add a scrimage or a non-Div. I school.

[ZagNative]

"I'm not dead yet!"

"I'm feeling better!"

"No you're not, you'll be stone dead in a moment" Well, if not now, then right after that Michigan State game.

[cjm720]

8 potential top-20 caliber teams. Love it.

Go Zags!!!