2020-21 Scheduling

[CB4]

From Tennessee's Rivals site:

"Tennessee is deep in to talks with Gonzaga to put together a home-and-home series with the Zags as Rick Barnes remains committed to playing a demanding non-conference schedule. Barnes and Few have faced off three times in the last 5 years, all at neutral sites. The upcoming series is expected to take place in Knoxville and Spokane when finalized. The Vols already have a trip to Wisconsin on the docket in 2020-21, along with a home game against Cincinnati and another in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, which could see Kansas return the trip Tennessee made to Allen Fieldhouse in January, with Kentucky already facing the Jayhawks in the Champions Classic and Tennessee appearing as a top 15 caliber team and the SEC's second most desirous opponent in most preseason rankings. The Vols will also play neutral site games against Maryland (@ Madison Square Garden), Memphis (@ Bridgestone Arena) and 3 games in a Charleston Classic field that includes Florida State, VCU, Houston, Oklahoma State, Seton Hall and Penn State."

Seems like adding Gonzaga to that slate would almost be too much but Barnes/Few clearly like playing each other. Do we think this could start in 2021-22 rather than this upcoming season?

This could work next year, as the Zags don't have yet have a true non-conference road game scheduled yet in 2020-21 season.

[Bogozags]

Another idea:

Zags should host their first exhibition game every year in the Kennel against the prior year's national champion of the Canadian university basketball league. Televise the game on ESPN/CBS Sports and Canadian national sports television, give the annual game a marketing name like the "CAN-AM BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP," and use it to get another game on national TV, and increase their recruiting reach to an increasingly fertile recruiting base (Canada/Ontario Province).

Problem is that this would be one of the toughest games of the year and likely the first match up new Zag teams would face. But the marketing potential in Canada would be excellent and, at the end of the day, it'd be an exhibition game that doesn't count for NET or other rankings.

The precedent is there, as the Zags played Olynyk's dad's school in an exhibition game the year after Kelly left.

THIS is an excellent marketing idea and as CB4 stated great for CAN-AM Basketball too...one would think that GU would latch on to this idea as it sure appears to be a win-win situation...

[basketballzag]

I would like to see Gonzaga schedule Tulane or LSU due to the large number of Zag alumni in New Orleans.

[CB4]

THIS is an excellent marketing idea and as CB4 stated great for CAN-AM Basketball too...one would think that GU would latch on to this idea as it sure appears to be a win-win situation...

The Canadian networks would love a game like this and would likely send their top broadcasting crew. Worst case, they pick up the simulcast from ESPN. Problem is, Zags would lose some of these games. The Canadian perennial champion (Carlton University/national champion in 15 out of the last 18 seasons) routinely beats up on NCAA power conference teams in preseason tournaments in August. They have the benefit of being able to practice year round with their coach, so some of the NCAA teams aren't as prepped in the preseason tournaments, but wins are wins. Nevertheless, an internationally televised match up like this would be good for fans in the USA and Canada, and well worth it to reach a Canadian audience and make "NCAA college basketball" synonymous with "Gonzaga" for many of the young basketball players in that country who dream of playing in March Madness.

Send it to Roth! Problem is, another school like Syracuse or someone with a more savvy and creative marketing team will likely do this way before Gonzaga even considers it. Between the WCC television deal and IMG's (mis)management of the Gonzaga portfolio (in this poster's opinion), I don't think the program has any capacity to step outside the box on these types of deals.

[LTownZag]

I would like to see Gonzaga schedule Tulane or LSU due to the large number of Zag alumni in New Orleans.

What's the Washington/Louisiana connection? Do lots of (Catholic?)students come to GU from the New Orleans area? Is there some kind of relationship with other universities or companies there? Will Wade (LSU coach) is the anti-few. Corrupt to the core.

[MDABE80]

Canadian game sounds terrific! Great idea CB4! It’ll happen in the future anyway. Why not now?

[TexasZagFan]

Canadian game sounds terrific! Great idea CB4! It’ll happen in the future anyway. Why not now?

Tie it into the Coaches against Cancer series, that would likely bring Few into the picture.

[bigblahla]

Another idea:

Zags should host their first exhibition game every year in the Kennel against the prior year's national champion of the Canadian university basketball league. Televise the game on ESPN/CBS Sports and Canadian national sports television, give the annual game a marketing name like the "CAN-AM BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP," and use it to get another game on national TV, and increase their recruiting reach to an increasingly fertile recruiting base (Canada/Ontario Province).

Problem is that this would be one of the toughest games of the year and likely the first match up new Zag teams would face. But the marketing potential in Canada would be excellent and, at the end of the day, it'd be an exhibition game that doesn't count for NET or other rankings.

The precedent is there, as the Zags played Olynyk's dad's school in an exhibition game the year after Kelly left.

Outstanding idea... who do I call to make it happen?

Go!! Zags!!!

[CB4]

Outstanding idea... who do I call to make it happen?

Go!! Zags!!!

Call Olynyk's dad or Triano's dad or Pango's dad and see if they can put you in touch with the big wigs at the Canadian university athletics association USport. All are connected. Olynyk's dad is an athletic director of a university in the league, Pango's dad is a former head basketball coach in the league, Triano's dad is one of the most influential people in Canadian basketball.

[basketballzag]

What's the Washington/Louisiana connection? Do lots of (Catholic?)students come to GU from the New Orleans area? Is there some kind of relationship with other universities or companies there? Will Wade (LSU coach) is the anti-few. Corrupt to the core.

Southeast Louisiana is very catholic and it has attracted a lot of alumni over the last 30 years from Gonzaga. New Orleans has a very sizable legal community who are Uber wealthy under the radar alumni who are untapped super high dollar alumni living there. UNO or Tulane if we don’t want to see Mark Few beat the brains out of the corrupt Will Wade.

[CDC84]

Gonzaga, IMO, will never likely play a home and home series again with a team outside of the BCS leagues and the upper crust of the BE and American. Them days are over baby. I will never forget Leon Rice responding to a caller on the radio coaches radio show during his last season at GU. The caller asked whether GU would ever play a home and home with UTEP, which plays in C-USA and plays in a 12,000+ seat arena. He told the caller flat out NO. Homes and homes are only going to be done with upper tier BCS teams or teams like Villanova.

I very much like the idea of doing a Tennessee and Gonzaga home and home. Barnes is starting to bring in big time recruits. Just don't do it after finals week where it has been proven again and again statistically (and thru plain common sense) that teams underperform after finals, even if they win. A few college basketball analysts are still lambasting GU's schedulers for accepting that North Carolina road game after finals week. You don't travel that far after finals weeks to go get your butt kicked at a blueblood school. Yes, I know GU beat Arizona after finals this past year, but I still still say only Big Sky and Big West schools, at K2, after finals. They can play a heavy duty team before Xmas break. It's like coaches who choose not to foul with under 5 seconds left when they're up 3. Statistics show that it is the right thing to do, but whenever an aberration occurs like what happened between Duke and UNC this year, people ignore the stats.

[CDC84]

Next season the Zags will still be a year away from "re-starting" the Battle in Seattle, in the "new" Seattle Center Arena.

Things have changed with Gonzaga's program since the "Battle in Seattle" has been on sabbatical (i.e. Gonzaga is now a truly elite Men's Basketball program).

The format moving forward will stay the same vis a vis games with high profile opponents being semi "home and home". i.e. neutral/neutral. In the past some of Gonzaga's "return" games have been in neutral NBA/NHL arenas .... Boston for the UConn game, Chicago for the Illinois game, Phoenix for the Arizona game, Wichita (not an NBA/NHL arena) for the Kansas State game, Nashville (an NHL arena) for the Tennessee game.

As we move ahead, the "Battle in Seattle" will be a cornerstone for very, very high profile, OOC games.

Man, am I looking forward to it !!!

If they ever resume the Battle In Seattle, it only makes sense to do it during seasons when GU is hosting Huskies. I see the Battle In Seattle game as an ideal game to play someone like Kentucky, who generally refuses to play out of league road games. People need to understand that Rupp Arena is located off campus. Yes, Rupp is closer to UK than GU is to Key Arena, but it's the one way to get a team like UK or Duke, who never play true road games (unless forced to by league challenges) to come to the Pacific NW.

[CDC84]

I do not see Few ever agreeing to a home and home with Oregon. It hits too close to him. They were forced to face each other at Atlantis last year. But generally speaking, Few hates coaching against friends or his alma mater. We would have seen an Oregon/GU home and home before last year if Fewie really wanted it. The only exception seems to be Rick Barnes at Tennessee. Both Mark are Rick are buddies, but they must recognize that the way that the 2 programs play the game makes for a really good way of assessing their teams.

[bdmiller7]

I lived just outside of Knoxville for 3 years as a kid so Tennessee is my 2nd favorite team. Love these games between the two and really like Barnes and what he's been doing at Tennessee.

[Radbooks]

Just saw this on Twitter:

Jim Meehan
@SRJimm
·
8m
Gonzaga scheduling news: Zags will play home and home against Texas, beginning in Austin this November

Cool to have a game in Texas for Drew! And for the many fans in the area!