Your Ideal Illini Basketball Non-Conference Schedule

#26      

skyIdub

Winged Warrior
CUPCAKES!!

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#31      
I think having a road game against a P5 opponent is a must. Need to get them ready to play on the road against a tougher opponent before conference matchups. Neutral sites help, but not nearly to the same extent.

I think a Chicago game between Xmas and NYE would make a lot of sense. Any students from the Chicago area are home and then you've got alumni that grew up in the Chicago area that moved away potentially visiting their parents for a few days over the holidays. Could draw a good crowd as opposed to having no one on campus for a cupcake game during that period.
You may be on to something 🤔
 
#32      
My ideal once in a lifetime never to be done again Non-con schedule. I just want to see it happen once in my life.

Eastern Illinois
Western Illinois
Northern Illinois
Southern Illinois - Carbondale
Southern Illinois - Edwardsville
University of Illinois Chicago
Illinois State

I think that takes care of all Division 1 Universities in the state with Illinois in their name. lol This will never happen but I think it would be cool just to see once. hehe
I do like the idea of keeping the money we pay teams we should beat in state instead of paying out of state cup cakes.
I would prefer more quality opponents that provide a bit more of a challenge provide experience and national TV exposure. If we do schedule some easier games at least in state schools generate more interests and support state schools financially.
 
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#33      
I thought this year's non conference home schedule was pretty bad

The only Major opponent we had was Syracuse who wasn't even expected to be good and that was made only because of the ACC/BIG Ten tourney

and as crazy as this sounds, I'd rather pay 10.00 and drive 30 mins to watch Illinois St vs whoever then spend 50.00+ and drive a hour to watch Illini vs a cupcake
 
#34      
There are just too many home cupcake games!

As a season ticket holder for 10 years, most years I feel that I am really paying for 10 B1G home games. Typically the non-conference home schedule is terrible. With that in mind, this year I am going to drop my season tickets. I will donate $100 to the IFUND so I can buy single-game home basketball tickets the day before they go on sale to the general public. The only risk that I see is my seat(s) may not be as good as my season tickets but I will not have home non-conference tickets that are hard to get rid of and I will probably not spend as much money as I would for my 2 season tickets and their required IFUND donation.

+1
I tend to think Izzo has the right approach. Schedule hard --if your guys lose, they get the message to get better. If they win, it's better to have played good competition. Much better for the fans and the program too. I think a couple easy games to start the season is fine, but after that, I'd rather they play meaningful games.
 
#35      
Going back to 04-05 we played Wake Gonzaga @Arkansas Mizzou GTown Oregon and Cincy. Our team was ready for that schedule

Forgot the cupcakes play good teams and be rewarded for it. If you know your team is not good then try adding cupcakes

Back in '04-'05 we played 16 conference games, not 20.

In '04-'05 our worst non-conference opponents were (KP ranking):

Longwood (328)
Florida A&M (302)
Chicago St. (241)
Delaware St. (209)
Valparaiso (196)
Oakland (178)
Northwestern St. (171)

For comparison, our worst non-conference opponents in '21-'22 were (KP ranking):

St. Francis PA (325)
UT Rio Grande Valley (301)
Jackson St. (277)
Arkansas St. (181)
Missouri (137)
Cincinnati (101)

4 additional conference games (2 of which are home) changes the non-conference scheduling calculus quite a bit.
 
#36      
RE: The United Center game being difficult, I actually don't think it would be difficult to maintain, it would just take a lot of planning to get going. I think you would just have to outline multiple 4-year series lined up in advance like we had with Gonzaga a few years ago:

2009-10: Chicago, IL (Neutral Home)
2010-11: Seattle, WA (Neutral Away)
2011-12: Champaign, IL (Home)
2012-13: Spokane, WA (Away)

Once you found a couple of those, I think you could just stagger it appropriately and it would work out to benefit both parties involved. We are in the enviable position that we are not asking a team to come to Little Rock, AR (as we did for the Razorbacks) or Des Moines, IA (as Iowa or Iowa State would have to do); we are inviting them to play in Chicago in one of the nation's best areas for recruiting, and I think a lot of teams would jump at the opportunity if the logistics of the series were well thought out.

Imagine these series that I personally think would be fun, huge draws in both Champaign and Chicago and provide us an opportunity to play in some talent hotbeds and/or places with a significant number of alumni:

Kansas: Champaign, IL - Lawrence, KS - Chicago, IL - Kansas City, MO
Texas: Champaign, IL - Austin, TX - Chicago, IL - Dallas, TX
Syracuse: Champaign, IL - Syracuse, NY - Chicago, IL - New York, NY (MSG)
Virginia: Champaign, IL - Charlottesville, VA - Chicago, IL - Washington, DC
Texas A&M: Champaign, IL - College Station, TX - Chicago, IL - Houston, TX


Somebody else could probably make this more efficient, but you could stagger the schedules something like this:

2023-24: Kansas in Lawrence, Texas in Chicago
2024-25: Kansas in Champaign, Texas in Dallas, Syracuse in Chicago
2025-26: Kansas in Chicago, Texas in Champaign, Syracuse at MSG
--- Add Virginia to make sure we have a Chicago game ---
2026-27: Kansas in Kansas City, Texas in Austin, Syracuse in Champaign, Virginia in Chicago
--- Kansas and Texas series done; add Texas A&M to replace Texas ---
2027-28: Syracuse at Syracuse, Virginia in DC, Texas A&M in Chicago
--- Syracuse series done; add UConn to replace Syracuse as an opponent that gets us in NYC)
2028-29: Virginia in Champaign, Texas A&M in Houston, UConn in Chicago
--- Find a replacement for Virginia to start as the United Center game the next year, etc. ---

Again, someone whose brain hurts less than mine does could maybe make it work more smoothly, but I think you'd have to do something like that. And I think a lot of big-time programs would be interested, and it would provide us with the dual benefit of (A) getting us playing at a packed United Center against good opponents again, (B) getting us exposure in other recruiting hotbeds and also (C) being a GREAT way to get high-profile opponents to come to Champaign and still feel like there is a lot for them to gain besides a demoralizing defeat at the hands of the Orange Krush. :cool:
 
#38      
RE: The United Center game being difficult, I actually don't think it would be difficult to maintain, it would just take a lot of planning to get going. I think you would just have to outline multiple 4-year series lined up in advance like we had with Gonzaga a few years ago:

2009-10: Chicago, IL (Neutral Home)
2010-11: Seattle, WA (Neutral Away)
2011-12: Champaign, IL (Home)
2012-13: Spokane, WA (Away)

Once you found a couple of those, I think you could just stagger it appropriately and it would work out to benefit both parties involved. We are in the enviable position that we are not asking a team to come to Little Rock, AR (as we did for the Razorbacks) or Des Moines, IA (as Iowa or Iowa State would have to do); we are inviting them to play in Chicago in one of the nation's best areas for recruiting, and I think a lot of teams would jump at the opportunity if the logistics of the series were well thought out.

Imagine these series that I personally think would be fun, huge draws in both Champaign and Chicago and provide us an opportunity to play in some talent hotbeds and/or places with a significant number of alumni:

Kansas: Champaign, IL - Lawrence, KS - Chicago, IL - Kansas City, MO
Texas: Champaign, IL - Austin, TX - Chicago, IL - Dallas, TX
Syracuse: Champaign, IL - Syracuse, NY - Chicago, IL - New York, NY (MSG)
Virginia: Champaign, IL - Charlottesville, VA - Chicago, IL - Washington, DC
Texas A&M: Champaign, IL - College Station, TX - Chicago, IL - Houston, TX


Somebody else could probably make this more efficient, but you could stagger the schedules something like this:

2023-24: Kansas in Lawrence, Texas in Chicago
2024-25: Kansas in Champaign, Texas in Dallas, Syracuse in Chicago
2025-26: Kansas in Chicago, Texas in Champaign, Syracuse at MSG
--- Add Virginia to make sure we have a Chicago game ---
2026-27: Kansas in Kansas City, Texas in Austin, Syracuse in Champaign, Virginia in Chicago
--- Kansas and Texas series done; add Texas A&M to replace Texas ---
2027-28: Syracuse at Syracuse, Virginia in DC, Texas A&M in Chicago
--- Syracuse series done; add UConn to replace Syracuse as an opponent that gets us in NYC)
2028-29: Virginia in Champaign, Texas A&M in Houston, UConn in Chicago
--- Find a replacement for Virginia to start as the United Center game the next year, etc. ---

Again, someone whose brain hurts less than mine does could maybe make it work more smoothly, but I think you'd have to do something like that. And I think a lot of big-time programs would be interested, and it would provide us with the dual benefit of (A) getting us playing at a packed United Center against good opponents again, (B) getting us exposure in other recruiting hotbeds and also (C) being a GREAT way to get high-profile opponents to come to Champaign and still feel like there is a lot for them to gain besides a demoralizing defeat at the hands of the Orange Krush. :cool:
🤔🤔🤔
 
#39      
My ideal once in a lifetime never to be done again Non-con schedule. I just want to see it happen once in my life.

Eastern Illinois
Western Illinois
Northern Illinois
Southern Illinois - Carbondale
Southern Illinois - Edwardsville
University of Illinois Chicago
Illinois State

I think that takes care of all Division 1 Universities in the state with Illinois in their name. lol This will never happen but I think it would be cool just to see once. hehe
I would add Bradley Loyola and DePaul to that list, but schedule ONLY ONE of all those a year. Like the addition of the Tennesse series and would like the same with Kentucky and Kansas, maybe Iowa State. Start with Western before Geoff becomes a head coach. Hope it isn't too long before Valpo becomes a must add.
 
#40      
Harvard, Duke, Yale, Stanford, Princeton, Cornell, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, U of P, MIT-(Intramural squad).
 
#41      
RE: My last post about the United Center game setup, these are some more that might work in the same mold as the examples I gave for series with Kansas, Texas, Syracuse, Virginia, Texas A&M and UConn:

Arizona: Champaign, Tucson, Chicago, Phoenix ... no-brainer, we have so much history with them!
Florida: Champaign, Gainesville, Chicago, Orlando/Tampa/Miami ... not sure where UF would want their neutral game or where it would benefit us the most?
Tennessee: Champaign, Knoxville, Chicago, Nashville ... though maybe it'd be too soon after the home-and-home we have with them starting next year.
North Carolina: Champaign, Chapel Hill, Chicago, Greensboro/Charlotte/Raleigh
Georgia: Champaign, Athens, Chicago, Atlanta ... UGA basketball is nothing now, but look what happened with 'Bama. I don't think they'll suck forever, too many resources. Only worry is if it is enough of a draw for OUR fans in Chicago.

And lastly ... the absolute homerun:

Kentucky: Champaign, Lexington, Chicago, Indianapolis ... how frickin' funny would the Hoosier outrage be if Illinois and Kentucky played in Indy and both packed the house with our fans. :ROFLMAO:
 
#45      
I would like to see us play the top 150 teams in kenpom in the non conference. It doesnt do stregnth of schedule any good to play 300 or lower teams.
And lets quit playing teams that are not Division 1. I am ok with it if you would like to begin the season with a cupcake but after the first game or two, that would end.
 
#47      
RE: My last post about the United Center game setup, these are some more that might work in the same mold as the examples I gave for series with Kansas, Texas, Syracuse, Virginia, Texas A&M and UConn:

Arizona: Champaign, Tucson, Chicago, Phoenix ... no-brainer, we have so much history with them!
Florida: Champaign, Gainesville, Chicago, Orlando/Tampa/Miami ... not sure where UF would want their neutral game or where it would benefit us the most?
Tennessee: Champaign, Knoxville, Chicago, Nashville ... though maybe it'd be too soon after the home-and-home we have with them starting next year.
North Carolina: Champaign, Chapel Hill, Chicago, Greensboro/Charlotte/Raleigh
Georgia: Champaign, Athens, Chicago, Atlanta ... UGA basketball is nothing now, but look what happened with 'Bama. I don't think they'll suck forever, too many resources. Only worry is if it is enough of a draw for OUR fans in Chicago.

And lastly ... the absolute homerun:

Kentucky: Champaign, Lexington, Chicago, Indianapolis ... how frickin' funny would the Hoosier outrage be if Illinois and Kentucky played in Indy and both packed the house with our fans. :ROFLMAO:
Think you could simplify by only having the neutral games. Also as you pointed out a lot of bigger teams would have no issue playing in Chicago because of recruiting.

By that thinking I think UI targets the places they want to recruit as well. DC, Orlando, Indy, Detroit, Phoenix, NYC
 
#48      

The Sprouting Divot

Invisible and Bulletproof
Miracle Mile
My ideal non-conference schedule is one that is announced well ahead of time.

In looking at this website that seems to be pretty comprehensive (can't vouch for its completeness or accuracy), it seems like we don't really have much on the books compared to other programs.

Does anyone know whether we're going to be in some kind of tournament/multi-team event? Or know when we're supposed to find that out? Does the fact that the team is going to Spain mean that we're less likely to do something else?

I'm trying to plan some unrelated PTO days for the fall, and while I might want to attend whatever we might be doing, the complete lack of clarity is a significant obstacle.
 
#49      
As a fan? All killer, no filler. As a coach, I think you need a small handful of freebies to work on some stuff in real game situations and to give your kids a break mentally. (Fortunately for all involved, I'm neither a coach nor an AD.)

It will never happen but like others here I'd love to see a tournament with all of the Illinois schools. I think there are 13 now, worked a lot better before SIUE moved up (they were the last ones, right?). With 12 teams you could have four pools of three teams each playing round robin, and then three brackets of four teams each. Four games guaranteed for all, pools could exclude in-conference matchups, etc. Sounds fun to me...
 
#50      
2 critter schools (cupcakes)
Loyola
UIC
Game in bigger city arena with good recruiting opportunities (Madison Square Garden type) against a St. John's/Syracuse
Tourney against top 25 teams
Mizzou
DePaul
Kensucky
Another bigger city game in a hotbed town of recruits. San Antonio/Dallas against Texas

We would be B10 ready after that schedule