The Zags will play Connecticut on December 1 in the BankNorth Garden in Boston in the Hall of Fame Classic. The other match of the two-game slate will feature Boston College against an SEC opponent yet to be determined.
Am i going.......yes i think i am. Gotta love that warm Massachusetts December air.
That is great! I love to visit Boston.
Does anyone know if we will play St.Joe's as well this year in Philly? If so, when that will be?
So the OCS is shaping up to be another big one. Please correct or add if I've got any wrong.
do we play virginia again?
no chickensh@%ts though, oh well, I guess we aren't national enough.
Isn't the Old Spice 08-09?
and is the Alabama game in Spokane or Bama?
But yes, adding Uconn to the sched is a coup, as I love the fact that GU is adding a Big East team to the mix. I'm surprised Calhoun agreed to it to be honest, he usually feasts on cupcakes in preconference.
Now, if we only added Gtown to the mix one year...that would be a dream matchup of two up and coming young teams! UConn will still be very young next year. Good post matchup for Josh too.
I believe we play on Hawk Hill and hopefully on the same trip to Boston. Not sure when yet.
I wonder if Calhoun got the message from the committee(s) about OCS strength? Wonder if Boheim (sp?) will follow suit?
College Gameday? Alabama? AT the Kennel?
Note the date: Dec. 1.
For the past decade or so, that has been the weekend when we played UW, either here or there.
So Gonzaga has repaced UW with UConn on its schedule.
Who has UW put on their schedule in place of Gonzaga? Here's betting dollars to doughnuts it is not going to be a team as good as UConn, all the talk of Romar and his "national" scheduling notwithstanding.
I do like the UConn game though. Definitely an upgrade from UW--but both were admittedly deplorable this past year.
Revenge for 1999 and Maui last year.
Where is the Bama game at? Still looks like the zags won't be earning too many Frequent Flyer miles!
watching our developing team hook up and show their stuff in front of a bunch of famous, other, teams, mostly at the development level, but all of whom have had their days in the NCAA sun.
I like the way GU management continues to think. Throw a group of excellent athletes into the fire early on, shake em out and see who survives and why.
Then regroup, if necessary, or re mold, or pursue a higher order, as the season progresses, depending on how we match up against the rest of the nation and teams who also have storied histories, most of them much more successful than ours.
I can only imagine, too, how attractive that would look to an athlete trying to decide where in the west he could go and play against the best and find out where he really fits in at the next level: GU or, say, UW ?
So, where is the Alabama game?
In K-2, if things go as planned.
Sweet! Would we have a game down there in 2008-2009?
No UNC, no Duke, no Texas, no Butler, no Nevada and no UW? That's a serious step down in turns of OC strength of schedule.
We won't know for sure until next season is complete (March 08) how this year and next year compare regarding actual schedule strength. But I think it's safe to say it'll be exponetially tougher than UW's OOC SOS.
btw, dm99 - you do know UW has their own site, don't you?
The Old Spice Classic is for 2008/09, not next season.
Next season is the Great Alaska Shootout. The teams will be Alaska-Anchorage, Wazzu, Texas Tech, Michigan, Liberty, Western KY, Butler and GU. Besides Wazzu, there aren't any real heavy hitters, but I think that's a good thing. There will be a lot of new faces on next year's team, and this is an early season tourney.
UGA, Alabama and UConn will all be vastly improved next season. All could be top 25 teams at some point. They all have really good players.
And Memphis could be better than any single team GU faced this past season. I think Derrick Rose could have the biggest and most positive impact on his team of any frosh in the country next season.
So next year's itenerary has us going to Anchorage, Boston, Philadelphia, Memphis, Seattle.......it will be interesting to see how the road trips will compare to this past season.
If we play UConn and St. Joe's on the same road trip it would be fun to try to see both games.
Memphis road trip during WCC play? yes, no, maybe, not set yet?
FYI, UW ended up being a drag on GU's SOS this year. UW was a medicre team at best with one road win. About a .500 team in the Pac 10. With one road win. Final RPI of 88 versus Gonzaga's RPI of 60, in a year when Gonzaga was very much down.
In terms of next year, we replaced UW with UConn. I guarantee you UConn will have a better RPI next year than UW. So for that slot, our schedule is an upgrade.
Last I heard Duke may play us again. WSU will play us once, perhaps twice if we meet up in the Great Alaska shootout. As you know, they're a pretty decent team--they've owned UW of late, what is it, 5 straight and counting?
And our schedule is not final. So please refrain from commenting on the schedule until you know who is involved.
And by all means let us know who UW puts on the schedule instead of GU. Pretty sure it won't be a team better than GU. Just a hunch.
And by all means let us know who UW puts on the schedule instead of GU.
The game versus Alabama, it if happens, would likely take place during WCC play. ESPN doesn't start doing College Gameday until after January. So unless Gonzaga is willing to travel to Memphis during the other Portland week, the Memphis game would have to take place prior to conference play. To be honest, I would rather it took place prior to conference play....Gonzaga needs to have a week during league play where they can rest up a bit more and get some extra practices in.
I know I sound like a broken LP...but it is really my hope that the powers that be will try to get that GU/Memphis game on CBS. It is going to be one of the most appealing non-league games in college basketball next season.
Oops - forgot about bama & gameday. I agree CDC - 1 OOC game during WCC play is the right amount. 1 of the Portland weeks should be just 1 game. and GU also shouldn't cram in a game during some random week like the Stanford game was this past season.
I think if the bama/ESPN game falls thru I wouldn't mind having the Tiger game during WCC play - travel be damned. Both teams need a high quality OOC game during league play.
Agreed. Preferably in February. It's critical that GU play someone out of conference during WCC play.
Next season is the Great Alaska Shootout. The teams will be Alaska-Anchorage, Wazzu, Texas Tech, Michigan, Liberty, Western KY, Butler and GU. Besides Wazzu, there aren't any real heavy hitters, but I think that's a good thing.
Liberty (which has ties to Anchorage - their recently fired coach coached high school here - and have been the last team added a few times). And their opponent needs to be the "IT" team of the moment. Gotta keep the viewers tuned in to a second first-round game (also guaranteed to be televised) ... so out of GU, WSU, Butler ... I think that ESPN bites at the opportunity to have a Pac-10 team on their network and goes WSU.
Those are Wednesday's games. They will not have to play on Thanksgiving. Which means we would have games on Thurs, Fri, Sat. Thursday's games are not as likely to be televised, or at least not on the flagship. So they will bypass a bigger match-up to try to set up an intriguing semi-final matchup of GU and Butler by having us play ... I'm gonna say Michigan (it would be great to get a Big-10 team just for the RPI boost eventually, though I'd rather have a top tier team from that conference), with the last match-up being Butler and W. Kentucky.
So ... in reality, we play one sub-WCC team, and two + WCC teams.
Whatever happens, I think you will see Wazzu on the other side of GU's bracket at the Great Alaska Shootout. In other words, they won't play the Cougs until the title game.
Let's hope ESPN actually televises all of the GU games in Alaska. I seem to recall that they don't televise all of the GAS games....it isn't like Maui.
Anyway, I really hope GU gets to play on the opening day. I firmly believe that not playing on opening day was reason #2 GU lost in the finals the last time they were in the event.
Doubtful now that Bama comes to K2 for Gameday, according to Katz. And while the opponant for Battle-Seattle will be good, it may not be UNLV.
Is this a home and home series or just another road game for the Zags? If UConn does not visit GU at the K2 in 2008, this is a serious step down in scheduling.
Doubtful now that Bama comes to K2 for Gameday, according to Katz. And while the opponant for Battle-Seattle will be good, it may not be UNLV. Oh how things change.
BZ does this mean that Gameday also won't be at the Kennel or just Alabama won't play GU at the Kennel on Gameday?
It isn't a road game. It's in Boston. I know...Boston is closer to Storrs than Spokane, but it is a neutral game. It's a part of the Hall of Fame classic....Gonzaga played Texas last December in the same event. That game was in Phoenix. They rotate the sites.
btw, welcome to the board Longball.
It's all right - we can schedule Idaho or Montana... they'll give us as good a game as UW did.
A lot of teams, including most BCS ones, would kill to be able to play in the Hall of Fame classic. It is a high profile tourney with both games on ESPN with top tier announcers calling the action.
Unsure of the reasons but I wouldn't count on Bama or Gameday or UNLV, though I know the foe for Battle-Seattle will be better than next year's edition of the Runnin' Rebels.
Don't the Sh*tbirds always attend the Alaska Shootout?
Would you care to clarify ...?
Eeastern Washington, I've just heard them called that by a couple Zags.
There's only one team that gets a "special" nickname around here - the Chickens.
so you replaced UW with Uconn who will not be playing in the kennel? Is that correct? Were you guy's not saying you could easily replace UW with a big time team who would come to the kennel? Wouldn't that just further make UW's point that NOONE will come to the kennel to play? Tell me as a season ticket holder for GU, do you get to see a good team at all play at home?
I'm not bashing GU's OOC at all, it's great, you guy's play awesome teams all the time ON THE ROAD. If I was a season ticket holder I would be upset if the marque game was a St mary's or San Diego or whoever is 2nd fiddle in the WCC.
on the schedule for next year...Good thing my 'rumor' had some truth to it!! See you all in Boston!!!
Thirty-year season ticket holder here Dawgy. I certainly wasn't upset the past two years with Stanford, Virginia and Washington State accepting the challenge to play in the Kennel. My only disappointment was that the Zags couldn't find a better team than the Huskies to schedule druing that time. But to replace the Huskies with a similar challenge the schedulers need only to go a couple of miles north and invite the Whitworth Pirates to the Kennel.
It may be a tough concept for you to grasp, but this coming season UW wasn't coming to the Kennel. If you recall (and you may, because you were there to witness it) the highly touted # 8 ranked Washington Huskies visited last season, and were run out of our gym with their tails between their legs. As luck would have it, the Zags missed quite a few gimmies -- so it was only a 20 point win instead of a 30+ point blowout win for Gonzaga.
As to the schedule? Where did you read that Gonzaga's schedule was "final"?
Others will be added, some in the Kennel. In the meantime, at this point the marquee game in the Kennel next season will be between the 2 Premier programs in our State.... the Bulldogs of Gonzaga and the Cougars of Washington State.
It's always nice to have the upper echelon of the Pac 10 visiting our campus.
I think the program is now at a level that we should never-ever agree to an away home game without a return visit to the Kennel (any games in the Spokane Arena would be solely due to the desire of the administration to give more locals a chance to see a game). No more Memphis' who would only agree to the Arena as a Zags home game. No more visits to the home courts of the likes of UCLA, Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, etc. without agreement to a return home in the Kennel. Missouri played in Seattle, but that was not a true home (Kennel) game. I suppose hell will freeze over before UCLA, Kansas, or Arizona will give us the return home game we are owed. We should no longer be playing the weak-sister to arrogant BCS schools.
I'd agree normally, but I think we turned the Arena into a home court against Memphis.
I believe we could do it again with a high profile team like the ones you mentioned.
I think, too, there is something to be said for widening the circle whenever possible -- as long as it doesn't diminish the home court advantage.
I say this as a season ticket holder. It was nice to see so many more fans who were interested also being able to watch this great team against another great team.
Memphis is a unique 4 game agreement. 1st two games were in large local "neutral" sites. The next two are true home and homes. I'd be all for re-upping that agreement in a heartbeat.
My understanding is that Memphis will be in K2 in 2 years.
I feel like it would be great for everybody if some sort of partnership with the spokane arena could be set up so that season ticket holders would have the same benefits there as the kennel. Just a thought, don't know if its been broached or not.
The last I heard, the location of the 2008/09 game wasn't finalized....that Calipari was balking at the idea of playing at K2. Perhaps he's had a change of heart, but as I said, I wasn't aware that a decision had been reached.
BTW...if Cal continues to stay at Memphis, it is my hope that the series is renewed.
i'm well aware the game woulda been in hec ed thnx. It was nice to see you basically just ignore my whole point though it's cool. UW ---> Uconn but never a home game in the kennel. Oops there went that argument. So you guy's have exactly 1 big game in the kennel next year? that just happens to be the team that's what 60 miles away? You can try and flame on me or the huskies all you want it's fine with me, the fact remains though that as a season ticket holder how can you be happy with your home schedule? Someone mentioned Stanford and Virginia, but the year they came to the kennel Stanford went 15-13 and Virginia 15-14. I could use last years UW home football Schedule as a example which I, as a season ticket holder, was very unhappy with. Well anyways still fill be fun to watch the zags on TV, I just would expect you guy's would want to see these games in person without having to travel.
i recall hearing quite some time ago about our contract with memphis. it's a four-game series. we play down there twice. they play up here twice. however, the two games up here? one was at the arena and the other was supposed to be at key arena (08-09 Battle in Seattle).
And none of that changes that the UW Chicken game last year was more hype than substance.
If opponents are scared to come to K2, so be it.
At the risk of being called out as disloyal, I have to agree that at least at this point, our friend from UW has a point. And it is disconcerting.
Two years ago I figured we had finally "arrived" when we had an ACC school with a decent program (Virginia) coming to K2, as well as (then) defending Pac 10 champ Stanford coming to K2 for ESPN Gameday. Those are two good opponents. And it was not Gonzaga's fault that both faltered in that season.
But this past year's home schedule was a joke. There is no way to sugar coat it. For home fans, it was a joke. The one decent OOC team to come to Spokane was in the arena. Nobody else decent came to Spokane.
If we are to be the program we aspire to be, we need to bring elite level (i.e., Top 25) teams to Spokane. Not just play them in these neutral site games and tournaments, but set up deals to bring some of these teams to Spokane. We are at the point where this should be happening. We should demand it. It is now a privilege, an RPI boost, and often a media bonus with our ESPN deal to play Gonzaga. We need to start demanding that we be treated in a fashion similar to the way other top 25 teams are treated. Home and Home. Frankly, if Calipari won't agree to play in K2, cancel the rest of that deal. We need to send a message that we are not the red headed step child of D-1 hoops and won't be treated as such.
We are not like the rest of the BCS schools like UW who can count on some of their conference being decent or elite and not have to worry about getting at least one or two good home games. The WCC just is never going to provide that. So we need to look elsewhere and let teams know that when it comes to playing us showing up at K2 is part of the deal every other year.
Right now I see no reason whatsoever to be excited about our home schedule next year. Who are we playing at home next year that is decent? So far, nobody. That may change and I hope it does, but until it does, our friend from UW has a point that I, as a 10-year season ticket holder, agree with.
This thread has evolved into a waste of internet bandwidth. DW11 brings up some good points regarding the level of opponent that Gonzaga plays at home but the bottomline is that teams don't want to come into K2 to play. That's it. Shoot, UW doesn't want to play the Bulldogs anywhere anymore so maybe he should just go away now.
You can argue that UW would have an easier time of getting home/home series with top BCS schools but they'd rather not...The only thing good about the UW schedule is the Pac-10 portion. The non-conference portion is ridiculously pitiful. At least GU WANTS to play good teams. The same cannot be said for UW.
I'm with Sinto on this one.
It's time to start scheduling home-and-home's with the elite mid-majors. Every year. Let the BCS cowards stay away. ANY mid-major would jump at that offer ... and a few of them are good enough to make it worth our while, as well.
but it ain't gonna happen in the foreseeable future. All of us would love to see 2 or 3 top programs each year in the Kennel. The Zags can demand all they want, but if the top tier teams don't have the guts to play in the Kennel there's not a lot anyone can do about it. That's why I admire WSU for still showing up, for now anyway. It'd be easier to try for admittance into the PAC-10 and force good teams, not just the also rans like the Huskies, to show up once a year, but that'd take a bigger arena and that's not going to happen. Besides, the university's philosophy is more consitent with the WCC schools. The best way to solve the problem is to have the other WCC teams devote Zag type energy and resources into improving their programs. That'll likely occur about the same time Miss Piggy flies over the Administration Building and the Kennel Clubbers show up sober for the games. So in the meantime, I'm just going to enjoy watching the Zags play whomever they can get to show up.
I believe we CAN do something: stop playing teams who won't come to K2 as part of the deal and giving them the benefit of our ESPN exposure and limelight.
One or two neutral site games a year is fine, but not enough. We need to, and I believe we can, leverage our way into getting teams to come to K2. Use our connection to Katz, the desire for Gameday exposure, our TV clout, "America's Team," etc. in our favor. Have Jud get on the horn to Izzo and demand a home and home. Whatever it takes.
If the BCS guys won't I agree with my friend from Alaska. Get Creighton, SIU, Butler, Air Force, etc. to do home and homes.
We are through being BCS schools be--atches, as far as I am concerned. If teams won't nut up and play us at home, they don't get the privilege of playing us anywhere (again, one or two neutral games a year being the exception).
Just so there isn't any confusion - the UConn game is not a UW replacement. If it's a replacement of any game last year, it's a replacement of the Texas game. The UConn game has nothing to do w/ being able to get teams to play @ K2.
I have empathy with your viewpoint Sinto, but what I suppose is more important than homes games at K2 is GU's RPI, their strength of schedule, and how their resume looks to the committee come March. Those neutral court victories versus elite BCS programs just look better on the old resume than a victory at home against Old Dominion or Wichita State.
I love the neutral site games, provided Gonzaga doesn't have to travel as much as they did last year. The large, neutral arenas simulate the NCAA tournament, and they allow GU to play the UNC and UConn type schools. Where I think GU needs to take a stand is when they are facing teams like Georgia. That series should have been a home and home with UGA playing at K2 last year, and GU going to Athens in 2007 or 2008. None of this Spokane Arena/Duluth, GA nonsense. GU should also be demanding that Memphis play at K2...they need GU as much as we need them.
The neutral court games should only be for the Duke's, the UNC's, etc. - elite teams that basically only play at home or on neutral floors for their non-league schedule.
"But to replace the Huskies with a similar challenge the schedulers need only to go a couple of miles north and invite the Whitworth Pirates to the Kennel."
Not so fast JHoop the Whitwoth Pirates were 24-4 last year and may have put up a tougher fight than our friends from Seattle.
I believe we CAN do something: stop playing teams who won't come to K2 as part of the deal and giving them the benefit of our ESPN exposure and limelight..........If the BCS guys won't I agree with my friend from Alaska. Get Creighton, SIU, Butler, Air Force, etc. to do home and homes.
I think we have a very good chance of getting the mid-majors you mention to do home-and-home. But it's the big, elite BCS schools that present the problem. It's a catch 22 to threaten not to play them and thereby miss their chances on ESPN. If we don't play them on the road or neutral courts, the Zags will start to lose their appeal a little and ESPN, et al, will likely stop televising them so much.
However, it would be a great improvement to bring the Creightons and the Bulters to the Kennel. I'd certainly welcome that as I'm sure most season ticket holders would. In the meantime, I agree using whatever resources available to get at least one elite program to show up each year. I just think it's going to be difficult. They already have a shot at good RPI's becasue of the conferences they play in. By coming to the Kennel, they have nothing to gain and everything to lose.
We just will not get big name, elite teams to play in K2 on a regular basis. It won't happen on a regular basis, probably ever. No one else does it either. Does UConn go play Duke at Cameron? No. Does Kansas go play UNC at home? I'm not saying never, but the ability to get that kind of game year in and year out is just not there. We need to play these teams in neutral floors. The big-name events help, too.
On the other hand, I agree with the point about GU's home schedule. We need to get some "second tier" BCS teams like UGA in to K2 every year or elite mid-majors. That we can and should do. But no one should expect elite teams to come to K2 because they don't go anywhere else, either.