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2023 nonconference opponents

Matt from A700
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Matt from A700 Grand Master

Matt from A700

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Maybe I should save this topic for the dead of the summer, when there's really nothing to talk about. Especially when the news of Grant leaving, Ross's promotion, and players entering the portal have only begun. But I'm a nerd for this kind of stuff.

Grant talked about how nobody significant would want to play us, at least not in Denton. That's why I've mentioned a few times now since he's moved on, he should agree to schedule us at the Pit this fall, or at least agree to a home-and-home, though who knows if the AD there would actually agree to it. I also half-jokingly said on Twitter our new coaches' contracts should have buyout clauses saying the poaching school also has to agree to a home game in Denton the next available season.

Anywho, despite all this, what kind of teams would you like to see in our next nonconference schedule? Be as imaginitive or realistic as you wish.

I'll take a realistic, but dream route. Our recent teams deserve to have the Pit filled for them, not for the opponents they host, but unfortunately that is not where our program is at right now. We have new head coaches for both men and women and we need to get off to the right start. There has got to be a easily beatable D-I opponent out there that will play us for our home opener, I hate that we have to turn to D-II, NAIA, etc. Especially when we struggled to beat said opponent this season when we had a stellar student turnout. I'm sure that left a sour taste in those students' mouth when we could barely get by a team they had never heard of.

It doesn't need to be the same school for both men and women's, but the home opener should be on the same Saturday for both women and men. Big tailgate beforehand, and hopefully the crowd that waits for the men is matched by the crowd that attends the women's game. Tarleton was my first thought. Not a big program but a name people around here and students are familiar with. Would see a lot of attendees in purple to create a great environment to kick off the season. If not Tarleton, there's got to be some nearby WAC, SWAC, or Southland teams that would fill up the Saturday kick-off slate.

This plus a destination tournament I would assume UNT would be invited to after their string of success would cover 4/12 nonconference games.

Add a home game versus Nevada if they don't chicken out again. Add the aforementioned Texas Tech home-and-home (ideally in Denton first, the Saturday night before Finals week) to get you halfway there.

UT Arlington is a fun series and with a team that has improved immensely since we played them in 2021 and just this past December will hopefully bring more fans. Then like others have mentioned, a continuous home-and-home with LA Tech in nonconference would be great.

That gives you four games remaining. Maybe one more should-be-win home game, and a should-be-win road game with nearby teams. Although they're NAIA it'd be interesting to play UNT Dallas and see former Mav Josh Howard coach at the Pit. That gives you two more games, and if we can't lure anymore P6 teams here, then maybe we could find a nearby team that would host us so that our fans can travel. Baylor, A&M, Texas, Oklahoma (I doubt OSU or Houston would want to host us right now).

If there's still games to be filled, maybe at somewhere like Georgia State or somewhere in California where we can play in front of where there's a lot of high school talent.

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UNT86 Mentor

UNT86

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I just know it will always be hard to get interest when home opponents are Omaha, Paul Quinn College, LSU Shreveport, Oklahoma Christian, LSU Alexandria, Southern Nazarene, Miss Valley State, Texas A&M Commerce, and Arkansas Pine Bluff.  

CUSA, which we all know it is good, doesn't create a lot of fan interest through the season either.  Just too many teams most people have never heard of.

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CMJ Grand Master

CMJ

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Play Texas Southern.  Bring JJ in to the Super Pit, give him a standing ovation and maybe a trinket, and then beat his ass.

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emmitt01 Grand Master

emmitt01

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7 minutes ago, UNT86 said:

I just know it will always be hard to get interest when home opponents are Omaha, Paul Quinn College, LSU Shreveport, Oklahoma Christian, LSU Alexandria, Southern Nazarene, Miss Valley State, Texas A&M Commerce, and Arkansas Pine Bluff.  

CUSA, which we all know it is good, doesn't create a lot of fan interest through the season either.  Just too many teams most people have never heard of.

This is precisely our problem.  
 

People should have heard of North Texas, and that should be the draw.   Any program that ties attendance to the visiting team is already doomed to failure.  

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BillySee58 Grand Master

BillySee58

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Guessing we won’t see Oklahoma State in Denton anytime soon. 

Should definitely reach out to other top mid majors that have the same problem. Felt like that’s what we were going for with schools like Nevada, Saint Mary’s, Loyola Chicago, Dayton, etc.

Maybe we have the reputation to get more of these types to go home and home with us instead of us just going there.

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Matt from A700 Grand Master

Matt from A700

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12 hours ago, BillySee58 said:

Guessing we won’t see Oklahoma State in Denton anytime soon. 

Should definitely reach out to other top mid majors that have the same problem. Felt like that’s what we were going for with schools like Nevada, Saint Mary’s, Loyola Chicago, Dayton, etc.

Maybe we have the reputation to get more of these types to go home and home with us instead of us just going there.

I wonder if we could woo Saint Mary's back to Denton in 2023.

rojomojo Experienced

rojomojo

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I still believe we may be a bit naive to think we could get a P6 school to play us at home. Football is different because our facilities are rather impressive, but basketball definitely needs some work (Only time will tell with the possible new arena)

With that being said, I think UNT has to take the bait and play any P6 school that's willing to play us... Even if that's 1,000 miles away on the road. I would rather lose by 30 to UCLA than lose by 30 to St Mary's.

As for possible home games, I would think the following schools would be realistic to achieve at home

 

New Mexico & NMSU

Oral Roberts

Nevada

Texas State

Louisiana Tech

Loyola Chicago

Utah State

Boise State

Toledo?? 

 

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MrAlien Mentor

MrAlien

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I would like to see at least 1 MWC school on the schedule, maybe 2 if we can get into the right preseason tournament.  I am tired of seeing the MWC get 4 bids to the big dance, so it would be nice to have a few more AAC schools play MWC schools, maybe change the way the committee thinks. 

 

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Tramp96 Newbie

Tramp96

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I remember the Super PIt hosting Baylor the first year Scott Drew was coach (2003).  I nearly ran into him in the tunnel as I was making my way to my seat from the pregame Mean Green Club reception in the Letterman's Lounge.

Granted, Baylor then wasn't the Baylor of today, but UNT can get Big 12 schools to come to Denton.  It just takes relationships and phone calls.

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NT80 Grand Master

NT80

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3 hours ago, Tramp96 said:

I remember the Super PIt hosting Baylor the first year Scott Drew was coach (2003).  I nearly ran into him in the tunnel as I was making my way to my seat from the pregame Mean Green Club reception in the Letterman's Lounge.

Granted, Baylor then wasn't the Baylor of today, but UNT can get Big 12 schools to come to Denton.  It just takes relationships and phone calls.

JJ got LSU to come to the SuperPit in 2011 in front of 7000 fans.

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CMJ Grand Master

CMJ

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45 minutes ago, NT80 said:

JJ got LSU to come to the SuperPit in 2011 in front of 7000 fans.

He also got Oklahoma State and Texas Tech to come to Denton.

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tmjerm Veteran

tmjerm

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I love the idea of New Mexico and other MWC teams.  Nowadays rebuilding a team early you get some early losses that we did that can hurt you so you can’t schedule too low. 

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meanJewGreen Experienced

meanJewGreen

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NonCon Home

Duke

UTA

La Tech

Texas A&M COmmerce

LSU

Mizzou 

Southern Nazarene 

Vermont (why not) 

 

Non Con Away 

texas (so I can go and make it back quickly)

texas state (see above)

A&M (see above)

Houston (need to get my deli fix) 

College of Charleston (my wife wants to go here again so this gives me an excuse) 

tournament in beautiful tropical locale

Georgetown - need to get our picture with Joe Biden to celebrate our NIT championship 

 

 

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