SMU and Michigan will begin a home and home series

Harry · May 12, 2014

Big win for the SMU program landing a home and home with Michigan:

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2014/05/thoughts-on-dt-to-broncos-other-football-notes.html/

Baby Arm! · May 12, 2014

starting 12/20/14 in Ann Arbor. So we're talking basketball here????

UNT90 · May 12, 2014

Someone give me more crappy excuses for our crappy scheduling, please?

Edit: just read it was basketball. Way to hook me, Vito! Damn you!!! And Harry for putting it in the football forum!!

Edited May 13, 2014 by UNT90

untjim1995 · May 13, 2014

That's great for both schools...SMU should be really good next season and Michigan gets a game down here in an area they want exposure for recruiting and for TV.

IOW, I hate this...

GrayEagle · May 13, 2014

It would not be a surprise that SMU doubled the going fee to get them. Plus, Larry Brown's name might carry a little weight. Finally, the Mustangs had a very good record last year. We can't match their underwriting ability, name coach, or record. Our best non-conference foe will probably be upper middle Southland.

UNT90 · May 13, 2014

Stunning how we have switched roles with SMU, the difference being they know how to take advantage of it.

NT03 · May 13, 2014

It would not be a surprise that SMU doubled the going fee to get them.

If that was the case , it probably would have been a 2 for 1 deal.

untjim1995 · May 13, 2014

Stunning how we have switched roles with SMU, the difference being they know how to take advantage of it.

Record-wise, we switched places with them, but nothing else has really changed. They've always had a better conference, more money, and the DFW media to help them. They used those three things to take a chance on Larry Brown and TIm Jankovich. It has worked big time. Sometimes those chances work, sometimes they don't, but having (or using) $$$ to buyout mistakes is the difference between them and us. It always has been and it probably always will be.

Harry · May 13, 2014

Record-wise, we switched places with them, but nothing else has really changed. They've always had a better conference, more money, and the DFW media to help them. They used those three things to take a chance on Larry Brown and TIm Jankovich. It has worked big time. Sometimes those chances work, sometimes they don't, but having (or using) $$$ to buyout mistakes is the difference between them and us. It always has been and it probably always will be.

The irony is had Larry Brown passed they could be coached by Tony Benford right now.

UNT90 · May 13, 2014

The irony is had Larry Brown passed they could be coached by Tony Benford right now.

I have no doubt that Benford was a courtesy interview and would have never been seriously considered for the SMU job.

emmitt01 · May 14, 2014

The irony is had Larry Brown passed they could be coached by Tony Benford right now.

I can't think of a nicer bunch of people to wish Benford upon.

Harry · May 14, 2014

OK just setting the record straight, this is from the SMU beat writer at the time, Katie Hairopoulos....from the Dallas Morning News...

Titled "SMU coaching search likely down to Larry Brown, Tony Benford"

"SMU finally appears to be narrowing in on its next mens basketball coach. Marquette associate head coach Tony Benford interviewed in Dallas on Saturday, according to a source. Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown is scheduled to be in town to meet with SMU officials Sunday, according to another source.

It appears one of the two will likely replace Matt Doherty, who was fired on March 13 after six seasons.

SportsDay first reported on its website Friday that SMU was focusing on Brown and Benford and that visits were imminent.

Benford, 48, has spent the last four seasons at Marquette, working under Buzz Williams, the Texas native that SMU first targeted as Dohertys replacement. Benford has extensive experience as an assistant and played at Texas Tech, but has never been a head coach. Marquette plays in the Big East, which SMU will join in 2013, and has made consecutive appearances in the Sweet 16."

Read more: http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/2012/04/smu-coaching-search-likely-down-to-larry.html/

untjim1995 · May 14, 2014

I have no doubt that Benford was a courtesy interview and would have never been seriously considered for the SMU job.

He would've gotten that job, if for nothing else because they knew we were looking at him.

All you can do is tip your hat to SMU for taking the ultimate flier on Larry Brown...high risk/high reward. He can certainly coach and he surrounded himself with a great assistant coaches, especially Jankovich. Now, they are probably set for the next 5 years, bare minimum.

Meanwhile, in Denton, we are set for the next five years, as well...just in the opposite direction. I figure it will take two more years of Benford, then 3+ years to rebuild to get us back to where we were in about 2007. Thanks, RV!!