A couple of basketball tidbits, thoughts on UNT’s schedule

[Harry]

UNT released the nonconference portion of its basketball schedule today. I posted the full rundown at the bottom of this entry.

Most people who are interested have probably gone through it by now. We reported earlier that Creighton and Iona would be on this year’s slate, and they are.

I talked with Tony Benford for a couple of minutes about the schedule today. He believes it’s the best schedule UNT has put together in the last 20 years.

UNT does play some really good teams. Iona isn’t a household name, but that team won 22 games last year. For what it’s worth, USA Today has Iona at No. 54 on its countdown of teams that will make the NCAA tournament.

read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2014/09/a-couple-of-basketball-tidbits.html/

[Army of Dad]

The best schedule in 20 years?

[NT80]

The best schedule in 20 years?

Benford knows as much about NT basketball history as he does about coaching...not much.

Gee, which year to start?

Our schedule in 1997-98 (that's 17 years ago for Benford) included: Iowa, Alabama, Texas, North Carolina State, Okla. St., UAB, TCU, Oklahoma, Georgia Tech, Nevada and New Mexico St.

Our next season included: Texas A$M, Texas Tech, TCU, Iowa State, Princeton, Tulsa, Wyoming, La Tech, Maryland, and Arkansas.

[CMJ]

I mean....I wouldn't call those a good schedules for where we were at the time. They were, in fact, horrible ones.

[NT80]

I mean....I wouldn't call those a good schedules for where we were at the time. They were, in fact, horrible ones.

Benford said best schedule, he didn't say best schedule considering lameness of coaching. In fact, it could be said Benford and Trilli have a lot in common. Both should have been given renewable one-year contracts and fired before the first renewal.

[MeanGreenTexan]

I mean....I wouldn't call those a good schedules for where we were at the time. They were, in fact, horrible ones.

REALLY HORRIBLE, especially since the vast majority were on the road.

97-98: 10 games (1 home) before conference play started... guess what the record was in all of those games? 1-9 with the lone win over UALR.

NT80, tell me if this is a good football schedule (UNT90, try not to duke your pants here):

Week1: @ Iowa

Week2: @ Alabama

Week3: @ Oklahoma State

Week4: @ Oklahoma

Week5: Conference play begins...

[CMJ]

Benford said best schedule, he didn't say best schedule considering lameness of coaching. In fact, it could be said Benford and Trilli have a lot in common. Both should have been given renewable one-year contracts and fired before the first renewal.

You don't see any schools load up with schedules like that unless they are at one of those historically black institutions, and they're whoring themselves out in the OOC to pay the bills. Even Butler didn't have a schedule that demanding when they were making all those runs.

[CMJ]

REALLY HORRIBLE, especially since the vast majority were on the road.

97-98: 10 games (1 home) before conference play started... guess what the record was in all of those games? 1-9 with the lone win over UALR.

NT80, tell me if this is a good football schedule (UNT90, try not to duke your pants here):

Week1: @ Iowa

Week2: @ Alabama

Week3: @ Oklahoma State

Week4: @ Oklahoma

Week5: Conference play begins...

Sounds like the schedule we had in our first year of returning to 1A.

[UNT90]

REALLY HORRIBLE, especially since the vast majority were on the road.

97-98: 10 games (1 home) before conference play started... guess what the record was in all of those games? 1-9 with the lone win over UALR.

NT80, tell me if this is a good football schedule (UNT90, try not to duke your pants here):

Week1: @ Iowa

Week2: @ Alabama

Week3: @ Oklahoma State

Week4: @ Oklahoma

Week5: Conference play begins...

Looks eerily close to next year's football schedule...

[Harry]

Boy getting J-Mychal eligible would be a big boost for this squad.

[meangreenacct]

Yes? Sounds like Benford buyout money + plenty of money for a bigger name coach?

In response to MeanGreenTexan, for some reason when I hit quote it didn't actually quote.

Edited September 3, 2014 by meangreenacct

[GrandGreen]

Benford knows as much about NT basketball history as he does about coaching...not much.

Gee, which year to start?

Our schedule in 1997-98 (that's 17 years ago for Benford) included: Iowa, Alabama, Texas, North Carolina State, Okla. St., UAB, TCU, Oklahoma, Georgia Tech, Nevada and New Mexico St.

Our next season included: Texas A$M, Texas Tech, TCU, Iowa State, Princeton, Tulsa, Wyoming, La Tech, Maryland, and Arkansas.

Your leaving out the part that all these games were on the road. It was part of the Helwig pay for the program with away guarantee games, and oh yes you have to play the best to be the best philosophy.

[Andrew]

UNT is one of only three Confrence USA schools to host a pair of RPI top 65 teams. Add in our tough road OOC schedule and this really is a sold schedule from top to bottom.

[THOR]

Have you cross checked the number of cusa schools hosting shitty rip teams???

[NT80]

Your leaving out the part that all these games were on the road. It was part of the Helwig pay for the program with away guarantee games, and oh yes you have to play the best to be the best philosophy.

"[benford] believes it’s the best schedule UNT has put together in the last 20 years."

It doesn't say anything about home or road, in fact the better games this year are all on the road too.

Talk to the genius that made the stupid quote!

[CMJ]

"[benford] believes it’s the best schedule UNT has put together in the last 20 years."

It doesn't say anything about home or road, in fact the better games this year are all on the road too.

Talk to the genius that made the stupid quote!

Any schedule with all those games on the road is a terrible schedule.

[UNT90]

Benford learnin' his schedulin' skills from RV?

Question. Some answers...

[untjim1995]

Iona and Creighton are nice teams to have on your schedule, but neither will increase attendance one bit for a home game at the Super Pit. Of course, Tony Benford still being the head coach won't help increase attendance one bit for any home game in the Super Pit, either, so I guess it doesn't matter...

[UNT90]

Iona and Creighton are nice teams to have on your schedule, but neither will increase attendance one bit for a home game at the Super Pit. Of course, Tony Benford still being the head coach won't help increase attendance one bit for any home game in the Super Pit, either, so I guess it doesn't matter...

If you are there, you will be one of maybe 900.

Maybe...

[KRAM1]

If you are there, you will be one of maybe 900.

Maybe...

OK, Mr. Broken Record...I have $100 that says there will be more than 900 for each of the Iona and the Creighton games. My record in betting with you is 1 for 1 in this basketball thing....want another shot? I'll make it a $1000 if you wish....you know, because you are so cock sure no one will come.

Plus I think I can get more than 900 to show up if I just tell them I have a bet with you! What do you say? Talk is cheap you know....care to step up with the cash again? We can make it a donation to the Mean Green Club if you like....we on? How much this time?

[UNT90]

You know who won't be there?

Myself and about 20 other DIE HARD basketball fans on this board.

But that doesn't mean a thing, right?

[That_Guy_Arlo]

I'm actually pretty happy with the schedule this year. A good number of home games, and a couple good basketball schools coming to see us in Denton. I may not be as big of a basketball fan as I have been in the past, but I'll be there if work doesn't get in the way.

[TheTastyGreek]

You know who won't be there?

Myself and about 20 other DIE HARD basketball fans on this board.

But that doesn't mean a thing, right?

I attended 24 or more games in multiple seasons in recent years. I'm expecting to make it to maybe 3 or 4 this year. And, honestly, I may not even bother to make it to that many. It's going to come down to: Is it a weekend? Are MeanMag and/or NT03 interested in going? Do I have literally ANYTHING else I'd like to do with the afternoon?

Because if we're not serious about this sport, I refuse to let it make me so frustrated, embarrassed, or angry. No disrespect to some of the miserable, self-and-everything-else-loathing bastards that populate a significant subcategory of our fan base, but I'm not going to spend the next 20-30 years getting my blood pressure up to dangerous levels and being furious about how we can't or won't run a real, respectable program. I don't need to see us win to enjoy myself following NT sports (hello, decade of football!), but I refuse to keep putting up with what we've done to the basketball program and the absolute horseshit nonsense the leadership puts out there because they can't or won't do what our peer institutions and conference mates (WKU, UAB, ODU, Charlotte, and more) have done when they were in situations more positive and favorable than what we've done to ourselves. There are better ways to spend my time, and that's what I'm going to do. Anyone who's still interested, good for you. At least four FANTASTIC seats are going to be available that I thought would never be back on the market during my lifetime. Enjoy a front row seat, because I won't need it any more.

COMPLETELY RELATED NOTE: The last two times we played SMU, I bought a total of over 50 tickets between the two games, most of which I gave out to people for free to get them out to the games. Several people on this forum met me for the first time prior to the SMU hosted game, because I had two dozen people over to my house for a pre-party. Read the old TY Sports articles, and you'll see how much I used to care about the prospect of seeing us play SMU.

This year, I let my wife book the first September - March vacation we've ever taken together that wasn't cross-checked against the NT sports schedules. Sure enough, the best weekend for us to travel wound up being this weekend. And I don't even really care that I'm missing the game. The only reason I have football tickets this year is because my wife got very upset at the prospect of potentially losing touch with all the people we tailgate with.

I don't want to see this program or these athletes fail. For them, I hope they win every damn game and take home a national championship. But I also don't want to see it any more, because of what we've done to this program. It's heartbreaking, and disgusting.

Once upon a time, I scheduled my career and even my wedding around North Texas basketball. This year, I expect I'll be able to count games attended on one hand. Now that I think about it, I may just pick one game. That way, if anyone asks me how the team is looking (the standard casual 'hello' question from extended family and co-workers/acquaintances for the past 8 years), I can hold up my hand and show them by extending a finger for each ticket I buy in 2014-15.

Benford'd.

[CMJ]

Dude, that made me really sad. I've lost a lot of interest, but damn.

[MCMLXXX]

I renewed my season tickets today.