07/08 Men's Hoop Schedulw

[Patch]

Men's Basketball Announces Non-Conference Schedule for 2007-08 Season

 

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Release: 06/04/2007

Courtesy: UAlbany Athletics

 

 

 

Albany, N.Y. -- University at Albany Vice President and Director of Athletics Lee McElroy announced on Monday, June 4 the school’s men’s basketball non-conference schedule for the 2007-08 season. The list of opponents include three-time national champion Duke and a home date with Boise State in a rematch of last year’s ESPNU BracketBusters game.

 

The Great Danes meet Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. on Monday, Dec. 17. The contest is scheduled to air nationally on ESPN2. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has 775 career wins, has led the program to three national titles (1991, 1992, 2001) and 10 Final Fours. Cameron Indoor Stadium, a facility that holds 9,314 fans, has recorded 258 consecutive sellouts since 1990.

 

UAlbany opens its schedule with two road games against a pair of 22-win clubs in Bucknell (Nov. 10) and Central Connecticut State (Nov. 14). The Bison, who went 22-9 to finish with 20-plus victories for the third consecutive season, shared the Patriot League regular-season title and reached the league tournament championship game. CCSU (22-12) made the school’s third NCAA appearance by winning the Northeast Conference championship. The Blue Devils captured the NEC’s regular-season and tournament crowns.

 

Boise State is among five non-league opponents that will play at SEFCU Arena. The Broncos, who compete in the Western Athletic Conference, travel to the Capital Region on Dec. 22. Boise State (17-14) edged UAlbany, 83-82, in a last-second BracketBusters’ decision last February in Idaho. The Great Danes will also host Columbia (Nov. 17), Lehigh (Nov. 20), Sacred Heart (Nov. 25) and St. Francis, N.Y. (Dec. 15). Sacred Heart (18-14) advanced to the NEC championship for the first time, while Columbia (16-12) registered its highest win total since 1992-93.

 

UAlbany faces Iowa State on Dec. 30 in the program’s first-ever meeting with a Big 12 Conference school. The Cyclones, who posted 12 of their 15 wins at home last season, ranked 25th nationally in attendance, averaging 12,489 at Hilton Coliseum. The Great Danes also square off with Siena in the crosstown-rivalry’s 47th meeting on Dec. 1 at the Times Union Center. The last two games in the series were both decided in overtime.

 

In 2006-07, UAlbany reached the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season as the America East Conference champion. Brent Wilson, a third-team all-conference forward, leads a group of seven letterwinners who are back from last year’s 23-10 squad. Brian Lillis, the league’s defensive player of the year, and Jon Iati, one of the program’s all-time leading three-point shooters, also return.

 

 

 

2007-08 University at Albany Men's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule

 

Date Day Opponent Site

 

Nov. 10 Saturday at Bucknell Lewisburg, Pa.

 

Nov. 14 Wednesday at Central Connecticut State New Britain, Conn.

 

Nov. 17 Saturday Columbia SEFCU Arena

 

Nov. 20 Tuesday Lehigh SEFCU Arena

 

Nov. 25 Sunday Sacred Heart SEFCU Arena

 

Dec. 1 Saturday at Siena Albany, N.Y.

 

Dec. 5 Wednesday at Delaware Newark, Del.

 

Dec. 8 Saturday at St. Bonaventure Olean, N.Y.

 

Dec. 15 Saturday St. Francis, N.Y. SEFCU Arena

 

Dec. 17 Monday at Duke Durham, N.C.

 

Dec. 22 Saturday Boise State SEFCU Arena

 

Dec. 30 Sunday at Iowa State Ames, Iowa

[haggyland]

Good to see the Duke game confirmed, and also to see some very drivable non-conference games.

It seems that without ESPN (BracketBuster return game, and proposed Duke involvement), that the schedule is lacking some glitter.

 

Still a little disappointed that only one UAlbany team will get to play Creighton this year.

[Dane96]

Good to see the Duke game confirmed, and also to see some very drivable non-conference games.

It seems that without ESPN (BracketBuster return game, and proposed Duke involvement), that the schedule is lacking some glitter.

 

Still a little disappointed that only one UAlbany team will get to play Creighton this year.

 

 

Dunno...that is one DAMN TOUGH schedule.

 

Immediate Losses:

 

Duke

 

Tough but could lose:

 

Iowa State

Boise State

 

Tough but close to even:

 

Central CT

Delaware (at UD)

Siena

Bucknell

 

Should win:

 

Lehigh

Columbia

Sacred Heart (NO WAY WE ARE LOSING AGAIN)

St. Francis

St. Bonaventure

 

 

I would be very happy with 6-6 with this schedule.

 

Additionally, you are talking about a team that should be in the NCAA's (SIENA), a Big 12, a solid western team (Boise), and an NCAA POWER in Duke. Add on Bucknell and Central (two tourney teams in recent years)...and an always tough Lehigh, plus an A-Ten.....WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM A SCHEDULE!

 

Assume we are in a bb game again.

[UA_MA_2000]

With the exception of the Duke and Iowa State games, every game on the OOC schedule appears to be within a drive's reach. One could probably get to Delaware faster than St. Bon, or is it about the same? Which drive appears to be the longest?

[bob87]

With the exception of the Duke and Iowa State games, every game on the OOC schedule appears to be within a drive's reach. One could probably get to Delaware faster than St. Bon, or is it about the same? Which drive appears to be the longest?

 

 

I would say all the games are within an easy drive although I may not drive to Iowa St now that we have only 1 game out there.

St Bonaventure is about 300 miles from UA.

Delaware 280

Iowa St 1155

Duke 650

Bucknell 280

 

I should be able to make all the Sat and Monday road NC games.(Bucknell, St Bonaventure, Duke and Siena

 

BTW, Bills are home 12/9 vs Miami which the day after UA at St Bonaventure(12/8), so it looks like I will just stay out there over night and catch the Bills on the way back.

[UA_MA_2000]

With the exception of the Duke and Iowa State games, every game on the OOC schedule appears to be within a drive's reach. One could probably get to Delaware faster than St. Bon, or is it about the same? Which drive appears to be the longest?

 

 

I would say all the games are within an easy drive although I may not drive to Iowa St now that we have only 1 game out there.

St Bonaventure is about 300 miles from UA.

Delaware 280

Iowa St 1155

Duke 650

Bucknell 280

 

I should be able to make all the Sat and Monday road NC games.(Bucknell, St Bonaventure, Duke and Siena

 

BTW, Bills are home 12/9 vs Miami which the day after UA at St Bonaventure(12/8), so it looks like I will just stay out there over night and catch the Bills on the way back.

 

You're lucky to be able to get tickets for the Miami game! I thought Bills' tickets were very hard to come by. Maybe that was just back in the Kelly days ... !

[bob87]

You're lucky to be able to get tickets for the Miami game! I thought Bills' tickets were very hard to come by. Maybe that was just back in the Kelly days ... !

 

 

I couldn't tell you about the Kelly days. My first Bills game was 4 or 5 years ago against the Bears. Got tixs on bills.com when they went on sale in July. Same last year against the packers.

I am more concerned with getting tickets for Duke and the other games than I am for the Bills. And by that, I mean when I drive down to Duke, I am going to go to at least one other game and hopefully 2 among the Carolina Tar Heels, North Carolina St or Carolina Panthers. We will see which when the schedules are out.

[Patch]

lacking some glitter - haggy

 

But the schedule has alot of substance......

 

1. TV game - Duke at Cameron

 

2. We'll be meeting representatives of some of the top conferences - ACC, Big XII, WAC, A10 and CAA

 

3. Four opponents were 20 game winners last season

 

4. Only 4 of 12 OOC games against teams from lower rated conferences...

 

MAAC RPI 23 - Siena RPI 128 record 20-12

 

NEC (3) RPI 28 - Cent Conn RPI 147 record 22-11, Sacred Heart RPI 151 record 18-14 and weak St Francis of NY RPI 280 record 9-22

 

5. The avg 06/07 RPI for our OOC schedule is 173.

 

=============================================================

 

This is pretty ambitious - especially coming at a time when we are supposedly rebuilding after losing Jamar and Jason. Most of us can't even figure out who is going to start for us (Brent, Brian and ?) or how this group will perform as a team.

[haggyland]

D96 and Patch:

 

This is one of the things I love about this site: fact providing to assuage another poster's skepticism.

Well thought out responses, and good research....It should be a fun season to watch.

[Patch]

This is one of the things I love about this site: fact providing to assuage another poster's skepticism. -

Your skepticism is yours to deal with any way you wish!!!!!

 

My post was just to state my opinion and was not an attempt to calm or quiet your skepticism - though there may be a percieved lack of glitter to this year's schedule for some in my opinion there was no lack of substance to this year's schedule.

 

lacking some glitter - haggy

 

In regard to your statement about glitter and my comment on substance.......

 

"Is the cup is half empty or half full"

 

At the turn of the century (during the 2000/2001 season) when we had Catholic U and Green Mountain on the schedule who would ever have thought that we would be scheduled to play at Cameron Indoor Center vs Duke on National TV and already have 2 consecutive NCAA appearances by the 2007/2008 season?

 

As a "Great Dane" fan I'm overjoyed - we've gone from 6 wins in 00/01 to 20(+) wins and back to back NCAA appearances in the last two seasons.

 

We are still in our infancy and we play schools from the ACC, the Big XII, the WAC, the A10 and the CAA in the same season - if that's not glitter - it surely should be viewed as a "Ray of Good Hope" - that we are headed in the direction of glitter.

[UA_MA_2000]

Adding to the comments above, I think that it is reasonably safe at this point to make the claim that the America East Conference will not get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament this season. Thus, while we all like wins, it is my view (and perhaps only my view) that we set up a tough schedule each year, given that padding our record with wins against inferior schools is basically irrelevant (unless we just want a false sense of feeling good about ourselves) as far as making it to the NCAA Tournament goes. This year, we are playing teams from, as Patch noted, several marquee basketball conferences, thereby increasing our exposure and level of competition. I think it's a great schedule, full of challenges.

[bob87]

Adding to the comments above, I think that it is reasonably safe at this point to make the claim that the America East Conference will not get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament this season. Thus, while we all like wins, it is my view (and perhaps only my view) that we set up a tough schedule each year, given that padding our record with wins against inferior schools is basically irrelevant (unless we just want a false sense of feeling good about ourselves) as far as making it to the NCAA Tournament goes. This year, we are playing teams from, as Patch noted, several marquee basketball conferences, thereby increasing our exposure and level of competition. I think it's a great schedule, full of challenges.

 

 

A team pretty much has to end up in the top 40 to get an at large bid. We are not going to end up in the top 40. In my opinion playing a good schedule does 2 things. It better prepares the team for conference play and should the team do well against the schedule and win the conference tournament they get a better seed than those teams that make the tournament playing lesser schedules.

[danes05]

I know I shouldn't complain about the schedule, but my only gripe is that we don't have a great opener like Bucknell last year. I thought last years game and the sellout was a good springboard for the season. Any thoughts?

[purplehaze]

This is a fine OOC schedule. Very challenging. Should get them prepared for what will be a tough America East.

[bob87]

I know I shouldn't complain about the schedule, but my only gripe is that we don't have a great opener like Bucknell last year. I thought last years game and the sellout was a good springboard for the season. Any thoughts?

 

 

 

I would hope that we would have a great home opener at least every other year. Hopefully we reached the point where we are an attractive opener for another team. Therefore you can make another deal with a team like the one that we are now on year 2 of with Bucknell. One year UA gets a great home opener and the next year UA is on the road in a great college basketball environment.