Mens Basketball Non Conference Schedule

[Dane Pound]

I like the Penn game as a replacement for the Bucknell series. Wonder if we'll see Fran McCafferty at that game. Should be a good return game next year.

 

Looking really far ahead the CCSU game is on the same weekend as the AE Volleyball Championships. That could be a fun weekend if Albany hosts the tourney.

 

Like everyone else I wish there were more home games. Right off the bat Villanova and Sacred Heart look like good road games.

[GreatDanes06]

like I have said, I don't mind and I think the way the sched is set up, that these away games are not exactly far away, minus Kansas and DePaul. It seems all the games are within 2-4 hrs. of Albany. That should lead to what I think is a nice following.

[DanesRGood]

like I have said, I don't mind and I think the way the sched is set up, that these away games are not exactly far away, minus Kansas and DePaul. It seems all the games are within 2-4 hrs. of Albany. That should lead to what I think is a nice following.

 

I agree! Last year I was able to attend 3 road games. This year it looks like a lot more. I'm already working on some of my friends who are alumni to go to Villanova. I'll also probably go to St. Francis, Columbia, and Sacred Heart. Then most likely Hartford and Stony Brook on the conference schedule. Should be good Albany crowds at these games!

[olddog71]

I'm glad the contract with St. Bonaventure was not renewed.

[JustDrastik]

I'm okay with the home and home with Bryant. Not that they are a stellar team, but we are going to need games that we can win and build confidence in. I'll take any "easy" (and we've lost many of these so-called easy games in recent years) win we can get. There are FAR more questions about this year, than last year. Last year we could count on Brent/Iati/Lillis and knew we had some veteran presence. With the exception of Connelly, no one on this team has really earned their stripes and nearly every player has questions surrounding them. While we are trying to build the fanbase, the fanbase won't come if we aren't winning. Albany is just not at that level yet where we can sellout games if we are playing pathetic. Plus, our RPI matters VERY little, unless we are up for the PIG game or NIT tournament - we're still a 1 bid conference. And while Coach's logic for the Bryant home and away sequence may be the only positive thing he can say about those games, he is partially right. Numerous times this past year we looked very different when playing opponents a second time. It would be nice to get some stability. While I am pumped this year and extremely excited, we are SO young. An easier schedule can't hurt.

[olddog71]

I'm okay with the home and home with Bryant. Not that they are a stellar team, but we are going to need games that we can win and build confidence in. I'll take any "easy" (and we've lost many of these so-called easy games in recent years) win we can get. There are FAR more questions about this year, than last year. Last year we could count on Brent/Iati/Lillis and knew we had some veteran presence. With the exception of Connelly, no one on this team has really earned their stripes and nearly every player has questions surrounding them. While we are trying to build the fanbase, the fanbase won't come if we aren't winning. Albany is just not at that level yet where we can sellout games if we are playing pathetic. Plus, our RPI matters VERY little, unless we are up for the PIG game or NIT tournament - we're still a 1 bid conference. And while Coach's logic for the Bryant home and away sequence may be the only positive thing he can say about those games, he is partially right. Numerous times this past year we looked very different when playing opponents a second time. It would be nice to get some stability. While I am pumped this year and extremely excited, we are SO young. An easier schedule can't hurt.

 

JustDrastik,

 

I am with you on the point of playing against Bryant. UA needs to play a couple games it is supposed to win. We will have ample opportunity to lose in early season. Personally, if we live up to our potential in the Bryant games (because of their initiation into Division I), then I would like a score that is so lopsided well into the game that every player - including the freshmen - can have minutes in the game. It is very important for every team player to have time on the floor. The Bryant series could be an important time to accomplish that.

 

On the other hand, I have seen several years of UA at the D I level where the team played only to the level of the competition it was up against. If we were playing a team such as UCLA, then we would make the score close; if we were playing the lowest-rated team in the conference, then we were barely beating them - or losing to them. That is the downside for me of the Bryant series. We also have to give newbie D I teams the opportunity to step up to the higher level of competition. It wasn't all that long ago that we faced a similar situation.

[Clickclack]

Call this spin or what ever...but there was a time we were in this position and no one would give us a game. The games are well placed to....so it should be a nice reprieve from a tough schedule.

 

olddog/just,

 

Couldn't agree any more on the 'playing down' to the competition sentiment. Last years Canisius game comes to mind....up by 20+ and we fell asleep at the wheel. Boy....last season was frustrating. Can't wait for the season to start though. I thought last season I had allot of questions with the departure of Jamar and Jason. This season I have no idea what to expect out of about 90% of the roster.

 

Can't wait for the first public scrimmage.

[I rock(ed) the Cape]

You can say that again...nearly the entire team is going to be new between Lindfors Aronhalt Raffa Barazza Johnson Allen (Red shirt) and Mcrae...I think we have a really talented group but it should be super interesting to see how they fair

[ATL_DANE]

I'd love to see a Georgia Tech or less preferably a Georgia State game. Tech would be a tough game but State would be do able for us. Nothing in the southeast this year? I checked out the alumni map, there are hundreds of alumni in the Atlanta metro. I hope they schedule a game here soon. Our recruiting has me excited for the next few up coming years. Albany is recruiting well for BBall.

[UAalum72]

Bryant was 18-13 last year, lost to St. Rose in the NE-10 quarterfinals, but made the D-II NCAA tournament for the fifth straight year and beat Post in the first round.

 

Their coach resigned June 5; 18 days later they signed Tim O'Shea, who for the last seven years was HC at Ohio University.

[KingDane]

Will we have a bracket buster game?

[bob87]

Will we have a bracket buster game?

 

 

I would say no.

Someone can correct me if I am wrong. I think the maximum number of games on the schedule is currently 29(up from 27 a couple of seasons ago) if you are not playing in any "exempt" tournaments. We have the 16 conference games and 13 non conference games on the announced schedule.

 

Bracketbuster is great if you are having a good year and get on TV. But if you are not, chances are you are going to get stuck with one of the maac teams that don't belong in bracketbuster since the maac teams can't play themselves and they try to keep the non tv teams from traveling far.

[UAalum72]

TV-13 had a clip last night of UA working out. Connelly said it'd be nice to be near home for 'nova, he'd never been to Chicago, and Kansas was the defending champ, but we're going there to win.

[danefan]

Did I miss the big Times Union article entitled "UAlbany to take on defending champs" ?

[UAalum72]

Did I miss the big Times Union article entitled "UAlbany to take on defending champs" ?

Saturday - Danes to face tough foes was on page 3 or 5. Page 1 had another McGuire column about UAlbany at the World Series of Poker Danes stacking the deck