too early to commit to a 2025 MTE. we should wait until next September. /s
2024–25 schedule
- Thread starter SFspidur
- Start date
And this is how scheduling is done. VCU gets into these tournaments because their entire program from the A.D. down to the coaches, down to the fan base demand that they be in these type of events. So, it gets done.
Willing to put a healthy wager down that we won't know our MTE until after the upcoming season. No urgency on our end.
Maybe our big spending NIL guys would love to go see a really high caliber MTE next year and could put some pressure on the powers that be to make that happen.
The VCU fan base can already start to make travel plans for Fall 2026 meanwhile Spider fans sit here and can't even make travel plans for our MTE, less than 2 months away because our shit can tournament can't get its act together. And really who is amped up to see us play Ball State and Louisiana Tech in an empty arena.
Willing to put a healthy wager down that we won't know our MTE until after the upcoming season. No urgency on our end.
Maybe our big spending NIL guys would love to go see a really high caliber MTE next year and could put some pressure on the powers that be to make that happen.
The VCU fan base can already start to make travel plans for Fall 2026 meanwhile Spider fans sit here and can't even make travel plans for our MTE, less than 2 months away because our shit can tournament can't get its act together. And really who is amped up to see us play Ball State and Louisiana Tech in an empty arena.
and we're currently running 0-20 under Mooney to get into 1 of the better 8 team single site MTEs.
Plus think VCU will be in the Maui Invitational eventually. Maybe 2026. With Dave Odom, Ryan's dad, being the Maui chairman. Could be their fallback option. Our fallback options have only 5 of 8 planned teams committed a month b4 season.
Plus think VCU will be in the Maui Invitational eventually. Maybe 2026. With Dave Odom, Ryan's dad, being the Maui chairman. Could be their fallback option. Our fallback options have only 5 of 8 planned teams committed a month b4 season.
Our 2024 MTE has 5 teams of 8 announced (countdown clock ticking.)
Their 2025 MTE has 5 of 8 teams announced, including teams we'd kill to play.
Something has to be addressed here. MTE has always been one of the foundational parts of UR's schedule. If they can't get the team into anything good because scheduling philosophies have changed (and we are behind the curve), then there has to be a major philosophy shift to get those missing 2 (minimum) big games.
Don't get me started on a non-D1 team as the home opener (who has to classify the game as an exhibition on their own schedule.)
Their 2025 MTE has 5 of 8 teams announced, including teams we'd kill to play.
Something has to be addressed here. MTE has always been one of the foundational parts of UR's schedule. If they can't get the team into anything good because scheduling philosophies have changed (and we are behind the curve), then there has to be a major philosophy shift to get those missing 2 (minimum) big games.
Don't get me started on a non-D1 team as the home opener (who has to classify the game as an exhibition on their own schedule.)
I'm still flabbergasted that our non-D1 opener is 2 days after opening night! that's mind boggling.
I remember when we saw SLU's OOC schedule and we were like, well that is a pathetic schedule. And here they are ranked 3rd best OOC schedule in the league. SLU has ZERO P5 programs on their OOC schedules. They do have some decent mid-major games (Santa Clara, San Francisco, Grand Canyon. Those are their "big games".
That graph just really shows you how much the P5 has shut down playing non p5 programs and how systemic it is. In my opinion, this is a concerted effort to monopolize the few at large bids that went to non P5 programs. It is just a shame. Leagues like the A-10 need to be much more proactive with raising this as a huge issue.
That graph just really shows you how much the P5 has shut down playing non p5 programs and how systemic it is. In my opinion, this is a concerted effort to monopolize the few at large bids that went to non P5 programs. It is just a shame. Leagues like the A-10 need to be much more proactive with raising this as a huge issue.
And I will add, that we are to blame as well. Even among this array of awful OOC schedules, the fact that moribund programs like UMass, Fordham, LaSalle and Mason that haven't sniffed relevance in a decade plus were able to put together better OOC schedules than the defending A-10 champs is pathetic. We should be ashamed of our effort, we aren't but we should be.
Does this site also have graphs for the other conferences? Would like to see what some others look like, but obviously the A10 has a huge scheduling problem.
8legs1dream
Graduate Assistant
Even more alarming (for the conference outlook in general) that there are two teams even worse than our schedule!
8legs1dream
Graduate Assistant
Well done Bernadette, you keep on "talking" while the power conferences run away from mids and shut us out.
pac 10 prob open to hoops deals...top 8 A10 teams only
A10 v Pac10, battle of the oceans
A10 v Pac10, battle of the oceans
Right. Straight out of Hardt's playbook. Excuse making 101. What about the MWC deal they had going a few years back that I think Covid killed. Why are we still in the "talking" page? Have you seen our conference OOC schedules, Bernadette? Cause if you had, you'd realize how way too little and way too late it is to "still being open to having conversations" really is. Leaders get stuff done, they don't talk about getting stuff done or why stuff didn't get done.
idk but I doubt they are factoring in our fabulous Gulf Coast MTE, because our 1st opponent isn't even known, or factoring in possible 2nd or 3rd games of A10 teams in ther MTEs. So we could actually look worse. A couple teams like Ball State or EKY would lower our average Torvik rank. Tho LA Tech or So. Illinois would raise it slightly. I don't know what Florida Southwestern State College would do.
But a number of other teams have likelihood to improve based on other MTE possible opponents, while we largely do not at all. So the gap could only get worse for us.
As noted below, there are additional games. And does this include location?
Not that either point matter…
8legs1dream
Graduate Assistant
unreal. Them already committing to another elite MTE for next season was bad enough but now they have the year after next locked down as well?? Just a bad joke at this point.
So...less than 7 weeks until the Gulf Coast event...I think they've exhausted all the options, we have certainly detailed the lack of them here. So what are they doing or waiting for? Trying not to get sued for breach of contract, I suppose.
Between us and Rhody's event, total MTE mess for some A10 teams here.
Between us and Rhody's event, total MTE mess for some A10 teams here.
We share the same city and conference but that's where it ends. They are light years ahead of us as a program and nothing pains me any more than admitting that.
I think they knew Maui a year ago. Now field is filling out. Their MTE list seems to come out the same way our football FBS list does.
So they have a connection to two of the best MTEs and rotate through those 2 every 4 years now? great, just great.
Wow. So what our Ed and Odom doing that Mooney and Hardt are not? We pay Mooney to be the top dollar coach in the league and this is what we get in terms of a schedule. It is embarrassing and truly pathetic.
You think VCU is gonna be able to entice recruits by the strength of those 2 MTE's over the next 2 years, you betcha that is part of their pitch. You would think this back to back MTE coups by VCU would set up some high level meetings with Mooney, Hardt, and high $$$ NIL guys, but we all know it won't. Business as usual always at the Robins Centers. Hopefully, they didn't misspell anything during A-10 media day yesterday, that is our bar for success. And hell, if we did, no one would be held responsible anyway.
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Agree 97, we did well in the portal this offseason, but seems like asleep at the wheel in other aspects of the program. Hardt came in as the Big power conference connected AD, but instead we get nothing out of those connections. Mooney should be astute enough to see this picture, and be doing everything he can to drive the bus, but instead who the hell knows?
VCU ain’t gonna hang around the A10 too much longer.Same happened at JMU.
Both schools invest heavily in their respective primary sport and have much higher aspirations than most.
Both schools invest heavily in their respective primary sport and have much higher aspirations than most.
Apparently here is their list as of November 2023:
2018 Barclays Center Legend's Classic
http://www.barclayscenter.com/events/detail/barclays-center-classic-2017
2019 Emerald Coast Classic in Destin, Florida
http://www.emeraldcoastclassic.com
2020 Charleston Classic
http://espnevents.com/charleston-classic/
2021 The Battle for Atlantis
http://www.atlantisbahamas.com/b4a
No details of the exact details on tournament names but I heard this.....
2022 New York (maybe Legends?)
2023 Orlando (ESPN Orlando Invitational?)
Future MTEs:
2024-25 Charleston
2025-26 Bahamas
2026-27 Maui
My thoughts are with folks in Florida awaiting the arrival of Milton .. but also wondering if this could give the Gulf Coast classic organizers a good excuse to cancel given that the storm may come ashore very close to Naples and since there appears to be no progress on the final 3 teams of the MTE.
Charleston Classic will be paring back to four teams. With fewer power conferences and the one-per-conference rule for MTEs, gotta make sure to cut out the second-level conferences from being able to get a foot in the door.
I was hoping it was for this year so we could scoop up 3 teams for the dumb MTE we are in now.
8legs1dream
Graduate Assistant
I went to check on the doomsday clock (46 days, 21 hours, 18 minutes, 47 seconds by the way) and got a look at the women's bracket which is easily far ahead of the mens side. If they could do that side right what was the hold up on the mens side 🤨
I had this same thought. Seems like there could be a schedule reduction in the making.
Their women's tournament has always been way better than their men's. They had Caitlin Clark last year. They're just way down the pecking order on the men's side and have mostly focused on mid-majors, but women's MTEs were slower to gain popularity and they got in early and established themselves as a big one.
8legs1dream
Graduate Assistant
Interesting, well I hope we have made an organizational decision to not come back until they clean up their act.
I have been assured we will have 3 games, not finalized as to how it will happen. Hope my source is correct.
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