Light Schedule...

Does anyone else feel that we're playing a very light November and December? I feel like although we have potentially BC and then potentially VT and then Miami, in-between we have a load of very easy games, and just not very many of them.

Nothing new at St. John's...

I wouldn't call it a tough schedule but I wouldn't call it light either. We have 12 games before BE play.

6 "cupcakes"...
LIU
St. Francis
NJIT
Bethune Cookman
Marist
Howard

3 ACC teams...
Miami-top 25
Va Tech-should be borderline top 25
BC

1 decent Ivy team
Cornell

2 unknowns in the 2nd part of the preseason NIT. With any luck we win the NIT bracket and play two more big conference teams.

after that 18 conference games and 1 against Duke.  We need all the cupcakes we can get before the conference play begins.  Our schedule isn't any lighter than the majority of Big East teams.

I wouldn't call it a tough schedule but I wouldn't call it light either. We have 12 games before BE play.

6 "cupcakes"...
LIU
St. Francis
NJIT
Bethune Cookman
Marist
Howard

3 ACC teams...
Miami-top 25
Va Tech-should be borderline top 25
BC

1 decent Ivy team
Cornell

2 unknowns in the 2nd part of the preseason NIT. With any luck we win the NIT bracket and play two more big conference teams.

after that 18 conference games and 1 against Duke.  We need all the cupcakes we can get before the conference play begins.  Our schedule isn't any lighter than the majority of Big East teams.

Cornell isn't a cup cake, but it would be very disappointing if we lost to them.
They have nothing close to our size.

I guess I didn't know how the broke down.
There is a 2nd round game, but is there a 3rd round?

Overall I would have liked to play some popular locals. Hofstra. Manhattan or Iona.
Maybe not all of them, LUI and St.Francis are complete crap. Why even bother?
We should utterly destroy them.

Howard and Bethune-Cookman are actually even worse than LIU and StF.  And NJIT was 0-29!!  This is a light schedule, but isn't this how it's always been for St. John's?  At least for much of my memory, and certainly a good part of the last 10 or so years.

I think they just wanted some wins on the record.

I guess I didn't know how the broke down.
There is a 2nd round game, but is there a 3rd round?

The 12 teams that don't make the garden play in 3 other 4 team "tournaments" on campus sites of the highest ranked teams not to make the garden.  Fields will be set geographically after the first two rounds are over.  Have not read as such but assume that no two teams from the same original bracket will be sent to the same secondary brackets.

I wouldn't call it a tough schedule but I wouldn't call it light either. We have 12 games before BE play.

6 "cupcakes"...
LIU
St. Francis
NJIT
Bethune Cookman
Marist
Howard

3 ACC teams...
Miami-top 25
Va Tech-should be borderline top 25
BC

1 decent Ivy team
Cornell

2 unknowns in the 2nd part of the preseason NIT. With any luck we win the NIT bracket and play two more big conference teams.

after that 18 conference games and 1 against Duke.  We need all the cupcakes we can get before the conference play begins.  Our schedule isn't any lighter than the majority of Big East teams.

Well said jumpin. Sju plays 18 games in the toughest conference in the country. And has games with the likes of Duke, BC, VT and Miami also.

Light schedule? Not.

we need some "soft" teams...otherwise we'd be competing with NJIT for worst record in the country.

until we beat them we'll continue to schedule them...baby steps guys

W. Carolina,Hartford,LaSalle,Miami, Bryant, Delaware St., Buffalo, Stony Brook, Gonzaga, and Fairfield.  That's the schedule being played by the pre season #2 team in the country this year. Doesn't look to be any easier or harder than our own schedule. If you take out Gonzaga which is a TV game and a payday that they merit by their ranking, the schedule is arguably weaker than ours.
There was a  time when we opened with N.C. and Kentucky and UCLA but then we had a high pre season ranking and merited those TV spots. I expect we will be back there someday.
As far as the schedule goes, by mid season, St. John's schedule will be in the top 25  in the country if not higher. It always works out that way because of the BE.

W. Carolina,Hartford,LaSalle,Miami, Bryant, Delaware St., Buffalo, Stony Brook, Gonzaga, and Fairfield.  That's the schedule being played by the pre season #2 team in the country this year. Doesn't look to be any easier or harder than our own schedule. If you take out Gonzaga which is a TV game and a payday that they merit by their ranking, the schedule is arguably weaker than ours.
There was a  time when we opened with N.C. and Kentucky and UCLA but then we had a high pre season ranking and merited those TV spots. I expect we will be back there someday.
As far as the schedule goes, by mid season, St. John's schedule will be in the top 25  in the country if not higher. It always works out that way because of the BE.

I can't speak for all of them, but W. Carolina is okay.

Hartford is crap.

LaSalle is a tough game.

Miami, as we know is a tough game.

Bryant i have no idea.

Delaware St has been good before.

Buffalo is tough.

Stony Brook is right there with St.Francis.

Gonzaga is tough.

Fairfield is no gimme.

As far as the schedule goes, by mid season, St. John's schedule will be in the top 25  in the country if not higher. It always works out that way because of the BE.

Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story. Only once in the ongoing four year experiment has Norm Roberts had a top 25 schedule.

2005-> RPI:165  Strength of Schedule: 19 Out of Conference SOS: 92

2006-> RPI:137 SOS: 48 OOC SOS: 198

2007-> RPI: 133 SOS:79 OOC SOS:204

2008-> RPI: 156 SOS:29 OOC SOS:80


http://www.kenpom.com/rpi.php?y=2008

Our RPIs are average for a mid-major program, but among the worst for a high-major conference program. There are two ways to improve that: one) win and two) play a more competitive schedule.

Thanks, that 'kenpom' web site is a wonderful resource..,,,and, you did a ton of work.  I will ruin afternoons in the future playing with all those numbers.
I did look at some comparisons from last year, and while every year, some will stand out as we have in the recent past, last year we were very competitive in schedule, if not so on the court.  I selected some others that might compete for 'mid major' status by some measure. I don't think they think so. It was a fun exercise,thanks!

TEAM           Conf  SOS                    non-conf SOS

UCLA                  57                        107
Kansas               55                        156
Georgetown        56                        123
NotreDame         59                        279
Kentucky            57                        100
St. John's           56                          80

I wouldn't call it a tough schedule but I wouldn't call it light either. We have 12 games before BE play.

6 "cupcakes"...
LIU
St. Francis
NJIT
Bethune Cookman
Marist
Howard

3 ACC teams...
Miami-top 25
Va Tech-should be borderline top 25
BC

1 decent Ivy team
Cornell

2 unknowns in the 2nd part of the preseason NIT. With any luck we win the NIT bracket and play two more big conference teams.

after that 18 conference games and 1 against Duke.  We need all the cupcakes we can get before the conference play begins.  Our schedule isn't any lighter than the majority of Big East teams.

I think cupcake might not even be the right word for those teams.  Maybe extreme cupcakes or guaranteed wins?  No offense to Marco, but a team like Iona or Marist is a cupcake for a Big East team.  An 0-29 NJIT is a cupcake for Iona or Marist

Quote from: jumpinjohnny on October 31, 2008, 04:27:38 PM

I wouldn't call it a tough schedule but I wouldn't call it light either. We have 12 games before BE play.

6 "cupcakes"...
LIU
St. Francis
NJIT
Bethune Cookman
Marist
Howard

3 ACC teams...
Miami-top 25
Va Tech-should be borderline top 25
BC

1 decent Ivy team
Cornell

2 unknowns in the 2nd part of the preseason NIT. With any luck we win the NIT bracket and play two more big conference teams.

after that 18 conference games and 1 against Duke.  We need all the cupcakes we can get before the conference play begins.  Our schedule isn't any lighter than the majority of Big East teams.

I think cupcake might not even be the right word for those teams.  Maybe extreme cupcakes or guaranteed wins?  No offense to Marco, but a team like Iona or Marist is a cupcake for a Big East team.  An 0-29 NJIT is a cupcake for Iona or Marist

Ya, offense taken. I assume Niagara was a cupcake too?

Quote from: jumpinjohnny on October 31, 2008, 04:27:38 PM

I wouldn't call it a tough schedule but I wouldn't call it light either. We have 12 games before BE play.

6 "cupcakes"...
LIU
St. Francis
NJIT
Bethune Cookman
Marist
Howard

3 ACC teams...
Miami-top 25
Va Tech-should be borderline top 25
BC

1 decent Ivy team
Cornell

2 unknowns in the 2nd part of the preseason NIT. With any luck we win the NIT bracket and play two more big conference teams.

after that 18 conference games and 1 against Duke.  We need all the cupcakes we can get before the conference play begins.  Our schedule isn't any lighter than the majority of Big East teams.

I think cupcake might not even be the right word for those teams.  Maybe extreme cupcakes or guaranteed wins?  No offense to Marco, but a team like Iona or Marist is a cupcake for a Big East team.  An 0-29 NJIT is a cupcake for Iona or Marist

Look at the RPI numbers for Bethune-Cookman, Howard, NJIT; and Marist was ranked by the MAAC coaches to be the bottom of the league.  Even for St. John's, this is a cupcake schedule, with some competitors sprinkled in.

Quote from: Marillac on November 02, 2008, 07:37:20 PM

Quote from: jumpinjohnny on October 31, 2008, 04:27:38 PM

I wouldn't call it a tough schedule but I wouldn't call it light either. We have 12 games before BE play.

6 "cupcakes"...
LIU
St. Francis
NJIT
Bethune Cookman
Marist
Howard

3 ACC teams...
Miami-top 25
Va Tech-should be borderline top 25
BC

1 decent Ivy team
Cornell

2 unknowns in the 2nd part of the preseason NIT. With any luck we win the NIT bracket and play two more big conference teams.

after that 18 conference games and 1 against Duke.  We need all the cupcakes we can get before the conference play begins.  Our schedule isn't any lighter than the majority of Big East teams.

I think cupcake might not even be the right word for those teams.  Maybe extreme cupcakes or guaranteed wins?  No offense to Marco, but a team like Iona or Marist is a cupcake for a Big East team.  An 0-29 NJIT is a cupcake for Iona or Marist

Ya, offense taken. I assume Niagara was a cupcake too?

Hey, I love the MAAC.  I probably go to more MAAC games than anyone on the board.  There is a pecking order, though.

Thanks, that 'kenpom' web site is a wonderful resource..,,,and, you did a ton of work.  I will ruin afternoons in the future playing with all those numbers.
I did look at some comparisons from last year, and while every year, some will stand out as we have in the recent past, last year we were very competitive in schedule, if not so on the court.  I selected some others that might compete for 'mid major' status by some measure. I don't think they think so. It was a fun exercise,thanks!

TEAM           Conf  SOS                    non-conf SOS

UCLA                  57                        107
Kansas               55                        156
Georgetown        56                        123
NotreDame         59                        279
Kentucky            57                        100
St. John's           56                          80

Pomeroy's RPI analysis also had SJU with the 5th toughest Non conference schedule in the Big East last year.  Not saying he's the last word but some people should find better things to complain about, there are lots of them.  In fact SJU had was ranked 20th for non conference SOS in the 6 major conferences.