2017-2018 Non Conference Schedule

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8274359/nike-schools-commit-16-team-mega-event-honor-phil-knight

Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis may have pulled off his greatest scheduling coup.

Hollis told ESPN.com on Thursday that he has secured commitments from 16 schools to participate in a two-tournament event in honor of Nike co-founder Phil Knight's 80th birthday.

The two tournaments, each consisting of eight teams, would take place in Portland, Ore. during a four-day period in November, 2017. Knight's 80th birthday is Feb. 24, 2018.

This event would have more collective star power than any of the previous tournaments played at Maui, New York, Orlando or the Bahamas. The 16 Nike-sponsored schools -- mostly elite programs -- include Michigan State, Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina.

Hollis said he has commitments from schools representing all of college basketball's power conferences. NCAA rules prohibit schools from the same conference playing in the same event, hence the two eight-team tournaments.

The other schools are Florida, Ohio State, Connecticut, Georgetown, Texas, Oklahoma, Stanford, Oregon, Xavier, Butler, Gonzaga and Portland

THAT. IS. AWESOME!!!!

When can I buy tickets?!

That is a such a plus not only for our exposure, but also for our recruiting pitch.

This is huge... talk about exposure! I love that they are taking advantage of having the Rose Garden and Memorial Coliseum right next to each other... and it sound like Chiles Center could play a role, as well, if they add additional games.

Well, I now know my plans for November 2017...

PilotNut wrote:Well, I now know my plans for November 2017...

Sigh, I'm afraid 2017 may be past my expiration date........but if someone can wheel (push) the Geez down all those stairs at the Rose Garden to courtside he might be able to HEAR the games.

Uh, and another thing........if Mr. Knight doesn't make it to 80, will it just be 20 intramural college teams playing?
What if Addidas begins supplying the NCAA between now and then?

So much to ponder between now and 2017……including TWO presidential elections!!

......if all goes according to form (very rare), UP's only senior for the November 2017 tournament will be PG Alec Wintering.

EDIT: I hate math.....Alec will graduate in May, 2017, and will be playing professionally by Thanksgiving, 2017.  

Insane.

I thought this was going to be a joke thread when I read the title!

DeanMurdoch wrote:Insane.
I thought this was going to be a joke thread when I read the title!

You're not alone. My first instinct was to go to theonion.com or realfakesports.com to see what they were up to now!

According to the O, Oregon is going to the tournament (hip hop hooray!), and UP is just kinda there.

http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2012/08/oregon_commits_to_playing_in_a.html#incart_river_default

RipCityPilot wrote:According to the O, Oregon is going to the tournament (hip hop hooray!), and UP is just kinda there.

http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2012/08/oregon_commits_to_playing_in_a.html#incart_river_default

Well, Adam Jude did just transfer from the Eugene R-G to the O, to cover the Ducks. He may not of heard of the Pilots.

Of course, that assumes Memorial Coliseum is still standing by 2017 (Greg Crawford came up with that one).

I also wonder how many of the scheduled teams will end up in the same conference by then.

PurplePrideTrumpet wrote:I also wonder how many of the scheduled teams will end up in the same conference by then.

Nailed It!

This is exciting for UP!

But it is also unsettling to have an entire tournament focused on celebrating the participating institutions' willingness to be cogs in the wheel of Nike's corporate dominance over college athletics. It just seems sad that UP is able to participate in this only because it sold Nike some billboard space on its uniforms.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:This is exciting for UP!

But it is also unsettling to have an entire tournament focused on celebrating the participating institutions' willingness to be cogs in the wheel of Nike's corporate dominance over college athletics. It just seems sad that UP is able to participate in this only because it sold Nike some billboard space on its uniforms.

How about because it's a D-1 school in Phil's hometown? Nike's been good to a lot of schools. If you have to wear the Swoosh in exchange for getting high quality gear that doesn't seem like much of a burden to me. Besides, schools can and do change suppliers all the time. Nobody is forcing them to wear one company's shoes.

PurplePrideTrumpet wrote:How about because it's a D-1 school in Phil's hometown? Nike's been good to a lot of schools. If you have to wear the Swoosh in exchange for getting high quality gear that doesn't seem like much of a burden to me. Besides, schools can and do change suppliers all the time. Nobody is forcing them to wear one company's shoes.

This is my point exactly. We COULD NOT be included in this tournament just on account of being "a D-1 school in Phil's hometown." The entire premise of the tournament is that it is ONLY for teams that have certain marketing deals with Nike. I just think it is a bad precedent to set.

I don't know, I just don't see the big deal with Nike putting on a tournament. There's plenty of them to go around every winter if you don't get in theirs.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:

PurplePrideTrumpet wrote:How about because it's a D-1 school in Phil's hometown? Nike's been good to a lot of schools. If you have to wear the Swoosh in exchange for getting high quality gear that doesn't seem like much of a burden to me. Besides, schools can and do change suppliers all the time. Nobody is forcing them to wear one company's shoes.

This is my point exactly. We COULD NOT be included in this tournament just on account of being "a D-1 school in Phil's hometown." The entire premise of the tournament is that it is ONLY for teams that have certain marketing deals with Nike. I just think it is a bad precedent to set.

Well, I for one am going to enjoy it and not worry about the politics too much... The swoosh is always going to have some good points (like having a lot of diversity in hiring practices) and some bad ones (employee treatment at sweat shops), but, exposure can only help UP...especially if we can deliver a win or two.

Seems that Portland State also got the invite to the tournament... https://twitter.com/BpenfieldJ/status/687279937737207812

Good find, UGAPilot.....

In our first look at the tournament in 2012, the listed participants were, Florida, Ohio State, Connecticut, Georgetown, Texas, Oklahoma, Stanford, Oregon, Xavier, Butler, Gonzaga and Portland.

According to Penfield's tweet, Xavier has dropped out after the conference realignments because there would have been 3 Big East teams in the tournament.....and PSU, Michigan St., Duke, North Carolina, and Kentucky have been added to make a 16 team tournament.

Whew!! What a great lineup...

As I recall, there are actually two 8-team brackets/tournaments, and no two teams from the same conference will be the same bracket/tournament.

wrv wrote:Pilots have little chance to bag a win in that tournament. I am assuming it is a tournament to take place, as indicated, in 2017, not 2012.

This is a huge (missed?) opportunity to get UP hoops some publicity locally and nationally... this has to be an effective recruiting tool... I am just afraid that with the state of the program currently, we will get steamrolled regardless of who we play (other than PSU). It sure would be fun (and beneficial to UP) to have a truly competitive program in these games!

DoubleDipper wrote:In our first look at the tournament in 2012, the listed participants were, Florida, Ohio State, Connecticut, Georgetown, Texas, Oklahoma, Stanford, Oregon, Xavier, Butler, Gonzaga and Portland.

EDIT: I just re-read the 2012 article that first mentioned this tournament while crediting Michigan State Athletic Director Mark Hollis for "pulling off his greatest scheduling coup"......the teams mentioned in 2012 are the exact same teams still expected to play in 2017 except for Xavier being replaced by PSU.

I recall reading other discussion about this year's non-conference opponents on some other threads, but we haven't yet started to compile what we know, so I'll pick up the discussion here. A few schools have already released their non-conference schedules for 2017-18. Other than the PK80, what else do we know about the Pilots' non-conference schedule for the upcoming season?

@ Boise State (make-up for last season's cancelled game)
vs Portland State (should be at PSU this year, right?)

Do we have to go back to Colorado, or was that a straight-up home-and-home series? (Rare for a Pac12 team to play a lower-level WCC team at the WCC venue without requiring two return games...)

Is the Far West Classic/Dam City Classic/Whatever happening again?

Nope, no Dam City this year; and no, the PSU game to be played just before the PK80 will be in the Chiles Center while the Stott Center is being renovated.

From what I gather from talking to the players in my classes and in the dorm, UP will only be on the road for three games in the preseason: Boise State, Seattle U., and Sacramento State.

I've forgotten who they said the home opponents are, but none could be called formidable!

StudentPilot wrote:From what I gather from talking to the players in my classes and in the dorm, UP will only be on the road for three games in the preseason: Boise State, Seattle U., and Sacramento State.

Friend at Seattle U. tells me UP will be playing the Redhawks in Key Arena on Saturday December 16....right after UP finals!

I was reminded that last year's games on the road vs. Cal State Fullerton and San Jose St. were "home and home" games, so we should be seeing those two teams in the Chiles Center this fall.

Just guessing, but it looks like UP will probably play two non-D1 games and PSU at home before heading to PK-80 for three games.  After that they'll play BSU, Seattle U., Sac St. on the road and CSF and SJS plus two more at home before beginning WCC play.