Within the past six years, coaches Joe Scott and Jeff Bzdelik have advanced to the postseason, just not at their current schools.
Scott, now at the University of Denver, coached Air Force to a 22-7 record and the NCAA Tournament in 2004. Bzdelik, now at Colorado, got the Falcons to 24-7 and the NCAAs in 2006 and 26-9 and the NIT the next season.
Neither is on the verge of duplicating those feats this season. But both believe their programs are coming together enough to allow some big- name opponents to bolster nonconference schedules next season. It’s part of what might be called the art of scheduling: Match the expected caliber of their teams to a nonconference schedule that is challenging but not overpowering.
“I better be recruiting players who want to play against the best,” Scott said. “The art of scheduling is knowing what’s best for your team. We play only Division I teams in nonconference because that prepares you for what you’re going to be playing against in the conference.”
Bzdelik believes the art of scheduling strives for a balance of team development and confidence-building. It’s all directed at the expected tough conference schedule.
“Extremes are dangerous,” Bzdelik said. “You want a nonconference schedule that prepares your team for conference play, but also is a meaningful schedule so your success is worthy of postseason play in the eyes of the selection committee.”
Colorado’s nonconference schedule next season could include the likes of Arizona, Cincinnati and Maryland.
Karl Benson, commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference and a former member of the NCAA Tournament selection committee, says there is a high level of importance on nonconference schedules in filling the at-large berths.
“In some cases, a road nonconference game is more important than a home game,” Benson said.
At Northern Colorado, Tad Boyle faces a different challenge: a program in its second year in Division I competition. The Bears play in the Big Sky Conference, which typically gets only one slot in the NCAA Tournament.
“If recruiting is No. 1 in determining success for a basketball program, scheduling is 1A,” Boyle said. “The key is figuring where your program is in its life cycle.”
Boyle also said the nonconference schedule can be a recruiting device.
“When I was a freshman at Kansas, we played against North Carolina, Kentucky and Indiana,” Boyle said. “As a player, I loved it. You always want to play against the best.”
After five straight winning seasons, Air Force is struggling at 9-16 and is winless in the conference.
During its recent heyday, Air Force played Georgia Tech and Wake Forest at the World Arena in Colorado Springs because neither wanted to play in Clune Arena.
Jim Lego, an associate athletic director at Air Force, noted some difficulties for Air Force bringing in big-name opponents. Air Force cadets have an eight-day final exams period in the heart of the nonconference season.
“This past year, we tried to get Stanford to come in, but we couldn’t find a compatible date,” Lego said. “A few years ago, teams didn’t want to play in Clune Arena when we had one of the best home-court records in the country.”
Said AFA coach Jeff Reynolds: “The way we’re playing this year, they’re probably lining up to play us in Clune.”
CSU coach Tim Miles says getting the right nonconference schedule to fit the caliber of his team is one of the most time-consuming jobs on his schedule.
“You have to know how and when to schedule opponents to fit your team. I like to stay as flexible as possible when it comes to scheduling,” Miles said. “You like to build an exciting schedule for your fan base, and if we could bring some marquee opponents into Moby Arena, it would be great for our fans.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
Programs have different needs
Here’s what athletic directors from area Front Range schools had to say about their programs:
Hans Mueh, Air Force: “A number of big-name basketball schools refused to come to Clune Arena when our home-court record was 65-3. But we need to step up our nonconference schedule a little bit to help build our RPI rating. It’s either that or win all the games in conference play.”
Mike Bohn, Colorado: “Every one of our institutions has had its run at times in basketball. The situation at Colorado is that we haven’t invested in the basketball program on a consistent basis. We’re making that investment now.”
Paul Kowalczyk, Colorado State: “It’s easier to reconnect with tradition than to build tradition. Right now our program is in the development stage, so it’s better to schedule wins. You can schedule up when you get better. I’ve learned from experience the value of nonconference scheduling in ultimately leading to a good RPI ranking.”
Peg Bradley-Doppes, Denver: “Strategically, we’re going to play the best competition we can beat and build our RPI based on that strategy. This is a perfect time for college basketball to explode in this region. That’s why we hired Joe Scott. The way he did it at Air Force is a perfect fit for us.”
Jay Hinrichs, Northern Colorado: “We have to be aware of a budget in nonconference scheduling. Here at UNC, we’re lucky to have the opportunity up and down the Front Range to bring in local opponents. Absolutely, I think our fans would make a 14-mile trip to see the right opponent at the right time in a neutral site.”
Irv Moss, The Denver Post
