College basketball season has begun. If it seems ridiculously early to be college basketball season, that's because it is. But we'd better get used to it. Because the Election Day start date for Division I basketball is the new thing. And it's likely here to stay. Unless, of course, they make the start date even earlier.
ESPN always makes sure there are a few good games on opening night, and this year was no exception. The Champions Classic featured a doubleheader involving four traditional powers, all of whom are in the preseason top 10. We had Kansas vs. Michigan State and Duke vs. Kentucky. Florida and Florida State also squared off, and there were some good matchups on the mid-major level too.
There were also plenty of guarantee games. These serve a similar purpose as guarantee games in football. The major school gets their easy win. The low- or mid-major gets the prestige of playing a top program on their floor on (likely national) TV, and they get some money out of it. That, along with the strength of schedule boost, sure makes the beat down worth it. And, if they can make the game competitive, that's all the better.
I have no issue with guarantee games. They make sense for all involved and are a fact of life in big-time college basketball. Well, actually let me rephrase that. I have no issue with guarantee games as long as it's Division I vs. Division I.
Because, unfortunately, opening night also featured way too many matchups of a Division I program taking on an opponent from a lower level. I'm not just talking about Power 5 teams, either. Yes, Tennessee played Lenoir Rhyne. But there were also those exciting barn burners between Green Bay and Wisconsin Lutheran, Fordham and CCNY, New Hampshire and Rivier, and James Madison vs. Eastern Mennonite (among way too many others).
Why the NCAA allows this is beyond me. Other than padding stats and giving new guys a chance to play, there's no benefit to playing these glorified exhibitions for the Division I team. It doesn't count towards their RPI or tournament consideration. All they get out of it is a win (which could be the difference between whether the coach that scheduled the game gets a contract extension/bonus or not). The Division III team, meanwhile, doesn't even get a loss. The game doesn't count at all for them.
That's one of the many things about these type of games that makes absolutely no sense to me. If it doesn't count for one team, how come it counts for the other? It should either count for both or not count for either. That would be like the Yankees playing a three-game series against the Buffalo Bisons and counting it the same as a three-game series against the Red Sox.
Division I teams shouldn't be able to guarantee themselves two wins (and use two of their 29 official game dates) against opponents that aren't even Division I. These are the same teams, mind you, that refuse to play even decent mid-majors on the road for fear of losing. Those games would at least boost their RPI, though. Even if they lost them. Playing these games against Division III teams, meanwhile, don't do anything for the Division I team in the long run.
Here's another thing about these games that I don't understand. If you schedule it before the official first day of the season, it's an exhibition game. But if you schedule it after the start date, it's officially part of the regular season and counts towards the team's record and season stats. Why does the date matter? If a Division I team is playing a team that isn't D1, it should be an exhibition whether they play it in October or in January.
If you can't get into a Christmas tournament and want to get a game in before conference play starts, go ahead. Play the local D3 school. Just don't count it the same as you would a conference game.
Likewise, if an alum or one of the coach's former players is the D3 coach and you want to bring his team in, go for it. Just don't treat it the same as a D1 vs. D1 non-conference game. Because, unlike Division I players, these guys aren't getting full scholarships. Everyone knows the're not as good as you!
Some conferences have taken steps to prevent their teams from doing that, passing league rules dictating the types of opponents you can meet or establishing certain strength of schedule requirements. But it shouldn't be on the conferences to do something.
The NCAA are the ones who allow it. And they're the ones who have the power to stop it. All they have to do is put out a press release explaining the new legislation. Of course, that seems unlikely, though. Because there are plenty of schools and coaches who benefit from the current system that would oppose the change.
It's also worth noting that this only happens in basketball. When BCS teams play FCS teams in football, the game counts for both teams. It's stupid that it's not the same in basketball. It's even more stupid that these games take place at all. There are 351 Division I teams. Which means there are plenty of teams at your own level for you to play. You can even pay some of them to play you if you want.
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