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Since this has turned into a scheduling discussion, I thought I'd provide some data we could use to talk about it. I went through every year KenPom has strength of schedule and created an average for each coach (data goes back to Murray's last year but I removed him from the population and started with Anderson).

Coach - Overall SoS - OOC SoS
Anderson - 95 - 166.8
Davis - 93.5 - 123.2
Haase - 172 - 199.3
Ehsan - 192.3 - 279.8
Kennedy - 169.7 - 284

Our best OOC years were 2007 with Davis (#51) & 2015 with Haase (#61). Our best overall years were 2012 with Davis (#67) and 2009 also with Davis (#71).

What this shows to me is how the downturn of C-USA hurt the ability to schedule. Davis and Haase were able to get some series with good mid majors like Wichita State and Butler who weren’t going to play us IMO with the bottom of C-USA dragging our numbers down

Some on here get real butt hurt when we talk about scheduling and complain abojt UAB getting disrespected… within reason, we have to take what we can get. Go build a decent schedule for once, please.

Bottom line on scheduling is that it's a big part of the AD's job. AK has connections and can help with it, and I would think that the AAC move will make things a bit easier as well. It's still on Ingram to find/manufacture some attractive match-ups for us. That's why he gets paid the big bucks.

He's not done a good job on that, in football or basketball. Definitely not in basketball.

I give Ingram a lot of credit for the improvements in our facilities across the board, and the fund raising that made those possible. We're to the point that getting UAB Tennis back on campus, making a few more improvements to our baseball complex, and an update to Bartow Arena are about the only areas left for him to work on.

I'd love to see him do as well on scheduling.

(03-14-2023 03:08 PM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  I give Ingram a lot of credit for the improvements in our facilities across the board, and the fund raising that made those possible. We're to the point that getting UAB Tennis back on campus, making a few more improvements to our baseball complex, and an update to Bartow Arena are about the only areas left for him to work on.

I'd love to see him do as well on scheduling.

I'd add a cafeteria/nutrition facility and a 3rd football practice field to that list.

Scheduling is influenced by leverage, motivation and relationships. The first two usually decide who plays whom. The third can override unbalanced leverage and motivation.

The reality is Mark could only do so much in balancing administrative budget mandates against C-USA leverage (there ain’t any) and motivation (teams willing to play a C-USA team).

It will be easier in the American. ESPN has a vested interest in ensuring the the tv inventory it owns in the American is quality. That means it wants power 5 teams going into American stadiums and arenas It had no such interest in C-USA inventory.