Why doesn't Notre Dame play its traditional rivals in basketball?

[Buster Bluth]

I know basketball is different than football in terms of tradition and opponents, but why doesn't Notre Dame use 1-3 of its non-conference games to play schools like Southern Cal, Michigan, or Michigan State?

If getting to play in LA (/California in general/Ireland) is a recruiting tool in football, albeit a slight one, wouldn't "hey every other year we go on a five-day western trip and play Southern Cal and Stanford after fall semester is over" be one in basketball?

As for Michigan/Michigan State, I would think that since South Bend and Ann Arbor/East Lansing are ~130 miles from each other, it's not distance stopping this from happening.

I really don't see why the Irish can't play Michigan annually in basketball, at the very least.

 

[FLDomer]

Because we are in the Big East (is my guess). I would think this is the main reason, so we fill the non conference games with smaller univ/colleges. It would be cool to play some of em though.

 

[irishog77]

"Paging Dr. BGIF, paging Dr. BGIF..."

 

[Grahambo]

After this I could see it maybe. Before ND had a hard enough schedule with Big East play. Same for those schools, Big Ten is tough enough that they don't need to play ND.

 

[woolybug25]

It would be cool to see those games, but we play in arguably the best basketball conference in America. Our strength of schedule is always good and a good schedule only gets you so far. You have to have wins too.

Adding 3 MSU-type teams to our out of conference games would probably cost us a tournament berth every once in a while.

That's my opinion at least.

 

[military_irish]

It would be cool to see those games, but we play in arguably the best basketball conference in America. Our strength of schedule is always good and a good schedule only gets you so far. You have to have wins too.

Adding 3 MSU-type teams to our out of conference games would probably cost us a tournament berth every once in a while.

That's my opinion at least.

Sounds kind of like the argument for the SEC in football and their OOC schedule.

 

[Buster Bluth]

It would be cool to see those games, but we play in arguably the best basketball conference in America. Our strength of schedule is always good and a good schedule only gets you so far. You have to have wins too.

Adding 3 MSU-type teams to our out of conference games would probably cost us a tournament berth every once in a while.

That's my opinion at least.

I completely agree and probably wouldn't want to see all three games.

Michigan is always up and down in basketball and Southern Cal finished twelfth--yes, last place--in the Pacific 12.

 

[BGIF]

"Paging Dr. BGIF, paging Dr. BGIF..."

Sorry hog, just found this thread. My roundball familiarity is only a fraction of my football, ND and otherwise. That said, most of the reasons were covered by others posters:

-ND gave up independence in basketball in '95 for the BE but not football
-Traditional Rivals were different in each sport.
-BE tough schedule forced many fine opponents off the schedule out of necessity.
-ND Opponents mainly in midwest with trips to both coasts pre BE
-The size of teams influence recruiting territory as well. The BB team has about 1/7 the scholarships FB has AND the midwest is a source of BB players as is Indiana.

Pre Big East ND played a rugged schedule UCLA was an annual home and home when they ruled college BB. ND was the last one to beat them before their 88 game run and was the one that stopped the run. ND and UCLA have played only 4 times since '90.

ND and USC have only played 9 times, the last in '93. ND leads 5-4

Stanford and ND have only played 3 games ND 3-0, games in '34, '92, '94.

Army had only faced ND 8 times, ND leads 8-0, last game in '06

Navy 8 times, ND leads 7-1 last game was '80.

ND and MSU have played a lot, 94 times, MSU lead 59-35 but the last regular season game was in '79.

UM leads 15-7 last regular season game in '05. Quite a few NIT/NCAA games with ND.

Indiana leads ND 47-21 but they only played 4 times since '99.

PU and ND have split 40 games but the last one was in '66.

Curiously, Kentucky and ND have played 20 more games than ND v PU. UK leads 42-18. They've played 5 times in this millenium.


I'm sure different HC at ND had relationships with different counterparts at other schools which probably impacted scheduling as did means of travel, train versus plane. The NIT use to THE tournament then it waned as the NCAA grew. Then changing conferences.

 

[Buster Bluth]

Thanks for the input, major reps for that.

I know that rivalries change from sport to sport. But I would think that a school like USC or Michigan would elicit hatred regardless of the sport.

I would like to see an annual game with Michigan at the very least.

Also it's pathetic that Notre Dame hasn't played Purdue since 1966.

Double also, if it's truly about recruiting then Notre Dame need to play in Chicago every year and get in on that Illinois-bound talent.

 

[BGIF]

Thanks for the input, major reps for that.

I know that rivalries change from sport to sport. But I would think that a school like USC or Michigan would elicit hatred regardless of the sport.

I would like to see an annual game with Michigan at the very least.

Also it's pathetic that Notre Dame hasn't played Purdue since 1966.

Double also, if it's truly about recruiting then Notre Dame need to play in Chicago every year and get in on that Illinois-bound talent.

I suspect the UM/ND series probably reflects the animosity/anti-Catholic attitude that impacted the football series. UM's football coaches Yost and Crisler were also the ADs and didn't want ND in the Big 10. They tried to get other Big 10 schools to boycott ND. MSU refused which is one of the reason ND still play MSU in football on a regular basis.

I suspec there was some falling out with PU as well. Intrastate rivals, Auburn and Alabama and Louisville and Kentucky only play each other because both state legislatures passed a law requiring them to play each other.

The USC game about after the annual ND/Nebraska series was breaking up. Legend says the coaches wives instigated the ND/USC series. Others claim it was because Rockne (and the more affluent alumni like a train ride to warmy Southern California during October. I don't recall USC ever being a basketball program of note. The intensity you speak of in football doesn't transcend with ND opponents like Alabama Auburn and many other rivalries.

As for Chicago based talent, keep in mind ND athletes have to pass ND Admissions and then compete in the classroom with a student body with an average SAT around 1450 without the cake programs to hide athletes. ND also doesn't take one and done recruits. They expect the athletes will complete their degrees on time. That cuts the pool dramatically.

ND should get more TV exposure as games are broadcast on Versus/NBC.



Another factor that impacts scheduling is the myriad of basketaball tournaments/shootouts in the early season and Christmas time. Decades ago the hometeam ran a "tournament" with all creampuff. Today some of those early shootouts rival NCAA tournament quality. When you face the big dawgs that way you fill your regular schedule (after Conference Foes) with a couple of tough games and a lot of filler.