MBB 11/23: Aggies (1-5) at Indiana (4-1) We definitely belonged. We've been seeing some signs here and there that the team was coming around but the loss to Sac St kind of rained on the brief parade. I just hope that this game is indicative of what's to come with some consistency.
I have been questioning the wisdom of playing such a tough out of conference schedule given how things have been going but, to tell you the truth, I love these challenges. I would like to see this kind of scheduling continue in the future even if it means we lose a bunch of games and enter the conference with a losing record.
There are a lot of benefits that can come from games like this if we have enough talent to not get embarrassed each time out. Games against the power programs give us exposure to the "big leagues" and shows us where we want to go with the program and what it takes to compete at the next level. We also get a lot of media exposure and that can help with recruiting especially if we are competitive. Lastly, it gives the players a chance to play in great basketball environments against elite talent and we will certainly be battle hardened by the time league starts.
I say keep the challenges coming. Eventually we will upset a couple of these teams. We will take our lumps for sure but, in my opinion, this kind of scheduling can potentially have more benefits than disadvantages if we can keep our heads up. Iron sharpens iron so the saying goes...