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If you enjoy talking about college basketball games that are more than four months away, this week is right up your alley. For the second straight day, WSU made men's basketball scheduling news with the release of the full 2014-15 schedule. That came on the heels of WSU announcing on Tuesday the Cougar Hardwood Classic would return.
Kyle covered the schedule release yesterday and Jeff wrote about the game against Hawaii on Tuesday. The news got me thinking about scheduling and whether the schedule in basketball or football is more important. Both of WSU's slates are dominated by Pac-12 games, which are out of the Cougars' control. So, it really comes down to the non-conference schedule.
In football, the three non-conference games account for just 25 percent of the schedule, compared to 40 percent of the schedule in basketball. But, there are also fewer games and one game matters significantly in bowl eligibility and positioning. That 40 percent in basketball is also inflated with more than a few of those games close to bodybag games. Sure you can lose them -- and WSU certainly has before -- but they are games you should very easily win. The resume is also more of a factor in basketball with perceived "good" wins and "bad" losses being a factor come postseason. Now with the college football playoff, that could also be the case in football to a degree.
I think I'd tend to side with the football schedule being a more important thing. The margin of error seems slimmer and with fewer games, there is more riding on each. What do you think, is the men's basketball schedule a bigger deal, or is football once again king?
Football:
Preseason position reviews: Linebacker - Pac-12 Blog - ESPN
Washington State: Darryl Monroe and Cyrus Coen return as starters and Tana Pritchard, who saw his role grow as the season went along, will be leaned on heavily. The final spot up for grabs is the ‘buck,’ which looks like it will come down to Kache Palacio, a slight favorite who started at the end of the season, and Ivan McLennan. Chester Su'a could also make some noise after missing last season with an injury.
2014 Pac-12 trap games: Cal and Colorado could sneak up on teams in 2014 - Pacific Takes
Washington State - at Nevada - September 6 These aren't the ultra-dangerous Colin Kaapernick Wolfpack, but Cody Fajardo is an underrated talent and never over-look a solid mid-major conference program when they host a team from a greater conference. The Wolfpack have upset Pac-12 teams too many times to count and the Cougars can't afford to over-look this one or they could be next.
Men's basketball:
The Ernie Kent Era of Washington State University men’s basketball begins with five home nonconference games, as well as the return of the Cougar Hardwood Classic, a trip to the Great Alaska Shootout and a solid Pac-12 schedule, as announced by Kent in the release of the 2014-15 schedule, Wednesday.
Women's basketball:
Washington State University and the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena have been selected to host one of four regional sites for the 2015 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, the NCAA announced Wednesday, July 9. This marks the fourth time in an eight-year span the Cougars will have hosted a women’s regional, having successfully staged events in 2008, 2011 and 2013.