Scheduling Philosophies and Bradley's Game with Duke

For years we have seen many say that Valley teams should never do guarantee games, or games on the road against big schools that are likely to beat you, then give you no return game at your home.

In fact, many head coaches, AD's, and even Doug Elgin, the MVC Commissioner have said thus...they don't want Valley members doing guarantee games.

Oddly, all are completely silent on the fact that Bradley has landed a monumental opportunity and will play at Duke this coming season.
I have even seen many fans also dis the idea of guarantee games, some of whom at the very same ones now lauding Bradley's decision to play at Duke.
So why the hypocrisy?? What's going on??
I have always been in favor of playing anyone tough whenever you can. I have never been an opponent of guarantee games per se...and have asked openly for years for our guys to keep up pursuits of great opportunities even if no return game is offered.
I obviously don't want to play a guarantee game at a low-level BCS school...say DePaul, Indiana, or Iowa State...so I am happy we always swung deals of home & home or home, home, and neutral on those guys. But the chance to play a reigning national champ or a #1 team is as good as it gets.

But if those who whine against guarantee games are really being honest, then where are they in this situation...or are they really only speaking against guarantee games selectively to make themselves look holier-than-thou on scheduling issues or deflect criticism when their schedules look awful and weak or that they'd really do the same as BU is doing if they ever got the chance (but haven't been able to swing it)? Then I guess that would make them hypocrites.

Here are just a few quotes..........

From Doug Elgin...who obviously speaks against guarantee games a lot..
"Conference commissioners such as Elgin are strongly discouraging teams from playing "guarantee games," which means playing a powerhouse school such as UCLA, North Carolina or Kentucky on the road without getting a home game in return."
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/ncaatourney06/columns/story?id=2383720
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=2603229

Also Tim Jankovich has said this many times....
"We don't play guarantee games. We're just not going to do that."
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3812982

" his basic philosophy....stay away from strong opponents, don't do guarantee games, and try to rack up easy wins..
Jankovich has long held a philosophy of wanting to avoid playing anyone tough if you don't have to. He even unilaterally quit a D-I head coaching job and preferred to coach at a junior college instead of facing tough opponents and risk actually taking losses on his career record."
http://bubravesblogger.blogspot.com/2009/09/isus-tim-jankovich-and-his-scheduling.html

"The one thing our league agrees with us is that we should never play a guarantee game. In other words, we’ll let a school buy us and we’ll play there. Why would you do that?
This past year...We weren’t ready to go play Kentucky or Duke (even on a neutral site.)"
http://www.videtteonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32003:jankovich-eldridge-weigh-in-on-2009-10-basketball-season&catid=64:sportscolumns&Itemid=55

And again just last year, when they had a solid, senior ladened team...
"ISU is not going to put together a suicidal schedule by playing “guarantee” games at major conference schools..."
and Jank even proposes...
"..NCAA honchos mandate that schools have to play a certain amount of nonconference games on the road.."

...seriously??? Is he dreaming???
http://www.pantagraph.com/app/blogs/main/?p=3890

And you can find the same thoughts and quotes from a lot of other mid-major coaches...they say they won't go on the road for any guarantee games, but if they ever got the chance to do what Bradley is doing, then they'd turn tail and jump at the chance, even if it meant showing their hypocrisy.
Want to see such an example??
Jim Larranaga swore vehemently they would never play on the road in a guarantee game..
"We don't do it," Larranaga said. "We play home-and-home games. We don't take guarantee games and we don't give any."
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=2603229

Larranaga reiterated this exact same stance many times in other interviews...then just a couple months later, he was invited to play at Duke and jumped at the chance, essentially whoring himself out for pay which is precisely what he swore endlessly that he would NEVER, ever do!
Then - on December 9, 2006, he goes to Duke for a guarantee game!!
Exactly what he'd said so powerfully that he'd never, ever do, proving that he'd stick to his beliefs unless the payday was big enough...or that he'd never sell out on his principles -- that is unless the offer was more enticing....
http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22726&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=717793

So I am still waiting for an explanation why it is bad and wrong to play guarantee games, but suddenly that entire argument disappears, and the idea's proponents go silent, when you get the chance to play a guarantee game against Duke.
It's a little like saying I would never cheat on my present girlfriend, but I'd make an exception if Erin Andrews invited me over...
Someone please help me out with this hypocrisy on this issue?



For more on Tim Jankovich's scheduling philosophy...
http://bubravesblogger.blogspot.com/2009/09/isus-tim-jankovich-and-his-scheduling.html