The Bonnies: 2021-2022 Season Thread

I was gonna start another thread about this, but there's been some breaking news that puts a damper on it, so I'm throwing it in here. Youssou and the Senegal national basketball team were supposed to play in this week's FIBA qualifiers for the 2020* Olympics. However, the Senegalese squad is stuck in quarantine in Germany, so they won't be able to make the trip to Belgrade, where they were supposed to play Italy and Puerto Rico. Senegal wasn't probably gonna make it since they would have likely had to also beat reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Serbia to get an Olympic spot.



Meanwhile, Drew was selected today for the Canadian national team, who will be hosting a tournament in Victoria, BC, for another one of the Olympic spots.



Here's how it works. There are two groups of three teams: Canada/China/Greece in Group A and Czech Republic/Turkey/Uruguay in Group B. They play one game against the other two teams and the top two in each group go to the semifinals. A1 vs. B2, B1 vs. A2. Winners play and the champ goes to the Olympics. Canada looks like the favorites, especially since Greece won't have Giannis.

Dust off the ESPN+ subscription if you wanna see Nicholson play:

Tuesday, 6:55 pm (EDT) - Canada vs. Greece
Wednesday, 6:55 pm (EDT) - Canada vs. China
Saturday, 6:55/10:25 pm (EDT) - Semifinals
Sunday, 6:55 pm (EDT) - Final
 
A little late to the party, but see we added a road game at Northeastern.

At first glance, not the most impressive add as they were .500 last year in the CAA, but it looks like they return virtually their entire team save one guy. There's no reason to not think Northeastern won't compete for the CAA title next year which should put them as a Q2 game, maybe Q1 if we are lucky.

Good add by the staff. We want them on the road when we are strong and at home when we are most likely a bit down in 22-23.
 
I don’t think we are playing Niagara this year. There is a doubleheader in Buffalo in November. UB is playing Canisius and Niagara is playing Albany. (This is from a UB source) This is the game that Canisius and Niagara have to play to host the NCAA tournament . if we aren’t playing Niagara there, I doubt we are playing them at all.
 
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Wont see me shed a tear over it.
Nope. The same ultimatum needs to be put to Canisius. The traditional rivalries are great, but we need to function within the realities of modern college hoops.

If Niagara and Canisius won’t play their “home” games with us at Key Bank Center, then we needn’t play them anymore. They don’t bring enough to the table to risk losing in those bandbox gyms. The benefit of a true home/home is entirely on their end, and SBU could just as easily buy schools like Colgate, St. Francis PA, and Binghamton to replace them.
 
Nope. The same ultimatum needs to be put to Canisius. The traditional rivalries are great, but we need to function within the realities of modern college hoops.

If Niagara and Canisius won’t play their “home” games with us at Key Bank Center, then we needn’t play them anymore. They don’t bring enough to the table to risk losing in those bandbox gyms. The benefit of a true home/home is entirely on their end, and SBU could just as easily buy schools like Colgate, St. Francis PA, and Binghamton to replace them.
Canisius and Niagara have not been consistently good enough to merit going up there. Both games are almost always a Q3/4 which is absurd to have on your schedule as a road game. I'm all for playing them, but like you said, it should be at Key Bank.

Much like Syracuse not playing away from the dome, why should Bona lose home game money to play a H&H with a poor program?

Tradition? Fan interest? Money?

I get those games save us money, but is it more than what we'd make with a home game against Colgate? (4,000 fans paying $30 ticket equates to $120K.) Buying a two Q3 teams has to cost less than $60K combined.

I'm not even sure most old school Bona alums even enjoy the game anymore. My Dad graduated in the late 60s and finds the Canisius and Niagara game as more of an annoyance than a true rival.

From CC and NU's perspective. What do they gain by playing UB or Bona in front of 1,800 people? The casual young alum won't go to those games because there's no beer and there's not much around those campuses. It has to be a fight over who pays the rent/staffing cost for one of those games...

I'd be fine with giving up our home games against them if it guarantees us a weekend game at Key Bank each year. Turnout is better, and hopefully we could get back to playing a quality team OOC in Buffalo once again.

If not Buffalo, we need to play at least two games in Rochester each year going forward. Grow the Bona brand while we have a top 25 team. We need to grow our fanbase and interest around our program while we have this good of a team.
 
If we are going to play CC and NU, then playing one in the Reilly Center and one in Key Bank Center each season is the way to go. That way, we are guaranteed a downtown game every season and can fill out the home slate with a local rival. Again, if they don't like that arrangement, then they can figure out a similar deal with someone better (they can't and won't). We could just replace them with two reasonably priced home buy games. Is it really THAT different to host Coppin State, Central Connecticut, or Robert Morris? All would be Q3/Q4 games most seasons.

As for Rochester, I agree that we should play there every year... but two is a bit much. If we can't get a P5 or Big East opponent, then just play that early A10 game that's over break anyhow. Maintaining a presence in Buffalo and Rochester is critical, though, as you say, 3rdShay.
 
Bill, the problem with Keybank has always been the rent. If you're asking Canisius or Niagara to pick that up, a likely attendance of 4,000 or so just isn't going to work. And asking Bona to pick up a portion for a "road" game when most fans will be wearing Brown & White probably is a stretch. Either the rent comes down or offer them a 2 for 1, which I could live with. There are only so many Binghamtons, Coppin States, etc. I can tolerate.

Trust me, the Old Man payed money so that I could see Belmont Abbey, Detroit College, Baldwin-Wallace and St. Thomas More. You remember St. Thomas More, the giants previously named Villa Madonna. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
 
Bill, the problem with Keybank has always been the rent. If you're asking Canisius or Niagara to pick that up, a likely attendance of 4,000 or so just isn't going to work. And asking Bona to pick up a portion for a "road" game when most fans will be wearing Brown & White probably is a stretch. Either the rent comes down or offer them a 2 for 1, which I could live with. There are only so many Binghamtons, Coppin States, etc. I can tolerate.

Trust me, the Old Man payed money so that I could see Belmont Abbey, Detroit College, Baldwin-Wallace and St. Thomas More. You remember St. Thomas More, the giants previously named Villa Madonna. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
I get that, and a 2-for-1 would be a fair compromise; however, the Key Bank idea only works if UB is on the other end of it. Bona/Canisius and UB/Niagara one year, and then Bona/Niagara and UB/Canisius the next. Do it on a holiday weekend or something. I'm just so tired of Koessler and Gallagher.
 
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Fair enough. Though I still think the rent needs to come down a bit even for a four-team event.
 
I think res has a good point on the cost. If we ditched the true road games against CC and NU - which I'm all for - SBU is going to pick up the tab somehow. Either we're paying for KBA, or buying them when they come to the RC. The thought of buying CC or NU to come to the RC is nauseating but is it any worse than Coppin State? I think there'd be a lot of butt hurt to go around if SBU pulled that card, but it might be overdue. Sometimes ties have to be severed.

If CC and NU were off the schedule every season, we could try to get another solid mid-major (BR) H/H, whore ourselves out to a P5, maybe even a 2-for-1?? Explore a legit doubleheader at KBA with UB in the undercard. The word on the street is it's impossible for SBU to get a P5 in Buffalo, let alone to the RC. Then we see schools like VCU, Dayton, Richmond, URI get P5's in their own arenas. So is it impossible, or is this the "we tried all afternoon to find a game" scenario? It's not my job, I wouldn't want to be making those cold calls begging for games, but if top tier A10 teams can host P5's, it's a fair question to ask. If all else fails, can we at least get back to the Dome? That game can hardly ever hurt us.
 
I think res has a good point on the cost. If we ditched the true road games against CC and NU - which I'm all for - SBU is going to pick up the tab somehow. Either we're paying for KBA, or buying them when they come to the RC. The thought of buying CC or NU to come to the RC is nauseating but is it any worse than Coppin State? I think there'd be a lot of butt hurt to go around if SBU pulled that card, but it might be overdue. Sometimes ties have to be severed.

If CC and NU were off the schedule every season, we could try to get another solid mid-major (BR) H/H, whore ourselves out to a P5, maybe even a 2-for-1?? Explore a legit doubleheader at KBA with UB in the undercard. The word on the street is it's impossible for SBU to get a P5 in Buffalo, let alone to the RC. Then we see schools like VCU, Dayton, Richmond, URI get P5's in their own arenas. So is it impossible, or is this the "we tried all afternoon to find a game" scenario? It's not my job, I wouldn't want to be making those cold calls begging for games, but if top tier A10 teams can host P5's, it's a fair question to ask. If all else fails, can we at least get back to the Dome? That game can hardly ever hurt us.
Agreed on Cuse, but it takes 2 to tango. James Blowheim won’t think about getting us back to the dome until he’s 99% sure we won’t beat them again.
 
Agreed on Cuse, but it takes 2 to tango. James Blowheim won’t think about getting us back to the dome until he’s 99% sure we won’t beat them again.
UB has been strong the last 4-5 years and they go to the Dome every season. They did kick our ass the last time there and a big reason they made the NCAA in 2016 was beating us. They should want us there every year.
 
The word on the street is it's impossible for SBU to get a P5 in Buffalo, let alone to the RC. Then we see schools like VCU, Dayton, Richmond, URI get P5's in their own arenas.
That's what I don't get. It makes sense that P5's are less inclined to come to the RC as it is more difficult to get to than DC, Dayton, etc. if flying (2 connections instead of one) but we should be able to get a game in Buffalo or Rochester if we are expected to be preseason top 50...which has hardly been the case the past decade.

We've obviously had good teams this past decade, but only the 2018 would I say we were a projected top 50 team before the year. I think that plays into it more than anything else. Most years we're ranked in that 90-120 area which does nothing for a P5 bubble.

Not sure if this has anything to do with it, but a game in ROC or BUF would be categorized as a neutral site and not a home like year's past, so if we aren't top 50 it's a Q2 and if we are outside of the top 100 it's a Q3.
 
Not sure if this has anything to do with it, but a game in ROC or BUF would be categorized as a neutral site and not a home like year's past, so if we aren't top 50 it's a Q2 and if we are outside of the top 100 it's a Q3.
Might have a little effect at the margin, but I doubt this had much of an influence, at least in the past. I suspect Bona has just been seen as too much risk, too little gain. Keep in mind, Bona couldn't get "power" teams at neutral sites, either. This year there is Virginia Tech and (supposedly) UCONN. Maybe that's a sign that someone will be willing to come into Buffalo or Rochester in the near future.

I'm not holding my breath, but it wouldn't shock me.
 
Might have a little effect at the margin, but I doubt this had much of an influence, at least in the past. I suspect Bona has just been seen as too much risk, too little gain. Keep in mind, Bona couldn't get "power" teams at neutral sites, either. This year there is Virginia Tech and (supposedly) UCONN. Maybe that's a sign that someone will be willing to come into Buffalo or Rochester in the near future.

I'm not holding my breath, but it wouldn't shock me.
If we win, the schedule will continue to improve.

I'm not too worried if the schedule includes P5s or not as they aren't the only way to build a schedule. Give me 2018 UVM in ROC that won 28 games and finished top 50 over a road game at #60 Syracuse any day of the week.

Home and neutral games should be the goal. #50 is #50 even if it is UNCW,UVM,UB, etc. I know most agree with that here, but some of our fans are convinced that the committee only values names, which I do not think is the case.
 
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