Ok… I want to start this rant with my congratulations to the University of Puget Sound Loggers and the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans. They both got recent wins over Division I opponents (University of California – Riverside and Princeton respectively). It was the first victories for D3 schools over D1 teams in a year. And as a Division III program, it certainly looked impressive (especially on an ESPN crawl).

But… that’s it! They didn’t even count!

In the grand scheme that is everything Division III, a game against a Division I opponent means as much as a game against a high school squad. It’s the same as if you played the game in the pre-season. And it doesn’t matter if you play the game in the first week of the season, half-way through the season, or at the end of the season… the game doesn’t count.

Period!

Sure, you can have your record indicate the game (win or lose), but for everyone else… and those who matter in Division III… it’s just erased.

The game is a wasted date on a schedule. It doesn’t count towards your overall Division III record; it doesn’t count towards your regional record; and it won’t help you get into the NCAA Championship Tournament.

Teams that schedule Division I opponents have nothing to gain… and everything to lose.

If you win the game, sure people talk about it. But if you need a Pool B or C bid at the end of the season, that win won’t help you. There won’t be any comments of “well, we should include Carnegie-Mellon because they beat Princeton” on the Selection Committee’s conference call at the end of February. If the comment was there, someone is sure to add “yeah, but they lost to Bluffton University. You know… the team from Ohio.”

I have heard almost every argument to keep scheduling Division I opponents. It’s a great recruiting tool; it allows our players to have their parents attend a game; there is money in it for our program. None of these are a good reason to play the game.

How is it a great recruiting tool? I can’t imagine a recruit telling people he rather go to Catholic University than another school, because CUA losses every year to American. Is the recruiting tool that a coach can guarantee a player at least one game he is going to play in… because the game will be out of hand at some point, so everyone on the bench will play? Your recruiting tool should be the fact you schedule the toughest Division III schedule possible. And because of it, the program is looked at as a top D3 team and a perennial pick for the post-season.

How does the argument that parents attending a game work? I heard one program argue a few years back that when they traveled to New Jersey to play a D1 opponent, it was great for the parents of the players who might not get to a game normally. Again, I would like to point out I don’t know how a parent can say with a straight face they were glad to see their son play against a team they didn’t have a chance beating. How about telling the parents, instead of Princeton… we’ll make sure to schedule Ramapo College so that you can see us play some of the best basketball in the region… against one of the best teams in the region.

And money?! I understand most schools have trouble financing their programs… but the good teams are the ones scheduling these games and the good teams are certainly not the ones struggling financially. This isn’t the Coppin State University men’s program (Division I, by the way) that takes a yearly trip around the nation playing programs much better than them to get money to help pay the bills (though, they are known to pull a few upsets).

Coppin State isn’t getting into the NCAA Tournament unless they win their conference. So, losing those games really doesn’t hurt them.

Puget Sound, Carnegie Mellon, Catholic and many of the others have a very good chance of getting into the NCAA Tournament without winning their conferences. But, they are shooting themselves in the foot scheduling Division I games in season.

Instead of scheduling a Division I opponent… why not schedule another regional game against whoever they want. They could choose an easy team… or a tough team. Either of those will have some weight on the Selection Committee. The easy team – an extra regional win. The tough team, a win gets them more notice and a stronger schedule… and an extra regional win.

So, stop with the “we’re playing a Division I team tonight” or “wow, we beat a Division I team tonight.” Great! Good for you! It must have been cool to be at that game!

Now tell me… how exactly did it help your season or your post-season chances?