Money Conference Teams Need More Home Games

(St. Louis, MO) – Apparently playing one road, non-conference game is too many for Iowa and Iowa State. Apparently the ‘money conference’ teams can’t AFFORD to even play a neutral site game against an in-state opponent. Apparently playing Alabama State and UMKC is of more interest to Hawkeye and Cyclone fans than playing Drake or Northern Iowa.

Saturday will be the final time the Hy-Vee Big Four Classic will be played between the State of Iowa’s four Division 1 basketball programs. Why? Iowa and Iowa State can’t afford to miss one more home game.

Prior to Saturday’s contest the two ‘power five’ conference teams have played a COMBINED ONE NON-CONFERENCE ROAD GAME! They both played that always memorable rivalry game with Alabama State. Nothing gets basketball fans in the Hawkeye state fired up like when the Hornets come to town!

But a neutral site game with Drake and Northern Iowa? No one would be interested in that right? Why would Iowa’s college basketball fans want to see that when you could watch the Southern Jaguars?

Iowa State has played one road non-conference game. It was at Iowa. The Hawkeyes have played NO ROAD GAMES and two neutral site games prior to Saturday’s tilt with Northern Iowa. The Cyclones played three neutral site games.

Oh the big boys are willing to play UNI and Drake on their home courts, and if I was the athletic director at either Valley school, I would call their bluff. I would offer a two for one or three for one options. Let’s see if they could put their ‘big boy pants on’ and travel to Des Moines or Cedar Falls once every three or four years.

I wish this was an isolated case, but it’s not. Michigan has played NO ROAD GAMES. Ohio State has played two! Texas Tech and Kansas have played NO ROAD GAMES. I get the economics. Those teams want to cash in on big home crowds. Those teams don’t want to be upset by some smaller school, but what if you grew a spine and play a legitimate road game against an in-state school?

Here in Missouri, the Tigers should face Saint Louis University or Missouri State or Southeast Missouri or UMKC every year. They should play two of them at home and dare to go on the road once per season to Springfield, or Kansas City, or Cape Girardeau or St. Louis.

By-the-way, Missouri has played one true road game (they lost at Iowa State) and three neutral site contests. At least they left Columbia a time or two.

So Saturday is an end of an era in Iowa and the basketball fans are the losers. Northern Iowa typically finds a way to grab some challenging high major competitors to play and so will Drake. But why not continue this tradition for the good of the game and to promote your sport.

Hey ‘money conference’ teams remember why people love college basketball. Remember they love the potential upsets. They love storming the court. They love when David at least gets a chance to throw his rock at Goliath.

Do Good