Scheduling opponents from the major college conferences is nothing new for the Long Beach State men’s basketball team.
In college basketball, there are six conferences widely considered by experts to be significantly better than the rest: the Big East, Pac-12, SEC, Big 12, Big Ten and ACC. Schools in these conferences are regularly on TV, and most are expected to at the very least make the NCAA Tournament.
LBSU doesn’t play in one of the “Power Conferences;” instead, the school faces what is considered to bw the weaker competition of the Big West Conference. That hasn’t stopped 49ers head coach Dan Monson from scheduling the toughest opponents possible.
Last year, the 49ers played three Pac-12 teams, one Big-12 team, one Big-10 team, one ACC team and one SEC team.
Teams like LBSU schedule tough out-of-conference opponents because of the relatively weak conference they play in. The stronger a team’s schedule is, the better their Rating Percentage Index will be at the end of the season.
All of this is done with one goal in mind: the NCAA Tournament. If a team fails to win its respective conference tournament, which would give them an automatic bid in the tournament, then its RPI will be used to determine whether they get a ticket to the Big Dance.
This year, the 49ers have again set themselves up to have a strong RPI. They will play eight teams from power conferences in addition to BYU, an NCAA Tournament regular.
Four of the eight power conference opponents – Louisville, Texas, San Diego State and Syracuse – are ranked in the AP preseason top-25 poll. Four other opponents – UCLA, Kansas State, BYU and Stephen F. Austin – also received votes.
What makes things more difficult for the 49ers is that they will play the majority of these teams either on the road or on a neutral site, with the one exception being Kansas State at home for the fourth game of the season.
LBSU doesn’t appear concerned with what looks like a daunting, out-of-conference schedule. Senior forward David Samuels said that the team just has to continue to work hard in practice.
Monson echoed Samuels’ message, saying it’s too early to look ahead.
“We try to get better every day,” Monson said. “Those games will help us do that. We’re not worried about anybody but us right now.”
Senior point guard Mike Caffey said they should be fine as long as the team follows the game plan the coaches have installed for each opponent.
“We just try to reach the goals that we need to reach to win the game,” Caffey said.
Freshman point guard Justin Bibbins will be experiencing the grind of a college season for the first time this season, and he said one of the most important things when approaching a tough season is focusing on the details.
“We just have to practice what we do,” Bibbins said. “Get the chemistry right because when we go out there it’s just us out there. We just have to be more of a family and worry about us and play our game.”
Senior guard Tyler Lamb doesn’t see the schedule as something to fear or be nervous about. He said that the team and coach Monson approach the schedule as a great opportunity to win big games.
“That’s the type of attitude you have to have,” Lamb said. “Just because they have big names on their jersey doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a great opportunity to win big games before heading into conference, and ultimately winning big games against the type of teams we’ll see in March Madness. That’s what I love about this program.”