UP Will Have Three Games on ESPN!

Well... two of them on ESPNU and one on ESPN2, but why quibble?

http://www.portlandpilots.com/sports/mbball/release.asp?release_id=4469

I'm pretty excited to have three games... definitely a pleasant surprise. Actually, it looks like there are going to be two WCC games on most Monday nights, which is very cool.

Too bad only one is at home (we want the country to see the sweet new floor and the new painted dome and all of that), but at least it's the GU game so it will be a packed house.

Gooooooo Pilots!

Nice! I always like to watch the WCC games out here in the midwwest. By the way, San Francisco has a game out here against Notre Dame this year. ND released their schedule today...the non-conference schedule is...umm....pathetic. They could be looking like Syracuse at the end of last year (i.e., 10-6 in conference with one win in the Big East tourney, but out of the dance because of the rediculousness of the non-conference schedule).

What are the odds that ND travels west for a return game at UP & USF next year?

I wish... that would be awesome and an obvious natural fit, but clearly if the combined weight of Beauchamp and Williams can't get it done, ND is just totally unwilling to hit the road.

But wouldn't it be awesome if they did?

Yes, ND is unwilling to hit the road. I was down at IU recently, and got a tour of their athletic facilities from one of the Asst. ADs (the tour was awesome by the way!). He was saying that they would love to start back up the series between ND and IU, but seemed to hint that the hold up was on the ND end. There was a story in the South Bend Tribune about the lax schedule yesterday:
http://southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070906/SPORTS13/709060418/0/SPORTS
Anyway, it is obvious that Brey and/or the Big East will not travel on the road more than they absolutely have to - and I really don't see them doing a west coast trip next year for return games...but who knows, maybe they'll get snubbed by the selection committee, and their scheduling practices will change.