Long Beach State Athletics!: Re: MBB, a schedule that...

According to Blue Ribbon, UCLA is the preseason #8 team in the country. While we always have a puncher's chance, I think suggesting we have a realistic likelihood of winning is probably a stretch. Our core is really good, but against the kind of athletic bigs someone like UCLA usually has (I have not looked at their team this year). I hope you are right, but our frontcourt is low experience and while Traore was amazing against BW centers and I expect him to be even better, he usually struggled against mobile bigs.

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well, again, the non-conference home schedule is lacking, an entire month without a home game

no game vs. upper tier Mountain West or a WCC

aside from that, it's actually good for these reasons

no excuse that our MBB can't come out of pre-season with a GAUDY won-loss record, seriously, this team could be good and for once generate some buzz with WINS in Nov and Dec vs. 'learning experience' games

no cross-country payola trips back and forth, the one long trip is NEUTRAL games and have chance to get 1 or 2 decent wins on a neutral court. This schedule will not grind on the team, well-rested for a conference run and hopefully an undefeated showdown in Jan with UCSB, who may also be good

UCLA for once,...we have a shot at WINNING with this team

maybe even USC

a lot of games in Calif, so locals can go to Cal Baptist, UCLA, USC, or even Sacramento for teh NorCal's and have a decent Beach contingent, imagine if we get to December with a 7-0 or 6-1 record and go play USC at Galen, Beach fans will show up!

optimistic, with usual amount of 'OMG what is Monson doing' potential pessimism hovering, & hopefully coach Cav brought a new oversight to help us continue to play WELL-SPACED basketball even with Slator gone and stop crowding the ball with that old Monson routine....it's 2022!!

seriously, plausible get 10 wins in non-conference with this core, and the possiblity to play suffocating defense with the wingy DPOY candidates on this team - top 25 this year