Matthew Stevens(contact)
February 8, 2012 9:09:00 AM
STARKVILLE – No matter the result, Mississippi State University mens basketball coach Rick Stansbury will leave Humphrey Coliseum arm in arm with his wife, Meo.
As he walks out the front door, the arm and hand that isnt wrapped around his wife likely will have a scouting report or a video of the University of Georgia basketball program in it.
Less than 48 hours after No. 20 MSU (18-5, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) finishes its game against the University of Mississippi at 6 pm Thursday (ESPN2), it will have to prepare for another SEC home matchup.
Stansbury and other coaches in the league often have to handle quick turnarounds thanks in large part to the 15-year television contract package the SEC signed with ESPN in the summer of 2008. The deal, which is reportedly worth more than $2 billion, features sporting events, including football and mens and womens basketball. While the coaches enjoy the exposure the deal gives to their programs and the SEC, they say there are the inequities in the system that make their jobs more difficult.
I learned a long time ago not to worry about anything you cant control, Stansbury said. I just think it needs to be balanced for everybody. Theres some advantages and disadvantages, now. None of us like it. You ask me if I like it? No, its tough. As long as its balanced for everybody, you live with it.
The plan for the quick turnaround
MSU is 5-0 with all home games in the Saturday part of this schedule. The key to the programs success is preparation.
The assistant coach who is assigned to scout Georgia (the three assistant coaches divide the 11 opponents before the season starts) will be relied on to provide a report on individuals and to highlight trends the team will examine Friday afternoon.
MSU will walk through Georgias offensive sets and discuss what it will do to counter Georgias plans. The team wont do a lot of running, practice very long, or exert a lot of energy because they acknowledge Georgia will be the fresher team Saturday. The players arent likely to experience anything beyond some scouting reports and film work before they take the floor for the game.
Thats all you can do, Stansbury said. Physically you cant do anything. Mentally some of those adjustments you can make for that game, its a quick turnaround. It is a challenge, but it is part of the league, and some have to do it more than others. Thank goodness we are at home on Saturday verses being on the road Saturday.
With Dee Bost, Arnett Moultrie and Rodney Hood leading the league in minutes played per game, MSU coaches have stressed to the players it is critical for them to take care of their bodies so they have the energy to handle this final two-month stretch run.
I think thats why my body has been feeling tired, Hood said. Youve just got to be ready for it. Thats why you go hard in practice and get your rest at night. You cant be up all night, and Im just been listening to (the training staff) and trying to eat right and stuff like that.
Since the 2009-10 season, MSU and Florida are the only teams that have winning records with less time to prepare than their opponents. MSU is 7-1 record in that situation.
It is difficult, (but) its better when youre at home, Stansbury said. Its really difficult when you have a Thursday home and have to travel Saturday. That makes it really difficult. Thursday away, coming home Saturday is little easier. But, still, as a coach none of us likes that scenario. But its part of it and most of us in this league have to do it.
Since the creation of the TV deal, the other 10 programs in the
SEC are 13-17 when they have less rest time than their opponent.
After MSU completes this weekends turnaround, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, and Ole Miss will have to complete the task later this season.
The Kentucky inequality problem
The main point of contention from veteran coaches in the league, including Stansbury, Florida coach Billy Donovan, and Vanderbilt coach
Kenny Stallings is the number of times the University of Kentucky, has played the Thursday-Saturday turnarounds. Kentucky lost to Tennessee on a Saturday in the 2009-10 season.
If you want to get more teams in the NCAA tournament and you want to do more with your non-conference schedule, our league should not put teams at a disadvantage competitively, Donovan said. I dont think thats right to the players, to the teams that are playing. I think we all agree we need to play Thursday-Saturday-Tuesday. But if youre trying to get more teams into the NCAA tournament, dont put the teams inside your league into a competitive disadvantage.
Stansbury also has noticed No. 1 Kentucky has been a beneficiary of the scheduling system.
How many does Kentucky have? Zero. OK, Stansbury said. You all research where Kentucky is at. What they got? Who they got? When and where playing those types of games? You just need to make it balanced for everyone.
SEC officials contend they have tried balance the Thursday-Saturday games among the teams, even though Florida has had more Thursday-Saturday matchups (seven) followed by Ole Miss and MSU (six).
These parameters are in place to ensure the schedule is as equitable as possible and enables the SEC to fulfill its contractual obligations with television, said Craig Pinkerton, director of media relations, in a release.
However, of the 50 times the SEC has scheduled these games in the past three seasons, teams have had to tip off with less than 48 hours before the next game 42 times.
Stallings, whose team has played five Thursday-Saturday turnaround games and three with less than 48 hours to prepare for the back half, questioned Pinkertons position on the parameters.
To not have any and to be able to play four teams that have to do it to play you, thats not right, Stallings told The Tennessean before splitting games at Alabama and home against Mississippi State on Jan. 19-21.
Kentucky coach John Calipari fired back about his teams schedule, referencing his policy while he was leading the University of Memphis and he needed to play power conference schools before Christmas break not only to improve his programs Ratings Percentage Index, but also to get on national television.
The option is dont go on TV and play the date you want to play or play when they want, Calipari said. We sign a TV contract and we have to go with what they say. If they wanted us on every Thursday, then wed play on Thursday and I wouldnt say a thing. Everyone knows from my history, well play any team, any place, any time. Well play on I-95, shut it down. Well play on Bluegrass Parkway, shut it down.
While he praised the leagues scheduling committee, which is led by former MSU Director of Athletics Larry Templeton, Donovan also
spoke strongly about the inequity of the scheduling, lamenting the fact that Alabama coach Anthony Grant, a former assistant for Donovan at Florida, recently had to play a night game Thursday followed and a day game Saturday at Kentucky.
That should never happen, Donovan said. Theyve got to go to school Friday, then theyve got to leave Friday and play at noon. Pretty much eat, wake up, and play the game. Give them an opportunity and play the game at 6, 7, 8 oclock at night.
Donovan, who is in his 16th season in Gainesville, hopes a competitively balanced system is put into place when Texas AM University and the University of Missouri join the conference next season.
Its the same thing as Alabama football a year ago, Donovan said. Alabama wins the national championship in football and all of a sudden theyve got to play six straight games against teams that had basically two weeks off and were laying in the weeds and getting ready to prepare for them. I dont know if it was an oversight or not, but thats not going to happen anymore, so I think that theres probably some things that are going on inside of our league with this contract being somewhat new that I think our league will figure out as time goes on. Ive got confidence they will.