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I don't doubt that on any given day it might happen and the Dickey Nutt years were not that long ago so I know how quickly things can change. That is why I prefaced it with as long as Brady is at ASU. He is a no nonsense guy that can recruit and demands discipline on the defensive end. He's really built on what he inherited and those resources are the difference right now. THe next two years are going to be very good. I doubt we can pay him after that though.

The point about the other teams that UCA has scheduled is valid. If you can play those while trying to build a program from the bottom up, then you can play ASU. For the time being, UCA isn't competing with ASU, OSU, Oklahoma, Missouri St. for recruits. UCA might beat UALR for a recruit because UCA offers a more traditional college atmosphere and Shields has connections but he's not a final 4 claiber guy.

Just remember all of this when Brady leaves and we don't want to play you guys!

BTW, you don't need to thank me for comments and UCA doesn't need to thank ASU for offering to play. Offering to play is simply the right thing to do and I hope it continues.

I wonder if our team was 0-10 would anyone still come to the Farris Center to watch ASU/UALR? Our program needs games like this. We need to boost attendance and games like this will put the spotlight on our program on that given night.

Extremely disappointed. Bring on Ecclessia and Central Methodist!!!

Hey, it ain't nothing for Central Methodist to up and whip a man's ass. They are no joke. [/RandChappell]

I know. We have nothing to gain by these games. Low attendance and no interest what soever from fans.

I can understand the points from both sides but I think we as UCA fans need to step back and realize what we're saying.

We have been begging for ASU to play us in all sports forever. We finally get them to play us in baseball a couple of year's ago and then the series ends because UCA won a couple of games. That being said, ASU knew their baseball team wasn't that great at the time and still offered to play.

I think instead of being hypacritical about this whole inter-state play we should take any offer from ASU, UAPB or UofA that we can get. We may get our tits ripped for the 1st couple of years but who's to say that doesn't make us better. UAPB went 0-11 to start the season this past year, how did they finish?? If I remember correctly they made the NCAA tourny.

Didn't I read somewhere that we were playing 4 or 5 of BIG name schools this upcoming season. The program was going to be making like 300k in games? What's the difference in playing them and having to travel compared to playing ASU and driving 3 hours to Jonesboro?

All I'm saying is that beggers can't be choosers and if an opportunity presents itself to where we can play another D1 school in the state, we need to jump on it.

Quick question to ponder:

If the UofA came and asked for us to play them in basketball, would you all have the same opinion on the situation?

Why hasn't anyone asked Corliss for an explanation that we all could read and put to rest the suppositions?

1. Maybe there is more to this than just being unwilling to play them....if it means losng a real money game, we may have few choices. Don't know.

2. What's the difference? What would we make off of a game in J-Boro?

I'm going to say that this has to do with money for the time being. I think that coach realizes he needs to get some money into this program so that certain things can happen. Once he gets some money into the program from playing money games, I hope that he will be open to playing ASU.

If playing ASU opens the door a crack to possibly playing them in football and showing the state that interstate games do work for all fans...I'm all for not even making it a money game and just playing.

We need to be leaders in trying to make interstate play for work. I mean how much would it cost school to drive 3 hours?? I think it would be a lot cheaper than going to Stillwater or some other place.

I believe you mean intrastate: boundaries within the state of Arkansas.

I can't imagine it's about money. Guarantee games in basketball don't pay all that much compared to football (that's why UAPB has to play ALL guarantee games to make money). Let's say you get $50K for a guarantee game. If you play a home and home with a team from in state, you get no revenue for one year and all the revenue from a home game the other year. I am guessing you would draw an additional 3000 fans minimum for that game. Charge $12 a ticket and you have $36K. Assuming those people spend money on concessions, apparel, etc. you could get another $15K or so. There's also the economic impact of people coming in from Jonesboro and LR and buying gas and maybe dining in town. You only have the expenses of travelling three hours one year instead of to another state for two years (you wouldn't even have to make it an overnight trip for the team if you wanted to save $).

You might stand to lose a little money, but it's not so lucrative that money should be the issue.

It might very well be that coming from Arkansas Baptist as his only college experience that Corliss is simply acustomed to thinking he has to pinch pennies so money might be a big factor in his mind.

To hell with that, I'm not for anybody ripping my titty. That sounds really painful.

On to the subject at hand, yes we should play them. We may have had a scheduling conflict. UCA needs its money games and tune up games just like everyone else, but they should definitely add ASU next season if they can work something out. A game like this would help bring in more fans and possibly create new ones, which if you've been to the FC we could definitely use about 3000-4000 more to fill that place up.

Here's why waiting doesn't make sense.

Before the tail end of Nutt error, ASU was consistently in the top third of the nation in attendance. The first 18 years the Convo was open, we never averaged less than 4,200 a game in a season and averaged over 5,000 for 15 of those years and over 6,000 for 7 of those. 22 crowds of over 8,000 since the building opened in the 1987-88 season but none of those since February of 1999.

Remember though that the seasons I mention, ASU made ONE NCAA appearance, shared TWO conference titles, and made THREE NIT appearances.

With some degree of success, ASU probably moves into a situation where playing home/home with Southland teams isn't likely.

If Brady starts to really win and the fans return and bring a friend, ASU is financially and from an RPI perspective in the alley where they are buying home games from the bottom third leagues, playing the middle third home and home and playing 2 for 1 against the top leagues or playing in exempt tournaments that include some neutral site games.

Today, Arkansas State is willing to play home/home because we want affordable games that create interest at home and will travel to UCA because it gives us a chance to have two games to reach out to our own fan base in the local area.

If games had started now and proven to be compelling to fans, it would have been difficult to stop such a series because media, fan, and political pressure. If it hasn't started pressure to start is nothing compared to pressure to continue.

Okay, so fine, whatever ... ASU is a basketball giant. We get it, we surrender, go on about your greatness.

Texas Tech played at Stephen F. Austin.
Oklahoma State played at Tulsa.
Georgia Tech played at Chattanooga.
Wake Forest played at UNC Wilmington.
Miami played at Stetson.

If I cared enough to keep looking, I'd find plenty more instances.

I don't see any reason to think that ASU, a middle of the pack Sun Belt team, is too bigtime to do home & homes with schools from other low-profile conferences.

But I'm not an ASU fan, either, so it's not to be expected.