PonyFans.com

Sounds like they've probably already contacted every Dallas school but this would have been a nice home game for you guys. It would have been fun to see the Hopkins vs Dee Brown matchup.
Here's an excerpt from a scheduling article on www.sportsline.com:


Get this: Illinois is a possible preseason Top 10 team, and it can't find a road game in the Dallas area.

"We've looking for something of a homecoming for three of our guys (Deron Williams, Warren Carter and Jack Ingram) who are from down there," says Illinois spokesman Kent Brown. "It's like we've run into a stone wall. Normally, higher-level teams aren't looking to go on the road, but we're looking to go down there and we can't get a game."

I've been suggesting that SMU should try to schedule Illinois for a couple years now. i think some coaches, possibly Dement, resist giving local exposure to a program who looks to focus recruiting in their area. In this case it seems like there is just as much benefit or more to having a home game against a Top 10. They are gonna recruit here if they want to anyway.

The TCU women worked that route on their way to a NCAA tourney team. Tennessee was looking for a road game for their girls from Duncanville...and went and played the female Froggies. Pat Summitt made the obligatory nice remarks about their fans etc., and TCU got exposure.

It makes sense for SMU to do something with the men. While we're at it, why don't we bring Indiana down? I'm sure Bracey would like to play in his dad's old stomping grounds.

Illinois (or Indiana for that matter) would probably also want $50k for that Dallas trip. SMU should consider finding a sponsor and hosting a holiday tourney, inviting a couple of locals like UNT and UTA to round out the field. Not sure of the economics of tourneys, but UNT and UTA wouldn't have the travel expenses and would probably play for the exposure more than the money.

I talked to the basketball office and am advised that SMU has worked on a game with Illinois..... but can not find a date available to both teams.
Maybe later.