Thursday, February 9, 2012

For Aggie basketball, a brutal road trip

College basketball road trips are always tough.

The Aggies face such challenges during conference schedule — whether it’s the San Jose State/Hawaii venture or the travel to Louisiana Tech.

And this weekend’s trip to Idaho and Utah State is brutal.

As in four hotels, in four nights, in three states, in two different time zones.

Last night the Aggies stayed in Moscow, Idaho, where they will tip off against the Vandals tonight at 8 p.m. pacific time — the women play before at 5:30.

After the game, NMSU buses back to Spokane, Wash., where they they will get some shut eye — perhaps a few hours. Figure NMSU’s game vs. Idaho ends between 10 and 10:30, then postgame activity and a two-hour bus ride back to Spokane.

An early-morning flight to Salt Lake City awaits — around 6:30 a.m. — and, upon arrival in Utah, the team will bus to Logan. They have practice scheduled for that evening.

And, while gameday is usually a time for them to sleep in, that won’t be the case here. NMSU has a 1 p.m. game Saturday against Utah State, one being televised on ESPN2.

In the past Idaho was travel partners with Boise State, which made such a venture easier. Now, it’s Idaho and Utah State, two schools not exactly located around the corner. Hopefully a charter flight was considered for this one — both Moscow and Logan have small airports nearby — and perhaps would have been the right move in this case.

When considering such travel factors, a split of this two game road trip will be considered a win.

Follow me on Twitter @TeddyFeinberg

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Being tired from travel? That's one factor

A team composed of athletes unskilled at their selected sport? That's another

Being led by a coach who couldn't orchestrate a four square game?
Well... now you're talking Aggie basketball on a road trip!

Hey Teddy, how are the PanAm tarps working out?