We have discussed the soft schedule of Texas State this season. They are 9-1, but Sagarin ranks their schedule at #345, which definitely qualifies as a cupcake schedule. However, I do not necessarily fault Coach Danny Kaspar for setting things up that way.
First off, it is unlikely that TSU would be in the running for an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament in any case, so scheduling the Gonzagas of the world would only serve to bring his team into conference play bloodied and possibly discouraged. So, the second possible motive to do it would be to toughen up his team in preparation for conference play. (If your non-conference opponents are tougher, they make conference look easy.) And, if you are competitive against a tough schedule, that is one thing; but if you are just getting your kids beat down night after night in games where they have no realistic chance, that does not accomplish much (unless you need the money).
It is nice to win. It feels good. It helps morale. And, with a weaker schedule you have the opportunity to get your offense and defense clicking, plus getting depth built up by getting the bench into the game more often. There are lots of things to be accomplished by a weaker schedule, just as long as you make sure your team realizes that fact and does not get an inflated view of how good they are.
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