College Hoops Craigslist?

Guarantee games are one of the lowlights of college basketball.

Essentially, what happens is teams from small conferences with miniscule athletic budgets travel around the country, getting paid by teams from bigger schools to take a beating in order to fund the school's athletic department. It isn't pretty.

North Florida traveled to Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Missouri, Indiana, Texas, Maryland, and Kansas before conference play started. Mississippi Valley State went to Georgia, Indiana, California, Utah, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Wisconsin. Arkansas-Pine Bluff may have had it the worst. They went to Colorado, Nebraska, Illinois, California, Hawaii, Missouri, Alabama, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado again, and Ohio. UAPB lost on all of those road trips, and only two of those games finished in single digits.

How do the high-major schools fill those games?

Easy. The Men's Basketball Schedule Board, or better known as Craigslist for Guarantee Games.

It is quite interesting to peruse the postings.

The Ohio State University (and you better believe the "The" was in the name) had this to say on Wednesday:

Ohio State is looking to pay a guarantee for:

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3rd
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14th
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22nd

Please contact me with any interest - DI only

Marquette is only looking for a single guarantee game:

Need one guarantee game. Monday, November 28, 2011. Large guarantee, other provisions negotiable. If interested, call or email Mike Broeker, Deputy AD.

If you are looking to get a game with Louisville, don't be a afraid to give David Padgett a call:

Looking for one guarantee game, great offer. Available dates are Dec. 6,7,8. Please call or email if interested.

Life for the mid-majors isn't easy:

George Mason is offering a competitive guarantee for home games. Prefer top 150 RPI opponent and could also be interested in 2 for 1 scenario. Dates are Nov. 11 and Dec. 23.

We [Old Dominion] are looking to begin 2 series on the road with BCS schools. Lots of dates available.

We are also looking for a guarantee game in Norfolk.

And it only took scrolling back through to April 7th to find a high-major team looking to go on the road. Kudos Clemson (and yes, that is the contact's name):

Clemson Unviersity is looking to start a H/H series on road with BCS opponent. Also looking to start H/H series at home, will entertain all options. Flexible but best dates available are Nov. 18, 21 and Dec. 10, 19. Contact Dick Bender.

Anyway, there is a lot of information in there, and I strongly encourage you to go read through it. Its as enlightening as it is depressing.

(h/t John Ezekowitz)