Originally published at: https://pistolsfiringblog.com/report-bedlam-basketball-game-on-track-to-be-played-in-oklahoma-city/
Bedlam basketball has been played just three times in OKC.
Not surprising.
I hate this.
Play it in Tulsa instead of OKC.
OU chose to leave the conference, it’s not Bedlam any longer. It’s just another nonconference game.
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For anyone surprised by this……then you don’t know how the machine works. I said it loooooong ago……Bedlam WILL continue to be played in everything except football.
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I understand why you’re right: money, TV….
But I still hate it.
How bout both
Yep. Totally nailed it.
Honest discussion here, not trying to ruffle any feathers. Why do you hate it?
TV, money, proximity, recruiting, great atmosphere…why wouldnt you want that game!!!
The joy of winning Bedlam regardless of sport can never match the pain of losing Bedlam regardless of sport. That might be the simplest way I can put it. And I am probably on an island on that take. But I’ll stand 10 toes down on it.
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Winning Bedlam isn’t helping recruiting for OSU. It never has and never will.
I don’t agree with that. I think losing Bedlam is the expectation FROM A NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE. OU winning Bedlam doesn’t generally move the needle. OSU winning Bedlam……tends to. I’ll absolutely agree if someone says that there is zero national reaction to Bedlam in any sport besides football. But I’ll never understand the logic of saying “no. I don’t want to play my biggest rival, with the easiest travel, with the largest gate, that has the biggest TV draw”
I respect your response. I just disagree, which is completely fine.
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How can you say that?? I can guarantee you that Bedlam has an effect on the baseball recruiting world. To say it “isn’t helping” recruiting……is crazy. How much it helps? That’s a discussion to be had. But to say it doesn’t help at all is ludicrous. If winning Bedlam doesn’t help……then what game does help?
You’re right. It helps baseball. It helps basketball. It has never helped football. Which is the sport that matters most and pays the bills.
I don’t mind that it’s continuing in sports other than Football. Other sports have way more games, and OU being one makes more sense. In Football, the reality is we’ll only have one non-con P4 opponent on the schedule. I’d rather we get the variety we have on the schedule now, Arkansas, Oregon, Alabama, and Nebraska than it just be OU every year. Iowa and Iowa State’s non-cons are uniformly depressing, and I don’t want that for OSU.
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Which games do the most for recruiting? Playing in and winning conference championship games, national championship games…those type of games. That does the most good for recruiting.
Let me ask you this: How many times has OSU been the only thing standing in OU’s way of winning conference titles? Now, how many times has OU been the only thing standing in OSU’s way of winning conference titles? Taking away the only perceived roadblock on the schedule for OSU football gaurantees there are fewer excuses for the fanbase. Which I like.
If you end Bedlam in 1 sport, you should end it across the board. It’s disingenuous for either side to say “We only want to keep playing the sports where we own your a##.” Like wrestling. Because the SEC doesn’t do wrestling, OU should move their wrestling to a weaker conference where they can have more success. Or drop their program. 
That last sentence, ugh. Wrestling needs all of the programs it can get. OSU needs all of the strong competition it can get, so beyond OU needing to keep wrestling, they need to get better too.