$20,000 Travel Cost… for ONE Game?!
The Scheduling Puzzle of the Western Hoops Conference
The Geography of the Problem
A Web of Conflicting Rules
Select a region on the map to see the specific travel and scheduling constraints.
More Than Just Travel
On top of the geographical puzzle, the conference had several "hard" rules that the schedule had to obey without exception.
Key Rivalries
Marquee matchups like "Coastal Waves vs. Valley Lions" had to be spaced fairly across the season, with one game before and one game after the winter break to maintain fan interest and competitive balance.
Academic Calendar
A strict blackout period was enforced during the winter break (Dec 20 – Jan 4). No games or team travel could be scheduled during this time to protect students' academic commitments.
Championship Host
The university designated as the championship host needed to have their arena free in the final week of the season for preparation, meaning they could not be scheduled to play a home game in the last round.
The Solution: From Chaos to Efficiency
SchedulOpt’s optimisation engine translated every constraint into a mathematical rule. It then explored thousands of possible season structures to find the single best schedule that satisfied every rule while ensuring fairness and efficiency. The change in travel strategy was the most dramatic improvement.
The Manual Approach: Inefficient & Costly
Manual attempts resulted in single, expensive flights and chaotic travel. Teams would fly to Hawaii for one game, return home, then fly back weeks later, burning the budget and exhausting players.
The Results: Every Rule Satisfied
The final, optimised schedule was not a compromise—it was a comprehensive solution that met every single one of the conference's complex requirements.
| Constraint | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Hawaii travel requires consolidation | Visiting teams played all 3 Hawaii schools in a single trip. |
| Hawaii schools limited to 2 mainland trips | 1 trip to Northern California, 1 trip to Southern California. |
| SoCal → NorCal: 2 trips only | Optimised as one 2-game trip and one single-game trip. |
| NorCal → SoCal: 3 trips only | Optimised as two 2-game trips and one single-game trip. |
| Recovery needed after Hawaii flights | Automatic 2-round rest applied to all returning teams. |
| Rivalries must be evenly spaced | Classic matchups distributed before and after the break. |
| No games during winter break | December 20 – January 4 completely blacked out. |
| Championship host must be free at end | Host team left unscheduled in final round for arena preparation. |
