2016-17 Non-conference schedule

One more high profile game and sounds like it will be out soon.

So:
2 neutral vs SMU, Pitt, or Marquette
VTech
@UCLA
@Cinci

  • 1 more high profile game, probably at home

Thatā€™s six good games, two road, two neutral, two home. Pretty good balance and tough schedule. Maybe lacking marquis names, although we have UCLA and weā€™ll see what the other one is. I guess weā€™ll have to see how many total tomato cans fill the rest out, but so far so good.

Added a few reported guarantee games to the future schedules page: Eastern Michigan, IUPUI, Kennesaw State

Any guesses on the unknown big time game? I guess the Saturday dates are getting thinner. Any guess on the conference? Kind of hope the name is good but the team isnā€™t too loaded the way things are stacking up.

While itā€™s hard to predict exactly where teams will wind up next year, these seem to be the kind of decent games that fill out a smart nonconference schedule:

2016 Kenpom - Eastern (151), IUPUI (203), Kennesaw (249)
2016 RPI - Eastern (120), IUPUI (191), Kennesaw (259)

A top 150 team, a top 200 team, then one +200 teams that isnā€™t a total rpi killer.

I think itā€™s just a total crapshoot. The last 2 or 3 years during the beginning of the season we were bitching the kenpom 300+ teams pretty heavily as there were like 5 of them that were ranked there when we played them per season. Turns out over the last 3 seasons there were only 6 of them combined with only 4 additional 200-299 teams. Iā€™m of the opinion that the random bad teams is just luck based, because I think ten 200-351 teams over 3 years isnā€™t terrible. For comparison, Michigan State has played twelve 200-351 teams over the same period. ĀÆ_(惄)_/ĀÆ

The KenPom numbers for these donā€™t really matter as much as the RPI.

Yeah, Iā€™m too lazy to go through the RPI ratings of those teams from last years. I donā€™t think theyā€™ll be as bad as people think. I guess my point was that when using computer based ratings itā€™s not ridiculous for there to be six 300+ teams on a schedule at the start and when you play them but you at the end of the season there will be one or two. Same goes for the other way. Thereā€™s a lot less parity at that point in the rankings in my opinion.

Iā€™m not trying to be funny here, but some potentially bad news on the home and home with Cincinnati. I donā€™t know if you guys know of the forum ā€œBasketball Travelersā€, but itā€™s a site for coaches and administrators from colleges to post in search of games and compare availability. You need a .edu email address to sign up and even view the posts (I used my UNC one) and need to be verified as an employee of the university to actually post.

Anyways, Cincinnatiā€™s Director of Basketball Operations, Andrew Seidenberger, made this post on June 6th on there for 12/17/16, the date of the supposed Michigan/Cincy game:

Any chance thatā€™s why Michigan is scheduling this mystery game against a high major at home?

Interestingā€¦ Wonder if they moved the date or something else fell through.

Add Howard to the slate. A 2K Classic non-bracket game.

Yuck, 331 in RPI last year.

Howard definitely isnā€™t the school we needed to add. Why does this happen? And how?

Canā€™t be helped. We play in a tournament in NY where the final four will be Michigan, Pitt, SMU and Marquette. Those tournaments have pre-NY games on campus sites of those four against opponents selected by the tournament. Howard is ours.

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As @MHoops1 said, part of the 2K Classic so donā€™t really have much choice. Believe thereā€™s usually two of them.

I am surprised they didnā€™t pair Michigan with Eastern Michigan. Visitors are as follows EMU, Gardner Webb, IUPUI and Howard. Michigan definitely drew the short stick with that game.

I believe there are usually two games for each ā€œhostā€ team.

Donā€™t read too much in to last yearā€™s RPI. Thatā€™s not always a good indicator for lower conference schools. For example, Howard had one senior on its roster last season and he only played 11 games averaging 12mpg. This season they bring back their starting lineup plus added a JUCO transfer and a few freshmen LOI signees. In a conference like the MEAC that usually means a team is primed for a jump from 6-10 in conference to something closer to 10-6 in conference (and an RPI jump from 300+ to 220-250 range)

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Thatā€™s a great point.There is such parity at that level that a small improvement can skyrocket you up 100 spots.

Sounds like Michigan will open against Marquette in NYC

Marquette-Michigan, SMU-Pitt

From Andy Katz:

Some potential scheduling for early-season tournaments: Coaches have confirmed the Hall of Fame matchups Nov. 19-20 at the Mohegan Sun: Duke-Penn State, Cincinnati-URI; CBE Nov. 21-22 in Kansas City with Kansas-UAB, GW-Georgia; The Legends Classic isnā€™t official yet but at least one coach expects it to be Notre Dame-Colorado, Texas-Northwestern Nov. 21-22 in Brooklyn; The 2K Classic in NYC hasnā€™t been announced yet either but the matchups being discussed most were Marquette-Michigan, SMU-Pitt for the Nov. 17-18 games at MSG; The Men Who Speak Up Main Event in Las Vegas Nov. 21-23 has found its fourth team as Saint Louis coach Travis Ford confirmed the Billikens replaced Minnesota to join BYU, Alabama and Valparaiso. The matchups arenā€™t available yet. And Maui Invitational organizer Dave Odom said the Maui bracket will be announced on July 19.