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Last night I posted about the Hall of Fame Classic getting announced. Tonight we have a little more information on the non-conference schedule thanks to you intrepid readers finding some hidden gems in recent Gannet articles. Here is how the schedule stands right now:
November 13 vs. North Carolina A&T (Hall of Fame Tip Off) Mackey Arena
November 15 vs. Vermont (Hall of Fame Tip Off) Mackey Arena
November 21 vs. Old Dominion (Hall of Fame Tip Off) Uncasville, CT
November 22 vs. Florida or St. Joseph's (Hall of Fame Tip Off) Uncasville, CT
Early December: ACC/Big Ten Challenge (likely road game) - Since the conferences like to pair up similar opponents in terms of previous season's record and upcoming season's expectations we can expect to play someone like Miami, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, or maybe a return game at NC State.
December 19 vs. Butler (Crossroads Classic) Indianapolis, IN
TBD vs. Vanderbilt, Mackey Arena (return game from last year's in Nashville)
TBD vs. New Mexico, Mackey Arena (confirmed here)
TBD vs. Incarnate Word, Mackey Arena (confirmed in an article from December)
TBD vs. Lehigh, Mackey Arena (confirmed in the New Mexico link)
Also, we know the Big Ten opponents:
Home/Away: Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin
Home only: Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State
Away only: Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Rutgers
This leaves roughly three games left to schedule. New Mexico is a solid Mountain West program with three transfers becoming eligible. They have Sam Logwood, a teammate of Rapheal Davis at LaLumiere. Lehigh is a dangerous low major that upset Duke in round 1 of the 2012 NCAA Tournament. They are also getting Matt Holba, a solid Indiana kid from Class 3A State Champion Guerin Catholic. Incarnate Word is an up-and-coming newcomer to Division I that won at Nebraska last year and went 18-11 overall in only their second season at the D-I level.
By far the weakest opponent is North Carolina A&T. Even Vermont can be feisty and will have Ryan Cline's former teammate Zach McRoberts. The last three opponents likely won't be strong and I would bet at least one is an in-state team. Also, Linc Darner and Green Bay would not be a surprise.