Maryland?s full non-conference men?s basketball schedule is out. Here is a visual representation of that schedule, in the form of a soft roll of tissue paper:
Assuming Maryland beats Richmond and then plays Kansas State in the Barclays Classic in November, the Terrapins will play 13 out-of-league games. Thanks to old friend Dave Tucker, who calculated that the average Ken Pomeroy ranking of those opponents last season was 157th in the country. Their combined record? 224-223:
Nov. 11: American University
Nov. 15: at Georgetown
Nov. 17: St. Mary?s College of Maryland
Nov. 20: Towson
Nov. 22: Stony Brook
Nov. 25: Richmond (Barclays Classic)
Nov. 26: Kansas State (or maybe Boston College) (Barclays Classic)
Nov. 29: Pittsburgh
Dec. 3: Oklahoma State
Dec. 7: Howard
Dec. 10: Saint Peter?s
Dec. 12: Jacksonville State
Dec. 20: vs. Charlotte (at Royal Farms Arena)
Maryland is playing a very easy non-conference slate. The Terps are not challenging themselves, not really even a little bit.
There?s exactly one power conference NCAA Tournament team here, and that team, Pitt, figures to be worse without Jamie Dixon than it was with him. (I don?t mean to knock No. 13 seed Stony Brook, which got the America East auto-bid last season.)
Oklahoma State was pretty good when Maryland set this series up a few years ago, but the Cowboys are bad now. They went 12-20 last season, and it?s tough to envision them being good in 2016-17. That?s not some blockbuster.
Unless Georgetown, Pitt or Oklahoma State gets a lot better in the first month of next season, Maryland will go into Big Ten play with a total of zero quality wins. That?s a tough reality for a team that will need to prove itself. It won?t help their RPI.
On another hand, Maryland will probably start the season 12-1 or 13-0. For a team with a bunch of new rotation pieces and at least four new starters, there?s real value in that. Maryland won?t be tested and won?t make any real noise, but it also likely won?t lose. Playing it safe doesn?t mean playing it dumb, in other words.
It's also worth nothing that Maryland isn't the only Big Ten school playing a nothing schedule. (Seriously, take a look at Northwestern's non-conference games and try not to shoot your milk out your nose laughing. You can't.) Going soft at the beginning of the year is not a distinctly Maryland thing, nor is it obviously a sign of weakness.
Assuming Maryland beats Richmond and then plays Kansas State in the Barclays Classic in November, the Terrapins will play 13 out-of-league games. Thanks to old friend Dave Tucker, who calculated that the average Ken Pomeroy ranking of those opponents last season was 157th in the country. Their combined record? 224-223:
Nov. 11: American University
Nov. 15: at Georgetown
Nov. 17: St. Mary?s College of Maryland
Nov. 20: Towson
Nov. 22: Stony Brook
Nov. 25: Richmond (Barclays Classic)
Nov. 26: Kansas State (or maybe Boston College) (Barclays Classic)
Nov. 29: Pittsburgh
Dec. 3: Oklahoma State
Dec. 7: Howard
Dec. 10: Saint Peter?s
Dec. 12: Jacksonville State
Dec. 20: vs. Charlotte (at Royal Farms Arena)
Maryland is playing a very easy non-conference slate. The Terps are not challenging themselves, not really even a little bit.
There?s exactly one power conference NCAA Tournament team here, and that team, Pitt, figures to be worse without Jamie Dixon than it was with him. (I don?t mean to knock No. 13 seed Stony Brook, which got the America East auto-bid last season.)
Oklahoma State was pretty good when Maryland set this series up a few years ago, but the Cowboys are bad now. They went 12-20 last season, and it?s tough to envision them being good in 2016-17. That?s not some blockbuster.
Unless Georgetown, Pitt or Oklahoma State gets a lot better in the first month of next season, Maryland will go into Big Ten play with a total of zero quality wins. That?s a tough reality for a team that will need to prove itself. It won?t help their RPI.
On another hand, Maryland will probably start the season 12-1 or 13-0. For a team with a bunch of new rotation pieces and at least four new starters, there?s real value in that. Maryland won?t be tested and won?t make any real noise, but it also likely won?t lose. Playing it safe doesn?t mean playing it dumb, in other words.
It's also worth nothing that Maryland isn't the only Big Ten school playing a nothing schedule. (Seriously, take a look at Northwestern's non-conference games and try not to shoot your milk out your nose laughing. You can't.) Going soft at the beginning of the year is not a distinctly Maryland thing, nor is it obviously a sign of weakness.
