Best/worst of the 2006-07 schedules
Editor's note: ESPN.com is taking this week to look at scheduling decisions and their impact on the 2006-07 season.
As the schedules finally trickle in from some of the last teams to finish up, it's time to digest them and offer up a bit of analysis.
You can argue that some schools are rebuilding, must play home games, want no part of going to certain locales, etc. That's fine and good -- all of that is taken into consideration. Still, we must look at the schedules and offer up what appears to be the best, the softest and the other options some schools chose for this season.
Here you go. Let the opinions rage:
Arizona coach Lute Olson and South Carolina coach Dave Odom. Both coaches chose to head on the road to open up opponents' new arenas. Arizona, a potential Final Four team, is playing at Virginia on Nov. 12 in the season opener for both teams, while South Carolina is opening the Galen Center at USC on Nov. 16. The Gamecocks will play South Carolina State at home and at UC Irvine before that game, but they're still walking into a sold-out atmosphere in early November -- something a lot of coaches won't ever do.
First-team gutsy scheduler
Charlotte's Bobby Lutz. Lutz is never afraid to go anywhere and it shows. This season, the 49ers are going to Syracuse (one-way without a return), Indiana (a continuing series) and Mississippi State (a return), hosting Hofstra (a tough out from the CAA), and playing in the Rainbow Classic (more on that later).
Not afraid of a mid-major road swing
Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser. The Demon Deacons are rebuilding with a youthful team devoid of leadership. That didn't stop Prosser, though, from playing at Air Force (even if it's not actually on the Falcons' Colorado Springs campus) and at Bucknell (his son is an assistant coach there).
Possible hidden gem of a schedule
Auburn. The Tigers, likely picked for the bottom three spots in the SEC, have a nonconference schedule that, if played well, could put them as a team of intrigue later in the season. Auburn plays Oklahoma State and then Wisconsin or Missouri State in South Padre Island (Texas), hosts top-10 teams Pitt and Texas A&M, has nine other home games they should win against low-majors, and one road trip to Southern Miss that is winnable.
This season's Duke-Texas hype game
Remember a year ago when Duke-Texas was billed as the game of the year -- and ended up a dud? Well, the headline game this year is on Nov. 25, when Kansas plays Florida at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
You can tell this is a football school
Alabama. The Tide doesn't mind leaving home in November and December. Alabama, a serious contender to win the SEC, plays in the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands against Toledo or Iowa and then possibly Villanova or Xavier, and also plays at Notre Dame and NC State. Playing only one marquee home game (against rebuilding Oklahoma) is rather pedestrian for a league title contender.
Potential bubble teams scheduling for the NCAA Tournament
UMass, Georgia and Florida State. The Minutemen play at Louisville, Kentucky and Pitt, host BC and Miami and have six other road or neutral-site games. Georgia is at Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Clemson and hosts Gonzaga (in Duluth, Ga.) and Wisconsin. Florida State is at Pitt, Wisconsin and Georgia State and hosts Florida.
Boston College and Tennessee. The Eagles play Michigan State at home (ACC-Big Ten Challenge) and go to Providence, UMass and Kansas. That's four possible NCAA teams (don't sleep on the Friars) and only one at home. The Vols are in the NIT Season Tip-Off and could face North Carolina, Gonzaga or Indiana in New York, while hosting Memphis, Texas, Western Kentucky and one game against Oklahoma State in Nashville, Tenn. The Vols also are playing at Louisiana-Lafayette.
Smart scheduling for a high-major Connecticut. The Huskies don't leave home in November and December (except for their league opener at West Virginia on Dec. 30), but have three big-time nonconference games in the midst of Big East play, when their lineup, dominated by freshmen and sophomores, will be much improved. The stops at LSU and Georgia Tech and a home game against Indiana will, by the end of the season, give UConn a high RPI.
Scheduling oddities
Here are some of the weirdest matchups/trips of the season:
• Kennesaw State hosts George Washington and Western Kentucky, giving an Atlantic Sun team two possible high-RPI home games.
• St. Francis (Pa.) hosts La Salle and St. Bonaventure, showing that the difference between the NEC and A-10 isn't that wide sometimes.
• UAB and Wyoming play a home-and-home series within five days, with UAB in Laramie on Nov. 18 before Wyoming plays in Birmingham on Nov. 22.
• New Hampshire doesn't play a single home game in December.
• Two MAAC teams are hosting Big East teams, with Georgetown going to Fairfield and St. John's heading to Niagara.
• Hampton hosts a Final Four team in George Mason.
• Savannah State, one of the worst programs in Division I, gets Southern Miss and UMass at home.
• Bucknell plays host to Northern Iowa on Dec. 2 and then plays George Mason in Washington on Dec. 3.
• Nicholls State plays at Mississippi State on Nov. 11, then has three straight games in a tournament in Seattle (against Washington, Northern Iowa and Pepperdine) from Nov. 12-14, and concludes the week at LSU on Nov. 17.
Two bids for the Patriot?
It's possible if Bucknell is good enough again and doesn't win the Patriot League tournament. Provided they play it well, the Bison have the schedule to be an at-large candidate. Highlights include playing Wake Forest and Northern Iowa at home, Saint Joseph's, Penn State, Xavier and Texas Tech on the road and George Mason in D.C.
It's not a misprint …
When you see this on the crawl, it's true: SMU and Rice both will play Paul Quinn College, an NAIA school in Dallas.
Air Force. The Falcons, who play Wake Forest on another court in Colorado Springs, get these mighty RPI teams in Clune Arena (they tried for better opponents; trust us, they tried): Texas-Pan America, Colorado College, Norfolk State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Radford, IPFW. Air Force will likely play Stanford in Palo Alto in the CBE (and possible get to Kansas City for Texas Tech, Duke and Marquette), as well as GW in the Cable Car Classic (and there is a road game at Northern Colorado thrown in there, too).
Mark Gottfried award for heeding the call for a tougher slate
Karl Hobbs of George Washington. Gottfried got blindsided a few years back (before his recent run of five straight NCAA appearances) when the Tide didn't reach the NCAA Tournament in large part due to its schedule. Hobbs' GW team made it last season but a weak slate put the Colonials in as a No. 8 seed despite going undefeated in the A-10. Well, GW isn't ducking anyone with this schedule, despite losing three key seniors. GW plays at Providence, USC in Anaheim, Air Force in Santa Clara, Calif., (and then possibly the hosts) and Virginia Tech in D.C., in addition to road trips to BU and Kennesaw State.
Home games that will legitimize the programs North Dakota State and South Dakota State. NDSU, which won at Wisconsin in a one-way guarantee game last season, hosts Kansas State. South Dakota State, while not as well-known, still got a Conference USA team in Central Florida to make the trip to Brookings, S.D. (on the back side of a trip to Colorado).
No love for the MAC
The MAC got a total of two big-time home games this season -- and neither is for one of its marquee teams. Michigan is at Miami (Ohio) and Pitt is at Buffalo. Akron and Toledo, the two favorites, couldn't land teams like these at home.
A sign the program has arrived
Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Panthers host Washington State and UAB in an exempted tournament while also playing a loaded road slate against Michigan, Wisconsin, Northern Iowa and Missouri State.
Oregon. The Ducks play at Rice and Georgetown and against Nebraska in Portland. The Hoyas are a lock for Big East contention, but the Ducks better hope Rice is a player in C-USA or this slate might not be enough to carry them to an at-large if they finish in, let's say, fourth or fifth in the Pac-10.
Undervalued tournament for competitiveness
Rainbow Classic. The matchups are: Wyoming vs. Nebraska; Hawaii vs. San Francisco, Charlotte vs. Houston; Valparaiso vs. Creighton. Creighton, Houston, Hawaii and Charlotte all are possible NCAA teams.
Most balanced -- or bizarre -- scheduling
Oregon State. The Beavers took some heat from their brethren in the league for playing at Tennessee Tech last season -- and getting drilled 90-62. Well, this season, Oregon State plays at Hawaii, Montana State and Northern Colorado, while also hosting LSU, Nevada, Western Oregon (??), Fresno State and Bethune-Cookman, for a wide range of teams and stops that has plenty of possibilities for bumps.
Greg Oden watch
As the top freshman recovers from wrist surgery, his potential high-profile debuts include at North Carolina on Nov. 29, against Cincinnati on Dec. 16 in Indianapolis, at home against Iowa State on Dec. 19 and at Florida on Dec. 23.
The Bob Huggins tour
He's back and coming to a court near you. Kansas State takes its act to Rutgers (Nov. 15), New Mexico (Nov. 21), Cal (Nov. 29), Colorado State (Dec. 2), North Dakota State (Dec. 9), Las Vegas (to play USC and then either New Mexico or Wichita State Dec. 22-23) and Xavier in Cincinnati (Jan. 3).
The Bob Knight watch
He needs 11 wins to pass Dean Smith for the all-time Division I wins mark. One prediction: New Year's Day against New Mexico. Why? Here's the schedule, you take a best guess: Sam Houston State, Gardner-Webb, Akron or Arkansas-Little Rock, North Dakota State, likely Marquette in Kansas City, Duke or Stanford (or possibly Air Force) also in Kansas City, at UTEP, at TCU, Stanford in San Jose, at Louisiana Tech, Centenary, Arkansas in Little Rock, Bucknell, UNLV and then New Mexico.
Might be more vegetarian than meat
Nevada's schedule looks good but the Wolf Pack need these teams to perform. Nevada heads to Oregon State, Santa Clara, Akron and Louisiana-Lafayette, is playing Cal in San Jose and Gonzaga in Seattle and is hosting UNLV, Saint Mary's and Pacific.
Got the games, just not at home
Wichita State. The Shockers went to the Sweet 16 and had their number dialed a few times, but only for road and neutral stops. The Shockers play at George Mason, LSU, Syracuse (in a one-way) and Wyoming on four straight Saturdays (with a UMKC home game wedged in there on a Wednesday), as well as playing at New Mexico and then possibly Kansas State or USC in Las Vegas. How much are the Shockers charging for the home schedule of Rockhurst, Chicago State, UMKC, Maryland-Eastern Shore and Kennesaw State?
Compare that to …
Creighton. The Bluejays, a WSU rival in the Missouri Valley, have a decent deal going with fellow Catholic schools, playing at Dayton and hosting Xavier. Creighton also plays host to George Mason, is in the Rainbow Classic, and goes to Nebraska and Fresno State.
Time to rein it in a bit
Michigan State and Temple. The Spartans, with a younger team than Tom Izzo has had in recent years, play two neutral-site games in New York (possible opponents are Texas, St. John's and Maryland), one true road game at Boston College (ACC-Big Ten Challenge) and one neutral court-but-not-neutral-fans game against BYU in Auburn Hills, Mich. The rest is all at home, with an unbeaten run through those likely.
Temple, which usually played a brutal schedule under John Chaney, isn't as crazed under Fran Dunphy. The Owls go to Kent State, Towson, Ball State, Villanova, Duke and host Cincinnati in Atlantic City, N.J. Other home games include Buffalo, Rutgers, Long Beach State, Western Michigan, Drexel and Lafayette. Temple also plays Dunphy's old Penn squad at the Palestra in January.
Home cookin'
Duke and Syracuse. Why? Because they can do what they want when they want. Syracuse has a game against Oklahoma State in the Garden and quality home games against UTEP, Penn, Wichita State, Baylor and Hofstra.
Duke gets two games in K.C., probably against either Stanford or Air Force and then likely either Marquette or Texas Tech. The rest of it is at home against Indiana, Georgetown, George Mason, Temple and versus Gonzaga in the Blue Devils' home away from home, Madison Square Garden.
Like the Oscars … the 10 best schedules are …
• LSU (highlights): Wichita State, Connecticut, Texas A&M, against Texas in Houston, at Tulane, at Oregon State, at Washington
• Kentucky: Maui Invitational (DePaul to start, possibly UCLA second, could get Georgia Tech, Oklahoma, Purdue or Memphis), at North Carolina, at Louisville, Indiana, UMass and Houston
• North Carolina: Preseason NIT Tip-Off in New York (possibly Gonzaga, Tennessee or Indiana), Ohio State, Kentucky, at Saint Louis, at Arizona
• Arizona: at Virginia, Illinois in Phoenix, Louisville in New York, at San Diego State, North Carolina, New Mexico State, UNLV, Houston and Memphis
• Texas: CVC in New York, with possible games against St. John's, Maryland and Michigan State (two of the three), Gonzaga in Phoenix, LSU in Houston, Arkansas, at Tennessee, at Villanova
• Memphis: Maui Invitational (opening with Oklahoma), at Tennessee, Ole Miss, at Arizona, Cincinnati, at Gonzaga
• Gonzaga: Rice in NIT Season Tip-Off and then likely in New York against possibly UNC, Tennessee and Indiana (two of the three), Texas in Phoenix, at Washington State, Washington, Georgia in Duluth, Ga., Duke in New York, Nevada in Seattle, at Virginia, at Stanford, Memphis.
• Wisconsin: Missouri State in South Padre Island (Texas), possibly Oklahoma State there as well, Florida State, at Marquette, Pitt, Pacific, at Georgia
• Pitt: UMass, Florida State, at Auburn, at Buffalo (road game at a MAC school is rare), at Wisconsin, Oklahoma State in Oklahoma City, Washington.
• Indiana: Notre Dame or Butler in NIT Season Tip-Off (before heading to New York for possibly Gonzaga, UNC or Tennessee), at Duke, Charlotte, at Kentucky, Southern Illinois, at UConn.
Andy Katz is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
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