All College Basketball Coaches desire I pride myself on my tight schedule. kentucky Coach John Calipari Recently alluded to, he might just be crazy. for the challenging slate he put together for Wildcat. auburn coach Blues Pearl proposed in September No team has a tighter schedule than his Tigers in this year’s power structure. Of course, as always Tom Izzo in Michigan this week Said the same thing about his Spartan schedule.
But which program actually What’s the toughest schedule for 2022-23? Which coaches are doing more than lip service in the preseason to set expectations accordingly?
We ran the numbers and came to our own conclusions below. Not the toughest schedule by ranking them based on the intensity of either. No Sir and No Ma’am. These are the five schedules that, if you’ll allow me to edit a bit, jump off the page as the hardest and most interesting things to prepare for the season. Although the ranking is based solely on meeting schedules and is heavily weighted based on non-meeting schedules rather than meeting schedules, the big picture is generally taken into account so as not to exclude those of moderate rank.
I am the judge, jury and executioner in this exercise. Sit back and relax. If I were you, pick up a pen and paper.
Alright, let’s go.
Featured games
- Against No.1 GonzagaNovember 11, at the Armed Forces Classic
- vs. No. 2 Kentucky, Champions Classic on November 15
- vs No. 16 VillanovaNovember 18 at the Gavitt Tipoff Games
- Against No.20 AlabamaNovember 24, Phil Night Invitational
schedule idea: Generally speaking, coaches who try to brag about their demanding schedules are either trying to build up a fan base, set expectations, or both. But Tom Izzo, who appeared on the College Hoops Today podcast with Jon Rothstein this week, said he believes Michigan State has the toughest schedule in the country. probably right.spartans get northern arizona Opening Season Before Gonzaga, Kentucky, Villanova, Alabama Gauntlets Tear Notre Dame In a stretch of 5 games over 20 days. Brutal, brutal. This team will be put to the test soon. Izzo’s A-plus production offering fearless schedule goods. we love to see it
2. Alabama
Featured games
- vs. Phil Knight Invitational, Michigan, Nov. 24
- in number three houstonDecember 10
- versus. memphisDecember 13
- vs. No. 2 Gonzaga, Dec. 17
schedule idea: Nate Oats continues to be one of the most aggressive schedulers in the ongoing game.Second may be a bit generous as there are some softs thrown into the early slate, but I’ll admit Michigan State, Memphis and Gonzaga are on the schedule When It’s hard to pick too many nits for a road test against Houston on tap. These were all appointment viewings, and No. 20 Alabama went to great lengths to try to schedule up instead of down.
3. Gonzaga
Featured games
- v Michigan State University, Nov. 11, at the Armed Forces Classic
- number 12 texasNovember 16
- vs. No. 4 Kentucky, Nov. 20
- versus either Purdue Also west virginiaNovember 25, at the Phil Knight Invitational
- Against No.5 BaylorDecember 2 Sioux Falls, south dakota
- vs No. 20 Alabama, Dec. 17, Birmingham, Alabama
schedule idea: This is no surprise by Mark Few — he has a habit of scheduling tough non-meetings, as there are so few opportunities to improve his resume in WCC play — but what a no-no. It’s still fresh to see it on paper. Two Zags will play against each other this year. Kentucky is home, Baylor is neutral on his court, but Bama is semi-away, Texas is Austin and Michigan is his second game of the season. Have mercy on me.
4. Houston
Featured games
schedule idea: No. 3 Houston starts the schedule with four unranked teams. ken pom dot com‘s top 100, but coach Kelvin Sampson has confirmed in his schedule that his Cougars will be tested in action before league games. A road test against Oregon on November 20th and a road test for him on December 17th in Virginia, interspersed with games against St Mary’s and Alabama. This could be Sampson’s most talented team to date, so no holding back regarding an aggressive schedule? .
5. Kentucky
Notable non-conference games
- v Michigan State, Nov 15, Champions Classic
- November 20, No. 2 Gonzaga
- Against No.22 Michigan4 December, London Showcase
- Against No.8 UCLADecember 17 at the CBS Sports Classic
- Kansas on January 28 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge
schedule idea: I don’t think it’s the toughest schedule in college hoops this season, but you won’t get a lot of backlash from me if you insist on it.No. 4 To Kentucky To Gonzaga? It’s not like John Calipari (but it’s great). Combine that with the London game vs Michigan, the Champions Classic game vs Tom Izzo and Michigan State, the CBS Sports Classic game vs UCLA?Oh, and then he’s in Kansas at the Big 12/SEC Challenge in late January? Well, this is the College Hoop Top 5 schedule. Fourth-placed UK will have a very tough run to start the season.
Notable non-conference games
- number 25 texas techNovember 10
- Nov. 16, No. 3 Houston
- Nov 18 Auburn 15th
- at number five KansasNovember 28
schedule idea: Shout out to Johnny Jones and Texas Southern. He always finds a way to schedule big dogs, but this year he completely outdone himself. at Texas Tech University on November 10th. Arizona Three days later.Next week: His 3rd consecutive roadie in Houston and Auburn, followed by another Roadie November 28th in Kansas. His YOLO slate unreal. The Texas Southern could open the season 0-8 and, in fact, are likely to be underdogs in each of their first eight games. If it did, it would have been all worth it.
