Non-conference scheduling studs and duds: The Big 12
Since most of this coming season's non-conference schedules have finally been released, it's a good time to assess whose slates are the most daunting and who didn't challenge themselves enough. Yahoo Sports will go league-by-league the next two weeks. Up next: The Big 12.
Toughest non-league schedule: Kansas
The past two seasons, Kansas has played the most difficult non-league schedule in the nation according to RPI and computer rankings. This year's slate may not rise to quite that level, but it is still plenty formidable enough to test the Jayhawks.
The marquee games on the schedule are a Champion's Classic matchup with Big Ten contender Michigan State and a Jan. 30 showdown with potential preseason No. 1 Kentucky. The Jayhawks will also visit San Diego State, face Oregon State on a neutral court and participate in the always tough Maui Invitational, which this season also includes Indiana, UCLA, Vanderbilt and UNLV. Heck, even some of Kansas' cupcake games — especially Harvard, UC Irvine and Montana — are against teams with NCAA tournament experience and aspirations.
Kansas is better prepared for such a schedule than in previous years because it boasts more experience this season. Three of the Jayhawks' top players are all upperclassmen — point guard Frank Mason, forward Perry Ellis and wing Wayne Selden.
Easiest non-league schedule: Texas Tech
In a release announcing Texas Tech's non-conference schedule, Tubby Smith insists his team "is going to be tested early on." If so, the Red Raiders will have a really hard time in Big 12 play because their November and December schedule is a breeze by comparison.
From Nov. 28 to Dec. 29, Texas Tech never leaves Lubbock, playing eight consecutive home games against the likes of Tennessee-Martin, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Sam Houston State. The Red Raiders will only see major-conference competition when they visit rebuilding Arkansas on Jan. 30 and when they participate in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament in November. They'll face Pac-12 contender Utah in the opening round and either Miami or Mississippi State the following day.
Season ticket holders would probably prefer to see a marquee opponent visit Lubbock next season, but the truth is this sort of schedule makes sense for the Red Raiders. Texas Tech went 3-15 in conference play last year, hasn't made the NCAA tournament since 2007 and is a member of one of the nation's strongest leagues. Building confidence with a soft early schedule isn't a bad idea considering the gauntlet that awaits in January and February.
Team that took a risk with its schedule: Texas
Texas has a top 10 schedule but not a top 25 roster. That's a potentially dangerous recipe for Shaka Smart as he enters his first season as coach of the Longhorns.
The biggest challenge for Texas is the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, where the Longhorns open with former conference rival Texas A&M and could play Gonzaga in the next round and Michigan, UConn or Syracuse on day three. Texas also hosts North Carolina, UConn and Vanderbilt, visits a Stanford team that won in Austin last season and faces Washington in China to open the season.
Will Texas be good enough to handle eight games against major-conference competition in addition to the Big 12 slate? The Longhorns have a chance despite the graduation of Jonathan Holmes and the early exit of Myles Turner from a team that reached the NCAA tournament last season but underachieved. A healthy Isaiah Turner will help, as will a handful of defensive-minded athletic wings capable of thriving in Smart's up-tempo system.
Three Big 12 non-conference games to watch:
1. Kentucky at Kansas, Jan 30: You can bet the Jayhawks will be highly motivated to win this one after the beating they took at the Champion's Classic a year ago. While most of Kentucky's stars are gone from the team that throttled Kansas 72-40, the Jayhawks return standouts Frank Mason, Wayne Selden and Perry Ellis and a handful of other rotation players.
2. Oklahoma vs. Villanova, Dec. 7: On an Oklahoma non-league schedule that also includes games against Wisconsin, Memphis, Creighton and LSU, this is the game that will be the most hotly anticipated. Both the Sooners and Wildcats could be top 10 teams by the time they meet in Honolulu to commemorate the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
3. Iowa State at Cincinnati, Dec. 22: In-state rivalry games against Iowa and Northern Iowa may be the two most meaningful matchups on the Cyclones' non-league schedule, but this game will be the best barometer for how good Iowa State can be. Defensive-oriented Cincinnati returns almost its entire roster from a team that reached the NCAA tournament round of 32 last March. A road win against the Bearcats would be a sign Iowa State is formidable enough that it won't need Hilton Magic to beat good teams.
Game that should have been scheduled but wasn't: Kansas-Wichita State
Some of Kansas' arguments for refusing to schedule emerging in-state power Wichita State are sound. The Jayhawks always have one of the nation's strongest non-conference slates every year and they have name-brand programs lining up for the chance to play a home-and-home. They don't need to bolster their schedule by playing the Shockers and risking a loss that would only further legitimize Gregg Marshall's program.
All that said, I wish Kansas would consider the benefits to playing Wichita State too. First and foremost, it would be a chance to even the score after the Shockers' humbling 78-65 victory in the second round of the NCAA tournament last March. Secondly, it's a game that would generate more regional and national interest than any other non-league game on the Jayhawks' schedule besides their matchup with Kentucky.
And lastly, I just don't buy the idea that a loss somehow damages Kansas' brand. Wichita State is a known commodity nationally after a Final Four appearance, an unbeaten regular season and a Sweet 16 run over the last three years. Falling against the Shockers is no more or less embarrassing than a loss to Michigan State, Iowa State or Oklahoma would be.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
