Arizona basketball's non conference schedule is complete 👀

[WiscoAZfan19]

Also, aren't most teams scheduled years in advance? Thus predicting "strong" teams might be hard.  From my opinion, Sean likes to schedule teams with different philosophies/schemes to try and help us.

[Bkatt]

I would rather schedule Grand Canyon over Northern Arizona.

[Liquidated]

I'll post the exact same numbers that I put up in a previous thread:

Our Non-Con Strength of Schedule under Miller:
2018-19: 25
2017-18: 32
2016-17: 26
2015-16: 44
2014-15: 7
2013-14: 5
2012-13: 11
2011-12: 49
2010-11: 24
2009-10: 60 (not scheduled by Miller's staff)

Similar to the "transfer bashing", fans generally get emotional when the schedule is released...yet there's no mention of the weak OOC opponents when Selection Sunday rolls around.

The staff continues to schedule better than most Power-5 programs & I'll trust that some of the mid-majors will overachieve.

Where are these numbers from?

Please post Kansas, Michigan State, Kentucky and Duke's numbers too...

Thats the issue - Blue Blood...we should be top 20 every year and top 10 most years. We used to be. It is possible. 

I find it really hard to believe that our schedule is the 25th most difficult - seems more like the 100th. 

[KansasCityCats]

http://playersprogramu.com/arizona-wildcats-basketball/do-you-agree-that-phelps-should-be-fired/msg18996/#msg18996

That conversation was posted in February 2019, so the numbers dropped us last season to 41 (as our opponents fell apart during the Spring semester).  Not sure which site I used...but probably the first one on Google: https://www.teamrankings.com/ncaa-basketball/ranking/non-conference-sos-by-other?date=2019-04-09

Dook is always high...but let's reiterate that they (not ESPN) haven't scheduled a true road game since 2011.  Their tournaments and neutral site TV matchups are an excuse to keep away from opposing fans.  They're scared.

[eggdog]

Always excited for any chance to beat Illinois after what they did to us in 2005 - I don't care how good they are I want to beat them badly. And I was surprised to see Justin Simon stayed in the draft so we won't be seeing him when we face St. Johns.

[Jav]

I would rather schedule Grand Canyon over Northern Arizona.

I'd rather not play a for profit religious school.

[PBCatfan]

I'll post the exact same numbers that I put up in a previous thread:

Our Non-Con Strength of Schedule under Miller:
2018-19: 25
2017-18: 32
2016-17: 26
2015-16: 44
2014-15: 7
2013-14: 5
2012-13: 11
2011-12: 49
2010-11: 24
2009-10: 60 (not scheduled by Miller's staff)

Similar to the "transfer bashing", fans generally get emotional when the schedule is released...yet there's no mention of the weak OOC opponents when Selection Sunday rolls around.

The staff continues to schedule better than most Power-5 programs & I'll trust that some of the mid-majors will overachieve.

I think you are missing the point. We have no marquee matchups except the Zags. The last few years have been getting worse in that regard. Zona has kept itself in the 25-40 range by scheduling a bunch of decent but no bad teams.

Those games DO NOT prepare us for March in any way, regardless of the fact that they don't hurt our SOS either. It's playing it safe.

I am not bashing Miller either, so drop the sensitive cry baby act. I was just pointing out that our schedule is soft, as usual. I would rather go 9-4 playing against a bunch of top 25 teams than go 13-0 playing against the little sisters of the poor.

[MDcAtZ]

I'll post the exact same numbers that I put up in a previous thread:

Our Non-Con Strength of Schedule under Miller:
2018-19: 25
2017-18: 32
2016-17: 26
2015-16: 44
2014-15: 7
2013-14: 5
2012-13: 11
2011-12: 49
2010-11: 24
2009-10: 60 (not scheduled by Miller's staff)

Similar to the "transfer bashing", fans generally get emotional when the schedule is released...yet there's no mention of the weak OOC opponents when Selection Sunday rolls around.

The staff continues to schedule better than most Power-5 programs & I'll trust that some of the mid-majors will overachieve.

I think you are missing the point. We have no marquee matchups except the Zags. The last few years have been getting worse in that regard. Zona has kept itself in the 25-40 range by scheduling a bunch of decent but no bad teams.

Those games DO NOT prepare us for March in any way, regardless of the fact that they don't hurt our SOS either. It's playing it safe.

I am not bashing Miller either, so drop the sensitive cry baby act. I was just pointing out that our schedule is soft, as usual. I would rather go 9-4 playing against a bunch of top 25 teams than go 13-0 playing against the little sisters of the poor.

Gonzaga is going to be a top-10 opponent. Baylor will be a top-20 opponent. Illinois just appeared at 21 in Andy Katz's ranking. That could be three ranked opponents. New Mexico State isn't going to be a pushover.

For comparison, The only ranked opponents Duke played in its non-con was Kentucky, Gonzaga, and Auburn.... and two of those were tournament games that Duke didn't schedule on its own. I don't think any team schedules more than a few games against top-25 opponents.

[KansasCityCats]

How does a Top 25-40 schedule not prepare you for the tournament?

Teams in the top 68 make the field. Math seems to add up. 

[ChrisZona]

Gonzaga is going to be a top-10 opponent. Baylor will be a top-20 opponent. Illinois just appeared at 21 in Andy Katz's ranking. That could be three ranked opponents. New Mexico State isn't going to be a pushover.

For comparison, The only ranked opponents Duke played in its non-con was Kentucky, Gonzaga, and Auburn.... and two of those were tournament games that Duke didn't schedule on its own. I don't think any team schedules more than a few games against top-25 opponents.

The thing is Duke and all your other top programs play in tough conferences so the non-conference is not as important to them as it would be for a program like Arizona who's stuck in the Pac 12. Just take a look at Gonzaga's schedule home games against Washington and A&M, at the road against a top 10 UNC team and at Creighton, neutral game against another top 10 team in Tennessee and a slot in the Maui tournament. That's the type of non-conference Arizona needs to schedule in my opinion especially with the state the conference has been in recently.

And it's not that our schedule is bad Gonzaga is a legit top 10-15 squad, Baylor and NMSU are tournament teams and Illinois should be improved but is playing one top 15 team all year really preparing us for a deep run in the tournament. If we had scheduled a legitimate non conference tournament I think I'd be fine with the schedule as it is but the field for the Wooden Legacy leaves a lot to be desired.