The beauty of schedule release day is that even though it's June and we have no idea of who will be good or bad, we still try and predict records and tough and easy stretches of the schedule. I love the non-conference schedule-- it's not overwhelming but just about every team faced is a quality basketball program.
There are two "headliners" in the out of conference schedule. The second game of the year will be at Chapel Hill when the Colonials take on North Carolina. Much like last years early season matchup at Kentucky, this game could be a good measuring stick for a young squad. I don't think anyone will expect them to go into UNC and beat the Tar Heels but it would be nice to see the team play with some toughness.
The second game "headliner" is at Georgetown in the fourth game of the year. This is a game I think RMU could realistically win if they play well. Georgetown went 18-15 last year and lost in the second round of the NIT. They lost one of their best players in Markel Starks to graduation. While they did bring in a good recruiting class, I'll be interested to see if Robert Morris could possibly steal one on the road.
Everything else is about just as we expected. RMU will travel to Clemson December 30 before kicking off conference play at home against Mount St. Mary's in the NEC title game rematch January 3. The only game not previously announced that appeared on the schedule was the third game of the year at Bradley.
There will be more frequent visits to the Charles L. Sewall Center this year, which is nice. Last year RMU had only 12 total home games and only four of those were against non-NEC opponents. This year RMU will have 15 home games and six of these will be against non-NEC opponents (Lafayette, Youngstown State, Oakland, Buffalo, Duquesne, and Delaware).
Reminder: the NEC is going with an 18-game conference schedule, meaning every NEC team will play each other twice. This is smart and logical. Last year there was only a 16 game conference schedule, which was not smart or logical. Although it's tough to say who we expect to be contenders in the NEC, the January 22-24 Thursday-Saturday road trip to Mount St. Mary's and St. Francis (Brooklyn) will probably be the toughest weekend of the year. The colonials will end conference play with two home games against Wagner and St. Francis (PA). Both of these teams figure to be in contention for the NEC title.
Not much more to add here. It was a pleasant surprise to see the schedule released extra early this year. See ya November 14.
--Chris Cappella
--@C_Cappella
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