Non-conference scheduling studs and duds: The Big East
Since most of next 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. The Dagger will go league-by-league the next two weeks. Up next: The Big East.
Toughest non-league schedule: Georgetown
We don't know the entirety of Georgetown's non-league schedule just yet, but what has been confirmed already ensures it will rival Butler's as the Big East's toughest. The Hoyas will face at least two likely top 15 teams before Big East play begins and could face as many as four.
The toughest portion of Georgetown's schedule is the Battle 4 Atlantis, easily this season's most loaded holiday tournament. The Hoyas open with SEC heavyweight Florida, face Wisconsin or UAB on day two and either North Carolina, UCLA, Oklahoma or Butler on day three.
In addition to the Battle 4 Atlantis, Georgetown will host Big 12 power Kansas and face Indiana at Madison Square Garden. That's five marquee games for Hoyas team that went 18-15 last season but is optimistic it can bounce back strong thanks to Big East Player of the Year of the year candidate D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, center Joshua Smith and the arrival of a heralded five-player incoming class.
Easiest non-league schedule: Seton Hall
In a league in which all 10 members assembled respectable non-conference schedules, Seton Hall's is probably the weakest of the lot. Outside of a Dec. 9 game at potential preseason top 10 Wichita State, it's possible the Pirates may not face a single NCAA tournament team.
The second-toughest game on Seton Hall's non-conference schedule? Maybe a road game against a Georgia team that could challenge for an upper-division SEC finish. The Pirates also could see Clemson and perhaps LSU on the second and third days of the Paradise Jam, though the tournament as a whole is one of the weakest of next year's holiday events.
Rutgers and South Florida add some name recognition to the Seton Hall schedule, but neither will pack much clout. In short, it's a schedule that gives freshman-heavy Seton Hall a chance to build on an outstanding recruiting class and generate some momentum before Big East play begins.
Team that scheduled too hard: Butler
When Butler played in the Horizon League, it had to assemble powerful non-conference slates to make up for the strength of schedule drain of its league games. That is no longer as important now that the Bulldogs are members of the Big East, but you'd never know it from this year's slate.
It starts with the Battle 4 Atlantis, where Butler will open with North Carolina, meet UCLA or Oklahoma on day two and square off against Wisconsin, Florida, Georgetown or UAB on day three. The schedule also includes a road game at Tennessee, home games against Northwestern and Belmont and a neutral-court matchup with Indiana.
A vintage Butler team would certainly be up to the challenge against that kind of slate, but it remains to be seen if this season's Bulldogs will be. Butler went 14-17 overall and 4-14 in league play in its Big East debut last season, though Roosevelt Jones coming back from injury offers some reason for optimism, as does the return of sharpshooter Kellen Dunham and forward Andrew Chrabascz.
Team that scheduled too soft: Probably nobody but Xavier should be nervous
Give credit to the Big East coaches. None of them put together embarrassing non-league slates, and those whose are weakest have rosters that aren't ready for a November-December gauntlet.
Four of Seton Hall's top seven players could be freshmen, so the young but talented Pirates needed a schedule that gave them a chance to gain confidence and build on the enthusiasm generated by last year's recruiting success. And bottom-feeding DePaul's constant struggles in the Big East over the years make it easy to forgive the Blue Demons for a relatively soft slate aside from a visit from Stanford and participating in the Diamondhead Classic.
Of the rest of the league, the only team that could suffer from the weakness of its schedule is Xavier, especially since its exempt tournament, the Wooden Legacy, features nobody else of consequence besides maybe Washington or UTEP. If Cincinnati and Missouri regress or Auburn and Alabama aren't improved, the Musketeers' schedule could be light on clout despite plenty of name recognition.
Three Big East non-conference games to watch:
1. Syracuse at Villanova, Dec. 20: The two former Big East rivals will meet for the second time in two years at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Syracuse won the first game of the series 78-62 last season, but the Orange lost leading scorers C.J. Fair, Tyler Ennis and Jerami Grant to graduation or early entry to the NBA draft.
2. Xavier at Cincinnati, Feb. 18: An always heated rivalry game could take on even greater importance for Xavier because it could be the Musketeers' lone chance for a marquee non-league win. Missouri could be a bit down after the loss of Jabari Brown and Jordan Clarkson, Alabama is rebuilding and Auburn could be a year away from making noise. Thus Cincinnati could be Xavier's best chance for a win that resonates.
3. Butler, Georgetown at Battle 4 Atlantis, Nov. 26-28: There's a good chance Butler and Georgetown will both get a crack at two or three top 25 teams in three days during this tournament. How the Bulldogs and Hoyas fare could set the tone for both of their seasons as they both try to bounce back after missing the NCAA tournament a year ago.
Game that should have been scheduled but wasn't: Creighton-Wichita State
For years, this was the Missouri Valley Conference's marquee rivalry before the Bluejays left for the Big East and the Shockers stayed behind. Now, with Wichita State having risen in stature thanks to an unbeaten regular season and a Final Four run the past two years, it would be great to a Bluejays-Shockers matchup as an annual fixture on both teams' early-season schedules.
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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!
