2018-19 Non-Conference Schedule

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Yea I think that's it for the exciting games. Looking like three buy games to close it out.

Since there are only two tourney games this year does that mean Marquette could schedule another normal non conference game if they so choose.

[brewcity77]

Looks like Niagara, Kent State, and Nicholls State may be 3/4 of the home games for the NIT Tip-Off.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Looks like Niagara, Kent State, and Nicholls State may be 3/4 of the home games for the NIT Tip-Off.

Niagara and Kent State should be solid.

Nicholls State would have been solid this season but lose just about everybody.

[lessthannick11]

Two years ago it was leaked that there would be a home and home vs. Utah. I believe it came from Matty V. My understanding is that Utah pulled out shortly after it was announced. Not sure there was ever a plan to try and get it back.

I thought pulling out was frowned upon in Utah?

[4everwarriors]

More power two 'em if dey can due it, aina?

[barfolomew]

Niagara and Kent State should be solid.

Nicholls State would have been solid this season but lose just about everybody.

Would absolutely LOVE the non-con slate if Niagara is our lowest RPI opponent. Nicholls State and another sub-three hundo team would take some shine off the schedule though.

[KampusFoods]

Two years ago it was leaked that there would be a home and home vs. Utah. I believe it came from Matty V. My understanding is that Utah pulled out shortly after it was announced. Not sure there was ever a plan to try and get it back.

Rothstein reported it first. Matty V reported that Rothstein reported it.

[Mr. Nielsen]

Looks like Niagara, Kent State, and Nicholls State may be 3/4 of the home games for the NIT Tip-Off.

According to UL, one of the NIT is coming from the Big South Conference. Also, that Creighton site list Kent State & Nicholls State. Not sure where they got that from.

[GB Warrior]

I am giddy about our non-con right now. Honestly, with the combination of the following, I don't particularly care how bad the buy games are:
*Kansas St.
*UMBC (sexier at first glance than reality given the guys they've graduated)
*Bucky
*Buffalo
*Tip-off draw (at least one top-15 Kenpom guaranteed)
*Gavitt game on road (rooting for no worse than Penn St)

All of those games are radical improvements over last year and give us plenty of non-con ammunition before conference play starts.

[mu35577]

Highly doubt that Tue Nov 27th game is correct. the NIT tip off is the next day in Brooklyn. Where did that info come from?

Home Dates
Tue Nov 6 UMBC
Sat. Nov 10 NIT Team
Sat. Nov 17 NIT Team
Tue Nov 27 TBD
Sat. Dec 1 Kansas State
Tue. Dec. 4 TBD
Sat. Dec. 8 Wisconsin
Tue. Dec. 18 TBD
Fri. Dec. 21 Buffalo
Fri. Dec. 28 Big East Team

Can't say this too often in the past. Four Saturday games before conference play even starts. Students can't say they are studying.

[Mr. Nielsen]

Highly doubt that Tue Nov 27th game is correct. the NIT tip off is the next day in Brooklyn. Where did that info come from?

The NIT in Brooklyn is Nov. 21 (Wed) & 23rd (Fri). Thanksgiving is Nov 22nd.  Years past since moving to Brooklyn for the NIT. The games were played on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. #Never fake news here 

[MU82]

Rothstein reported it first. Matty V reported that Rothstein reported it.

Yeah ... well ... TAMU reported that Matt V reported that Rothstein reported it.

At least that's what my reports say.

[brewcity77]

I updated the first post to reflect the following. Here's what we know, as well as some thoughts at the bottom:

• November 6: UMBC (H)
  
• November 10: NIT Tip-Off (H)
  
• November 12-15: Gavitt Game, Big 10 opponent (A)
  
• November 17: NIT Tip-Off (H)
  
• November 21: Kansas/Louisville/Tennessee at Barclay's (N)
  
• November 23: Louisville/Tennessee/Kansas at Barclay's (N)
  
• November 27: TBD
  
• December 1: Kansas State (H)
  
• December 4: TBD
  
• December 8: UW-Madison (H)
  
• December 18: TBD
  
• December 21: Buffalo (H)

It seems like the Preseason NIT home games will be two of Niagara, Kent State, Nicholls State, and a Big South team. Louisville is playing Niagara, that's been announced. I am guessing we will get Kansas in the first Preseason NIT game because they will want Kansas and either Louisville or Tennessee in the final. We will also have two other Preseason NIT home games.

Paint Touches pointed out the most likely Gavitt opponents are Penn State, Michigan, and Ohio State. I suspect we will play either the 13th or 14th considering we are playing on the 10th and 17th. Michigan might make sense because they play in an event the 17th-18th.

The K-State, Wisconsin, and Buffalo home games give us a strong non-con home schedule. I added in the dates from MU/Panther, he's pretty reliable about this stuff.

The schedule above gives us 12 dates. If we have another home-and-home (starting on the road) it is most likely on one of the three TBD dates. The schedule is simply too tightly packed to accommodate a 13th game unless we are playing one in January or February. The current schedule gives us 6 "resume-builder" type games (Gavitt, KU/UL/UT, UL/UT/KU, K-State, UW-Madison, Buffalo) and generally we play 6-7 such games when we have a team that is NCAA worthy. It also has only 3 buy-level opponents guaranteed with a maximum of 6 (barring a 2019 non-con game).

The con of the idea that we play another home-and-home is when you look at the way the schedule is constructed. Putting another high-major on a TBD date means at a minimum a very tough three-game slate.

[brewcity77]

One more note on the K-State series. This is a really savvy bit of scheduling to get the home game at the Silk first. K-State returns virtually all their team and will be very strong. Most likely a top-15 type team. We definitely would rather play them at home this year. Then next year, after Barry Brown, Kamau Stokes, and Dean Wade graduate, we get the road game when we have what should be our senior-laden, loaded team. While it's entirely possible we go 0-2, we did position ourselves as well as possible to win both games.

[Nukem2]

I updated the first post to reflect the following. Here's what we know, as well as some thoughts at the bottom:

• November 6: UMBC (H)
  
• November 10: NIT Tip-Off (H)
  
• November 12-15: Gavitt Game, Big 10 opponent (A)
  
• November 17: NIT Tip-Off (H)
  
• November 21: Kansas/Louisville/Tennessee at Barclay's (N)
  
• November 23: Louisville/Tennessee/Kansas at Barclay's (N)
  
• November 27: TBD
  
• December 1: Kansas State (H)
  
• December 4: TBD
  
• December 8: UW-Madison (H)
  
• December 18: TBD
  
• December 21: Buffalo (H)

It seems like the Preseason NIT home games will be two of Niagara, Kent State, Nicholls State, and a Big South team. Louisville is playing Niagara, that's been announced. I am guessing we will get Kansas in the first Preseason NIT game because they will want Kansas and either Louisville or Tennessee in the final. We will also have two other Preseason NIT home games.

Paint Touches pointed out the most likely Gavitt opponents are Penn State, Michigan, and Ohio State. I suspect we will play either the 13th or 14th considering we are playing on the 10th and 17th. Michigan might make sense because they play in an event the 17th-18th.

The K-State, Wisconsin, and Buffalo home games give us a strong non-con home schedule. I added in the dates from MU/Panther, he's pretty reliable about this stuff.

The schedule above gives us 12 dates. If we have another home-and-home (starting on the road) it is most likely on one of the three TBD dates. The schedule is simply too tightly packed to accommodate a 13th game unless we are playing one in January or February. The current schedule gives us 6 "resume-builder" type games (Gavitt, KU/UL/UT, UL/UT/KU, K-State, UW-Madison, Buffalo) and generally we play 6-7 such games when we have a team that is NCAA worthy. It also has only 3 buy-level opponents guaranteed with a maximum of 6 (barring a 2019 non-con game).

The con of the idea that we play another home-and-home is when you look at the way the schedule is constructed. Putting another high-major on a TBD date means at a minimum a very tough three-game slate.

Really hate to not have 13 NC games again.  Also to have no NC games after the 21st with the intervening Christmas break directly into the first BE game almost seems unlikely?

[brewcity77]

Really hate to not have 13 NC games again.  Also to have no NC games after the 21st with the intervening Christmas break directly into the first BE game almost seems unlikely?

I agree on the 13 NC games. I went back and looked at the schedules of the past 17 years. We have always had 6-9 days off around Christmas and never played a game on the 23rd, 24th, 25th, or 26th. We won't play a game during that interim.

[Mr. Nielsen]

The TBD dates are home games for MU. Nov. 27th, Dec. 4th & Dec. 18. So, those dates will not be a new H/H that starts on the road. Looking at the dates, unless MU does something during conference play. The non-conference schedule will be at 12 games. Can't see where they put in road in in there in Nov and Dec. Plus, the week of the Dec. 10th, Marquette does not play because of final exams.

[Nukem2]

I agree on the 13 NC games. I went back and looked at the schedules of the past 17 years. We have always had 6-9 days off around Christmas and never played a game on the 23rd, 24th, 25th, or 26th. We won't play a game during that interim.

A wild card this year is that the NCAA dates for 2019 are much later at 3/19 to 4/8.  More likely to have a NC game in January or February.  MU had that long layoff mid-season this past season which led to a poor performance.

[Mr. Nielsen]

Really hate to not have 13 NC games again.  Also to have no NC games after the 21st with the intervening Christmas break directly into the first BE game almost seems unlikely?

Last year, American was Dec. 21 and Xavier was after the Christmas break for the player on Dec. 27th.

[Nukem2]

Last year, American was Dec. 21 and Xavier was after the Christmas break for the player on Dec. 27th.

See my post re NCAA dates for 2019...

[Mr. Nielsen]

See my post re NCAA dates for 2019...

I just did. Then, I was looking at the calendar before I got back to you.  So, the Dec. 28 that is at home might be another non-conference game. Wow! If that is the case Marquette will play 10 home non-conference games.

[Nukem2]

I just did. I was looking at the calendar. So, the Dec. 28 that is at home might be another non-conference game. Wow! If that is the case Marquette will play 10 home non-conference games.

Or a NC game in Jan/Feb to avoid a lengthy break. 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Do we know when the Big East schedule will start? With the NCAAT dates being later could that mean that we start on New Years like the first few years? Or will we continue with the late December starts?

[GGGG]

A fun thought is that we could be starting a new "high major" series on the road in the Spring with a marquee team.  For instance, Nova played at UConn in a Saturday in January. 

[We R Final Four]

That would be cool. However, Nova playing at UConn is considered a “High major/mid major” series.