Kentucky Basketball: Do Wildcats Have the SEC's Toughest Nonconference Schedule?
The Kentucky Wildcats could be heading into a very special season as college basketball prepares to tip off. With talent, depth and experience—the latter unprecedented in the John Calipari era—there aren't many holes in Big Blue's armor.
Now, we have to turn our attention to the schedule—particularly the list of nonconference foes that UK and the rest of its SEC rivals will be steaming through during November and December. Suffice it to say that the SEC wants more teams in the 2015 NCAA tournament, because several of its members are stepping up their scheduling game.
But who's made it toughest on themselves? Who's set up a slate full of creampuffs and who's navigating land mines?
Here, we compare and rank all 14 SEC schools on the strength of their early schedules. If iron sharpens iron, some of these teams will be able to cut glass when the calendar turns and conference play begins.
And others will be barely sharp enough to cut cheese.
Nos. 11-14
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Aside from a Jan. 2 visit from Florida State, the Bulldogs didn't exactly test themselves with their early slate. MSU may be able to score a win over a young Saint Louis team in Corpus Christi and then a possible win over Bradley or TCU await—for whatever they're worth. Finally, a road trip to Oregon State allows the Dogs to say that they at least played a power-conference foe.
Best Game: It has to be Florida State. Even though the Noles have more than enough talent and size to blow MSU off the court, at least the Noles were willing to come to the Hump, giving the Bulldogs a puncher's chance.
As this is written, Vanderbilt has not even confirmed its nonconference schedule. It's had to be pieced together from what other schools have announced. What we do know is that Vandy hosts Baylor, Purdue and Yale, while also visiting Saint Louis and Georgia Tech. The rest of the games are varying shades of ugly, although the Commodores could get a shot at Virginia at the Barclays Center Classic in Brooklyn.
Best Game: There's a very intriguing post battle at hand when Vandy takes on Baylor, as Commodore center Damian Jones could spend some time matched up with Baylor wrecking ball Rico Gathers. Rookie guards Shelton Mitchell and Riley LaChance, however, will have a difficult time slowing the Bears' floor general, Kenny Chery.
The Rebels drew the long straw when the SEC/Big 12 Challenge matchups were announced, getting the always beatable TCU Horned Frogs at home. Aside from that game, the rest of the interesting games are much less so than they would have been last season, especially at the Emerald Coast Classic.
Ole Miss starts that tournament against Creighton in year one A.D. (After Dougie). The second game will be against either the Sean Kilpatrick-less Cincinnati or a Middle Tennessee team that lost four key seniors and isn't adding Mississippi State transfer Jalen Steele. Austin Peay, College of Charleston and Southern University were scheduled to provide sure wins.
Best Game: The Rebels could be favored in a true road game at Oregon if they can contain Joseph Young. The true main event, however, will be another road trip, this one to Dayton. Veteran Ole Miss point guard Jarvis Summers might have a big day against sophomore Scoochie Smith.
If the Bayou Bengals' schedule were an ice cream flavor, it would be very vanilla. There aren't a ton of disgraceful roadkill games, but there's not a lot of exciting games to circle on the calendar, either. Southern Miss, UMass and West Virginia have all lost essential pieces from last year's competitive teams. Texas Tech, UAB and Sam Houston State aren't going to excite the masses, either.
Best Game: We'll go with the road game at West Virginia. Mountaineer forwards Devin Williams and Nathan Adrian will have a tall order against Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey, but WVU has its own dangerous weapon in guard Juwan Staten.
Nos. 6-10
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The Gamecocks are one of three SEC teams on Baylor's schedule, and their meeting is a noon game during ESPN's Tip-Off Marathon. That's only one of three Big 12 opponents South Carolina will face, drawing Oklahoma State for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge and a neutral game against Iowa State in Brooklyn.
On the other end, however, the Gamecocks are done no favors by getting Cornell in the first round of the Charleston Classic. Miami may be the only potential good win in that entire event. North Florida, UNC Asheville and North Carolina A&T had better be cheap tickets, as well.
Best Game: I won't expect miracles in Brooklyn, so let's check out the battle with Oklahoma State. The Cowboys have a lot of new pieces to integrate, especially in the backcourt. Still, Mike Cobbins, LeBryan Nash and Phil Forte are experienced hands for coach Travis Ford.
The Dawgs were excused from the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, but they make up for it by scheduling a trip to Kansas State's Octagon of Doom on New Year's Eve. Home games against Colorado and Seton Hall could be very stiff tests, and the season opens in Atlanta with UGA's annual battle against Georgia Tech. Gonzaga awaits in the NIT Season Tip-Off, with Minnesota or St. John's to follow.
Best Game: By Dec. 31, Kansas State should be a Top 25 team, so that encounter should tell us a lot about what to expect from the Dawgs when SEC play begins. A win in Manhattan would certainly stamp Georgia as a potential SEC threat.
The Aggies only play one game before heading to Puerto Rico, but it's against the high-octane offense of Northwestern State. The Demons pushed Baylor to overtime last season. In Puerto Rico, A&M drew almost the toughest possible first-round matchup against Dayton. UConn could loom in the second game, but the third should be winnable (New Mexico and West Virginia are the biggest threats).
A trip to Baylor and a meeting with Kansas State in Kansas City will both be stern challenges. The likes of New Orleans, Youngstown State and Hartford, not so much. Arizona State is an iffy matchup with Jahii Carson's departure.
Best Game: The Puerto Rico game against Dayton could be a classic. Like Ole Miss, the Aggies will be anxious to test the Flyers' new point guard. A&M playmaker Alex Caruso is one of the nation's most underrated defensive pests.
The rebuilding Vols also battle K-State, but this time, it's the Wildcats who have to hit the road as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. UT is willing to run a gauntlet early on, starting the season in Annapolis, Maryland, against VCU before heading to the Orlando Classic. That event could pit Tennessee against the likes of Kansas, Michigan State or Marquette.
Kansas State, Butler and at NC State are the first three games after the Vols return from Florida. After all that, we can forgive Tennessee for taking a cool-down lap against in-state doormats Tennessee Tech, Tennessee State and East Tennessee State.
Best Game: New Vols coach Donnie Tyndall still doesn't know who his point guard is, but how best to determine cool under fire than opening the season against VCU's explosive Havoc defense? Rams guard Briante Weber will be salivating about facing any of the Tennessee guards, but a matchup between UT defensive ace Josh Richardson and VCU's top scorer Treveon Graham should also be fun.
New Tigers coach Bruce Pearl starts his new job taking on his former employers at Milwaukee. From there, he didn't schedule any truly terrible games, unless you really despise Texas Southern. Road trips to Colorado, Texas Tech and Clemson offer the potential for at least one major-conference road win, especially the midnight battle with the Buffaloes as part of the Tip-Off Marathon.
The MGM Grand Main Event in Las Vegas will start off with Auburn vs. Tulsa, with a second game on tap against either Oklahoma State or Oregon State. Finally, just before New Year's, the Tigers welcome Xavier and Middle Tennessee to the Plains.
Best Game: Midnight games always offer a different atmosphere, especially at a wild venue such as Colorado's Coors Events Center. The flamboyant Pearl coming to town will only motivate the Buffs faithful to make some noise, and Auburn's newcomers could match up well against Colorado's experience.
5. Alabama
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Alabama only plays two true road games. I use the word "only" as if it's not an admirable display for a power-conference team to play any opponents on the road, but the Tide have set up two serious battles.
On Dec. 6, Bama travels to Cincinnati to play Xavier, then it ships itself to Wichita 10 days later for a battle with last year's most controversial No. 1 seed, the Wichita State Shockers. Xavier brings in a talented freshman class, but Wichita State returns one of the nation's best backcourts in Fred VanVleet, Ron Baker and Tekele Cotton. Pick your poison.
The first time the Tide leave their home state is another tough trip. Bama leads off Thanksgiving week by facing Iowa State in Kansas City. A meeting with either Maryland or Arizona State follows. Tide point guard Ricky Tarrant will have duels on his hands with ISU sophomore Monte Morris or Maryland freshman Melo Trimble.
Last but not least, a retooling—but still supremely talented—UCLA team travels to Tuscaloosa on Dec. 28. The Bruins could be Bama's third or fourth nationally ranked opponent by that time.
With such a potent top half of the schedule, Bama needs some wins in the mix. Towson, Western Carolina, Tennessee Tech, Appalachian State and North Florida should fit the bill.
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4. Arkansas
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The Arkansas Razorbacks' nonconference schedule ranked 308th in the nation last season, according to Ken Pomeroy (subscription required). Coach Mike Anderson has ensured that no such problems will keep the Hogs out of the NCAA tournament again.
Arkansas starts off with a Wake Forest team that could be dangerous if the Razorbacks aren't looking. Point guard Codi Miller-McIntyre and forward Devin Thomas are a talented inside-outside duo. Just before Thanksgiving, the Hogs will play an eagerly awaited game at SMU's Moody Coliseum. The power forward battle between Bobby Portis and Markus Kennedy will be worth all of the price of admission.
In early December, Arkansas plays back-to-back true road games, and they're not all about throwing some tiny in-state school a bone. The Hogs travel to Hilton Coliseum to take on Iowa State and then Littlejohn Coliseum to battle Clemson. When they return home, Dayton will be waiting for them on Dec. 13.
Iona, Northwestern State and Utah Valley are interesting mid-major foes that will visit Bud Walton Arena. Delaware State, SEMO and North Texas are speed bumps.
The Razorbacks and Kentucky are the only SEC teams that don't play in any exempt tournaments.
3. Florida
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There are several highlights on the schedule for coach Billy Donovan's new-look Florida Gators. There's also the occasional confidence-builder.
William & Mary makes for a deceptive opener before another revamped Sunshine State team comes to Gainesville in the form of the Miami Hurricanes. Expect nearly all of Miami's scoring to come from players who didn't play a minute last season, but those newcomers are talented enough to put up plenty of points. Texas transfer Sheldon McClellan and freshmen Ja'Quan Newton and DeAndre Burnett should be potent.
The Gators head to the Bahamas for what promises to be a brutal Battle 4 Atlantis. UF begins with Georgetown, and a win would likely pit Florida against Wisconsin in a Final Four rematch. The Gators will recognize most of the Badgers, but not so much vice versa. North Carolina, Oklahoma or UCLA could be the Gators' third opponent.
Florida gets a week off before it travels to Allen Fieldhouse to take on Kansas. Spindly Gator athletic freak Chris Walker vs. burly Jayhawk man-child Cliff Alexander will be the matchup to watch.
Yale could be a threat to Harvard in the Ivy League but not so much to the Gators in Gainesville. The Bulldogs, along with Texas Southern and Jacksonville, give UF a chance to get back on track before a battle with Wake Forest at the Orange Bowl Classic.
After that comes the annual battle with Florida State—this year in Tallahassee—and a rematch of last season's thriller against UConn, a team that will be anxious to prove it can win without Shabazz Napier. Florida point guards Kasey Hill and Chris Chiozza will have work to do if they want to outduel former Napier sidekick Ryan Boatright.
2. Missouri
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Welcome back to Columbia, Kim Anderson.
The new Missouri Tigers coach/former Tigers assistant starts off his tenure with a little warm-up action against UMKC, Valparaiso and Oral Roberts, but after that all heck breaks loose.
Mizzou heads to Maui for a loaded Invitational, and it leads off against a likely Top Five team in the Arizona Wildcats. Kansas State or Purdue await in the second game, and the third could see Pitt, San Diego State or BYU—or perhaps Chaminade, if the Tigers have been knocked off in their first two outings.
Back on the mainland, things get easier but only slightly. Missouri travels to Oklahoma and hosts Xavier in early December. The Tigers then face a potentially resurgent Illinois team in the annual Braggin' Rights game in St. Louis Dec. 20. Finally, on New Year's Eve Eve (Dec. 30 to you and me), the Tigers head to Kansas City for a "neutral" game against Oklahoma State.
With all that going on, we can overlook the scrubbier opponents such as Southeast Missouri State, Elon and Lipscomb.
1. Kentucky
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If you want to tell the world that your team is the greatest of all time, you have to have a brutal schedule to survive. Kentucky starts out with a free and easy sprint, but the second half of its slate turns into a highly treacherous obstacle course.
Names such as Grand Canyon, Buffalo, Montana State and UT Arlington aren't going to scare anybody, but there's the potential for someone to catch the Wildcats with their tongues hanging out. After all, UK's first six games come within 11 days. Wildcats coach John Calipari wants his team in shape in a hurry, it seems.
Smack dab in the middle of that 11-day gauntlet is a trip to Indianapolis to face Kansas in the Champions Classic. Vaunted KU freshmen Kelly Oubre and Cliff Alexander were once Kentucky targets, so this game will have more going for it than just being a likely battle of Top Five teams.
On Nov. 30, Providence comes to Rupp Arena for the return match of a series that started in Brooklyn last season. The Friars have a very solid freshman class coming in, but coach Ed Cooley desperately needs former McDonald's All-American point guard Kris Dunn to stay healthy.
Starting with a visit from Texas—the marquee matchup of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge—the Cats get back in the plane (like George Carlin, I say "in the plane" instead of "on," for only daredevils elect to ride on the plane—video NSFW) for four games in eight days.
Eastern Kentucky, Columbia and North Carolina form the rest of that string, and the tight spacing of games could leave the Cats ripe for an upset against the Tar Heels.
A trip to Chicago for the CBS Sports Classic gives us Kentucky vs. UCLA, a matchup fraught with talented freshmen and championship banners. Finally, on Dec. 27, the Cats head up I-64 to Louisville for a bout with their archrivals, the Cardinals. UK has won six of the last seven in this series, including the Cards' last two NCAA tournament losses.
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