College basketball schedules 2023-24: Notable teams with the most challenging slates this season

Whether your favourite school hoops group performs a real gauntlet-of-a-schedule or faces literal cupcakes, I will guarantee that during paying attention to coachspeak over the years overlaying this foolish game, each one among them will say the identical in their level of issue coming into the season: that the agenda their group faces is unrelenting and brutal. 

Some school coaches, regardless that, are extra fair than others and feature the monitor file to again up their giant communicate.

Gonzaga, for example, constantly schedules aggressively in its nonconference slate to make up for any misplaced alternatives it has in taking part in in the WCC. Michigan State and Tom Izzo also are infamous for lining up an onslaught. 

But which methods in truth have the most tough schedules in 2023-24? Which coaches are doing greater than lip carrier in the preseason to set expectancies accordingly?

We seemed over the schedules and got here to our personal conclusions under. For this workout we weighted nonconference schedules relatively greater than convention schedules (to keep away from having an inventory filled with Big 12 teams), however attempted to account for each to some extent. We will even every now and then reference Cameron Salerno’s newest article by which he ranked a few of the highest video games of the upcoming season for the preseason AP Top 25 teams.

Let’s get into it with a have a look at 5 notable difficult schedules for 2023-24:

1. Michigan State

Notable video games

• vs. No. 2 Duke, Nov. 14 in Champions Classic
• vs. No. 12 Arizona, Nov. 23 in Acrisure Classic
• vs. No. 20 Baylor, Dec. 16 in Detroit
• vs. No. 3 Purdue, March 2 in West Lafayette, Indiana

Schedule ideas: Tom Izzo talks a large speak about his agenda annually, and annually, he walks a large, elongated stroll by means of lining up one among the hardest schedules in the game. And this 12 months his Spartans — ranked No. 4 in the preseason AP Top 25 — as soon as once more have a brutal agenda in nonconference play as soon as once more. The showdown vs. Duke in the Champions Classic in the opening week of the season will have to be impressive, however do not sleep on the Dec. 16 matchup vs. Baylor slated to be performed at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. 

Notable video games

• vs. No. 6 UConn, Dec. 1 in Lawrence, Kansas
• vs. No. 16 Kentucky, Nov. 14 in Champions Classic
• at No. 7 Houston, March 9 in Houston

Schedule ideas: The preseason No. 1 Jayhawks darn close to took the cake on this listing as the group with the hardest agenda. Not best does KU play in the hardest convention in school basketball, however Bill Self additionally made positive his nonconference was once filled with traps as well. The setting when protecting champion UConn involves Allen Fieldhouse on Dec. 1 most certainly figures to equivalent out to the highest recreation amongst all of them, regardless that I feel the Champions Classic recreation vs. No. 16 Kentucky on Nov. 14 may turn out to be extra difficult a role.

3. Arkansas Pine Bluff

Notable video games

• at No. 11 Gonzaga, Dec. 5 in Spokane, Washington
• at No. 6 UConn, Dec. 9 at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut
• at Oklahoma, Nov. 30 in Norman, Oklahoma

Schedule ideas: We have to turn like to the SWAC right here. UAPB simply fearlessly welcomes all comers in its nonconference agenda and can move on the highway to stand each Gonzaga, UConn and Oklahoma in the span of 2 weeks from past due November to early December. Will it win any of the ones video games? Probably no longer! But does it deserve credit for placing this agenda in combination? Absolutely! We love to peer it. 

Notable video games

• at No. 5 UConn, Feb. 17 at XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut
• at No. 25 Illinois, Nov. 14 in Champaign, Illinois
• vs. UCLA, Nov. 20 in Maui Invitational

Schedule ideas: Shaka Smart’s electrical offense was once one among the largest storylines in school hoops final season and that emblem of play might be on complete show in some primary early-season matchups this season. With Tyler Kolek again, Marquette might be a significant power because it is going on the highway to stand Illinois on Nov. 14 after which faces UCLA, amongst different teams, in the Maui Invitational later that month. 

5. Purdue

Notable video games

• vs. No. 11 Gonzaga, Nov. 20 in Maui Invitational
• vs. No. 24 Alabama, Dec. 9 in Toronto
• vs. No. 12 Arizona, Dec. 16 in Indy Classic
• at No. 3 Michigan State, March 2 in West Lafayette, Indiana

Schedule ideas: Get your Fairleigh Dickinson jokes off now, other people, as a result of by means of March Madness, I’m Fairleigh sure the trolls might be consuming their phrases. It’ll be exhausting for Purdue reputationally to shake dropping to a No. 16 seed in the first spherical of the NCAA Tournament, I’ll admit, however counterpoint: the best different No. 1 seed to undergo this kind of loss (Virginia) got here again the following season to win the nationwide championship. So 100% of No. 1 seeded teams to lose to a No. 16 seed have long gone directly to win the name the following 12 months. Facts are information.