Schedule Release Purgatory
Here we are in mid-June, new recruits are arriving for summer classes and practices but in the realm of basketball schedules we've only just seen two teams, West Virginia and Kansas, release their complete non-conference schedule. Over the six previous off-seasons to 2020 there had been an average north of 21 teams would be expected to have released a non-conference schedule. The post-COVID world is very different, especially for Athletic Department budgets. Sources have relayed to The D1 Docket that guarantee prices are not at the levels they used to be, so many schools are in a stalemate holding out for better payments to balance their books.
George Mason
One of the teams that could be on the short
list to pull the trigger next is George Mason. The D1 Docket struck gold late last
week in its request for documents from George Mason turned up whopping 10
contracts were included in the responsive documents. This week the Patriots
were announced as participants in the 2021 Crossover Classic, raising their
total number of competitions to 13, the maximum allowed with an 18-game
conference schedule.
One of George Mason’s games, a home tilt
against Morgan State, was already uncovered in a request from the latter
institution. The details of the Crossover Classic are unclear, but if the event
is three games that would signify the George Mason has completed its
non-conference schedule. However, if the event is just two games, then the
Patriots would have one game left to fill, still an envious position at this
point of the offseason.
Aside from playing in a competitive
multi-team event Patriots fans have much to look forward too on the schedule.
Matchups against in-state contemporaries and former CAA rivals Old Dominion, in
Fairfax, and James Madison, at their new arena in Harrisonburg, will put
bragging rights on the line.
The Patriots are set to collect two
guarantee checks, first by crossing over DC to play at Maryland the second week
of the season, and a post-exam trip to Athens for a game against Tom Crean’s
Georgia Bulldogs.
The rest of George Mason’s schedule is
filled with home guarantee games, overwhelmingly with teams from the
Mid-Atlantic, with no opponent travelling from further way than Long Island.
Texas A&M
Texas A&M is right behind George Mason in terms of completing their schedule, so far the Aggies have 12 games scheduled. The trip to Malibu is the highlight of schedule complimented well by a game against TCU in Houston. Texas A&M will also host Tulane at Reed Arena in the opening bout of a home & home just a few days before travelling to Corvallis to begin another home & home with 2021 Elite 8 team Oregon State. The rest of the schedule is filled in with buy-games in College Station.
Texas Tech
Texas Tech is another team with their schedule closing in on the finish line. The Red Raiders have six games firmly in place, including their meeting with Gonzaga in Phoenix and visit to Providence during the Big East-Big 12 Battle. Texas Tech will also meet Incarnate Word along the Texas Gulf Coast on South Padre Island. A handful of regional guarantee games fill in the schedule along with a 3-game MTE anchored by the Red Raiders, documents indicate that the opponents for this event are yet to be lined up.
UT Arlington
Staying in the Lone Star State, UT Arlington has 8 games in the chamber. Most notably the Mavericks will pay a couple of visits to the Sooner State for games against Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. Nevada also comes to town to close out a multi-year series, likely the same trip in which they are set to face North Texas.
New Orleans
Next door in the Bayou State, Southland Conference co-members New Orleans and Northwestern State have a total of 14 non-conference games lined-up. New Orleans opens up the season at Ole Miss while also collecting checks from visits to Northwestern, Ohio State and Utah State. The Privateers will also be hosting their own Round-Robin MTE featuring Central Arkansas, Presbyterian and VMI.
Northwestern State
Northwestern State will join UT Arlington in the state of Oklahoma on opening night, but against the Sooners. Other Guarantee games for the Demons include trips to SMU, LSU and Texas A&M. Northwestern State will also begin two 4-year series with Stephen F. Austin and UL-Monroe.
San Jose State
Out on the West coast we drop in on the San Jose State Spartans have six games in place. Aside from an early December from North Dakota the Spartans are sticking with in-state opponents for now.
I still have many more contracts to process and games will be trickling out on Twitter, it's an exciting time as more and m
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