2023-2024 Full Schedule

bball_craz_31

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Have found out some info in regards to the full schedule for this upcoming season. I am hearing that the non-conference is mostly games that Whalen and Previous Staff scheduled and will lean on the lighter/weaker side with more cupcakes than expected or possibly liked by Fans. The non-conference will rely heavily on the RPI/NET boost from UConn.

Non-Conference Facts:

-The full non-conference schedule is not set as of yet. I have heard one or two open slots they are trying to fill still. I wouldn't expect that game/games to be filled with great competition this late in scheduling.

-Season will open at home Wednesday Nov 8th.

-Games already known in non-conference

-UConn
-@Kentucky (second of home/home started last year)
-North Dakota State (second of home/home started last year)

-Teams I've heard as possibilities..

-Drake, Grambing State, Norfolk State, Southern Illinois, Stony Brook (have not been able to confirm these yet)


Conference:

We now know now the conference opponents. Honestly it's a good schedule for a rebuilding team however if the team has goals of reaching NCAA Tournament and the NC part of the schedule is as weak as hearing, there might be lesser opportunities to get big time wins.

Here is the known opponents 22-23 (NET/RIP)

Non-Conference:
Home: (Net/RPI for 2022-2023)


-NDSU (186/164)
-UConn (2/2)

Away:
- @Kentucky (80/147)

Conference:
Home: (Net/RPI for 2022-2023)


-Maryland (14/7)
-Northwestern (128/207)
-Purdue (49/60)
-Ohio State (16/16)
-Iowa (6/4)
-Penn State (92/146)
-Michigan State (45/137)
-Nebraska (43/63)
-Wisconsin (110/195)

Away:

-@Illinois (41/68)
-@Indiana (5/3)
-@Michigan (26/32)
-@Rutgers (166/179)
-@Iowa (6/4)
-@Penn State (92/146)
-@Michigan State (45/137)
-@Nebraska (43/63)
-@Wisconsin (110/195)
 


...and complete another home-and-home, this time with Minnesota on Nov. 6.

Last season, the Wildcats defeated the Gophers at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, 80-74. UK led UM, 72-64, before Minnesota went on an 8-2 run to cut the Kentucky advantage to 74-72 with 2:59 to play. Minnesota had a chance to tie the game with 50 seconds to play, but missed two free throws and Kentucky got the rebound to seal UK’s fate
 

Have found out some info in regards to the full schedule for this upcoming season. I am hearing that the non-conference is mostly games that Whalen and Previous Staff scheduled and will lean on the lighter/weaker side with more cupcakes than expected or possibly liked by Fans. The non-conference will rely heavily on the RPI/NET boost from UConn.

Non-Conference Facts:

-The full non-conference schedule is not set as of yet. I have heard one or two open slots they are trying to fill still. I wouldn't expect that game/games to be filled with great competition this late in scheduling.

-Season will open at home Wednesday Nov 8th.

-Games already known in non-conference

-UConn
-@Kentucky (second of home/home started last year)
-North Dakota State (second of home/home started last year)

-Teams I've heard as possibilities..

-Drake, Grambing State, Norfolk State, Southern Illinois, Stony Brook (have not been able to confirm these yet)


Conference:

We now know now the conference opponents. Honestly it's a good schedule for a rebuilding team however if the team has goals of reaching NCAA Tournament and the NC part of the schedule is as weak as hearing, there might be lesser opportunities to get big time wins.

Here is the known opponents 22-23 (NET/RIP)

Non-Conference:
Home: (Net/RPI for 2022-2023)


-NDSU (186/164)
-UConn (2/2)

Away:
- @Kentucky (80/147)

Conference:
Home: (Net/RPI for 2022-2023)


-Maryland (14/7)
-Northwestern (128/207)
-Purdue (49/60)
-Ohio State (16/16)
-Iowa (6/4)
-Penn State (92/146)
-Michigan State (45/137)
-Nebraska (43/63)
-Wisconsin (110/195)

Away:

-@Illinois (41/68)
-@Indiana (5/3)
-@Michigan (26/32)
-@Rutgers (166/179)
-@Iowa (6/4)
-@Penn State (92/146)
-@Michigan State (45/137)
-@Nebraska (43/63)
-@Wisconsin (110/195)


-I'm glad they get a rematch against NDSU after last season's upset loss to NDSU.

-The UConn game is the highlight, most would say, with Paige Bueckers playing in front of her hometown and the exposure UConn will bring. Iowa with Caitlin Clarke will be a hot ticket.

-I wonder if UCLA or USC will appear on the schedule (joining the Big Ten next season after the upcoming season).

-The Big Ten this season is a tough division and getting tougher.

Last season the Gophers finished 4-14 (22.2%) in Big Ten play. I wonder where they will finish this next season. 50/50%?

Gophers haven't made the NCAA Tournament since the 2017-18 season.

This team has the talent but young and some unknown where they are at in development. Probably hard to make predictions. What happens with the 8th and 9th players in the game and when freshmen enter. The team is young.


AND the Big Ten Tournament is in town. After being bounced in the first game of the tournament this last year, looking unprepared and outcoached, Gophers should be better prepared for the next tournament.
 
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Lindenwood is coming Dec. 21 per ESPN website. They went 2-24 last year in their first D1 season. One of those wins was against a NAIA school.

Only the Kentucky and Lindenwood games have been added on ESPN so far.
 

And we know the full schedule (absent game times) never comes out until sometime during the State Fair or in early September. I would bet the one State Fair ticket deal might be for the UConn game.
 





Setting the tone for the non-conference season, only three teams featured worse NET rankings than Chicago State.

358 Chicago State
354 Lindenwood
343 LIU
292 Grambling
269 CSUN
191 North Dakota State
181 Stony Brook
159 Norfolk State
80 Kentucky
51 Drake
3 UConn
 



Ok, what am I missing? The announcement says 11 of 12 games are at Williams Arena but I only count 11 games total.
 

Ok, what am I missing? The announcement says 11 of 12 games are at Williams Arena but I only count 11 games total.
The actual article says 10 of 11 at Williams. Just an incorrect tweet.
 


Setting the tone for the non-conference season, only three teams featured worse NET rankings than Chicago State.

358 Chicago State
354 Lindenwood
343 LIU
292 Grambling
269 CSUN
191 North Dakota State
181 Stony Brook
159 Norfolk State
80 Kentucky
51 Drake
3 UConn

With this schedule, from what I was told, all but 3 of these games were signed/booked with Whalen and her staff. Grambling, Lindenwood and Chicago State were the ones this staff was able to add but that also is coming in late and tons of the better teams they reached out to were filled and couldn't make it work so they had to kinda dig deep to have games.

I would say this is a non-conference schedule that (COULD) be win-friendly but not necessarily NCAA Tournament/Resume building friendly. Have to basically be 10-2 or 11-1 with loss to UConn and possibly split with either @ Kentucky and Drake. Losing ANY of the others... resume killers.
 




With this schedule, from what I was told, all but 3 of these games were signed/booked with Whalen and her staff. Grambling, Lindenwood and Chicago State were the ones this staff was able to add but that also is coming in late and tons of the better teams they reached out to were filled and couldn't make it work so they had to kinda dig deep to have games.

I would say this is a non-conference schedule that (COULD) be win-friendly but not necessarily NCAA Tournament/Resume building friendly. Have to basically be 10-2 or 11-1 with loss to UConn and possibly split with either @ Kentucky and Drake. Losing ANY of the others... resume killers.
Assume this means Whalen agreed to a home and home with Drake, with the Gophers going to Des Moines next year? Doubt Drake would come to MSP without a return game.
 

Setting the tone for the non-conference season, only three teams featured worse NET rankings than Chicago State.

358 Chicago State
354 Lindenwood
343 LIU
292 Grambling
269 CSUN
191 North Dakota State
181 Stony Brook
159 Norfolk State
80 Kentucky
51 Drake
3 UConn


I see the next Gophers opponent Chicago State (358) was trounced by Detroit Mercy with a net of 336. For context, St Thomas is 234.

For context, Net rankings only go as low as 361.

1699673134411.png

OK, fine, the schedule was planned by the previous Gophers coaching regime Lindsay Whalen. She was fired so please next season get rid of these super low opponents.

Good news is the Gophers play an under-200 team next week before battling UConn.

Minnesota finished last season at 102.

1699671769361.png


Meanwhile, other Big Ten teams do also have easier teams to start. Nebraska right now is playing a lesser-known team -- the Cowgirls - except Wyoming actually has a Net of 95.

1699673246821.png
 

. . . Grambling, Lindenwood and Chicago State were the ones this staff was able to add but that also is coming in late and tons of the better teams they reached out to were filled and couldn't make it work so they had to kinda dig deep to have games.
Wonder whether Coach P tried to schedule any road games, even without a return game. Adding 3 Quad 4 games to the pitiful schedule Whalen left her sure won’t help the much-improved Gophers get any breaks, should they make it to the NCAA bubble.
 

Wonder whether Coach P tried to schedule any road games, even without a return game. Adding 3 Quad 4 games to the pitiful schedule Whalen left her sure won’t help the much-improved Gophers get any breaks, should they make it to the NCAA bubble.

Thank you for clarifying that.
 


This website predicts an overall 18-11 record for this years schedule. Besides a predicted 5 game losing streak from December to January, I would be very pleased with this results. Kind of fun website to play around with.
 


This website predicts an overall 18-11 record for this years schedule. Besides a predicted 5 game losing streak from December to January, I would be very pleased with this results. Kind of fun website to play around with.
I like that better than RealTime RPI's 14-15 (with some apparent confusion about the CSUN game?): http://www.realtimerpi.com/rpi_190_Women.html
 


This website predicts an overall 18-11 record for this years schedule. Besides a predicted 5 game losing streak from December to January, I would be very pleased with this results. Kind of fun website to play around with.
In that predicted 5 game losing streak are home losses to Maryland and Nebraska, although probably still underdogs, both games seem winnable especially the way the defense has preforming.
 




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