The 2011/12 Maryland basketball schedule has been released, and new coach Mark Turgeon will have several very difficult tests in his first non-conference schedule. None of the teams the Terps are playing are expected to be at the very top of the rankings, but several will be stern tests. The Terps are already scheduled to face at least three non-conference teams that made the 2011 NCAA Tournament and could face more depending on their performance in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
Here is the full non-conference schedule:
November 13: vs. UNC-Wilmington (8 p.m.)
November 17: vs. Alabama, Puerto Rico Classic (5:00 p.m., ESPN2)
November 18: vs. TBD, Puerto Rico Classic (tbd)
November 20: vs. TBD, Puerto Rico Classic (tbd)
November 25: vs. Florida Gulf Coast (tbd)
November 29: vs. Illinois, ACC/Big 10 Challenge (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
December 4: vs. Notre Dame, BB&T Classic (4:45 p.m., MASN)
December 7: vs. Mount St. Mary (8:00 p..)
December 14: vs. Florida International (TBD, ESPNU)
December 23: vs. Radford (8:00 p.m.)
December 28: vs. Albany (8:00 p.m.)
December 31: vs. Samford (1:00 p.m.)
January 3: vs. Cornell (8:00 p.m.)
January 21: at Temple (TBD, ESPNU)
Some notes:
- The Terps do not play a true road game in the non-conference season, at least until they travel to Temple during the ACC schedule.
- Count on Maryland to drop one of those seemingly easy home games in the middle of December. It seems to happen every year.
- With all those tricky games, one would think the Terps could put themselves in a position to have a solid RPI heading into ACC play.
Here is a breakdown of how the teams the Terps could play finished last year:
- NCAA Tournament: Notre Dame (two seed), Purdue* (three seed), Temple (seven seed), Illinois (nine seed).
- NIT: Alabama, Wichita State*, Colorado*