ESPN Men's Basketball

I don't mean this as a pejorative, but Aaron Craft is that guy.

You know that guy. While most college-aged males are barely one evolutionary step above zygotes, there is always that super smart, focused guy you know who knew he wanted to be an accountant or whatever by age 10. Said dude is always finished with his credits and pursuing a master's degree by junior year, at which point he starts his own small business, participates in a wide range of campus activities, volunteers at the local dog shelter and saves enough money to buy his high school sweetheart (or whomever) an engagement ring, because he just can't wait to settle down and start a family in his medium-sized midwestern hometown. He parties, too, but never too much. His shirt is usually tucked in. He has real silverware in his apartment, which is always clean. You really want to hate him, but you can't, because he's way too nice.

Everybody knows that guy.

Ohio State's rising senior point guard has long verged on "that guy" status. Not only is Craft a very, very good college basketball player -- probably the best perimeter defender in the country for each of his three (very successful) seasons, as well as a more-than-capable floor general and team leader -- he is also quite possibly the highest-achieving student-athlete in college sports. In 2012, he received the NCAA's Elite 89 award, which is "presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the final site for each NCAA championship," when he clocked in with a 3.89 GPA. Last summer, he was still openly bugging about the lone B he received in college, during a freshman chemistry class. ("It's a humbling thing. A sad day in the Craft household," Craft told SI.com last August. "It reminded me that not all is going to be handed to me." That left Craft's GPA at 3.87, "which is ridiculous, because it needs to be rounded up.")

The summer of 2012 was also the one in which Craft, miffed at having surgery to clear up bone spurs in his foot, found an academic silver lining: “The best thing about it is, he’s got two ‘bear’ classes right now, molecular genetics and physics," John Craft told the Columbus Dispatch last June. "The one, he is in class for four hours Tuesday through Friday, and he tells me he enjoys it because he can sit in the front of the classroom and put his leg up on a chair and not have to move around."

In other words, it was not exactly surprising to see the news -- broken in true muckraking fashion by Cleveland.com Tuesday -- that Aaron Craft has decided to make his That Guy status official. He is now engaged to be married.

Huge congratulations to the future Mr. and Mrs. Craft! pic.twitter.com/7MkmzvYE4s

— Craft's Roomies (@CRAFTroomies) September 9, 2013

That tweet comes from the @CRAFTroomies Twitter account, which broke the news to nearly 10,000 followers, many of them disappointed female fans. And yes, @CRAFTroomies really does appear to be a Twitter account run by Aaron Craft's roomies; covering Craft's every move -- waiting for the bus on his "last first day of school,", his excitement about NSYNC's Video Music Awards reunion, his affinity for stars and stripes bandanas and his casual grilling prowess, among many others. At least, I hope the account is actually run by Craft's roommates. That would be really creepy if it wasn't.

Anyway, point is, the cycle has been completed. Aaron Craft -- star basketball player, academic whiz-kid, and now fiance -- is officially that guy. As his dad told Cleveland.com last summer, "He just marches to the beat of a different drummer." Godspeed, Aaron. When you run for your Senate seat, we'll say we knew you when.

This week, ESPN.com is breaking down the nonconference schedules of each team in nine of the nation's top leagues. Next up: the American Athletic Conference.

CINCINNATI

Toughest: at New Mexico (Dec. 7)
Next toughest: NC State (Nov. 12), Xavier (Dec. 14), Pittsburgh (Dec. 17 in New York), Nebraska (Dec. 28)
The rest: North Carolina Central (Nov. 8), Appalachian State (Nov. 16), Campbell (Nov. 20), UMass Lowell (Nov. 26), Kennesaw State (Nov. 29), Middle Tennessee State (Dec. 21), Chicago State (Dec. 23)

Toughness scale (1-10): 5 -- This schedule could turn out better than it's currently ranked, but that will depend on how the unknown quantities of Pittsburgh and NC State turn out. For now it’s relatively toothless, especially because the Bearcats play just twice outside of Cincinnati.

CONNECTICUT

Toughest: Florida (Dec. 2), Harvard (Jan. 8 )
Next toughest: Maryland (Nov. 8 in Brooklyn, N.Y.), 2K Sports Classic (Nov. 22), at Washington (Dec. 22)
The rest: Yale (Nov. 11), Detroit (Nov. 14), Boston University (Nov. 17), Boston College (Nov. 21 in New York), Loyola (Nov. 26), Maine (Dec. 6), Stanford (Dec. 18), Eastern Washington (Dec. 28)

Toughness scale (1-10): 7 -- The Huskies come back from postseason purgatory with a bang this season and have a pretty decent schedule for a showcase. The Gators will be a top-15 team and Harvard ought to be (no, that’s not sarcasm). Throw in the 2K Sports, where UConn will open with improved BC and then either Indiana or Washington, and the Huskies have plenty to sink their teeth into.

HOUSTON

Toughest: Legends Classic (Nov. 25-26 in Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Next toughest: at Texas A&M (Dec. 4)
The rest: Texas State (Nov. 8), at UT-Pan American (Nov. 11), UT-San Antonio (Nov. 14), Lehigh (Nov. 17), Howard (Nov. 21), Texas-Corpus Christi (Nov. 30), San Jose State (Dec. 7), Alcorn State (Dec. 9), Louisiana-Lafayette (Dec. 14), Rice (Dec. 21)

Toughness scale (1-10): 2 -- Conference commissioner Mike Aresco might want to let the Cougars know that playing every directional university in the state of Texas does not a good schedule make. Playing Stanford at the Legends (and then either Pitt or Texas Tech) is OK, but if Houston is serious about stepping up its class, it has to beef up its schedule.

LOUISVILLE

Toughest: Hall of Fame Classic (Nov. 23-24 in Uncasville, Conn.), at Kentucky (Dec. 28)
Next toughest: Western Kentucky (Dec. 14)
The rest: Charleston (Nov. 9), Hofstra (Nov. 12), Hartford (Nov. 19), Cornell (Nov. 15), Southern Miss (Nov. 29), UMKC (Dec. 4), Louisiana-Lafayette (Dec. 7), Missouri State (Dec. 17), at Florida International (Dec. 21)

Toughness scale (1-10): 6 -- More than likely, the Cardinals will face North Carolina at Mohegan Sun. That game, partnered with the Kentucky grudge match in Lexington, makes for two pretty sensational games. Beyond those two headliners, though, this top-5 team doesn’t have a whole lot of games to turn your head.

MEMPHIS

Toughest: at Oklahoma State (Nov. 19), Old Spice Classic (Nov. 28-Dec. 1 in Orlando, Fla.), Florida (Dec. 17 in New York), Gonzaga (Feb. 8)
Next toughest: N/A
The rest: Austin Peay (Nov. 14), Nicholls State (Nov. 23), Northwestern State (Dec. 7), Arkansas-Little Rock (Dec. 13), Southeast Missouri State (Dec. 21), Jackson State (Dec. 28)

Toughness scale (1-10): 9 -- With the addition of Michael Dixon, Josh Pastner could have the best backcourt in the country. This schedule offers more than enough to test that theory. Along with the Gators and the semi-annual date with the Zags, the Tigers could run headlong into Marcus Smart and Oklahoma State for a second time in two weeks in the Old Spice Classic final.

RUTGERS

Toughest: NIT Season Tip-Off (Nov. 18-19, Nov. 27-29 in New York)
Next toughest: at George Washington (Dec. 4), Seton Hall (Dec. 8)
The rest: Florida A&M (Nov. 8), at UAB (Nov. 11), Yale (Nov. 14), William & Mary (Nov. 23), UNC-Greensboro (Dec. 14), Army (Dec. 22)
Toughness scale (1-10): 3 -- It’s honestly hard to judge this schedule, as the NIT Season Tip-Off schedule isn’t entirely set. The Scarlet Knights theoretically could run into Duke, Arizona or Alabama. Aside from that, the rivalry game against Seton Hall is good to see on the schedule.

SOUTH FLORIDA

Toughest: Oklahoma State (Nov. 25), Las Vegas Classic (Dec. 22-23)
Next toughest: at George Mason (Dec. 4), Alabama (Dec. 7), Florida Gulf Coast (Dec. 17)
The rest: Tennessee Tech (Nov. 9), Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 12), at Bowling Green (Nov. 15), Stetson (Nov. 22), Detroit (Nov. 30), Florida A&M (Dec. 19), at Bradley (Dec. 28)

Toughness scale (1-10): 6 with the potential for a 7 -- The potential boost comes in Las Vegas. If the Bulls can get past Mississippi State, they’d likely take on host UNLV. Regardless, any schedule that features Marcus Smart and Dunk City isn’t too shabby.

SOUTHERN METHODIST

Toughest: at Arkansas (Nov. 18), Corpus Christi Challenge (Nov. 29-30)
Next toughest: at Wyoming (Dec. 20)
The rest: TCU (Nov. 8 at American Airlines Arena), Rhode Island (Nov. 11), Arkansas Pine Bluff (Nov. 24), Sam Houston State (Nov. 26)

Toughness scale (1-10): Incomplete -- The Mustangs are in the process of finalizing their nonconference schedule. As of right now, Larry Brown’s squad does get a nice ACC bump against Virginia in Corpus Christi, and playing at Arkansas always carries bonus points.

TEMPLE

Toughest: Charleston Classic (Nov. 21-24), Villanova (Feb. 1)
Next toughest: Saint Joseph’s (Dec. 4), La Salle (Jan. 18 at the Palestra)
The rest: at Penn (Nov. 9), Kent State (Nov. 11), at Towson (Nov. 14), Texas (Dec. 7), Texas Southern (Dec. 18), LIU-Brooklyn (Dec. 21 in Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Toughness scale (1-10): 6 -- The rebuilding Owls will have their hands full here, especially in Charleston. Temple faces a similarly reconstructing team in Clemson in the first game, with a potential matchup with New Mexico looming. And then there is the Big 5. Never easy and getting harder, what with the re-emergence of La Salle and and improving Penn.

UCF

Toughest: Florida State (Nov. 13), at Miami (Nov. 21)
Next toughest: at Valparaiso (Nov. 26)
The rest: Tampa (Nov. 8), Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 17), at Florida Atlantic (Dec. 3), Stetson (Dec. 7), Howard (Dec. 11), Jacksonville (Dec. 17), Rio Grande (Dec. 21), Valparaiso (Dec. 22)

Toughness scale (1-10): 3 -- A home and home with Valpo? In the same season? That’s … interesting. Otherwise, Central Florida is getting Florida State and Miami a year too late. Both will still be a challenge for the Knights, no doubt, but they won’t be what they were a year ago.

This week, ESPN.com is breaking down the nonconference schedules of each team in nine of the nation's top leagues. Next up: the SEC.

ALABAMA

Toughest: NIT Season Tip-Off (Nov. 18-19, Nov. 27/29), Wichita State (Dec. 17), at UCLA (Dec. 28)
Next toughest: vs. Oklahoma (Nov. 8 in Dallas), Xavier (Dec. 21)
The rest: Texas Tech (Nov. 14), North Florida (Dec. 4), at South Florida (Dec. 7), Charleston Southern (Dec. 14), Robert Morris (Jan. 4)

Toughness scale (1-10): 7 -- Trevor Releford will have to carry a lot of weight for Anthony Grant’s program this season, even though the Crimson Tide will add a couple of top-100 recruits. His backcourt mate Trevor Lacey transferred to NC State during the offseason. So the turbulence could come early for this program. The NIT Season Tip-Off presents a variety of challenging possibilities. Final Four contender Wichita State will be a handful even though the Shockers travel to Tuscaloosa in mid-December. A road game against Pac-12 contender UCLA in renovated Pauley Pavilion will be difficult for this rebuilding program, too. And the matchups with Oklahoma and Xavier could also be interesting challenges for Bama.

ARKANSAS

Toughest: Maui Invitational (Nov. 25-27)
Next toughest: SMU (Nov. 18)
The rest: SIU-Edwardsville (Nov. 8), Louisiana (Nov. 15), Southeastern Louisiana (Dec. 3), Clemson (Dec. 7), Savannah State (Dec. 12), Tennessee-Martin (Dec. 19), South Alabama (Dec. 21), High Point (Dec. 28), Texas-San Antonio (Jan. 4)

Toughness scale (1-10): 3 -- Arkansas could have been an SEC contender, but BJ Young and Marshawn Powell turned pro. Now, the program will rely on a roster that lost 35.1 PPG from last season. The Razorbacks are young and could feel the fire early. But not often. The Razorbacks open the Maui Invitational against Cal. From there, they could play Syracuse, Baylor or Gonzaga. But it’s more likely that they’ll be matched up against Minnesota in the second round and Dayton or Chaminade on the final day of the tournament. There’s really nothing else here. Larry Brown is building something at SMU, but the Mustangs probably aren’t ready for the Big Dance yet. Only thing holding up this nonconference schedule are a few unlikely matchups in Hawaii.

AUBURN

Toughest: at Iowa State (Dec. 2)
Next toughest: Illinois (Dec. 8), Boston College (Dec. 22)
The rest: Nicholls State (Nov. 8), Northwestern State (Nov. 15), Jacksonville State (Nov. 19), Murray State (Nov. 23), Tennessee State (Nov. 26), Clemson (Dec. 19), Arkansas Pine-Bluff (Dec. 30), Florida A&M (Jan. 4)

Toughness scale (1-10): 3 -- Did a bunch of SEC teams get together and wager on who could assemble the ugliest nonconference schedule? Seems like it. Tony Barbee’s program certainly doesn’t have the worst nonconference slate in the league, but it’s still not great. It’ll be tough to get out of Ames with a win when the Tigers travel to Iowa State in early December and Illinois is rebuilding but John Groce’s team should be tough in his second season. The matchup against Boston College in December will be interesting. Maybe. Auburn is not expected to be a top-half team in the SEC. So perhaps this nonconference arrangement makes sense. To someone.

FLORIDA

Toughest: at Wisconsin (Nov. 12), at UConn (Dec. 2), Kansas (Dec. 10), Memphis (Dec. 17)
Next toughest: Florida State (Nov. 29)
The rest: North Florida (Nov. 8), Arkansas-Little Rock (Nov. 16), Southern (Nov. 18), Middle Tennessee (Nov. 21), at Jacksonville (Nov. 25), Savannah State (Dec. 9), Fresno State (Dec. 21), Richmond (Jan. 4)

Toughness scale (1-10): 10 -- This nonconference schedule is a beast. Billy Donovan’s program might be the only legitimate obstacle in Kentucky’s path to the SEC crown and the Gators will face a variety of contenders before they collide with Kentucky and the rest of the league. The Kansas matchup could move Florida into a top-five ranking or higher if it gets the win. And it won’t be much fun to play at UConn, a team that boasts one of the nation’s top backcourts. Josh Pastner reloaded at Memphis. And Wisconsin and Middle Tennessee shouldn’t be overlooked in another difficult nonconference slate for a national title contender.

GEORGIA

Toughest: Charleston Classic (Nov. 21-24)
Next toughest: at Colorado (Dec. 28)
The rest: Wofford (Nov. 8), Georgia Tech (Nov. 15), Appalachian State (Nov. 29), Chattanooga (Dec. 2), Lipscomb (Dec. 14), Gardner-Webb (Dec. 19), Western Carolina (Dec. 21), at George Washington (Jan. 3)

Toughness scale (1-10): 6 -- If Georgia beats Davidson in the opening round of the Charleston Classic, the Bulldogs could move on to face Temple then New Mexico in the championship. But that’s far from a guarantee for a team that lost lottery pick Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the NBA. The possibility, however, certainly helps. A road game against a Colorado squad that could steal the spotlight from Arizona and UCLA in the Pac-12 will be a challenge for Mark Fox’s squad in late December. Georgia Tech (Nov. 15) returns most of its top players from last season. Not exactly a gauntlet but enough challenges for a team hoping to stay out of the SEC’s basement.

KENTUCKY

Toughest: vs. Michigan State (Nov. 12 in Chicago), at North Carolina (Dec. 14), Louisville (Dec. 28)
Next toughest: Baylor (Dec. 6 in Arlington, Texas), vs. Providence (Dec. 1 in Brooklyn, N.Y.), Boise State (Dec. 10)
The rest: UNC-Asheville (Nov. 8), Northern Kentucky (Nov. 10), Robert Morris (Nov. 17), Texas-Arlington (Nov. 19), Cleveland State (Nov. 25), Eastern Michigan (Nov. 27), Belmont (Dec. 21)

Toughness scale (1-10): 10 -- Is there a rating higher than 10? John Calipari is not going to bring his highly touted recruiting class to Division I basketball with an easy introduction. Just the opposite, in fact. If Kentucky gets through this slate, then the Wildcats will more than justify the hype. They’ll face Michigan State, a team that’s certainly in the national title preseason conversation, in Chicago in early November. They play at Chapel Hill in mid-December. And then, the reigning champ, Louisville, comes to Lexington on Dec. 28. Oh, Baylor and Boise State -- who should both be in the preseason top 25 -- will be thirsty for an upset. The only knock against this lineup is that it features only one true road game. Still, good luck, youngsters.

LSU

Toughest: Old Spice Classic (Nov. 28-Dec. 1)
Next toughest: at UMass (Nov. 12)
The rest: Northwestern State (Nov. 16), New Orleans (Nov. 19), Southeastern Louisiana (Nov. 22), UL-Monroe (Dec. 14), at Texas Tech (Dec. 18), UAB (Dec. 21), McNeese State (Dec. 28), Rhode Island (Jan. 4)

Toughness scale (1-10): 5 -- In his first season, Johnny Jones went 19-12 with an LSU squad that should be much better this season. Johnny O’Bryant III (15 double-doubles) is back and nationally ranked recruits Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey will give the Tigers one of the best frontcourts in the SEC and, possibly, the nation. LSU’s opening slate, however, is only so-so. Too many subpar opponents. The Old Spice Classic, however, could change that. The Tigers could face both Memphis and Oklahoma State if they get past Saint Joseph’s in the opening round. But those matchups aren’t guaranteed. A road game against Atlantic 10 contender UMass in early November is worth mentioning. The rest of the nonconference schedule? Not so much.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

Toughest: at Utah State (Nov. 23), Florida Gulf Coast (Dec. 19)
Next toughest: Las Vegas Classic (Dec. 22-23)
The rest: Prairie View A&M (Nov. 8), Kennesaw State (Nov. 14), Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 19), Jackson State (Nov. 27), Loyola-Chicago (Dec. 1), TCU (Dec. 5), Southeastern Louisiana (Dec. 13), Florida A&M (Dec. 17), Maryland Eastern Shore (Jan. 2)

Toughness scale (1-10): 3 -- Last season, Rick Ray’s program was so depleted by injuries, suspensions and departures that he had to use a graduate assistant in practice. And then, the G.A. tore an ACL. It was an unlucky debut for the rookie head coach. Well, the Bulldogs’ early challenges will be limited in 2013-14. A December meeting with last season’s Cinderella, Florida Gulf Coast, could be their toughest nonconference game. It’s never easy to steal a win on the road against Utah State and UNLV might be waiting for the Bulldogs -- if they beat South Florida in the first round -- in the Las Vegas Classic. Not breathtaking but that might be the right fit for this program as it prepares for another challenging season.

MISSOURI

Toughest: UCLA (Dec. 7)
Next toughest: Illinois (Dec. 21), at NC State (Dec. 28)
The rest: Southeastern Louisiana (Nov. 8), Southern Illinois (Nov. 12), Hawaii (Nov. 16), Gardner-Webb (Nov. 23), IUPUI (Nov. 25), Las Vegas Invitational (Nov. 28-29), West Virginia (Dec. 5), Western Michigan (Dec. 15), Long Beach State (Jan. 4)

Toughness scale (1-10): 5 -- Frank Haith’s program lost four key players from last season’s underachieving squad, including point guard Phil Pressey. Once again, Haith’s team will have to rebuild chemistry with veterans (Earnest Ross, Jabari Brown) blending with newcomers (a nationally ranked recruiting class). Well, they won’t face much adversity early in the process. Their toughest nonconference opponent, UCLA, travels to Columbia. Rival Illinois will enter 2013-14 with a brand-new roster and limited experience. Other than that? Not much. Games against Northwestern and Nevada in the Las Vegas Invitational are lackluster. Perhaps NC State’s young studs will make a Dec. 28 clash against the Tigers interesting. Not much to get excited about, though.

OLE MISS

Toughest: Oregon (Dec. 8 )
Next toughest: Barclays Classic (Nov. 29-30 in Brooklyn, N.Y.), at Kansas State (Dec. 5)
The rest: Troy (Nov. 8), at Coastal Carolina (Nov. 16), Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 22), North Carolina A&T (Nov. 26), Middle Tennessee State (Dec. 14), Louisiana-Monroe (Dec. 18), Mercer (Dec. 22), at Western Kentucky (Dec. 30), Dayton (Jan. 4)

Toughness scale (1-10): 6 -- Ole Miss’ offseason has been all about Marshall Henderson, who was suspended indefinitely for reportedly failing a drug test. He could return at some point this season, and if he does, he might have to be better than he was a year ago with Murphy Holloway and Reginald Buckner gone. The good news for the Rebels is that they won’t have many tests before SEC play. Oregon is probably their toughest nonconference matchup and the Ducks have to replace some talented players from last season. Games against Georgia Tech and (potentially) St. John’s in Brooklyn probably won’t help much on Selection Sunday and a road game against Kansas State would be more interesting if Angel Rodriguez hadn’t transferred to Miami.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Toughest: at Baylor (Nov. 12), Oklahoma State (Dec. 6)
Next toughest: Diamond Head Classic (Dec. 22-25)
The rest: Longwood (Nov. 9), at Clemson (Nov. 17), Florida International (Nov. 24), Manhattan (Dec. 17), USC Upstate (Dec. 19), Akron (Dec. 28), Marshall (Dec. 30), South Carolina State (Jan. 3)

Toughness scale (1-10): 7 -- When he’s not listening to the latest Pitbull hit, Frank Martin is trying to enhance the South Carolina program. That task seemed nearly impossible prior to his arrival, but he’s building. The Gamecocks will take a multitude of losses with seven freshmen on the roster in 2013-14, but a year from now, they could surge up the SEC standings. As for this season … a road game against Baylor could be an unpleasant “Welcome to college basketball” moment for South Carolina’s youngsters. Oklahoma State might beat Martin’s squad by 30 or more in early December. The Diamond Head Classic features some talented potential opponents (Iowa State, Boise State), but the Gamecocks might not move past Saint Mary’s in the opening round.

TENNESSEE

Toughest: Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 28-30), at Wichita State (Dec. 14)
Next toughest: at Xavier (Nov. 12), NC State (Dec. 18), Virginia (Dec. 30)
The rest: USC Upstate (Nov. 16), The Citadel (Nov. 18), Tennessee State (Nov. 22), Tennessee Tech (Dec. 7), Morehead State (Dec. 23), Tusculum (Jan. 4)

Toughness scale (1-10): 8 -- Cuonzo Martin will guide one of the league’s -- and nation’s -- sleepers in 2013-14. Yes, the Vols could contend for the SEC title. But a win over something called Tusculum in early January won’t prove much. Ditto for matchups against The Citadel and USC Upstate. But the Vols could meet Kansas in the Battle 4 Atlantis title game. To get there, however, they’ll have to go through UTEP and then they’ll have to beat either Xavier or fellow sleeper Iowa. They’ll also travel to Xavier prior to the tournament. And it’s never easy to get a win over the Musketeers in Cincy. Virginia is stacked. And a road game against a Wichita State squad seeking revenge from a loss in Knoxville last season will be a major challenge for Martin’s program.

TEXAS A&M

Toughest: Corpus Christi Challenge (Nov. 29-30), vs. Oklahoma (Dec. 21 in Houston)
Next toughest: Buffalo (Nov. 8)
The rest: Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 11), Rice (Nov. 15), Prairie View A&M (Nov. 19), Sam Houston State (Nov. 24), Arkansas Pine-Bluff (Nov. 26), Houston (Dec. 4), McNeese State (Dec. 14), North Texas (Dec. 31), UTPA (Jan. 4)

Toughness scale (1-10): 1 -- This is just bad. Again. The Aggies didn’t have many obstacles during their nonconference season in 2012-13. That trend will continue in 2013-14. Ugh. An Oklahoma squad that probably won’t make the NCAA tournament is their toughest scheduled nonconference game. No. 2? Probably a matchup against a Buffalo team that will be led by new coach Bobby Hurley. Sure, the Aggies -- who lost standouts Elston Turner and Ray Turner -- could earn a game against Virginia in the Corpus Christi Challenge if they survive an opening-round meeting with Missouri State. That, however, is not enough to save this disappointing nonconference slate.

VANDERBILT

Toughest: Saint Louis (Dec. 30)
Next toughest: at Butler (Nov. 19), Paradise Jam (Nov. 22-25), at Texas (Dec. 2)
The rest: Georgia State (Nov. 12), Lipscomb (Nov. 15), Marshall (Dec. 5), Austin Peay (Dec. 17), Georgia Tech (Dec. 21), Northeastern (Jan. 4)

Toughness scale (1-10): 6 -- The bad news is that Vanderbilt is a mess right now. Top scorer Kedren Johnson and three other players from last season’s squad will not be available for the 2013-14 season. Even worse? The Commodores could enter the SEC campaign with multiple losses and little confidence. Atlantic 10 contender Saint Louis could do a lot of damage when it visits in late December. Butler has a new staff and no Roosevelt Jones, but Hinkle Fieldhouse will still be a crazy atmosphere that the Commodores will be asked to overcome in mid-November. They’ll open the Paradise Jam against Providence and subsequent matchups against La Salle and Maryland/Northern Iowa are possible. Texas lost a chunk of its roster, too. But the Longhorns can certainly beat this incomplete Vandy team at home. This could be an ugly nonconference season for Kevin Stallings’ program.

This week, ESPN.com is breaking down the nonconference schedules of each team in nine of the nation's top leagues. Next up: the Big Ten.

ILLINOIS

Toughest: at UNLV (Nov. 26), vs. Oregon (Dec. 14 in Portland, Ore.), vs. Missouri (Dec. 21 in St. Louis)
Next toughest: at Georgia Tech (Dec. 3)
The rest: Alabama State (Nov. 8), Jacksonville State (Nov. 10), Valparaiso (Nov. 13), Bradley (Nov. 17), Chicago State (Nov. 22), IPFW (Nov. 29), vs. Auburn (Dec. 8 in Atlanta), Dartmonth (Dec. 10), UIC (Dec. 28 in Chicago)

Toughness scale: 6 -- It's hard to really give the Illini a solid schedule grade, because it's hard to know just how good Illinois' best opponents really are. For example: It is never easy to win in the Thomas & Mack Center, but still-unproven center Khem Birch is the most certain thing about the Rebels' personnel in 2013-14; it looks like Dave Rice's team will be a quality road opponent, but impossible to make a guarantee to this effect. The same goes for Oregon and Missouri, both of whom should be solid at the very least, either of which could completely disappoint if their respective transfers don't pan out. A six feels fair to me, but it's an educated guess.

INDIANA

Toughest: 2K Sports Classic (Nov. 21-22), at Syracuse (Dec. 3), vs. Notre Dame (Dec. 14 in Indianapolis)
Next toughest: N/A?
The rest: Chicago State (Nov. 8), LIU Brooklyn (Nov. 12), Samford (Nov. 15), Stony Brook (Nov. 17), Evansville (Nov. 26), North Florida (Dec. 7), Oakland (Dec. 10), Nicholls State (Dec. 20), Kennesaw State (Dec. 22)

Toughness scale: 5 -- Two years since the collapse of its long-standing annual date with Kentucky, the Hoosiers have yet to find a home-and-home or even a neutral-court partnership to replace the strength they lost when the rivalry went awry. As such, Indiana's marquee nonconference games have been reduced to their participation in events: The 2K Sports Classic, where they'll play Washington and then either Boston College or Connecticut; the Crossroads Classic, where they'll play Notre Dame in front of a predominantly crimson crowd in downtown Indianapolis; and the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The good news, at least as it pertains to schedule strength, is that this season's ACC/Big Ten draw sends IU to Syracuse, where they'll face a rabid Orange crowd and another very good Jim Boeheim team just months removed from their season-ending loss to the Cuse in March.

IOWA

Toughest: Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 28-30), Notre Dame (Dec. 3)
Next toughest: at Iowa State (Dec. 13)
The rest: UNC-Wilmington (Nov. 8), Nebraska-Omaha (Nov. 10), Maryland Eastern Shore (Nov. 14), Abilene Christian (Nov. 17), Penn (Nov. 22), vs. Drake (Dec. 7 in Des Moines, Iowa), Farleigh Dickinson (Dec. 9), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Dec. 22)

Toughness scale: 6 -- Last season, the ahead-of-schedule Hawkeyes played some of the best defense in the Big Ten, finished top 20 in the Pomeroy adjusted efficiency rankings and made a deep run in the NIT. They were easily one of the best 60 teams in the country, but their nonconference schedule was so weak it precluded Fran McCaffery's squad from serious tournament consideration even as it played tight games with the best teams in the Big Ten every night. That shouldn't be as much of a problem this season, when Iowa will benefit from participation in the Battle 4 Atlantis (they'll face Xavier in the first round, and either Tennessee or UTEP in the second, maybe Kansas in the final?) and a much better opponent (Notre Dame) in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. They also get Iowa State -- which lost much of last season's excellent offensive group, but retained rising sophomore Georges Niang and that insane Hilton Coliseum home court -- in a quality true road fixture. This slate still isn't a murderers' row, but it shouldn't hold the Big Ten's most fashionable title sleeper back, either.

MICHIGAN

Toughest: Puerto Rico Tip-Off (Nov. 21-24), at Duke (Dec. 3), Arizona (Dec. 14)
Next toughest: at Iowa State (Nov. 17), vs. Stanford (Dec. 21 in Brooklyn)
The rest: UMass-Lowell (Nov. 8), South Carolina State (Nov. 12), Coppin State (Nov. 29), Houston Baptist (Dec. 7), Holy Cross (Dec. 28)

Toughness scale: 9 -- The 2012-13 national runners-up, and 2013-14 Big Ten co-favorites, will play a nonconference schedule befitting their newly elevated aspirations. The Puerto Rico Tip-Off, with VCU and Georgetown lurking, ranks among the best tournament events of November. The trip to Duke for the ACC/Big Ten needs little in the way of explanation. (Man, that is going to be a fun game.) The trip to Iowa State is no laughing matter, for reasons outlined in Iowa's blurb; the trip to Brooklyn to face defensive-minded Stanford will be a challenge, too. But the X factor in this schedule comes Dec. 14 when Sean Miller's loaded Arizona group arrives in Ann Arbor for a good old-fashioned campus nonconference tilt. Those kinds of games are rare in our modern, neutral court-dominated landscape, and neither program needed to schedule this one. But I'm happy to speak for most college basketball fans when I say how glad I am that they did.

MICHIGAN STATE

Toughest: vs. Kentucky (Nov. 12 in Chicago), North Carolina (Dec. 4), vs. Georgetown (Feb. 1 in New York City)
Next toughest: Coaches vs. Cancer Classic (Nov. 22-23), at Texas (Dec. 21)
The rest: McNeese State (Nov. 8), Columbia (Nov. 15), Portland (Nov. 18), Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 29), Oakland (Dec. 14), North Florida (Dec. 17), New Orleans (Dec. 28)

Toughness scale: 8 -- Most of Michigan State's schedule strength is derived from that monster Champions Classic matchup with potential preseason No. 1 Kentucky, John Calipari's most laughably-loaded group of talented freshmen ever -- which, two years removed from the 2012's 38-2 national title run, is saying something. The Dec. 4 home date against North Carolina won't be easy, but if the Tar Heels are without leading scorer and noted rental car enthusiast P.J. Hairston, the Spartans will be obvious favorites in the Breslin Center. Best-case scenario in the Coaches vs. Cancer (a win over Virginia Tech and a matchup with Oklahoma) still isn't much. The real pivot point comes in late December at Texas. For much of the past decade, that has been a brutal road test having less to do with Texas' crowds (sleepy) than with its teams (defensively brutal). If Barnes' team rebounds from last season's struggles and gets back to its usual spot in the top third of the Big 12, Tom Izzo's schedule looks a good sight harder. If not, it really comes down to that Kentucky game -- and what a game it will be. (Update: My first dig into the Spartans' schedule missed their Feb. 1 Super Bowl Sunday game against Georgetown in Madison Square Garden. The Hoyas are a bit of an unknown quantity without Otto Porter, but that's almost guaranteed to be a tough win to come away with, so I bumped them from seven to eight.)

MINNESOTA

Toughest: Maui Invitational (Nov. 25-27),
Next toughest: at Richmond (Nov. 16), Florida State (Dec. 3)
The rest: Lehigh (Nov. 8), Montana (Nov. 12), Coastal Carolina (Nov. 19), Wofford (Nov. 21), New Orleans (Dec. 7), South Dakota State (Dec. 10), Nebraska-Omaha (Dec. 20), Texas A&M Corpus Christi (Dec. 28)

Toughness scale: 4 -- The Gophers have at least one true standout game on their schedule: Their first-round Maui Invitational matchup with Syracuse, the best the 2013 Maui field has to offer. Which is not to say their trip to Richmond will be easy; indeed, after an injury-plagued 2012-13 season, Chris Mooney's program looks ready to pop back into tourney-bid contention this season. But that's basically it, besides a decent second Maui game with either Arkansas or Cal. Without would-be freshmen Andrew Wiggins (who chose Kansas instead) and Xavier Rathan-Meyes (who chose FSU, but wasn't cleared academically by the NCAA), the Seminoles could be in for another sub-.500 campaign, and from there it's all home cupcakes befitting a transitioning group -- which, under first-year coach Richard Pitino, is exactly what the Gophers are.

NEBRASKA

Toughest: at Creighton (Dec. 8), at Cincinnati (Dec. 28)
Next toughest: Charleston Classic (Nov. 21-22)
The rest: Florida Gulf Coast (Nov. 8), Western Illinois (Nov. 12), South Carolina State (Nov. 17), Northern Illinois (Nov. 30), Miami (Dec. 4), Arkansas State (Dec. 14), The Citadel (Dec. 21)

Toughness scale: 5 -- The signs of second-year coach Tim Miles' tepid forward progress are evident not only in the impending opening of Nebraska's new $300 million arena, or in his signing of impressive New Zealand native Tai Webster (who will immediately be the Cornhuskers' best player when he takes the court against Dunk City in early November), but also in Nebraska's schedule. The Charleston Classic could yield a matchup with New Mexico (not to mention first-round opponent UMass), the Dec. 28 trip to Cincinnati is a perfectly respectable road trip, and Dec. 8's visit to Creighton -- the one program whose success can be said to have played a role in Nebraska's newfound commitment to hoops -- has a chance to put the Cornhuskers on the radar before Big Ten play commences. Miles & Co. are still a year or two away, but there are green shoots all over the place here, and the slightly improved schedule is just one more piece of evidence.

NORTHWESTERN

Toughest: Las Vegas Invitational (Nov. 28-29), at NC State (Dec. 4)
Next toughest: at Stanford (Nov. 14)
The rest: Eastern Illinois (Nov. 9), Illinois State (Nov. 17), UIC (Nov. 20), IUPUI (Nov. 22), Gardner-Webb (Nov. 25), Western Michigan (Dec. 7), Mississippi Valley State (Dec. 16), Brown (Dec. 22), DePaul (Dec. 27)

Toughness scale: 6 -- First-year coach Chris Collins is the first person to admit that his rebuilding project will be a multiyear affair. The immediate future will be just as challenging: Collins has to get a group of players recruited to play former coach Bill Carmody's very specific (some would say gimmicky) style to update their entire philosophy toward a modern and more conventional approach. But Collins does have some players at his disposal in Year 1 -- fifth-year medical redshirt Drew Crawford, post-suspension junior JerShon Cobb, promising sophomore center Alex Olah -- set to play a nonconference schedule that helpfully avoids the softness that plagued the Wildcats' nascent tournament hopes in recent seasons. Two true road noncon games at Stanford and NC State complement a solid pair of back-to-back fixtures (Missouri, UCLA) in the Las Vegas Invitational. The point of all this? Northwestern has the schedule to compete for a tournament bid in Year 1. Whether it will have the results to get there -- and make Collins a lionized, conquering hero in 12 months’ time -- will be fascinating to see.

OHIO STATE

Toughest: at Marquette (Nov. 16), vs. Notre Dame (Dec. 21 in New York City)
Next toughest: Maryland (Dec. 4)
The rest: Morgan State (Nov. 9), Ohio (Nov. 12), American (Nov. 20), Wyoming (Nov. 25), North Florida (Nov. 29), Central Connecticut State (Dec. 7), Bryant (Dec. 11), North Dakota State (Dec. 14), Delaware (Dec. 18), Louisiana-Monroe (Dec. 27)

Toughness scale: 4 -- Save a trip to Duke, the Buckeyes' early schedule in 2012 was so gentle as to make their quality difficult to gauge. It took until February, when Shannon Scott, Aaron Craft, Lenzelle Smith Jr. and Sam Thompson congealed into a monster on the defensive perimeter, for the Buckeyes took on the look of a national title contender. (And they would have gotten to the Final Four, too, if it wasn't for those meddling kids Wichita State Shockers.) This season's slate is a bit more difficult, but not too much; its main attraction is that early road trip to Marquette, where Buzz Williams has forged an annual Sweet 16 attendee. Even if Dez Wells and the Maryland Terrapins prove better than expected, it's hard to see how they can put enough points on the Buckeyes in Columbus to keep pace. Four seems about right.

PENN STATE

Toughest: at Pittsburgh (Dec. 3)
Next toughest: La Salle (Nov. 19), Barclays Center Classic (Nov. 29-30 in Brooklyn, N.Y.)
The rest: Wagner (Nov. 9), Bucknell (Nov. 13), Longwood (Nov. 24), Monmouth (Nov. 26), Marshall (Dec. 7), Princeton (Dec. 14), Mount St. Mary's (Dec. 22)

Toughness scale: 4 -- Like Nebraska, Penn State's schedule is improved over recent seasons, and with D.J. Newbill returning and 2011-12's do-everything star Tim Frazier back from a season-ending Achilles tear, the Nittany Lions should improve along with it. It might be unfair to La Salle to keep them off that top line; the Explorers could still be a very dangerous team even without senior guard Ramon Galloway. The Barclays Center Classic offers a game against St. John's and a matchup with either Georgia Tech or Ole Miss, and putting a trip to Pittsburgh on the schedule doesn't only help coach Pat Chambers build his program's brand in a local recruiting zone, it also gives the Nittany Lions a real-deal road game against one of the nation's most consistent (and consistently RPI-friendly) programs.

PURDUE

Toughest: Old Spice Classic (Nov. 28-Dec. 1)
Next toughest: Boston College (Dec. 4), vs. Butler (Dec. 14 in Indianapolis), at West Virginia (Dec. 22)
The rest: Northern Kentucky (Nov. 8), Central Connecticut State (Nov. 13), Rider (Nov. 17), Eastern Illinois (Nov. 20), Siena (Nov. 24), Eastern Michigan (Dec. 7), Maryland Eastern Shore (Dec. 17)

Toughness scale: 5 -- The Boilermakers have one of those schedules that doesn't necessarily look great from this vantage point, but stands a reasonable chance of looking tougher and tougher as the season rolls on. How so? For starters, there's at least one really good game here -- the first-round Old Spice matchup with Oklahoma State and star point guard Marcus Smart. But a trip to West Virginia is never easy, and it's hard to imagine Bob Huggins' team repeating last season's monumental struggles. Boston College is a fringe ACC sleeper. And if Butler is better than most expect -- the Boilermakers could play the Bulldogs twice, if the two teams meet at the Old Spice in Orlando -- Matt Painter's team could benefit from a slate that proves better than the sum of its parts.

WISCONSIN

Toughest: Florida (Nov. 12), at Virginia (Dec. 4), Marquette (Dec. 7)
Next toughest: Cancun Challenge (Nov. 26-27), vs. St. John's (Nov. 8 in Sioux Falls, S.D.)
The rest: at Green Bay (Nov. 16), North Dakota (Nov. 19), Bowling Green (Nov. 21), Oral Roberts (Nov. 23), Milwaukee (Dec. 11), Eastern Kentucky (Dec. 14), Prairie View A&M (Dec. 28)

Toughness scale: 9 -- The Badgers' schedule is tough enough in the abstract. It's even tougher when you consider how quickly Bo Ryan will throw his team into the fire. The geographically baffling season opener against St. John's in Sioux Falls is one thing, but that game is followed by a visit from Florida just four days later. In late November, the Badgers will be the likely favorite in the two-game Cancun Challenge, but will have to get by both Saint Louis and (probably) West Virginia to come away with two wins. Then it's off to Charlottesville for a revenge game against Virginia, just three days before Marquette comes to the Kohl Center for another edition of Wisconsin's best basketball rivalry. Merely listing these games out doesn't quite do the schedule justice. You need to see the chronology to get the full, brutal picture.

Correction: An earlier version of this post substituted Temple coach Fran Dunphy for Iowa coach Fran McCaffery. It also neglected to list Michigan State's Feb. 1 game vs. Georgetown in Madison Square Garden, which is a pretty awesome game. Eamonn regrets the errors, and is now atoning via self-flagellation.

1. Arizona coach Sean Miller has quite a gem in incoming freshman forward Aaron Gordon, who had a breakout summer playing for the USA FIBA U-19 gold-medal winning team in the Czech Republic in July. Miller said this about Gordon, "Aaron's greatest talent lies in his mind -- highly competitive, intelligent, plays to win, great teammate. He combines this with exceptional athletic talent and physical gifts. It's this combination that makes his future so bright. He also is very young [just turned 18], which is one reason why I believe he continues to improve at a rapid pace.'' Arizona is a legit Final Four contender and should enter the season as a top-six team. Meanwhile, the Wildcats still don't know the bracket for the NIT Season Tip-Off. The four hosts -- Arizona, Duke, Rutgers and Alabama -- have to win two games to get to New York for Thanksgiving. Arizona and Duke will be on opposite sides, but the question will be which teams they each play to get to a potential final.

2. The A-10 put out its conference schedule last week. The league got the late-season rivalries right to draw interest from new member George Mason at George Washington on March 2 to VCU at Richmond on March 6 to La Salle at Saint Joseph's on the final day on March 9. A league needs to have games that matter for schools as much as possible late in the season. And there is a good chance that all of those games, save maybe the battle of Mason and GW, should have A-10 top seeding possibilities. Saint Louis, one of the favorites in the A-10, has quite a finish with two of three on the road at VCU on March 1 and closing the season at UMass on March 9. Earlier in the conference season, the game of the month of January may be VCU at La Salle on Jan. 25. The A-10 should have five to six schools in contention for bids, with likely four or so earning berths in March.

3. This comment from UConn coach Kevin Ollie speaks volumes after Tyler Olander was suspended for his DUI when asked about how this affects the Huskies' frontcourt: "I don't care about what's going on with our bigs rotation but do care about Tyler as a person.'' Ollie is proving his personal character is transferring over to his coaching. He isn't going to compromise. Meanwhile, Ollie said guard Omar Calhoun isn't cleared yet for five-on-five after offseason hip surgery but is working out at full speed with the coaching staff. Ollie added that Shabazz Napier is "looking great. Wow.'' Napier has a real shot to be an All-American, let alone one of the top contenders for American Athletic Conference player of the year.

Are you ready? Have you girded your loins? The official start of the basketball season is just under two months away, and the first official day of practice is in less than three weeks. Have you come to terms with what this season will mean, with the insane hype that will attend it, with the NBA's unusual laser-focus on the collegiate ranks? Have you prepared yourself to ignore your Association-obsessed friends when they gripe on Twitter about how "unwatchable" the college game is, as they conveniently pretend the Sacramento Kings don't exist?

You should, because it's going to happen. The flood is coming. And it's not just a basketball flood or a mainstream sports thing. It's going to go wider than that. It's going to get cultural.

Why? Kentucky is why. Julius Randle is why. Jabari Parker is why. And more than any other, Andrew Wiggins is why.

How do I know this? Because this already happened:



That's a quick Instagram video of Wiggins posing for a photo shoot for GQ. GQ, if you don't know (you do, but just in case) is not a sports magazine. It is a very general interest men's fashion and culture magazine that spends most of its time writing about male movie stars, aspirational fashion, overpriced hair products and shoe trees. It only rarely spends its time on sports, and only then when something (or someone) achieves some measure of crossover recognition.

As our friends at NBC note, Wiggins hasn't even participated in a full practice with Kansas, let alone played in a game. But here he is, modeling KU's new jerseys, doing the double-palm thing required of every basketball player during photo shoots. Unlike Rob at NBC, I don't see amateurism undertones at work here; amateur athletes pose for magazines all the time.

No, this is more revealing of what this upcoming season has in store. NBA fans are going to tack their obsession onto Wiggins and Parker and Randle, and even the most casual, mainstream sports fans are going to tune in to see the "next LeBron James" (which, just wait, someone will say it). Our quiet, peaceful little college hoops neighborhood is about to be overrun with TV cameras straining for shots of the new neighbors. It's going to be pretty crazy around here for a while.

This week, ESPN.com is breaking down the nonconference schedules of each team in nine of the nation's top leagues. Next up: the Big East.

BUTLER

Toughest: Old Spice Classic (Nov. 28-Dec. 1 in Orlando, Fla.), Purdue (Dec. 14 in Indianapolis)
Next toughest: Princeton (Nov. 16)
The rest: Lamar (Nov. 9), Vanderbilt (Nov. 19), at Ball State (Nov. 23), North Dakota (Dec. 7), Manchester (Dec. 9), at Evansville (Dec. 21), NJIT (Dec. 28)

Toughness scale (1-10): 4 -- This isn’t an overwhelming schedule for first-year coach Brandon Miller, but it’s not a complete cakewalk either -- especially since Roosevelt Jones is out for the year. The Old Spice Classic gives the Bulldogs some pop, with a potential date with Marcus Smart and Oklahoma State in the second round (with Washington State as the opener) or Memphis down the road.

CREIGHTON

Toughest: Wooden Legacy (Nov. 28-Dec.1 in Fullerton and Anaheim, Calif.)
Next toughest: at Saint Joseph’s (Nov. 16), California (Nov. 22), at Long Beach State (Dec. 3), Nebraska (Dec. 8)
The rest: Alcorn State (Nov. 8), UMKC (Nov. 11), Tulsa (Nov. 23), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Dec. 17)

Toughness scale (1-10): 5 -- The hefty Wooden Legacy gives the Bluejays a challenge. There’s a first-round date with Arizona State and Jahii Carson then possibly San Diego State and a potential matchup with either Marquette or Miami on the other side. But for a loaded lineup like Creighton has, I would have hoped to see a little more meat in the nonconference schedule.

DEPAUL

Toughest: CBE Classic (Nov. 25-26 in Kansas City, Mo.), Arizona State (Dec. 6)
Next toughest: at Northwestern (Dec. 27)
The rest: Grambling State (Nov. 9), Southern Miss (Nov. 13), Wright State (Nov. 16), at Milwaukee (Nov. 19), Oregon State (Dec. 1), Florida Atlantic (Dec. 12), Chicago State (Dec. 15), Houston Baptist (Dec. 18), at Illinois State (Dec. 22)

Toughness scale (1-10): 5 -- If this is the year the Blue Demons turn the corner, they will have earned their stripes. This is a decent schedule, thanks largely to an opening date with Final Four participant Wichita State in the semis of the CBE Classic. (Texas and BYU are on the other side.) Tussles with Arizona State and Northwestern also add some muscle.

GEORGETOWN

Toughest: Oregon (Nov. 8 in Seoul, South Korea), at Kansas (Dec. 21), Michigan State (Feb. 1 in New York)
Next toughest: Puerto Rico Tip-Off (Nov. 21-24)
The rest: Wright State (Nov. 13), Lipscomb (Nov. 30), High Point (Dec. 5), Colgate (Dec. 7), Elon (Dec. 17), Florida International (Dec. 28)

Toughness scale (1-10): 10 -- Short of matching up with Kentucky in Kabul, I’m not sure how John Thompson III could have made his schedule much more daunting. From South Korea to Lawrence, with a date with Michigan State for added fun, that’s literally anyone anywhere. There’s also a pretty decent Puerto Rico Tip-Off field, with VCU, Michigan, Kansas State and Florida State.

MARQUETTE

Toughest: Ohio State (Nov. 16), New Mexico (Nov. 21), at Wisconsin (Dec. 7)
Next toughest: Arizona State (Nov. 25), Wooden Legacy (Nov. 28-Dec. 1 in Fullerton and Anaheim, Calif.)
The rest: Southern (Nov. 8), Grambling State (Nov. 12), New Hampshire (Nov. 21), IUPUI (Dec. 14), Ball State (Dec. 17), Samford (Dec. 28)

Toughness scale (1-10): 10 -- Love when a good team plays a good schedule. Buzz Williams has a delicious mix, traipsing across leagues (Big Ten, Pac-12 and Mountain West) and mixing in a decent tourney as well. The only oddity is that the Wooden Legacy title game might merely be a Big East preview, with Creighton and Marquette seemingly headed toward each other.

PROVIDENCE

Toughest: Kentucky (Dec. 1 in Brooklyn)
Next toughest: Boston College (Nov. 8), Paradise Jam (Nov. 22-25 in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands), UMass (Dec. 28)
The rest: Brown (Nov. 13), Marist (Nov. 16), Vermont (Nov. 18), Fairfield (Nov. 29), at Rhode Island (Dec. 5), Yale (Dec. 17), Maine (Dec. 21)

Toughness scale (1 to 10): 4 -- Yes, Kentucky is on the schedule, which is big, but one game does not a schedule make. The Paradise Jam is a bunch of meh, with Maryland and La Salle the only intriguing opponents available. The rest of the Friars’ schedule is just a trip through New England.

SETON HALL

Toughest: Coaches vs. Cancer (Nov. 22-23 in New York)
Next toughest: at Rutgers (Dec. 8)
The rest: Niagara (Nov. 9), Kent State (Nov. 13), at Mercer (Nov. 16), Monmouth (Nov. 18), Fairleigh Dickinson (Dec. 1), LIU Brooklyn (Dec. 5), NJIT (Dec. 10), St. Peter’s (Dec. 14), Eastern Washington (Dec. 22), Lafayette (Dec. 27)

Toughness scale (1 to 10): 2 -- If the Pirates beat Oklahoma in the Coaches vs. Cancer, they might face Michigan State. Or they might not. And that’s about all there is to like about this schedule.

ST. JOHN’S

Toughest: Wisconsin (Nov. 8 in Sioux Falls, S.D.), Syracuse (Dec. 15)
Next toughest: Bucknell (Nov. 19), Barclays Center Classic (Nov. 29-30 in Brooklyn)
The rest: Wagner (Nov. 15), Monmouth (Nov. 22), Longwood (Nov. 26), Fordham (Dec. 7), San Francisco (Dec. 18), Youngstown State (Dec. 21), Columbia (Dec. 28), Dartmouth (Jan. 18)

Toughness scale (1 to 10): 6 -- The Red Storm’s top two games are pretty good, and bonus points for playing the Badgers in Sioux Falls. After Penn State in Brooklyn, they face a decent test from either Ole Miss or Georgia Tech. The rest isn’t much to look at.

VILLANOVA

Toughest: Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 28-30 in the Bahamas), at Syracuse (Dec. 28)
Next toughest: at Saint Joseph’s (Dec. 7), La Salle (Dec. 15), at Temple (Feb. 1)
The rest: Lafayette (Nov. 8), Mount St. Mary’s (Nov. 13), Towson (Nov. 17), Delaware (Nov. 22), Penn (Dec. 4), Rider (Dec. 21)

Toughness scale (1-10): 8 -- To understand this ranking, you have to understand the Big Five. Even when the Philly schools are down, the games are brutal, and with La Salle, Penn and St. Joe’s on the uptick, the city series is a beast. Now mix in a Battle 4 Atlantis that opens with USC and then likely Kansas (with Tennessee, Iowa or Xavier as likely third opponents) plus a visit to the Carrier Dome and you have a solid slate for Jay Wright’s crew.

XAVIER

Toughest: Tennessee (Nov. 12), Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 28-30 in the Bahamas), Cincinnati (Dec. 14)
Next toughest: Alabama (Dec. 21)
The rest: Gardner-Webb (Nov. 8), Morehead State (Nov. 18), Miami (Ohio) (Nov. 20), Abilene Christian (Nov. 25), Bowling Green (Dec. 7), Evansville (Dec. 10), Wake Forest (Dec. 28)

Toughness scale (1-10): 8 -- Like Villanova, the Musketeers get a nice boost from playing in Atlantis, taking on a good Iowa team in the opening round. An on-the-rise Tennessee offers bonus points (and they could face the Vols for a second time in the Bahamas), as does the annual Crosstown Classic with the Bearcats.

This week, ESPN.com is breaking down the nonconference schedules of each team in nine of the nation's top leagues. Let's carry on with the ACC.

BOSTON COLLEGE

Toughest: 2K Sports Classic (Nov. 21-22), at Purdue (Dec. 4), vs. VCU (Dec. 28 in Brooklyn), at Harvard (Jan. 1)
Next-toughest: at Providence (Nov. 8), vs. UMass (Nov. 10 at TD Garden, Boston)
The rest: Toledo (Nov. 14), Florida Atlantic (Nov. 17), Sacred Heart (Nov. 26), at USC (Dec. 8), vs. Philadelphia (Dec. 15), at Auburn (Dec. 22)

Toughness scale (1-10): 7 — The differences between Boston College's 2012-13 schedule and its slate in 2013-14 mirror the differences in the two squads' expectations. Last season's Eagles were young and still very much rebuilding; this year's group, led by Ryan Anderson and Olivier Hanlan, has serious sleeper potential. We'll get to see just how much in late November, when Steve Donahue's team takes on UConn and then either Indiana or Washington in Madison Square Garden, followed by a trip to Purdue, a New Year's date at Harvard, and what should be a fascinating nonconference sojourn to New York City to play VCU.

CLEMSON

Toughest: Charleston Classic (Nov. 21-24), at Arkansas (Dec. 7)
Next-toughest: South Carolina (Nov. 17)
The rest: Stetson (Nov. 8), Delaware State (Nov. 13), Coastal Carolina (Nov. 29), South Carolina State (Dec. 3), Furman (Dec. 14), at Auburn (Dec. 19), VMI (Dec. 30)

Toughness scale (1-10): 2 — I'm not sure whether it's possible to hand out a zero in these nonconference rankings. I'm pretty sure it's never been done. And I haven't seen every schedule in the country yet, I admit. But still: Clemson's schedule is … not great. It is possessed of exactly one interesting event -- the Charleston Classic, aka "a bunch of so-so teams and New Mexico" -- and, save a trip to Arkansas (if that), nothing else. (This isn't actual criticism, by the way. Clemson looks as if it's in the process of a big rebuild, and you wouldn't expect it to schedule hard in advance of this loaded ACC. But still. Ick.)

DUKE

Toughest: vs. Kansas (Nov. 12 in Chicago), NIT Season Tip-Off (Nov. 27-29), Michigan (Dec. 3), vs. UCLA (Dec. 19 in New York City)
Next-toughest: Davidson (Nov. 8)
The rest: Florida Atlantic (Nov. 15), UNC Asheville (Nov. 18), East Carolina/Norfolk State (Nov. 19), Vermont (Nov. 24), Gardner-Webb (Dec. 16), Eastern Michigan (Dec. 28), Elon (Dec. 31)

Toughness scale (1-10): 8 — The Blue Devils rarely overdo it with their schedules, but just as rarely make it to ACC season without at least a handful of solid results on their docket. So it is again in 2013-14, if slightly tougher than the norm. That's true for a few reasons: Duke drew high-powered Michigan in its ACC/Big Ten matchup; Duke plays Kansas, which landed uber-recruit Andrew Wiggins this summer, in the Champions Classic in November; the Blue Devils look likely to get Arizona in the NIT Season Tip-Off; and UCLA could be formidable if the leftover talent from Ben Howland's tenure jells under Steve Alford. But all of these games are safely within the Blue Devils' sphere of influence. Somehow, Coach K managed to get two of the West Coast's marquee programs without going any farther west than Chicago. Same as it ever was.

FLORIDA STATE

Toughest: Puerto Rico Tip-Off (Nov. 21-24), at Florida (Nov. 29)
Next-toughest: at Minnesota (Dec. 3)
The rest: Jacksonville (Nov. 8), at UCF (Nov. 13), UT-Martin (Nov. 17), Jacksonville State (Dec. 8), Charlotte (Dec. 17), vs. Massachusetts (Dec. 21 in Sunrise, Fla.), Charleston Southern (Dec. 30)

Toughness scale (1-10): 7 — Florida State's season would have looked much different if two freshmen -- Wiggins, who looked hard at his parents' alma mater before choosing to go to Kansas instead; and Xavier Rathan-Mayes, a top-50 recruit who did not get through the NCAA clearinghouse this spring -- had joined up. Without them, star forward Okaro White has a daunting challenge ahead of him all season, beginning with a really good field in Puerto Rico (with first-round opponent VCU, plus Michigan, Georgetown, Kansas State in the mix), followed by road trips to Florida and Minnesota in close succession.

GEORGIA TECH

Toughest: Barclays Center Classic (Nov. 29-30), Illinois (Dec. 3)
Next-toughest: at Georgia (Nov. 15), Dayton (Nov. 20) The rest: Presbyterian (Nov. 8), Delaware State (Nov. 11), North Carolina A&T (Nov. 24), Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 26), East Tennessee State (Dec. 7), Kennesaw State (Dec. 16), at Vanderbilt (Dec. 21), at Charlotte (Dec. 29)

Toughness scale (1-10): 5 — The Yellow Jackets don't have a ton here, but what they do have is solid enough, given where the program is sitting (probably best described as "getting better, if slowly") under third-year coach Brian Gregory. The Barclays Center Classic is a better-than-you-think event, with Ole Miss (and Marshall Henderson, which should be fun) followed by Penn State or St. John's, both of which should be improved over 2012-13. Illinois is the other notable nonconference game, a rematch of last season's 75-62 loss in Champaign, Ill.

MARYLAND

Toughest: UConn (Nov. 8 in Brooklyn), at Ohio State (Dec. 4)
Next-toughest: Oregon State (Nov. 17), Paradise Jam (Nov. 22-25)
The rest: Abilene Christian (Nov. 13), Morgan State (Nov. 29), at George Washington (Dec. 8), Florida Atlantic (Dec. 14), Boston University (Dec. 21), Tulsa (Dec. 29), North Carolina Central (Dec. 31)

Toughness scale (1-10): 6 — The Terrapins won't get much in the way of RPI boost out of their early-season tournament; La Salle, Providence and maybe Northern Iowa appear to be the only reasonable challengers in the Virgin Islands. But the Terps do have a good opening night date with UConn in Brooklyn, similar to last year's near miss against Kentucky, and the Big Ten-ACC Challenge sends them to Ohio State, which is guaranteed to be a win on the RPI sheet no matter what happens on the floor.

MIAMI

Toughest: Wooden Legacy (Nov. 28-Dec. 1)
Next-toughest: La Salle (Dec. 22)
The rest: St. Francis (Nov. 8), Georgia Southern (Nov. 11), Texas Southern (Nov. 14), at Charleston (Nov. 18), UCF (Nov. 21), Nebraska (Dec. 4), at Savannah State (Dec. 19), Loyola-Md. (Dec. 30)

Toughness scale (1-10): 6 — After a thoroughly euphoric 2012-13 season marked by an ACC regular-season and tournament title, a No. 2 tournament seed, and a first-round draft pick (point guard Shane Larkin), the Hurricanes are due for a serious hangover in 2013-14. Fortunately, their nonconference schedule shouldn't be too punishing. Other than the Wooden Legacy -- a quality field featuring Creighton, Marquette, San Diego State and Arizona State -- La Salle is the one real opponent of note, and the Explorers have to come to Coral Gables.

NORTH CAROLINA

Toughest: Hall of Fame Tipoff (Nov. 23-24), at Michigan State (Dec. 4), Kentucky (Dec. 14)
Next-toughest: Texas (Dec. 18)
The rest: Oakland (Nov. 8), Holy Cross (Nov. 15), Belmont (Nov. 17), at UAB (Dec. 1), UNC Greensboro (Dec. 7), Davidson (Dec. 21), Northern Kentucky (Dec. 27), UNC Wilmington (Dec. 31)

Toughness scale (1-10): 9 — The usual North Carolina scheduling partners are all here. There's that trip to Michigan State (this time thanks to the ACC/Big Ten Challenge), the home-and-home with Texas, the huge mid-December date with Kentucky -- it's all there. This year, UNC even adds to that with the Hall of Fame Tipoff tournament, which, if expectations hold, will put the Tar Heels up against defending national champion Louisville in Uncasville, Conn. (after an opening game against Richmond). That means the Heels are likely to face the preseason No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the country before the middle of December. Not too shabby.

NC STATE

Toughest: at Cincinnati (Nov. 12), at Tennessee (Dec. 18)
Next-toughest: Missouri (Dec. 28)
The rest: Appalachian State (Nov. 8), Campbell (Nov. 16), North Carolina Central (Nov. 20), Florida Gulf Coast (Nov. 26), Eastern Kentucky (Nov. 30), Northwestern (Dec. 4), Long Beach State (Dec. 7), Detroit (Dec. 14), East Carolina (Dec. 21)

Toughness scale (1-10): 5 -- NC State's young but promising batch of talent might surprise some people this season, particularly if the Wolfpack are ready for those key road dates at Cincinnati and Tennessee. It's hard to know what to expect from Missouri this season, but that could end up being a quality chance for a nonconference win in Raleigh. A two-loss nonconference run -- or better -- would have folks jumping aboard the T.J. Warren bandwagon just in time for ACC play.

NOTRE DAME

Toughest: at Iowa (Dec. 3), vs. Ohio State (Dec. 21 in New York)
Next-toughest: vs. Indiana (Dec. 14 in Indianapolis, Ind.)
The rest: Miami (Ohio) (Nov. 8), Stetson (Nov. 10), Indiana State (Nov. 17), Santa Clara (Nov. 22), Army (Nov. 24), Cornell (Dec. 1), Delaware (Dec. 7), Bryant (Dec. 9), North Dakota State (Dec. 11), Canisius (Dec. 29)

Toughness scale (1-10): 7 -- Notre Dame's official welcome to the ACC doesn't come in January but rather in the first week of December, when the Irish travel to Iowa for their first ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchup. At any point in the past few years, that would have been a perfectly manageable game, but the ascending Hawkeyes are one of the best defensive teams in their league, and Carver-Hawkeye is close to full, rollicking buy-in once more. The Crossroads Classic draw against Indiana is interesting, if not as intimidating as last season, and the Gotham Classic will match Mike Brey's team with the stifling Ohio State defense in Madison Square Garden just before Christmas break.

PITTSBURGH

Toughest: vs. Cincinnati (Dec. 17 in New York)
Next-toughest: N/A
The rest: Savannah State (Nov. 8), Fresno State (Nov. 12), Howard (Nov. 17), Lehigh (Nov. 20), Legends Classic (Nov. 25-26 in Brooklyn), Duquesne (Nov. 30), Penn State (Dec. 3), Loyola Marymount (Dec. 6), Youngstown State (Dec. 14), Cal Poly (Dec. 21), Albany (Dec. 31)

Toughness scale (1-10): 1. In recent seasons, few coaches have proved as good at gaming the Rating Percentage Index as Jamie Dixon. This is not a criticism; the NCAA's current system is made to be gamed, and, by this point, coaches who don't at least try to use the faulty system to their advantage are leaving potential seed-line improvements on the table. So I'm guessing that, by the end of the season, Pitt's RPI will be in solid shape. (And maybe the new-look ACC will take care of that on its own.) But that aside, this is a straight-up awful basketball schedule. Just … ugh. Cincinnati in Madison Square Garden is the only "marquee" game on the list, and that's a generous application of the term. The Legends Classic features an opening game against Texas Tech and a second-round matchup against either Stanford or Houston. None of those teams is truly awful -- same goes for Penn State on Dec. 3 -- but they're hardly inspiring opponents, either.

SYRACUSE

Toughest: Maui Invitational (Nov. 25-27), Indiana (Dec. 3)
Next-toughest: Villanova (Dec. 28), at St. John's (Dec. 15)
The rest: Cornell (Nov. 8), Fordham (Nov. 12), Colgate (Nov. 16, St. Francis-N.Y. (Nov. 18), Binghamton (Dec. 7), High Point (Dec. 20), Eastern Michigan (Dec. 31)

Toughness scale (1-10): 6 -- This score is awarded mostly for the Maui Invitational, which boasts a typically deep, if not vintage, field (Gonzaga, Baylor, Minnesota, Cal, Dayton, Arkansas, Chaminade). But it's worth noting that Indiana game at the Carrier Dome, which will be more of a test for the young Hoosiers, sure, but is nonetheless a big rematch of Syracuse's dominant Sweet 16 win in March. There are also two fixtures against former Big East foes Villanova and St. John's. The former is an improving, defensive group that took down the Orange in Philly last season; the latter is a road game against a talented but disjointed Red Storm.

VIRGINIA

Toughest: VCU (Nov. 12), Wisconsin (Dec. 4), at Tennessee (Dec. 30)
Next-toughest: Northern Iowa (Dec. 21)
The rest: James Madison (Nov. 8), vs. Davidson (Nov. 16 in Charlotte), Navy (Nov. 19), Liberty (Nov. 23), Hampton (Nov. 26), Corpus Christi Challenge (Nov. 29-30), at Green Bay (Dec. 7), Norfolk State (Dec. 23)

Toughness scale (1-10): 7 -- VCU and Virginia don't have much of a historical basketball rivalry because why would they? But now that Shaka Smart's program has become the state's most notable, it makes sense for Tony Bennett to schedule the Rams, whose pressure defense will be a huge stylistic test for the slow-and-steady Cavaliers in Charlottesville. Wisconsin, which lost to Virginia in Madison last season, won't be that but will be a tough home date in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and a road trip at Tennessee rounds out the slate. UVa missed the tournament last season mostly thanks to (a) a bad noncon schedule and (b) a bunch of really bad noncon losses. This slate should help nullify both concerns.

VIRGINIA TECH

Toughest: Coaches vs. Cancer (Nov. 22-23), vs. VCU (Dec. 21 at Richmond Coliseum)
Next-toughest: West Virginia (Nov. 12)
The rest: USC Upstate (Nov. 9), Western Carolina (Nov. 15), VMI (Nov. 18), Furman (Nov. 26), Radford (Nov. 29), Winthrop (Dec. 3), UNC Greensboro (Dec. 28), Maryland-Eastern Shore (Dec. 31)

Toughness scale (1-10): 4 -- The Coaches vs. Cancer event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn features a first-round game against Michigan State and a matchup against either Oklahoma or Seton Hall, and the home date against VCU at the Richmond Coliseum is really more like a road game. And honestly, that's probably good enough for the Hokies right now. Virginia Tech was a bit of a mess in James Johnson's first season, and that was with guard Erick Green, who submitted one of the best, most efficient all-around offensive seasons of the past half decade or so. Without him, it's going to get ugly.

WAKE FOREST

Toughest: Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 28-30), at Xavier (Dec. 28)
Next-toughest: Richmond (Dec. 7)
The rest: Colgate (Nov. 8), VMI (Nov. 12), Presbyterian (Nov. 15), Jacksonville (Nov. 18), The Citadel (Nov. 21), Tulane (Dec. 4), St. Bonaventure (Dec. 17), UNC Greensboro (Dec. 21)

Toughness scale (1-10): 5 — Even if Xavier still isn't back to Top 25-level hoops by late December, the Cintas Center is a brutal place to play. But the main feature of this nonconference schedule is Wake's trip to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis, where it will play Wiggins and Kansas in the first round (which, good luck with that), followed by USC or Villanova, with Iowa, Tennessee, UTEP and Xavier lurking on the other side of the bracket. This is a crucial year for maligned coach Jeff Bzdelik and his boss, athletic director Ron Wellman. The Deacs absolutely have to show some signs of progress early on.

For the next three days, ESPN.com will be breaking down the nonconference schedules of each team in nine of the nation's top leagues. Let's begin with the Atlantic 10.

DAYTON

Toughest: Maui Invitational (Nov. 25-27), Ole Miss (Jan. 4)
Next-toughest: USC (Dec. 22), at Georgia Tech (Nov. 20), Iona (Dec. 19)
The rest: IPFW (Nov. 9), St. Francis-Pa. (Nov. 13), St. Francis-N.Y. (Nov. 16), Delaware State (Dec. 4), at Illinois State (Dec. 7), Central Michigan (Dec. 14), Murray State (Dec. 29), Winthrop (Jan. 1)

Toughness scale (1-10): 7 -- Archie Miller’s program boasts one of the league’s tougher nonconference slates. The Maui tournament is the core of the schedule. The Flyers will open the holiday tournament with a matchup against WCC favorite Gonzaga. Possible meetings with Baylor, Syracuse, Cal and/or Arkansas could add even more credibility to Dayton’s lineup. USC at home and Georgia Tech on the road are solid challenges, as are mid-major opponents Iona, Illinois State and Murray State.

DUQUESNE

Toughest: Pittsburgh (Nov. 30)
Next-toughest: at West Virginia (Nov. 17), Robert Morris (Dec. 14)
The rest: Abilene Christian (Nov. 9), New Hampshire (Nov. 13), Albany (Nov. 20), UMBC (Dec. 4), Penn State (Dec. 11), St. Francis-Pa. (Dec. 17), UMass-Lowell (Dec. 21), at Texas-Pan American (Dec. 29), Appalachian State (Jan. 2)

Toughness scale (1-10): 4 -- So, there’s Pitt. And then, this becomes a game of “Wait … what team?” A lot of relatively unknown opponents on Duquesne’s nonconference schedule. Abilene Christian? Appalachian State? Robert Morris, which defeated Kentucky in the opening round of the NIT last season, will be one of Duquesne’s toughest opponents. WVU likely will be mediocre again. Even Pitt, the star of the slate, lost a lot from last season, so this isn’t the typical Jamie Dixon program. Can’t get too excited about Duquesne’s first two months of 2013-14.

FORDHAM

Toughest: at Syracuse (Nov. 12), Harvard (Dec. 28)
Next-toughest: at St. John’s (Dec. 7)
The rest: St. Francis-Pa. (Nov. 8), Lehigh (Nov. 15), Sacred Heart (Nov. 23), at Manhattan (Nov. 26), Furman (Dec. 4), at Colgate (Dec. 10), Howard (Dec. 14), at Monmouth (Dec. 21), Loyola-Chicago (Dec. 23), Siena (Dec. 30)

Toughness scale (1-10): 6 -- For an Atlantic 10 contender, this would be a decent slate. A lot of power at the top (Syracuse, Harvard, St. John’s) and a bunch of filler the rest of the way. But for a Fordham squad that’s expected to finish near the bottom of the conference standings again, this is not an easy path. Syracuse could win the ACC in its first year in the league. Harvard returns the top players from an NCAA tourney squad and adds veterans Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry, who were suspended last season.

GEORGE MASON

Toughest: Diamond Head Classic (Dec. 22-25)
Next-toughest: Oklahoma (Dec. 8), Northern Iowa (Nov. 16), at Iona (Nov. 23), at Princeton (Nov. 26)
The rest: American (Nov. 8), at Lamar (Nov. 12), St. Francis (Pa.) (Nov. 19), Rhode Island (Nov. 30), South Florida (Dec. 4), Penn (Jan. 2), Old Dominion (Jan. 4)

Toughness scale (1-10): 7 -- George Mason kicks off its first year in the Atlantic 10 with a somewhat challenging nonconference lineup. The Patriots will play Iowa State in the opening round of the Diamond Head Classic. Georges Niang and Co. are a dangerous crew. And a possible championship matchup against Mountain West contender Boise State is intriguing. Games against Oklahoma and Northern Iowa are interesting, but the rest of the slate isn’t exactly breathtaking. And they’ll have to do a lot of work to reach the later stages of the Diamond Head Classic. Can’t give them too much credit for this one.

GEORGE WASHINGTON

Toughest: Wooden Legacy (Nov. 28-Dec. 1)
Next-toughest: Maryland (Dec. 8), at Kansas State (Dec. 31)
The rest: Radford (Nov. 8), Maine (Nov. 12), at Manhattan (Nov. 16), Delaware State (Nov. 19), Rutgers (Dec. 4), Boston University (Dec. 11), UMBC (Dec. 21), Hofstra (Dec. 28), Georgia (Jan. 3)

Toughness scale (1-10): 7 -- George Washington won just 13 games last season. With a solid group of programs anchoring its nonconference slate -- remember, this is all relative -- boosting that win total could prove difficult. The Wooden Legacy will be a gauntlet for GW if it advances with a win over Miami in the opening round. Marquette, San Diego State, Creighton and Arizona State are all potential opponents. And Maryland awaits in early December. The rest of the schedule is average, especially because GW probably won’t face the premier programs in the Wooden.

LA SALLE

Toughest: at Villanova (Dec. 15)
Next-toughest: Paradise Jam (Nov. 22-25), at Miami (Dec. 22), vs. Temple (Jan. 18 at the Palestra)
The rest: Manhattan (Nov. 9), Quinnipiac (Nov. 12), Siena (Nov. 16), at Penn State (Nov. 19), Hartford (Dec. 4), Stony Brook (Dec. 7), Wagner (Dec. 19), at Penn (Jan. 4)

Toughness scale (1-10): 4 -- In March, La Salle shocked the nation with a rally to the Sweet 16, where it lost to another Cinderella, Wichita State. This isn’t exactly the strongest follow to that run. The Explorers' toughest nonconference opponent will be Big 5 rival Villanova, an NCAA tournament team a year ago. The Paradise Jam field is weak overall. Potential matchups against Maryland and Northern Iowa, however, could pay dividends down the line. Maybe. Miami was a great opponent for last season's RPI, but lost every major contributor from its ACC championship squad. Far more risk than reward with this schedule.

MASSACHUSETTS

Toughest: LSU (Nov. 12), Charleston Classic (Nov. 21-24)
Next-toughest: BYU (Dec. 7), Florida State (Dec. 21), Providence (Dec. 28)
The rest: Boston College (Nov. 10), Youngstown State (Nov. 17), at Eastern Michigan (Dec. 3), Northern Illinois (Dec. 14), at Ohio (Dec. 18), Miami-Ohio (Jan. 4), at Elon (Jan. 18)

Toughness scale (1-10): 6 -- With Chazz Williams returning, UMass could make its first appearance in the NCAA tournament in more than a decade. The team’s nonconference slate possesses a few opportunities that will impress the selection committee if it wins. The Minutemen will face LSU in just their second game of 2013-14. A matchup against New Mexico in the second round of the Charleston Classic is a possibility (have to get past Nebraska first). BYU, Florida State and Providence could be interesting games to look back upon on Selection Sunday.

RHODE ISLAND

Toughest: NIT Season Tip-Off (Nov. 18-19, Nov. 25-29), at LSU (Jan. 4)
Next-toughest: at SMU (Nov. 11), George Mason (Nov. 30), at Providence (Dec. 5)
The rest: Maine (Nov. 8), North Carolina A&T (Nov. 15), UMass-Lowell (Nov. 23), at Detroit (Dec. 8), New Hampshire (Dec. 22), at Brown (Jan. 2)

Toughness scale (1-10): 6 -- Danny Hurley’s program still faces a variety of unknowns in its nonconference slate because so many things could happen in the NIT Season Tip-Off. But that’s the Rams’ best chance to make some noise before Atlantic 10 competition starts. The rest of their nonconference slate is lukewarm but appropriate for a program that could finish near the bottom of the league again. A road game at LSU could be one of Rhode Island’s toughest games in 2013-14. And the program has to finish a nonconference series with George Mason with one more game, even though it’ll face the new A-10 member in conference play, too. The Rams will also play a surging SMU team in early November. Not a killer nonconference slate, but it makes sense for this program.

RICHMOND

Toughest: Hall of Fame Classic (Nov. 23-24), at Florida (Jan. 4)
Next-toughest: Belmont (Nov. 11), Minnesota (Nov. 16)
The rest: Delaware (Nov. 8), Hofstra (Nov. 19), at Air Force (Nov. 27), James Madison (Nov. 30), at William & Mary (Dec. 4), at Wake Forest (Dec. 7), Coppin State (Dec. 14), Ohio (Dec. 22), Old Dominion (Dec. 28), at Northeastern (Dec. 31),

Toughness scale (1-10): 8 -- Richmond went 4-13 away from home last season. That subpar streak could continue in 2013-14. The Spiders will kick off the Hall of Fame Classic with a matchup against ACC contender North Carolina. Either Louisville or Fairfield awaits in the second game. In early January, they’ll travel to Gainesville to face a Florida squad that could challenge Kentucky for the SEC crown. Home games against Minnesota and Belmont could end in defeat, too.

SAINT JOSEPH'S

Toughest: Creighton (Nov. 16), Old Spice Classic (Nov. 28-Dec. 1)
Next-toughest: Villanova (Dec. 7)
The rest: at Vermont (Nov. 9), Marist (Nov. 13), Temple (Dec. 4), Drexel (Dec. 18), at Loyola-Md (Dec. 21), Boston University (Dec. 29), Binghamton (Dec. 31), Denver (Jan. 4), Penn (Jan. 18)

Toughness scale (1-10): 8 -- Phil Martelli’s program is still searching for its first NCAA appearance since 2008. Its 2013-14 nonconference slate will present plenty of quality win opportunities to assist in that effort. But they could be roadblocks, too. Doug McDermott and Creighton could win the new Big East title. Martelli’s team will open the Old Spice Classic against a revitalized LSU team and a matchup against a deep Memphis squad could follow. The top contributors from Villanova’s NCAA tourney team are back, too. It won’t be an easy opening run for the Hawks.

SAINT LOUIS

Toughest: Wichita State (Dec. 1), Cancun Challenge (Nov. 26-27)
Next-toughest: Indiana State (Dec. 18), at Vanderbilt (Dec. 30)
The rest: Southeast Missouri (Nov. 8), at SIUE (Nov. 13), at Southern Illinois (Nov. 16), Oral Roberts (Nov. 21), Bowling Green (Nov. 23), Rockhurst (Dec. 3), at Valparaiso (Dec. 7), Wofford (Dec. 14), North Carolina A&T (Dec. 21), Yale (Jan. 4)

Toughness scale (1-10): 7 -- Jim Crews’ Saint Louis squad has the talent (four senior starters are back) to contend for its second consecutive Atlantic 10 title. This nonconference stretch should prepare them for the challenge. The Billikens certainly have a few easy games on their nonconference stretch. But they’ll face Wisconsin in the inaugural Cancun Challenge before playing Final Four participant Wichita State a few days later. A home game against Indiana State could be a bad idea. The Sycamores are tough. The rest of the menu features a bunch of rebuilding, unproven squads. But the contenders that anchor the slate will give the Billikens all they can handle prior to conference play.

ST. BONAVENTURE

Toughest: at Iona (Dec. 14)
Next-toughest: at Wake Forest (Dec. 17), Delaware (Dec. 30)
The rest: South Dakota (Nov. 9), Abilene Christian (Nov. 11), Canisius (Nov. 16), at Siena (Nov. 19), UMass-Lowell (Dec. 3), at Buffalo (Dec. 7), at Niagara (Dec. 21), Cornell (Jan. 4)

Toughness scale (1-10): 4 -- Even for a St. Bonaventure squad that lost multiple key contributors and continues to seek its footing since Andrew Nicholson turned pro a few years ago, this nonconference slate is unimpressive. The Bonnies’ toughest game could come on the road against an Iona squad that lost Momo Jones (No. 3 scorer in the nation last season) but returns four starters. Delaware? Wake Forest on the road? Umm, probably a 2 and a 3 three on the difficulty scale. Sure, the Bonnies are expected to struggle. But a bunch of games against lackluster opponents will serve one purpose -- to boost the team’s win total (possibly) before conference play.

VCU

Toughest: Puerto Rico Tip-Off (Nov. 21-24), at Virginia (Nov. 12)
Next-toughest: at Belmont (Dec. 1), at Northern Iowa (Dec. 14), Boston College (Dec. 28)
The rest: Illinois State (Nov. 8), Winthrop (Nov. 16), Northeastern (Nov. 29), Eastern Kentucky (Dec. 5), Old Dominion (Dec. 8), Wofford (Dec. 17), Virginia Tech (Dec. 21), Stony Brook (Jan. 3)

Toughness scale (1-10): 8 – Shaka Smart probably possesses his most talented roster at VCU. And this nonconference slate will prepare the Rams for the Atlantic 10 schedule and beyond. In the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, VCU could face Florida State, Michigan and Georgetown. Tony Bennett’s Virginia squad is stacked and the Rams travel to Charlottesville for that matchup. Away games against Belmont, Northern Iowa and Boston College (Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.) are the kind of matchups that could disrupt momentum if VCU takes one or more losses. This is a legit lineup. If the Rams stumble in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, however, their nonconference slate strength will decrease.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- While Rick Pitino shows no signs of slowing down, former UNLV Rebels coach Jerry Tarkanian just hopes to "make a good showing" during this weekend's induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

Tark is 83 and battling health problems. His speech is slow, deliberate and at times labored. But he was still able to muster a few words Friday after he arrived in New England with his family.

Tarkanian will enter the Hall on Sunday along with Louisville's Pitino and former Houston coach Guy V. Lewis, now 91.

Read the full story here.

Following his induction this weekend, Louisville's Rick Pitino will become the fourth active men’s college basketball coach to join the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.

The number could soon grow. Here are four other college coaches who have an excellent shot of being inducted before the end of their careers.

John Calipari, Kentucky: Calipari is arguably the greatest recruiter in college basketball history. The only problem with that label is that it overshadows his excellence as a coach. Calipari’s teams at Memphis and Kentucky have averaged a national-best 32.5 wins over the last eight years. He’s reached three Final Fours during that span (once at Memphis, twice at Kentucky) and won the NCAA title in 2012. Yes, Calipari’s teams are loaded with future NBA players, but coaching one-and-dones is hardly an easy chore. Many arrive with huge egos and poor work ethic after being coddled throughout their high school careers. Calipari is a master motivator who almost always gets the most out of his players while getting them to buy into the team concept. Defensively, his squads are usually among the nation’s toughest and most physical. On the other end of the court, it’s rare to see a player average more than 15 points per game for Calipari, who stresses selflessness and sharing the ball. The 2012 NCAA title was a first for Coach Cal, though more could be on the way.

Billy Donovan, Florida: Donovan led Florida to back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007, making him one of just 13 coaches in history to win multiple titles. That feat alone should make him a strong candidate for the Hall of Fame. The 48-year-old Donovan, however, is far from finished. Heck, he might even be getting better. His program took a huge hit when it lost Al Horford, Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer from the championship teams, but Donovan rebuilt his roster and guided Florida to the Elite Eight each of the last three seasons. He averaged 28 wins during that span. Donovan also receives deserved praise for his character off the court. He’s contacted for other jobs almost every year and even briefly accepted the Orlando Magic gig in 2007, but has remained loyal to Florida, where’s he’s coached the last 17 years. He’s also active in charitable organizations and worked closely with USA Basketball. In short, along with a successful coach, Donovan has been a tremendous ambassador for college basketball. And there is still so much more to come.

Tom Izzo: Not many coaches in history have been as good in the NCAA tournament as Izzo, who has guided the Spartans to six Final Fours and one NCAA title during his 18 seasons in East Lansing. Michigan State has also reached four additional Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight under Izzo, who passed up an opportunity to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers to stay in the college ranks. Izzo’s teams are respected for their rugged, blue collar style of play, especially in the paint. They compete in one of the most balanced conferences in America and have still managed to finish fourth or higher in the Big Ten standings nine of the past 11 seasons. Izzo is known for scheduling one of the most difficult nonconference slates in the country every year, which makes his .713 winning percentage even more impressive. Michigan State’s postseason success and overall consistency under Izzo should make him a prime candidate for the Hall of Fame.

Bill Self, Kansas: No coach in college basketball has been as good as Bill Self over the last decade. While some programs have taken a temporary dip (Calipari, Izzo and Donovan all have NIT appearances on their résumés), Kansas hasn’t missed a beat. The Jayhawks have won nine straight Big 12 titles, the longest streak of consecutive league crowns by a major-conference team since UCLA won 13 in a row from 1967-79. In fact, dating back to his days at Illinois and Tulsa, Self has won 13 conference championships in his last 15 seasons. The other two years his team finished second. In his 10 years at Kansas, Self has averaged 30 wins. He took a program that was wildly successful under Roy Williams and made it even better. Self led KU to its first NCAA title in 20 years in 2008 and guided the Jayhawks back to the title game in 2012. Self’s teams almost always rank among the best in the nation for defensive field goal percentage, a sign that his players buy in and play hard for him. He’s a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame.

Other coaches with a shot: Tom Crean, Indiana; John Beilein, Michigan; Mark Few, Gonzaga; Sean Miller, Arizona; Bo Ryan, Wisconsin; Thad Matta, Ohio State; Lon Kruger, Oklahoma; Tubby Smith, Texas Tech; Buzz Williams, Marquette; Bob Huggins, West Virginia

UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Louisville coach Rick Pitino said Friday that Kevin Ware may not play until the second semester as he recovers from a gruesome compound fracture of his right leg that he suffered in the first half of an Elite Eight victory over Duke in March in Indianapolis.

Pitino, who will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday in Springfield, Mass., was at the Mohegan Sun Casino for pre-induction festivities.

"I don't think Kevin will step on the court early in the season," Pitino told ESPN.com. "He will just start playing basketball in October. He'll start working out. He's almost completely healed, but he hasn't stepped on the court since last March, so it's going to take some time. I'm looking more like it's going to be second semester for him to be 100 percent or close to it."

Read the full story here.

College basketball courts have gotten a little crazy lately. This is not a new trend, as programs have been looking for ways to boost their brand recognition and mindshare (or something) with increasingly outsized midcourt logos for at least a decade, if not longer.

But things have taken an especially gaudy turn since 2010, when Oregon unveiled the "Tall Firs" design at its glittery new Matthew Knight Arena. Since then, not unlike the wacky uniform trend that also began in Eugene, Ore., a steady succession of college programs have lined up to redesign their floors with buzzy face value in mind.

It's officially time to stop.

That was the reaction yours truly experienced when he first saw UTEP's new court design, which the Miners unveiled via Twitter this week:

New basketball floor in the Haskins center looks awesome! #UTEP #LovingIt pic.twitter.com/DM01picPTb

— UTEP Miners (@Miner_Nation) September 5, 2013

UTEP's big reveal was preceded on Tuesday by James Madison, which prioritized the exact same design element huge, symmetrical logo silhouettes to an even more ridiculous degree.

JMU's court, like many that have come before it, is just sort of harmlessly silly; it doesn't warrant analysis more incisive than an eye roll. So what makes UTEP so different? Why does it feel more egregious?

The reason is straightforward: Outside of those gigantic, unnecessary pick-axe stencils, the rest of the court looks really great. The simple 3-point areas and lack of paint is a classic touch. The mid-court logo is just the right size. The orange border on the baselines and sidelines provides a tidy contrast, and the coup de grace — the Futura typeface — would make Wes Anderson proud. UTEP commissioned an absolutely beautiful, classic update to its court … and then decided to slap two massive silhouettes on top of it, just because.

This is why the silhouettes have to go — not because they'e causing more bad court designs in general (though that is true), but because they're actively ruining otherwise perfectly good layouts. Minimalism has never been more a part of the mainstream American visual language; since 2007, Apple has grown into the largest company in the world by embracing clean, minimalist, revolutionary design. The best web developers have long since agreed that the good design clears the unnecessary and focuses our eyeballs on the most important aspects of the presentation. Ikea is … well, Ikea. I'm not saying athletics directors need to be jamming Philip Glass when they're looking at court mockups, and I recognize minimalism has its limits.

All I'm asking is this is for a moratorium on silhouettes. Enough, guys. Find a new gimmick. At this point, college basketball courts are basically MySpace pages — thanks for stopping by! whoa! follow our tour dates! — and silhouettes are blinking glitter text. Make it stop.

1. Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall is understandably shaken by D.J. Bowles collapsing and going into cardiac arrest during a workout Tuesday. Marshall said via text he was in the gym and said he is "dealing with it.'' As of Thursday, Bowles was undergoing more tests and was listed in fair condition, according to WRCB. Wichita State had issued a statement saying Bowles was in stable condition the previous day. AD Eric Sexton thanked the team on site, notably trainer Todd Fagan. It is trainers like Fagan who have to become first responders to save lives in these situations. Marshall confirmed Bowles will be undergoing more testing. What makes this even scarier for Marshall is that he witnessed another incoming recruit collapse and tragically die when it happened to Guy Alang-Ntang while Marshall was in the stands at a New Hampshire prep school in 2007. Marshall had just taken over the Shockers from Mark Turgeon, who recruited and signed Alang-Ntang.

2. The Big East released its schedule Thursday, allowing a full view of the 10 teams and what they have to deal with this season. Creighton, the furthest most school in Omaha, Neb., has four two-game road trips, but one of them could be done without staying on the road the whole time when Creighton goes to St. John's on a Sunday and then Butler on a Thursday. The other three will have to be longer road swings with two of them flights in between the two games getting from Seton Hall to DePaul on one and Xavier to Georgetown on another. The Bluejays, who were largely in a bus league in the Missouri Valley Conference, could go by bus between Providence and Villanova. Creighton has a one-game trip to Milwaukee for Marquette. The new road slate will be the norm in the Big East, which is playing a true round-robin schedule of 18 games. Xavier is at the opposite spectrum of the Bluejays by getting three single-game road trips to Creighton, Villanova and Seton Hall. The best dates for the Big East may be Dec. 31 Marquette at Creighton; Feb. 16 Villanova at Creighton, Georgetown at St. John's; Feb. 27 Georgetown at Marquette.

3. ESPN acquired the rights to the Battle 4 Atlantis in 2014 with the tournament bookending Thanksgiving week with the Maui Invitational. That should make the competition between the two tournaments even more intense. The Maui Invitational has the history. But it has been a bear at times for teams from the East Coast. The Paradise Jam in St. Thomas should have been an alternative and has drawn some interest but hasn't ever really caught on the way it should have due to its location. The Atlantis will get even more exposure with promotion going on throughout Maui in 2014. It will be interesting to see if both tournaments can have mega fields in the same year or if there will be some seasons when one is significantly better than the other.

On Wednesday, the Nashville Predators sent an email to the team's prospective season-ticket holders. The content of the email, titled "Skate of the Union," was the usual boilerplate -- information for Predators fans about discounted parking, ticket pickups, contact information, that sort of stuff. And then came the signoff: "Go Perds!"

As "Parks and Recreation" has proved time and time again, "Perd" is an objectively funny word, and so the subtle typo quickly made its way to the Internet, and by Wednesday evening, the Predators' staff was sending apology emails packed with self-effacing intentional misspellings, laughing off the typo in impressive fashion.

The point of that story about an NHL team's marketing department is that, well, mistakes happen. Maybe that can serve as some consolation to the folks at UNLV, which made its own advertising foul-up this week. As the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Wednesday, Rebels athletics recently rolled out a new billboard on Interstate 215 informing UNLV fans that football and basketball tickets were now on sale, and that the coaches of both programs wanted them to "Come to our house!" Pretty standard, right? The only problem: The basketball coach pictured on the billboard wasn't third-year UNLV coach Dave Rice. It was his predecessor, Lon Kruger, who left the desert for Oklahoma in 2011.

Whoops.

Rice handled the matter about as well as humanly possible.

“I thought it was humorous,” he said. “It’s one of those things that happens. But I’m the last person who would take himself too seriously. Hey, if Coach Kruger can help us sell tickets, great.”

But UNLV's interim athletic director, Tina Kunzer-Murphy, was not pleased.

“To us, it’s not a laughing matter,” she said. “We think what happened was the billboard company was doing us a favor by posting the ad but our marketing people never saw it. But it’s being taken down and we hope to have a replacement with Dave and Bobby up.”

Awww, UNLV. It's OK. Granted, putting a coach who's no longer at your school on a forward-facing ad buy for your upcoming season tickets is not exactly the equivalent of a goofy typo. Clearly, someone needs to put photos of Kruger and Rice on his or her cubicle wall. A talking-to about diligence might be in order. But hey, it happens. Everyone makes mistakes. And look, we're writing about it! That counts for something, right?

In closing: Go Perds!