Initial Thoughts on Rhody MBB's 2018-2019 Non-Conference Schedule
On June 8, 2018, the 2018-2019 non-conference schedule has officially been published for Rhody MBB! Now, it is time for everyone to react to the upcoming matchups.
Foremost, I notice way too much mediocrity on this non-conference schedule and not enough challenges for a team that wants to return to the NCAA tournament for the third straight season. There is no real excitement for me to have about URI being projected to play the likes of Bryant, Stony Brook, Brown, and Holy Cross.
At the very least, there are some solid matchups on Rhody's non-conference slate for 2018-2019. You can never go wrong with a neutral site matchup with West Virginia, at Mohegan Sun of all places or the annual Ocean State rivalry games against Providence. Next, the home game on December 30, 2018 against Middle Tennessee State should be a barn burner. Lastly, a road game at Charleston and an appearance in the 2018 Diamond Head Classic should add quality wins to Rhody MBB's resume for the 2018-2019 season.
In the long run, the move for URI to play Alabama in the 2019-2020 season could pan out. Everyone that is currently on the team will have one more year of experience and the only player that they will expect to lose is a graduating Nicola Akele and Ryan Preston.
With that said, Nevada's decision to pay a buyout to avoid playing at the Ryan Center in the 2018-2019 season is witty yet gutting at the same time. Without the Wolf Pack on the non-conference schedule, the Ram's non-conference schedule is missing a whole lot of "brand name" value. Going into the upcoming season, Nevada has been looked at as a top-10 team in all of college basketball, given that Jordan Caroline and the Martin twins are returning to school.
