2022 - 2023 Schedule
- Thread starter paultzman
- Start date
MugCostanza
Well-known member
Nov 21-22 Empire Classic at Barclays against two of Syracuse, Temple, and Richmond
L J S A
Well-known member
Hopefully that's a hockey game.
291 NEC last year a slight improvement over Miss Valley State who finished the season 355 out of 358 but not much lol.
I don't know who is in it besides Florida State, Richmond and possibly Syracuse. Is there anyone else coming? Last year we played the National Champion, a tournament team and Pitt who was bad. If Richmond or Syracuse struggle couldn't it be similar?
MakingPlays
Well-known member
This Merrimack team won 6 of their last 8 games, finished 10-8 in conference, returns 8 players from that team including their 2 leading scorers. They will probably end up being a mid 200's level NET team next year, that's not bad for the first game. We know the first 2 or 3 games is always going to be cupcakes to figure out lineups. At least in this case it's not a high 300's NET team.
MakingPlays
Well-known member
So far...
-Merrimack Home Game
-2 of Richmond/Temple/Syracuse Neutral Games
-Florida State Neutral Game
-Home Big 10 Game
-Away Big 12 Game
That's at least 5 quality games right there. Then they'll probably have their mix of some St. Peters, Monmouths, Fordhams, and other mid-tier mid-majors that have a chance to win their conference in there.
Gonzaga, Indiana, Vtech, Rutgers. Schools that played Merrimack last season.
Thanks
Ehhh still a little iffy. Let's see who they get in the Big 12 and Big10/Gavitt Games. Assuming they are playing in both hopefully they are opponents projected to be good. An upgrade from last year assuming they get a decent B10 and B12 opponent. Because they won't be projected at the top of the BE don't expect them to get Kansas again.
Richmond/Temple/Syracuse are not bad but keep in mind only Richmond made the NCAA's last year and that was because they won the A-10 Tourney. Not one of the 3 would have made it as an at large. You hope Syracuse a traditional power has a bounce back year and I think they will. Again to be fair not bad teams, we are not talking about low level mid majors certainly.
FSU has been real good in recent years last year they collapsed after some injuries. But again hope for a bounce back. But right now outside of Richmond who made it only because they won the A-10 Tourney SJU has no one on the schedule non-conference that made the NCAA's.
Again the Empire Classic is a decent field and they should be in an exempt tourney every year, no excuse. But I would also like to see them play in some of the bigger one's available.
Just to give you an idea and who knows if Boeheim will still be coaching them in 2023 but Cuse is in Maui in November of 2023. Look at that field: Gonzaga, Kansas, Marquette, Purdue, Syracuse, Tennessee, UCLA and host Chaminade. Damn that is a freaking field....
BTW-I looked at the Maui Classic for this year November 2022 and it is stacked as well Creighton is representing the BE this year. Interesting Chaminade is the host but they are not in the field. Creighton, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Louisville, Ohio St, Arizona, Texas Tech and San Diego St.
New agreement a while back was that Chaminade would only play every other year. Just a lack of competitiveness I bet.
Johnny Rapper
Well-known member
In terms of Richmond, 4 of 5 starters and the 4 high scorers were seniors. It remains to be seen if they will be back for a 5th COVID year. Wonder how good they will be next year?
Yeah I must have missed that.
I do like how they and the Battle for Atlantis does it. They each have 1 team from the Big 5+BE conferences. In other words 1 team each from a top 6 conference. Then a team or 2 teams (when Chaminade is not in it) from a conference like Mountain West (SD St) or Big West (Gonzaga) or A-10 or AAC. Pretty hard to not have a good field every year when you have that type of set up. And then throw in that it is Maui or the Bahamas and who doesn't want to go there.
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Merrimack College is Augustinian.