AU Schedule Released

AU released their schedule this weekend, while I was distracted by beer and the Olympics (by the way, the Dream Team should have their passports taken away).
Here's the out of conference portion, with teams that made the NCAAs bolded (fyi, these records and RPIs are from before the tournament):

NOVEMBER
CATHOLIC (Exhibition) (DIII)
at Virginia Commonwealth (CAA), 23-7, RPI 54 - First Round Preseason NIT
at Niagara (MAC), 21-9, RPI 98 - Return game, beat AU in DC 75-72 last year.
WAGNER (NEC), 12-16, RPI 219
St. FRANCIS (Pa.) (NEC), 13-15, RPI 249, return game, beat AU in PA 75-63 last year.
VERMONT (Am. East) 22-8, RPI 115
at Towson (CAA), 8-21, RPI 278
OHIO UNIVERSITY (MAC), 10-20, RPI 231
at Maryland (ACC), 19-11, RPI 18, beat AU 79-48 in a laugher last year in College Park
LA SALLE (A10), 10-20, RPI 188
at Delaware (CAA), 16-12, RPI 130, return game, beat AU 72-63 last year in DC
at Missouri (BigXII), 16-13 RPI 51
at Yale (Ivy), 11-15 RPI 214, return game, lost to AU 73-84 last year in DC

Some thoughts:

• The Catholic game is a welcome DIII addition-- a local team that draws from much of the same pool that AU does.
• The preseason NIT is a huge deal for AU, and representative of the upturn the program has taken since Jeff Jones took over.
• This is by far the toughest schedule announced thus far in the league. If AU finishes at .500 in preseason play, they will be my favorite to win the league.
• Teams AU should beat: Catholic, St. Francis, Towson, Wagner, Yale
• Teams AU should/could play close with: Vermont, Ohio, La Salle, VCU, Niagara, Delaware
• Teams that will beat AU: Maryland, Missouri, Wake Forest (if AU beats VCU)
• Average OOC RPI: 153, comparable to AU's 159 overall RPI last year.

  @ 12:12 PM