Dave Jones on the release today of the non-con:
Considering what’s passed for a non-conference schedule the past decade or so, this will do.
Penn State released its non-con men’s basketball slate this afternoon, most of it known for months. Lined up and taken as a whole you can say two things about it right away: It’s better than usual. And it’s probably good enough to give the Lions a base for NCAA tournament consideration should they perform well against it.
There’s an art to scheduling with the NCAAs in mind that’s something like good cooking. Many ingredients are required and not all are available to a kitchen like Penn State’s. Sometimes you just have to use what’s available. It’s not always easy to get the games you want when you want them.
Patrick Chambers’ third season is his first one where he can legitimately consider the NCAAs as a possibility though probably not great one. The thing is, though, if you judge your team as having a 25-percent chance at the Dance or better, you owe it to them to assemble non-con games with that goal in mind….
via Penn State men’s basketball schedule has flaws but is smart, NCAA-ready overall | PennLive.com.