2023-24 B1G Non-Conference Schedules

[Ignatius L Hoops]

The best and worst schedules in women's college basketball

Which teams' nonconference schedules will help their NCAA tournament seeding come March? Which teams will wish they had added a marquee game or two?

www.espn.com

ESPN: Non-conference schedules that help or hurt:


Iowa Hawkeyes

This isn't to call Iowa's schedule bad. There just isn't any game that pops other than that meeting against Virginia Tech in Charlotte on Nov. 9. The rest of the nonconference slate fails to provide any showcase games for Caitlin Clark. Kansas State, which beat Iowa last season, is a good opponent but a borderline top-25 team. And that's the Hawkeyes' second-best game.


It hurts the Hawkeyes that Iowa State is expected to be down after significant personnel losses. And while Drake, Cleveland State, Bowling Green and a possible matchup with Florida Gulf Coast are a good group of mid-majors, they don't move the NCAA tournament résumé needle.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Illinois finally learns its West Palm Beach opponents:

357 St Peters
347 Central Connecticut State
333 Morehead State
318 Canisius
144 Northern Kentucky
114 @ UTEP (West Palm Beach)
57 Missouri
48 @ Arkansas (West Palm Beach)
42 @ Marquette
9 @ Notre Dame

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

And finally, the Buckeyes

DII Grand Valley State
288 Ohio
252 Cornell
178 IUPUI
94 @ East Carolina (Bahamas)
86 Boston College
84 Belmont
46 @ Oklahoma State (Bahamas)
34 @ Southern Cal (Las Vegas)
22 UCLA
13 @ Tennessee

 

[ISUnorth]

The best and worst schedules in women's college basketball

Which teams' nonconference schedules will help their NCAA tournament seeding come March? Which teams will wish they had added a marquee game or two?

www.espn.com

ESPN: Non-conference schedules that help or hurt:


Iowa Hawkeyes

That seems like sort of a weird hot take on the Hawks. Last years runner-up and pick to win the Big Ten (at worst contend for the title) and they are talking about resume building in non-conference? Elite teams like UConn need to resume build some during non-conference (they want a #1 seed) because their league sucks and they won't be challenged much but the top of the Big Ten is very good so how you do in conference will really matter more in my opinion. Plus, Hawks aren't a breakthrough surprise team needing to prove a move up in status.