For all of the posts in this series, visit the 2018-19 Non-Conference Scheduling Hub.

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Ranking The Teams

Belmonts, the only ASUN champion to earn higher than a 14 seed over the past 10 seasons, has long departed for the OVC. Now, it’s not like a low seed stopped Florida Gulf Coast on its 2013 Sweet Sixteen run. Still, the Eagles and 2018 champ, and presumptive 2019 favorite Lipscomb, are the only two league members that rank in the top 200 of the four-year rankings. That means another 15 or 16 seed is in the league champ’s future—though the Bisons could rise up to a 13 or 14 by claiming the ASUN double and getting some Championship Fortnight help, thanks to their strong non-conference schedule. The swap of USC Upstate, 250th a season ago, for 233rd-ranked Liberty didn’t boost the ASUN’s standing among conferences, while D1 newcomer North Alabama doesn’t yet factor into these ratings.

Even with a new transitional member this season, the ASUN could see its fortunes improve in 2018-19. Not only does KenPom project 2018 champ Lipscomb to improve upon its four-year performance by 64 spots, but the conference’s other newcomer, LIberty, could make a jump of nearly 90 places this season. However, not all of the projections are rosy, as league power FGCU is expected to underperform by 65 spots this season.

Ranking The Schedules

Despite the presence of two non-conference schedules ranked in the bottom 30 across the board, the ASUN ranks a very respectable 10th among the 32 conferences in the known schedule ranking. And with only four league members participating in bracketed tournaments, the conference remains in Division I’s upper half in all three variable rankings—with the conference improving its positioning across the board when compared to 2017-18. Thanks to Lipscomb’s top 10 slate and FGCU’s top 100 one balancing out the two poorest ones, the ASUN’s super average is eighth, good for the final position in D1’s top quartile.

Note: The number of asterisks (*) represent the number of pending games on a team’s schedule.

Who Over- And Under-Scheduled?

Five of the ASUN’s eight Division I squads over-scheduled this season, with defending conference champ Lipscomb’s sixth-ranked slate sitting 187 spots above its four-year ranking. Of the three teams that under-scheduled, both Jacksonville and NJIT managed to do so with the league’s two worst lineups.

With the net addition of a new member and the expansion of the conference schedule from 14 games to 16, the ASUN will play 10 fewer home non-conference games games this season than in 2017-18 (60). None of those will be at home, thanks to Stetson returning a pair of 2017 home contests against UCF and South Florida. One benefit of the expanded conference slate, is the fact that there are a half-dozen fewer non-D1 games on ASUN schedules this season. (And that’s with North Alabama playing three non-D1 foes as part of a four-game home slate.) On the flip side, the number of ASUN Power 7 road games remains steady for the second consecutive season—a slight percentage increase thanks to the drop in available non-conference slots.

Even though the ASUN’s total number of non-D1 games dropped, that classification leads the way in this table for the second consecutive year. In terms of actual Division I opposition, however, the OVC tops the standings for the second season in a row, with the SEC replacing the Big Ten as the highest-ranked power conference. Last season, four leagues didn’t appear on the ASUN’s eight set schedules. This time around, that number has been reduced to two, and conference members could encounter Big West and Mountain West opponents in tournament play to complete the set.

The only team that will play more than two games against ASUN opposition is Belmont, and that’s thanks to their traditional home-and-home series with Lipscomb, the Battle of the Boulevard. But the Bisons aren’t the only ASUN squad doubling up in non-conference:

• Newcomer North Alabama will reunite with former Gulf South rival Jacksonville State for a pair of games.
• Both Jacksonville schools are scheduled to play a pair of Big South schools from South Carolina twice—JU against Presbyterian and UNF against Charleston Southern.
• Plus, FGCU could meet South Dakota State on the third day of the Gulf Coast Showcase—days after the pair meet in a non-bracketed game for that event at Alico Arena.

NJIT will play four NEC opponents this season, while Lipscomb has four games against three OVC teams lined up.

ASUN teams are slated to meet just four top 100 teams at home compared to 27 away from home. Seven of those top 100 games belong to Lipscomb alone, with two at home.

Team-By-Team Breakdown

Teams are listed in order of their Super Average Schedule Ranking. The number in front of an opponent name is its Four-Year Ranking. Logos via SportsLogos.net, except for North Alabama (Wikipedia).

6. Lipscomb Bisons

Record against returning opponents from 2017-18: (Lipscomb) 5 wins (Morehead State, @Belmont, @Tennessee State, Belmont, @Navy) and 0 losses

The Bisons didn’t need an exempt tournament to put together a killer non-conference schedule. For starters, there are four rough Power 7 road games on this list, while the Battle of the Boulevard should again produce a pair of classic games. Looking deeper, getting Vermont to Allen Arena is a great piece of mid-major scheduling. It’s just a shame that Middle Tennessee will probably be rebuilding.

94. FGCU Eagles

Record against returning opponents from 2017-18: (FGCU) 1 win (Illinois State) and 3 losses (FAU, Oral Roberts, @FIU)

The Eagles’ 2018-19 non-conference slate isn’t quite as daunting as 2017-18’s, but there’s still plenty of quality here. The defending ASUN regular-season champs get the benefit of a trio of semi-home games, thanks to their quadrennial participation in the Gulf Coast Showcase, held just a few miles from campus. Plus, Michael Fly’s first FGCU squad will make the easy trip across Alligator Alley to meet Florida in the Orange Bowl Classic. However, the game undoubtedly circled in red on the team calendar is a rematch against Michigan State, who defeated FGCU by one in highly-controversial circumstances two Novembers ago at the Breslin Center.

109. North Florida Ospreys

Record against returning opponents from 2017-18: 4 wins (Edward Waters, @Florida A&M, @FIU, Florida National), 1 loss (@Florida)

Matt Driscoll is heading into his 10th season in charge of the Ospreys and one constant during that time has been his ability to build daunting non-conference schedules. And while UNF will play two fewer Power 7 road games than in 2017, this slate still features its share of speed bumps. But the Ospreys will have a chance at winning the Cancun Challenge’s Mayan Division for a second time, something they did in their 23-win 2014-15 NCAA Tournament season.

111. Kennesaw State Fighting Owls

Record against returning opponents from 2017-18: 1 win (Samford) and 3 losses (@Hofstra, @Tennessee State, Yale)

Al Skinner’s third Owl squad won four fewer games than his second (10 compared to 14), with a two-win drop in non-conference play alone. And this slate, which features a minimum of four power conference games and matchups with mid-major contenders Belmont, Hofstra, and Yale, likely won’t help boost Kennesaw’s win total as Skinner starts season four of his building project.

169. North Alabama Lions

Record against returning opponents from 2017-18: 1 win (Martin Methodist) and 0 losses

Thanks to the Lions’ transition from Division II, they’ll be on the road a lot during November and December, with a daunting trip to Gonzaga and pair of Barclays Center Classic games at Saint Louis and Pittsburgh the major highlights. As mentioned above, Jacksonville State will be the lone Division I team to visit Flowers Hall in the non-conference. In other words, don’t expect Tony Pujol’s first Lion squad to do better than its 15-13 mark of a season ago.

267. Stetson Hatters

Record against returning opponents from 2017-18: 2 wins (Edward Waters, @Marist) and 3 losses (USF, UCF, Bethune-Cookman)

Surprisingly, the Hatters won eight non-conference games last season, but a 4-11 performance in ASUN play means the pressure is on Corey Williams as he enters his sixth season, with last season’s 12-20 mark his best so far. Even though there are trips to USC, Duke, and local rivals UCF on the Hatters’ schedule, they’ll want to focus on the six winnable home games and the trio of road contests that fall in the same category.

269. Liberty Flames

Record against returning opponents from 2017-18: 3 wins (@Georgia State, Kentucky Christian, Alabama State (N)) and 2 losses (Campbell, @Campbell)

Ritchie McKay’s Flames join from the Big South after a 22-win campaign that ended with a loss in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament semifinals. Liberty actually won nine non-conference games last season, highlighted by an early victory at Wake Forest. But that was the Flames’ only Power 7 road game—this time, they’ll play three, plus meet Alabama in Huntsville.

While Liberty doesn’t have any former Big South rivals on this schedule for sure, the Flames could meet Campbell on the second day of a tournament in St. Petersburg, Fla. in December.

330. Jacksonville Dolphins

Record against returning opponents from 2017-18: 1 win (Middle Georgia State) and 3 losses (Bethune-Cookman, @South Carolina State, Northern Arizona)

The Dolphins have been stuck in the middle of the ASUN standings over recent seasons, but this schedule gives Tony Jasick’s squad real hope of a strong start. While there’s a round-robin tournament at South Alabama and tricky Northern Arizona-Grand Canyon road trip early in the slate, the two biggest challenges, Notre Dame and Indiana, won’t arrive until right before conference play tips off.

342. NJIT Highlanders

Record against returning opponents from 2017-18: 5 wins (Kean, Drexel, LIU Brooklyn, UMass Lowell, Fairleigh Dickinson) and 3 losses (Wagner, @Colgate, @Brown)

Brian Kennedy’s Highlanders posted a three-win improvement in his second season and a similar jump is possible this season, even with nine non-conference road games. Just one of those, against Houston, will come against a Power 7 opponent, with Duquesne the only other foe ranked in the top 200 of the four-year ranking. Curiously, even though NJIT is playing in an Upstate New York-focused MTE, it will play three home games as part of its participation.

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