Breaking down the 2011-2012 schedule

Last night the team released their schedule for the 2011-2012 season and if you've been following this blog there were no surprises of the listed non-conference opponents. That's because their is still a home non-conference game to be added.

"Mason may also add another home non-conference game, either in mid-November or December."

There is no way the school and the coaching staff would pass up a chance to add another home game, they obviously just haven't found a good match-up yet.  Although at this point with most schools having already released their full schedules I can't imagine their options are great.  I'm guessing it would be sometime in mid-November because as of now, they only have two home games slated for that month, one of which being the exhibition match against Lycoming. The preseason NIT games make it difficult to squeeze an extra game in but I'm sure they will find a team to come to Fairfax.

While the non-conference opponents won't wow you again this season, you can't discount how good potential wins against Virginia Tech and Virginia might end up being.  Those games have been getting some press as the better non-conference games within the ACC and will no doubt be excellent early tests for this revamped Patriots squad. Tech might be taking a step back this year from a team that narrowly missed the NCAAs but Virginia will be a much improved team as they have started to bring in some top recruits. Let's also not forget that success in the preseason NIT can bring them some really solid opponents at Madison Square Garden (Syracuse) during Thanksgiving time. Fans ragged on last season's schedule and it turned out to be a good enough resume to make the dance as an at-large and finish the season with an RPI of 24.

Bucknell was in the NCAA tournament last season and usually atop of the Patriot League standing year in and year out.  Radford and Manhattan are nothing to get excited about but wins are the resume are wins on the resume.  Duquense and Charleston are usually in the top 100 RPI and sometimes the top 75.  And there's always the Bracketbuster game to boost the team's RPI and resume.

The CAA slate is where the real excitement is as the team tries to repeat last season's success of a 16-2 record.  After the first conference game at Towson in early December the Patriots will have two tough roads games at ODU and Drexel in the beginning of January.  Since they only play Drexel once, that could an important stretch during conference play this season. Throw a road in at JMU and it could very well be their toughest month on the schedule.

After only playing VCU once in recent years they finally get them twice this season; both in the span of 11 days.  The Rams come to the Patriot Center February 14 and then Mason travels to Richmond February 25. The ODU, Drexel road games will be important in January but these two against VCU at the end of the season could really determine where the Patriots are in the final CAA standings.

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