The schedule was setup specifically to give this nearly all-new team some challenges, but still be able to come away with some wins. Sunny specifically said that the MW is a meat grinder, and we need these guys to be able to develop and be ready for it instead of getting their asses whipped throughout the non-con schedule and being beat down by the time conference play starts.
UNLV is currently in the FO phase of FAFO scheduling. They've already lost to KenPom #291 Tennessee Martin and #157 Montana, both at home. Coming up they've got:
- @Memphis (#52)
- vs. Saint Josephs (#115)
- vs. Maryland (#57) - Players Era Championship
- vs. Alabama (#18) - Players Era Championship
- vs. TBD (minimum ranking of #71) - Players Era Championship
- @Stanford (#85)
- vs. Tennessee State (#227)
Every one of those schools (with the exception of Tennessee State) is ranked higher than both teams they've lost to. They're likely going to be 3-7 heading into conference play against Fresno State. I would much rather have a team that's gone through some adversity and won going into conference play than a team that has gotten beat down game after game.
Wyoming's schedule, by comparison is:
- W vs. Northern State (NR)
- W vs. Cal State Fullerton (#330)
- W vs. Austin Peay (#235)
- vs. Portland (#269)
- @Sam Houston State (#178)
- vs. Norfolk State (#244)
- vs. Denver (#305)
- @Texas Tech (#13)
- vs. Dartmouth (#282)
- vs. South Dakota (#299)
- vs. South Dakota State (#163) - Neutral site
I'll guess the record going into the conference opener against Grand Canyon as 8-3. Wyoming is going to be a hell of a lot more resilient come conference play than UNLV. That doesn't mean they'll be better, but it does mean that they'll have more belief in themselves than the Rebels will.