Breaking down Pitt's 2016-17 non-conference schedule

Maryland guard Melo Trimble (Getty Images)

Pitt released its non-conference schedule Tuesday, giving us college basketball devotees a small fix during a time of year in which news is in short supply, outside of parsing every word of recruits’ tweets (which, for your health, you probably shouldn’t do).

Some of the names are familiar and even exciting – Maryland! Penn State! – but the rest of the names are largely a smattering of schools most of us have heard of but know little of as it pertains to basketball. Too often, that means people dismiss these programs as nothing more than filler to occupy the space between higher-profile games. For fans of a team that had the 332nd-hardest non-conference schedule last season (of 351 teams), I can’t totally fault you all for the cynicism.

But since it’s June and there isn’t a whole lot else to do, let’s delve into these programs a bit to see what Pitt can expect. Since pairings for the 2K Classic haven’t been announced yet, I didn’t include any of those teams. As for the nine teams set in stone on the Panthers’ schedule, listed in order of when the games will take place…

YALE

2015-16 record: 23-7

Postseason: NCAA tournament, second round.

Final KenPom ranking: 42

Returning percentage of scoring: 50.1

The skinny: One of last March’s darlings, the Bulldogs bring back their most important piece from that team in guard Makai Mason, who poured in 31 points in their NCAA tournament upset of Baylor. After a brief dalliance with the NBA draft, Mason withdrew, giving Yale its leading scorer (16 points per game). Beyond Mason, however, the team loses many of its other top players, though North Allegheny grad Anthony Dallier (five points per game) is still on the roster. The Bulldogs have won at least 19 games in four of the past five seasons and have a good coach in James Jones, so a significant drop-off shouldn’t be expected. But this is far from the team that was eight points away from a Sweet 16 berth last season.

MOREHEAD STATE

2015-16 record: 23-14

Postseason: CBI, championship round

Final KenPom ranking: 124

Returning percentage of scoring: 60.7

The skinny: A team whose coach, Sean Woods, is a great piece of bar trivia (he’s the guy who hit what looked to be the winning shot two seconds before Christian Laettner sunk his famous buzzer beater in 1992). In some ways, it’ll be a bit of a retooling year for the Eagles, who are down their two leading scorers from last season (one of whom, Corban Collins, transferred to Alabama). But, on the other hand, they bring back a fair majority of their scoring from a 23-win team that didn’t get completely blown out by Pitt last season.

MARYLAND

2015-16 record: 27-9

Postseason: NCAA tournament, Sweet 16

Final KenPom ranking: 25

Returning percentage of scoring: 39.9

The skinny: Penn State may get more attention because of it being a rivalry game – and that Pitt and Penn State fans love to have banal back-and-forths on Twitter – but this, as of now, is the marquee game on the Panthers’ non-conference schedule. Few teams lost more from last season than the Terps, who will be down four of their five starters/leading scorers in Diamond Stone, Robert Carter, Jake Layman and Rasheed Sulaimon. What they do bring back, however, is perhaps their most important piece – Melo Trimble. Though he had a somewhat disappointing sophomore season, Trimble is still widely (and rightfully) considered one of the best point guards in college basketball. Maryland also adds a dependable low post presence in Duquesne grad transfer L.G. Gill, as well as the nation’s No. 15 recruiting class. I don’t totally agree with the assessment – this team did lose so damn much, after all – but the Terps are being floated around by some as a potential preseason top 25 team, something that speaks largely to how integral Trimble is.

DUQUESNE

2015-16 record: 17-17

Postseason: CBI, quarterfinals

Final KenPom ranking: 163

Returning percentage of scoring: 36.8

The skinny: It’s going to be an interesting season for the Dukes, who are still in search of a breakthrough under fifth-year coach Jim Ferry. They’re coming off a solid .500 season, but it was a group, at least offensively, that was heavily dependent on the senior backcourt of Micah Mason and Derrick Colter, each of whom logged significant minutes and provided much of the team’s scoring. They bring in two graduate transfers – Emile Blackman (15.8 points per game at Niagara) and Kale Abrahamson (11.1 at Drake) – and Nebraska transfer Tarin Smith is now eligible after sitting out last season. Smith is a fast and athletic guard who was Duquesne’s best player in practices last season, even better than Mason and Colter, but it will be interesting to see how far he and the transfers can carry a team that doesn’t bring back a whole lot.

BUFFALO

2015-16 record: 20-15

Postseason: NCAA tournament, first round

Final KenPom ranking: 131

Returning percentage of scoring: 87.1

The skinny: This is one of those games that appears ho-hum at first glance, but gets really intriguing the more you look into it. The Bulls return their four leading scorers, each of whom averaged at least 11 points per game, from a team that made its second-consecutive NCAA tournament and came within seven points of beating Miami in a 3-14 matchup. This isn’t to say Buffalo will saunter into the Petersen Events Center and win, but it should give Pitt a tougher test than many may expect.

PENN STATE

2015-16 record: 16-16

Postseason: None

Final KenPom ranking: 146

Returning percentage of scoring: 60.6

The skinny: Pitt and Penn State picked a heck of a year to play again, mostly because of what an interesting season it should be for the Nittany Lions. Pat Chambers was, somehow, able to coax 16 wins out of a team I watched get bombarded by 22 against Duquesne last December. They lose leading scorer Brandon Taylor, but they bring in the country’s No. 22 recruiting class, with one top 50 player and two top 100 players. It’s an unheard of feat for Penn State to compile that kind of haul, so it will be interesting to see what Chambers can do with that influx of talent. Those new pieces, tantalizing as they are, will be freshmen, though, so the rewards that come with a vaunted class may not arrive for another year or so.

RICE

2015-16 record: 12-20

Postseason: None

Final KenPom ranking: 266

Returning percentage of scoring: 75.3

The skinny: Probably the worst team on Pitt’s non-conference schedule, at least based on how it performed last season. The Owls, however, should be much better in 2016-17. They return four leading scorers from last season, including rising junior Marcus Evans, who averaged 21.4 points per game last season, the 16th-most of any Division I player.

OMAHA

2015-16 record: 18-14

Postseason: CBI, first round

Final KenPom ranking: 148

Returning percentage of scoring: 49.1

The skinny: If nothing else, this game could be a whole hell of a lot of fun to watch. The Mavericks were fifth in Division I adjusted tempo last season, averaging 77.1 possessions per game. Having sat courtside for their CBI matchup against Duquesne, a game in which they scored 80 points in the second half and still lost by eight, I can say with complete and total confidence they’re insanely fun to follow. Omaha loses a good amount of its scoring, but it does bring back two starters who averaged at least 12 points per game. Also, in the days leading up to this game, please don’t make Peyton Manning audible jokes. Please.

MARSHALL

2015-16 record: 17-16

Postseason: None

Final KenPom ranking: 142

Returning percentage of scoring: 81.9

The skinny: Speaking of teams that play at a Red Bull-laced tempo, we’re on to the Thundering Herd. Led by a D’Antoni brother (Dan, not Mike), Marshall was third in adjusted tempo last season while improving by six wins. That progress, at least theoretically, should continue in 2016-17. Six of the Herd’s seven leading scorers are back, placing it in a tier with Buffalo of teams who may present a firmer-than-expected challenge.

Craig Meyer: cmeyer@post-gazette.com and Twitter @CraigMeyerPG