Happy Offseason! A lot of talk about win predictions, but that all comes down to our non-conference schedule. This will be the second year the Sanchez has built the schedule, and nearly all contracts initiated by Price’s staff have been executed. The schedule is a very blank slate for next year, so Sanchez should have the flexibility to have the schedule he wants.
Continued Contracts
Davidson (Home)
Wake Forest (Home)
James Madison (Road)
Annual game for the Hornets Nest Trophy returns to Halton Arena this season, the 4-year series with Wake will conclude in Halton as well. Not confirmed, but assumed that JMU is 2nd consecutive home-and-home signed with them.
Not Un-Likely Contracts
East Carolina (Road)
South Florida (Home)
East Carolina has been a mainstay of recent schedules, the two schools should go ahead and announce a long-term deal. If both programs improve with new coaches could one of the highest profile Mid-Major games in the state annually. Last year’s South Florida game was cancelled due to weather, no announcement was made that game had been pushed back a year but it can’t be ruled out.
Exempt Event
No event announced yet, most neutral site events have been filled but Charlotte has option to a) be road team for non-bracketed games for elite event and possibly host sub-regional or b) host or play-in round-robin event against mid-major and low-major competition. Increasing the bang for your buck for season ticket holders with a high number of winnable games would be nice.
Suggested Home-and-Homes or 2-for-1s
Liberty
Winthrop
UNC Wilmington
Elon
Appalachian State
UNC Asheville
Liberty aside, these are regional teams we are currently peers with and need to separate from during our return to relevance, Winthrop is the only one not currently rebuilding. Liberty is a program experiencing a recent surge in quality with connections to our current staff. If we start a series with Liberty, we should go on the road this coming season with an expected L, then have them home for third season when building a resume will be a goal.
Suggested Guarantee Games
NC Central
NC A&T
SC State
Kennesaw State
The Citadel
Mercer
Western Carolina
VMI
Charleston Southern
High Point
USC Upstate
Most of the games to fill out our schedule should be these games. The goal next year should be to get as many non-conference wins as possible, allowing Sanchez to fine-tune his line-ups and polish the pack-line with new players.