Last year we had eight quad 4 games (defined as any home game against a team ranked #161 or below, neutral #201 or below, or away #241 or below). KenPom rankings are not the same as NET rankings, but if we use the preseason KenPom rankings as a proxy, our preseason schedule has the below Quad 4 games. So, once again, our preseason has eight games that will almost certainly be categorized as quad 4. I don't understand why a quarter of our schedule must be games that are so meaningless and drag down our schedule strength so much. The only decent preseason games are against Providence (#60), Ole Miss (#47), and likely Purdue (#10). I would favor perhaps 3-4 quad four games, 3-4 quad 2-3 games, and 3-4 quad 1 type games to have a good balance of tune-ups and tests. Perhaps they wanted to play it safe with a new coach.
Central Arkansas (#327)
UC Riverside (#169) (will definitely be quad 4 as a home game)
Queens NY (#299)
Idaho (#284)
Mississippi Valley (#364, dead last in the NCAA)
Fresno St. (#273)
Wyoming (#215) (neutral court, so a likely quad 4 game)
Florida A&M (#358, nearly dead last)