NCAA Basketball: Modern-day scheduling is a puzzling art for coaches

Much like the four major sports, the hot stove can be just as important as what happens on the playing surface. The same happens in NCAA basketball, with what takes place from April to October becoming just as riveting as the stuff from November to March. One important aspect that comes to light in the summer that greatly impacts the regular season is matchups for the following season. Just as, if not more important than a recruiting class or portal gets, how a team builds its schedule can go a long way in foreshadowing the kind of season they can have.

Not all schedules are created equal, and programs build their schedules differently for different reasons, but they’re all just as important. Schedules are a fun way for fans to get a sneak peek into the upcoming season. Of course, with college basketball, scheduling is different than pro sports because they only have a say over the first third or so of it, which makes who you can put on it doubly important.

Whether you are a program in a power conference with national title aspirations or a school from a likely one-bid league with hopes of securing the auto-bid, how you schedule is of the utmost importance. I had the opportunity to speak to nine coaches about what goes through their minds when building a schedule. Here’s what they had to say about what is important to them and their school when it comes to the art of scheduling.