July 20, 2016
College basketball season is still a good bit away, but the local schools are starting to officially announce what their schedules are going to look like next season.
Today, it was St. Joe’s and La Salle unveiling who they are playing outside of the Atlantic 10. Let's take a quick look:
Phil Martelli will have to face this slate without his two best players from last season, DeAndre’ Bembry and Isaiah Miles. The Hawks’ holiday trip is to the Virgin Islands, where the teams on the other side of the bracket are Creighton, Montana, North Carolina State and Washington State.
St. Joe’s has to go to ‘Nova for the Holy War this year, which is probably for the best because the Wildcats are going to be tough to beat on any floor this year. There don’t appear to be any powerhouses outside of the Wildcats on the schedule, but for a Hawk team that will have to figure out a new identity at the beginning of the season, it seems about right:
| Date | Opponent | Location |
| Sat. November 12 | Toledo | Hagan Arena |
| Mon. November 14 | Columbia | Hagan Arena |
| Fri. November 18 | Loyola-Chicago | St. Thomas, V.I. |
| Sat./Sun. November 19/20 | Ole Miss/Oral Roberts | St. Thomas, V.I. |
| Mon. November 21 | TBD | St. Thomas, V.I. |
| Wed. November 30 | Temple | Hagan Arena |
| Sat. December 3 | Villanova | The Pavilion |
| Sun. December 11 | Drexel | The DAC |
| Wed. December 14 | Princeton | Princeton, NJ |
| Sun. December 18 | Illinois State | Normal, IL |
| Wed. December 21 | Lafayette | Hagan Arena |
| Sat. January 21 | Penn | The Palestra |
It’s nice that La Salle scheduled the ‘Nova game at The Palestra this year, and John Giannini’s team figures to be much improved with a transfer-heavy lineup (B.J. Johnson, Demetrius Henry, and Pookie Powell join the rest of the Explorers). The Explorers will play at the HoopHall Invitational in Miami along with Temple, getting a Georgetown team coming off a disappointing season:
| Date | Opponent | Location |
| Fri. November 11 | Temple | Liacouras Center |
| Wed. November 16 | Delaware | Tom Gola Arena |
| Sat. November 19 | Texas Southern | Tom Gola Arena |
| Sun. November 27 | Drexel | The DAC |
| Wed. November 30 | Lehigh | Tom Gola Arena |
| Sat. December 3 | Bucknell | Tom Gola Arena |
| Tues. December 6 | Villanova | The Palestra |
| Sat. December 10 | Georgetown | Miami, FL |
| Sat. December 17 | Florida Gulf Coast | Tom Gola Arena |
| Thurs. December 22 | Mercer | Macon, GA |
| Wed. January 25 | Penn | Tom Gola Arena |
And while we’re at it, Temple announced their non-conference schedule last week. This group of games includes the NIT Season Tip-Off, where the Owls will play a couple of power conference foes in Florida State and either West Virginia or Illinois:
| Date | Opponent | Location |
| Fri. November 11 | La Salle | Liacouras Center |
| Mon. November 14 | New Hampshire | Liacouras Center |
| Thurs. November 17 | Massachusetts | Amherst, MA |
| Sun. November 20 | Manhattan | Liacouras Center |
| Thurs. November 24 | Florida State | Brooklyn, NY |
| Fri. November 25 | West Virginia/Illinois | Brooklyn, NY |
| Wed. November 30 | Saint Joseph's | Hagan Arena |
| Sat. December 3 | Penn | Liacouras Center |
| Wed. December 7 | George Washington | Liacouras Center |
| Sat. December 10 | DePaul | Miami, FL |
| Tues. December 13: | Villanova | The Pavilion |
| Sat. December 17 | NJIT | Liacouras Center |
| Thurs. December 22 | Yale | Liacouras Center |
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
