Photo by Kasey Shamis | The Triangle

The Drexel men’s and women’s basketball non-conference schedules have been released, with the start of the season less than two months away. Expectations for both teams are unclear as the NIL and transfer portal era of college athletics makes every season a rebuilding year for mid-major programs. However, the non-conference schedule both teams have put together leaves much to analyze. 

Men’s Basketball:

Widener: Nov. 3 (Home)

Saint Joe’s: Nov. 8 (Away)

Colgate: Nov. 11 (Away)

Syracuse: Nov. 15 (Xfinity Mobile Arena)

NJIT: Nov. 18 (Home)

Penn: Nov. 21 (Home)

Old Dominion: Nov. 23 (Home)

Morgan State: Nov. 25 (Away)

American: Dec. 3 (Away)

Big 5 Classic: Dec. 6 (Xfinity Mobile Arena)

Howard: Dec. 16 (Home)

Mount St. Mary’s: Dec. 19 (Home)

Maine: Dec. 21 (Home)

To call this schedule underwhelming would be an overstatement. In both name recognition and even the dates themselves, this non-conference slate will do little to build much-needed enthusiasm about this program. 

Let’s start with the obvious. Outside of the Big 5 pod games – which were already built into Drexel’s schedule – this is a ten-game stretch of games against programs that students will probably have to Google prior to tip-off. Someone inside of Drexel Athletics will have to explain to me how a home opener against a Division III opponent  contributes to building excitement amongst the student body. Apathy is being fostered in every new Dragon when the program fails to show they care about playing meaningful games. 

Outside of their Big 5 games, Drexel’s non-conference opponents had an average ranking of 270th in the nation last season. Yuck. Realistically, the Dragons could, and probably should, walk into conference play with 10 wins.

There is exactly one game that students might be excited about, and that is a Nov. 15 game against the Kiyan Anthony-led Syracuse Orange. Even if Anthony brings some buzz to this game, this is a game that Syracuse books because they think they can play in an NBA arena and secure an easy win. Even if Drexel does win, which they of course could, Syracuse is far from the Syracuse of Jim Boeheim. Last year, the Orange were the 104th-best team in the country according to sports-reference.com’s rating system. But, hey, maybe Carmelo Anthony will be courtside for a Drexel basketball game. 

Another frustrating aspect of this schedule is that many of the home games fall when students are on break. In fact, after the Dec. 6 Big 5 Classic, there are three straight home games where Drexel students will be away for a much-needed winter break. 

Overall, this schedule fails to meet the moment. Drexel men’s basketball wants to be taken seriously by its students. The team has generally been better than students give it credit for. Drexel’s CAA peer schools have had no trouble scheduling legitimate non-conference schedules for themselves, so why haven’t the Dragons? 

Women’s Basketball:

Pitt: Nov. 4 (Away)

Marist: Nov. 7 (Away)

Penn: Nov. 12 (Home)

Loyola (MD): Nov. 16 (Home)

Lehigh: Nov. 19 (Away)

NJIT: Nov. 22 (Away)

St. Joe’s: Nov. 29 (Away)

American: Dec. 3 (Home)

Big 5 Classic: Dec. 7 (Villanova)

Chestnut Hill: Dec. 16 (Home)

Vermont: Dec. 20 (Home)

This is a pretty nice non-conference schedule! 

The Dragons are once again a solid team with a solid foundation, and perhaps with the best player in the conference in Amaris Baker. This non-conference schedule has various challenging games worked into it, with Pitt, St. Joe’s and Vermont all ranking in the top-125 of sports-reference.com’s rating system for last season. 

In the past few seasons, Coach Amy Mallon and her staff have done a good job of testing the roster’s strength with some really high-level games. Last season, for example, the Dragons played on the road against Penn State and Florida State. While there are no teams of that caliber on this schedule, each opponent generally brings something to the table and will challenge the Dragons. 

Students will likely miss home games against Chestnut Hill, a Division II opponent, and Vermont due to winter break, leaving just three home games for students to easily consume in non-conference play. The good news is that one of those games is the home opener, a Battle of 33rd St. against Penn, which should do well in bringing some juice to the program. 

All told, this schedule does not do much to bring energy to the student body, but it does not disappoint from a competitive standpoint. This is a schedule that will prepare the Dragons for CAA play, where they should compete at the top of the league, as usual.