Busy UMaine basketball weekend for fans and current pre-season team rankings

UMaine basketball fans can get a good look at the teams for the coming season as both teams open up their regular non-conference schedules especially against D-1 opponents this coming Friday.

D-1 teams cannot schedule other D-1 teams for exhibition games, although they may scrimmage D-1 teams like the women did this past weekend when they traveled to Syracuse.

So D-1 teams are forced to schedule D-2, D-3 and under teams (There are 10 divisions of college basketball levels) if they want the game conditions of an exhibition.

On Friday at 6:00pm the Maine women entertain Tulane Green Wave at the famous Memorial Gym’s “THE PIT”. At 8:00pm the Harvard Crimson take on the Dayton Flyers.

Meanwhile in Boston on Chesnut Hill the men’s team take on Boston College at 7:30pm.

On Saturday, the Maine women play at 4:00pm win or lose on Friday followed by either the consolation game for Friday’s losers or the championship game at 4:00pm for Friday’s winners.

Usually in a tournament format the consolation game is played before the championship game. However, that does not seem to be the format for Maine’s Tip Off Tourney.

Game wise the women have been off since October 28th when they got beat by D-2 Stonehill 68-49 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. However, they did scrimmage Syracuse this past weekend at Syracuse.

The men defeated two D-3 opponents in exhibition games. On October 28th as part of a doubleheader with the women’s team Maine beat Husson University 84-63 and this past Sunday at the “PIT” they edged by St. Joseph’s of Standish Maine 66-54 after only leading by 2 at the half 35-33.

The two Maine women’s games will be streamed on line on ESPN 3 and on radio at 1230am WGUY and the men’s game will be on TV by ACC Network Extra according to both teams schedule on their goblackbears.com websites.

This will be both teams first competition against D-1 opponents for this year.

There are 351 D-1 teams for each of the men’s division and the women’s division here are some pre-season rankings.

The Maine men’s team after finishing 334 in the Pomeroy End- of-Season RPI Rankings are listed 332 for the coming season.

The women are ranked 150 for the coming year’s realtimerpi.com Team power ranking and the men are ranked 329.

Only games against D-1 teams count in RPI or Team Power rankings once the non-conference games begin like this coming weekend for both Maine Basketball Teams.

Sorry, but could not find the Pomeroy Last years and the Pre-Season RPI Rankings for the women’s teams.