Thursday, June 26,2003 6:09 p.m.
The 2003-2004 Hoosier basketball team will have its hands full in non-conference bouts as IU will face numerous teams that made it into post-season play. Well-known teams such as Kentucky, Missouri, Notre Dame, Wake Forest and Xavier will face the Hoosiers out of conference.
While the Big Ten schedule has yet to be set, coach Mike Davis is sure that IU's non-conference opponents will be formidable.
"Six of our first eight games are against teams that made the NCAA Tournament, and three of those teams (Kentucky, Notre Dame and Butler) made the Sweet 16," Davis said in a press release.
While they are going to face some tough opponents, this is no change for the Hoosiers, as their schedule has ranked amongst the top eight in the nation in Sagarin Ratings schedule strength for the past five seasons.
Davis hopes that a schedule with such elite opponents will drive his players to train harder during the offseason.