NCAA Basketball's Toughest Schedules

I'm currently a high school basketball player, considering colleges to apply to. Knowing the hardness of a college's basketball schedule can have a huge impact on my decision. Anyone know which colleges have the hardest basketball schedules?

The strength of a college basketball schedule can vary drastically from year to year, based on the performance of the teams a college faces. It's also important to remember that what matters the most is the strength of schedule within the conference. Even though non-conference games can be tough, conference games really set the bar because they are usually against opponents with similar caliber.

With that in mind, a general rule of thumb is: teams in powerful athletic conferences, like the ACC (Duke, North Carolina, Virginia, etc.), the Big 10 (Michigan, Michigan State, etc.), and the Big 12 (Kansas, Texas, etc) often face the toughest basketball schedules. These conferences feature many top-ranked, historically successful programs and guarantee a multitude of challenging in-conference games every season.

Outside of these conferences, schools like Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference or Villanova in the Big East Conference have also continually faced tough schedules, in large part because they've maintained such strong programs that they often schedule high-profile non-conference games against other top-tier teams.

Also, please note that it's not all about playing the toughest schedule. It's about the opportunities to grow as a player, the coaching staff, the educational opportunities, and the overall fit for you. Of course, if you're up for the challenge and thrive in ultra-competitive environments, these schools could be a great fit!

In order to come up with a few colleges to consider, I recommend identifying what you're looking for in a college experience inside and outside of basketball. Then, research those schools' basketball programs, their history, their coaching staff, and their style of play to see if it would be a good fit for you. That'll give you a good starting point. Best of luck with your search!