That schedule is pretty brutal for a first-year coach and essentially an entirely new team.
The Mercer game is listed as being December 22nd, & is described as being in the same weekend as the Tennessee-Missouri football game...didn't realize we were playing football well into December now...LOL.
An interesting personal sidenote:
We play the University of Pikeville (who BTW is a VERY good NAIA team) as an exhibition. UPIKE is coached by Kelly Wells. Wells led them to, and won the NAIA National Championship in 2011, and was national Coach of the Year. That name might sound familiar. He is the former head coach at Mason County HS in KY where he coached...Chris Lofton. Kelly has sister named Shelly (both eastern KY basketball legends), who is married to my wife's cousin, Brock Walter (another former local basketball star). Unfortunately, Kelly is currently battling kidney disease, and needed a transplant (his 2nd). Kelly's wife, Shawne, donated one to him 10 years ago following Mason County's 2003 Kentucky State Basketball Title (Lofton was MVP btw). In a cruel twist of fate, the only matching donor this time is his brother-in-law (& my wife's cousin), Brock Walter.
On Monday, Brock is giving Kelly the gift of life for a second time. The Wells family and the Walter family are wonderful people, and I can't say enough good things about them. If prayer is your thing, keep both families in your thoughts and lift them up.