Secret scrimmages.
I still can’t figure out why the NCAA forces teams to be so secretive about these preseason controlled matchups in which statistics aren’t supposed to be revealed and media aren’t allowed to be present.
You aren’t supposed to know about these, so please don’t get me in trouble and say where you found out.
But they begin soon, and we’ve come up with the most comprehensive list you’ll find anywhere.
Many of the elite teams don’t (or can’t) have secret scrimmages because the administration doesn’t want to give up the money for a home exhibition with fans in attendance. But there are some -- such as Arizona -- that find a way to schedule a secret scrimmage.
The headliner scrimmage this year is VCU at Florida in a battle of Top 25 teams (and a battle of Billy Donovan and his former assistant Shaka Smart). Nov. 1 is loaded with matchups as two of the best in the West square off when Stanford travels to San Diego State. New Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski will get his feet wet with a trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, and a battle with a top-20 Virginia team.
Then there’s the annual Gonzaga-Texas tilt. It happens every year, and this time it’s in Phoenix on Nov. 8.
Thursday, Oct. 23
North Dakota State at MSU-Moorhead
Friday, Oct. 24
Davidson at Texas
Clayton State at Kennesaw State
Saturday, Oct. 25
Ohio State at West Virginia
Stephen F. Austin at Houston
Arizona State at San Francisco
Grand Canyon at Santa Clara
Charleston Southern at East Carolina
Florida Atlantic at North Florida
USC Upstate vs. Chattanooga at North Georgia
Citadel at Stetson
Bethune-Cookman at Coastal Carolina in Savannah
Pacific at UC Davis
UT Pan American at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Texas A&M-Kingsville at UT San Antonio
Western Illinois at Chicago State
Sunday, Oct. 26
Nebraska at Kansas State in Omaha
Iowa at Creighton
Southern Mississippi vs. Louisiana-Lafayette in New Orleans
James Madison vs. Navy
Presbyterian at Western Carolina
Monday, Oct. 27
Winston Salem State at NC Central
Wednesday, Oct. 29
Saint Joseph’s at Seton Hall
Thursday, Oct. 30
UT Arlington at Texas A&M
New Haven at Central Connecticut
Friday, Oct. 31
LIU at Rider
UNC Greensboro at Coastal Carolina
Sioux Falls at North Dakota
Saturday, Nov. 1
VCU at Florida
Stanford at San Diego State
Providence at Harvard
DePaul at Wisconsin
Marquette at Virginia
Cleveland State at Xavier
TCU at Wichita State
Louisiana Tech vs. Oklahoma State in Dallas
Clemson at Charlotte
Georgia Tech vs. Alabama in Birmingham
Michigan at Bowling Green
NC State vs. Georgia in Charlotte
Wake Forest at Charleston
Baylor vs. SMU at TBD
Miami at South Florida
Denver at Colorado
Penn State at Temple
Wyoming at Utah
Portland at Washington
Illinois State at Northwestern
LSU at Northwestern State
Georgetown at George Mason
Washington State at Nevada
Drexel at George Washington
Duquesne at Towson
St. Francis (N.Y.) at Fordham
Kent State at St. Bonaventure
Hofstra at Saint. Joseph’s
Miami (Ohio) at Murray State
Eastern Kentucky at Marshall
Rice at Sam Houston State
Stephen F. Austin at Louisiana-Monroe
Radford at Ohio
UC Irvine at USC
Iona at Albany
Hartford at Brown
Quinnipiac at New Hampshire
Yale at Stony Brook
Florida Gulf Coast at Florida Southern
Indiana State vs. Central Michigan in Indianapolis
Jacksonville at Charleston Southern
Lipscomb vs. Troy in Birmingham
North Florida at Citadel
Presbyterian at USC Upstate
Tennessee Tech at Western Kentucky
Eastern Washington at Colorado State
Ball State at IPFW
Northern Colorado vs. Utah Valley at Western Wyoming JC
Portland State vs. Seattle in Portland
Chicago State at Loyola (Ill.)
Elon at Campbell
Bradley at Milwaukee
Drake at South Dakota
Valparaiso vs. Buffalo at Oberlin College in Ohio
Toledo at Wright State
Long Beach State at Arizona State
UC Riverside at San Diego
Fresno at UC Santa Barbara
Air Force at Cal State Northridge
UNC Asheville at Furman
Missouri State vs. Nebraska-Omaha in Kansas City
UNC Wilmington at Winthrop
Fairfield at Boston University
Tennessee-Martin at Arkansas Little Rock
Bucknell at Youngstown State
Pepperdine at Cal Poly
Marist at Cornell
Lehigh at Princeton
South Alabama at New Orleans
Texas State vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in San Antonio
Tennessee State at Samford
Lafayette at Columbia
Grambling at McNeese State
Prairie View at Lamar
Army at Siena
Holy Cross at UMass-Lowell
Dartmouth at Wagner
UMKC at SIU-Edwardsville
St. Peter’s at NJIT
Liberty at VMI
Delaware at UMBC
NC A&T at High Point
Bethune-Cookman at Florida International
Mount St. Mary’s at Randolph-Macon
Lincoln Memorial at Morehead State
Carleton at Colgate
Sunday, Nov. 2
Saint Mary’s at Arizona
Minnesota at Iowa State
South Carolina at Virginia Tech
Dayton vs. Illinois in Indianapolis
Boston College at Rutgers
Mississippi State at UAB
Ole Miss at Middle Tennessee State
Rhode Island at Manhattan
Auburn at Tulane
New Mexico State at Tulsa
Wofford at Belmont
Northern Illinois at UIC
Loyola (Md.) at Penn
Cal State Fullerton vs. Northern Arizona in Phoenix
Gardner-Webb at Appalachian State
William & Mary vs. Navy
Mercer at Georgia Southern
LIU Post at Monmouth
Eastern Illinois at Missouri-St. Louis
Young Harris at Western Carolina
Monday, Nov. 3
Nicholls State at Southern
Thursday, Nov. 6
Indiana (Pa.) at Florida Gulf Coast
Friday, Nov. 7
La Salle at Princeton
Akron at Youngstown State
Northern Kentucky at Ball State
Georgia Southwestern at Kennesaw State
Cal Baptist at Montana State
Saturday, Nov. 8
Gonzaga vs. Texas in Phoenix
Colorado at SMU
UNLV at UCLA
Saint Louis at Memphis
Virginia at Georgetown
Baylor vs. Louisiana Tech in Tyler, Texas
Rhode Island at Harvard
UMass vs. American in Philadelphia
Drexel at Temple
Virginia Tech at East Tennessee State
Belmont vs. Mercer
N.C. Central at Radford
Wofford at Liberty
Hofstra at Penn State
Iona at St. Francis (N.Y.)
Penn at Bucknell
Old Dominion vs. Norfolk State
Maryland-Eastern Shore at Richmond
Loyola-Chicago vs. Green Bay in Milwaukee
Columbia at LIU
Cornell at NJIT
Northeastern at Bryant
Brown vs. Colgate in Albany
FDU at Fordham
Tennessee State at Chattanooga
Robert Morris at Kent State
Albany at Marist
Hartford vs. Lafayette at Army
Central Connecticut at Stony Brook
UNC Greensboro at Winthrop
Cal State Bakersfield at Pepperdine
Niagara vs. Dartmouth
Florida International at Jacksonville
Boston University at Yale
Long Beach State at San Diego
Wagner at Lehigh
Northwestern State at UT Arlington
VMI at St. Francis (Pa.)
San Francisco at UC Davis
Louisiana-Monroe vs. Lamar in Alexandria
Sacred Heart at St. Peter’s
Minnesota-Moorhead at North Dakota
Metro State at Wyoming
Arkansas Little Rock vs. Abilene Christian in Rockwall, Texas
Merrimack at New Hampshire
Stephenson College at Howard
Sunday, Nov. 9
Morgan State at Delaware
Hampton at William & Mary
New Orleans at Southern
Tuesday, Nov. 11
Salisbury at Maryland-Eastern Shore