Miami announces 2011-12 basketball schedule

Here's the official release. Non-conference looks brutal, as always. Five teams were in the NCAA tournament; two more made other postseason tournaments.

November 15: DAYTON (NIT)
November 18: @Xavier (NCAA)
November 21: @Saginaw Valley State
November 26: @Southeast Missouri State
November 29: @Cincinnati (NCAA)
December 3: @Troy
December 10: WRIGHT STATE
December 17: BELMONT (NCAA)
December 20: EVANSVILLE (CBI)
December 22: @Ohio State (NCAA)
December 29: WILLIAM & MARY
January 2: @Vanderbilt (NCAA)

The most puzzling date is at Saginaw Valley State, a Division II school that's come to Millett for buy games in recent years. That said, the connections between Charlie Coles and SVSU run deep. Coles was a successful high school coach in Saginaw, and he raised his family there. Former Miami assistant Frankie Smith coaches the Cardinals now, and the SVSU athletic department is run by former Miami associate athletic director Mike Watson. And -- most importantly of all -- Charlie's son Chris is on the Cardinals' bench, serving as Smith's #1 assistant.

Reading the tea leaves, a "homecoming" in Saginaw makes it seem like this will be Charlie Coles' last season, particularly with two excellent candidates to succeed him, longtime associate head coach Jermaine Henderson and former Butler coach Todd Lickliter, on the bench. And Coles' contract expires in March, to boot. From a fan standpoint, I'm left wondering why no succession plans have been announced -- this kind of uncertainty surely can't help recruiting.