Per CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, Merrimack will be part of Indiana’s 2021-2022 nonconference schedule. This is the first reported game for the upcoming 2021-2022 season and the era of Mike Woodson.
The Merrimack Warriors ended the 2020-2021 season with a 9-9 record and had the entire year against in-conference opponents due to COVID-19. Their leading scorer was junior guard Mikey Watkins who shot 49.1% overall.
The Warriors have two seasons of experience in Division I basketball as part of the Northeast Conference. Their first win as a Division I team was at Northwestern Nov. 8, 2019, 71-61. The 2019-2020 season was shortened by COVID-19, and due to NCAA rule for schools transitioning to Division I, they were ineligible to play in NCAA-sponsored postseason events including the NCAA Tournament and NIT. However, the Warriors finished first in the Northeast Conference, making themselves the first team to win an outright conference title in their first season as Division I and they were the first team to record a 20-win season in their first Division I season.
Head coach Joe Gallo will be entering his sixth season as head coach. He holds a 90-54 record overall (.625). He was named conference coach of the year in 2020.
Merrimack joins Notre Dame (Crossroads Classic) as the two known nonconference opponents thus far. There should be nine other nonconference opponents scheduled and released over the coming months.
Cover Photo: themackreport.com
