of schedule. NCState's overall strength of schedule was about the same as Marquette's (at least by KenPom's adjusted efficiency margin). I don't hear anyone complaining about Marquette's schedule. It was much, much better than Gonzaga's and Houston's.

If Gonzaga gets a pass for the opportunity to build valuable depth during its conference schedule, NCState should get one for using the out-of-conference schedule to get ready for the demands of the ACC. If the Gonzaga players don't get penalized for their weak schedule, why do the NCState players?