ANN ARBOR -- Michigan basketball has a grueling schedule lined up for next season, one that will take it at least 12,300 miles in a three-week span to play the likes of North Carolina, Texas and the field at the Maui Invitational.

There will be some gimmies sprinkled along the gauntlet.

Alabama A&M might represent the ultimate tap-in.

Coming off a 2-27 season, the Bulldogs will play at Michigan at Crisler Center on Thursday, Dec. 21, according to a contract for the game obtained by MLive. U-M will pay Alabama A&M a guarantee of $95,000 for making the trip.

Coach Willie Hayes' team finished No. 351 out of 351 teams in both the RPI and Kenpom's efficiency ranking in 2016-17.

Its lone wins came over Mississippi Valley State (344) and Prairie View A&M (313). The Bulldogs finished last in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The game will mark the second meeting between Michigan and Alabama A&M. The first came on Dec. 17, 2011, when the 20th-ranked Wolverines rolled to an 87-57 win.

If trends hold, Alabama A&M could end up as the lowest-RPI team on Michigan's schedule next season. Over the last five years, the Bulldogs have finished 328, 272, 329, 331 and 351.

Last season, Michigan played two sub-300 RPI teams, easily beating Central Arkansas (311) and Howard (338). The Wolverines finished with an RPI of 25.

Alabama A&M is located in Huntsville, Alabama. The school has played Division I basketball since 1998 and appeared in the 2005 NCAA Tournament First Four in Dayton.

Other known games on the Wolverines' 2017-18 schedule include:

Nov. 13 -- vs. Central Michigan

Nov. 20-22 -- Maui Invitational (U-M, Cal, Chaminade, LSU, Marquette, Notre Dame, VCU, Wichita State)

Nov. 27, 28 or 29 -- at North Carolina (Big Ten/ACC Challenge)

Dec. 9 -- vs. UCLA

Dec. 12 -- at Texas

Dec. 16 -- vs. Detroit Mercy (Little Caesars Arena)

Dec. 21 -- vs. Alabama A&M

Michigan can schedule up to four more non-conference games to reach a max of 31 regular-season games.

John Beilein has previously indicated that there's a chance Michigan will not play a 31-game slate. He told reporters at the NBA Draft Combine that due to a condensed schedule -- the result of two Big Ten games being moved to early December and the conference tournament being moved a week earlier to Feb. 28-March 4 -- he will not shoehorn in an ill-advised game simply to get to 31. There's no NCAA rule saying a team has to.

Beilein is more concerned with playing 23 or 24 games against high-major teams. The Wolverines are already at that number. They'll play 23 if the land Division II Chaminade in the Maui Invitation or 24 if they don't.