Seton Hall basketball: Sizing up another challenging nonconference schedule Ten of the 13 slots are booked for 2018-19, and there are few breathers.

Jerry Carino | Asbury Park Press

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The personnel will be much different next season for Seton Hall men’s basketball, but one thing won’t change a bit: The Pirates are lining up another rugged nonconference schedule, perhaps the program's toughest since the early 1990s.

Despite losing four senior starters to graduation, the Hall’s quest for a fourth straight NCAA Tournament bid starts with a challenging mix of high-majors and contests away from home.

Reading between the lines, this is a surefire sign that Kevin Willard thinks his roster is NCAA Tournament-caliber. No way he does this otherwise.

Here is what we know about the slate so far — 10 slots booked, three open. This will be updated throughout the summer as new information rolls in.

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At Nebraska (Nov. 14): The Hall has played well in the Gavitt Games, winning at Iowa in 2016 and throttling Indiana last November. This is the toughest test yet. Coming off a 22-win season and fourth-place Big Ten finish, Nebraska returns much of the squad and will be a borderline Top 25 team. Plus Pinnacle Bank Arena is one tough place to play.

Wooden Legacy at Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 22, 23 & 25): The bracket isn’t out yet for this eight-team, three-game affair, but the field is solid. It includes Miami (22-10 last year), Utah (23-12), Northwestern (15-17), La Salle (13-19), Hawaii (17-13), Fresno State (21-11) and Grand Canyon (22-15).

Kentucky at Madison Square Garden (Dec. 8): As usual, the young but talent-loaded Wildcats will be in the preseason top 10. Patrick School grad Nick Richards projects to start inside.

Louisville: The Cardinals will enter the season with low expectations, by their standards, as they look to avenge last year’s loss to the Pirates at home. One thing is certain: New coach Chris Mack will have Hall star Myles Powell well-scouted.

At Maryland (reportedly Dec. 22): The start of a quality home-and-home. In point guard Anthony Cowan and big man Bruno Fernando, the Terps have the nucleus of an upper-tier Big Ten team coming off a 19-win campaign.

Rutgers (tentatively Dec. 15): Certainly a revenge game for the Pirates after last year’s stunning collapse at the RAC. Rutgers is turning the page with a younger, untested team so the Hall will be strong favorites.

Saint Louis: Don’t be fooled by last year’s 17-16 ledger. The Billikens are suddenly potent in the backcourt with grad transfers Tramaine Isabell of Drexel and Dion Wiley of Maryland. This will not be an easy home game.

Wagner: The Pirates handled the eventual Northeast Conference regular-season champions (23-10) at home last season.

It seems likely that the long-running series with St. Peter’s will continue with former Hall assistant Shaheen Holloway as the Peacocks’ head coach, but no deal is finalized at this time.

Staff Writer Jerry Carino: jcarino@gannettnj.com.