John Cooper’s first big test as Miami University men’s basketball coach has been completed.

The school released its 2012-13 schedule Wednesday, and Cooper admitted it was an arduous process.

“There were just so many moving parts. Trying to get them settled was difficult,” he said. “We had some agreements that were already in place, and you always have issues with making all the dates work. I just had to go through the process of navigating it.”

Road matchups with North Carolina State (Nov. 9) and Louisville (Nov. 18) highlight the 13-game nonleague schedule. Cooper’s debut will be against the Wolfpack in Raleigh, N.C.

“Louisville could very well be preseason No. 1 or 2 in the country,” Cooper said. “N.C. State is a top 10, top 15 preseason team.”

Those contests are guarantee games, meaning Miami is getting paid to make those trips.

“We’ve got to play guarantee games with where we are right now,” Cooper said. “One of the things I’ve sort of trended to is putting them earlier in the schedule. Last year, we took our (Tennessee State) team on the road to North Carolina. We got beat (102-69), but I thought the North Carolina game was one of the biggest influences we had as far as being able to go in and beat Murray State in front of 10,000 fans.

“Obviously, we play every game to win,” he continued. “I don’t go there just thinking we’re going to get our butts kicked. But once you’ve been in those environments, you’re not shocked by anything.”

The RedHawks will have six other away games outside the Mid-American Conference: William & Mary, IPFW, Evansville, Dayton, Wright State and the ESPN BracketBuster.

Miami’s home opener will be Nov. 13 against Grambling State, and there will be additional pre-MAC games at Millett Hall against James Madison, Illinois Chicago, Massachusetts and Division III Wilmington. The MAC campaign will begin Jan. 9 at home against Northern Illinois.

Overall, Miami has 13 home games.

“Ideally, we would love to play 15, 16 home games,” Cooper said. “When you look at the teams in the league that have been very successful, those are the numbers that they have been able to get to. Look at the Akrons and the Ohios. Those teams are paying guarantees, and that’s putting those home games up. That’s where we would like to get to.”

MU students won’t see much of their team early in the year. After Grambling, the RedHawks’ next five home games will be played during the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. Students will be back in the stands for the Jan. 16 game against Bowling Green.

“At this point, that’s just something we couldn’t control,” Cooper said.

He likes the overall schedule. Cooper feels it’s a challenging, fair slate that should put Miami in a position to compete for postseason play.

MU’s lone exhibition game will be at home Oct. 31 against Maryville (Mo.).