It’s that time of year again, college basketball is starting back up. Instead of waiting till conference play or even only March Madness for mere casuals, might I suggest a different option? Watching some high-profile non-conference men’s college basketball games. Here are the best non-con games of opening week.
(Rankings based on AP preseason poll and all times central)
Monday November 3
No. 3 Florida Gators-87 vs No. 13 Arizona Wildcats-93
In a top 15 matchup early in the season, Arizona made a key statement with a 93-87 victory of the defending national champion Gators. With how both teams played, don’t be surprised to see both the Gators and Wildcats each have deep runs in March. A flaw in Arizona Head Coach Tommy Lloyd’s teams have been their inability to go deep in March. An early season win over the defending champs might be a springboard to change that.
Villanova Wildcats-66 vs No. 8 BYU Cougars-71
BYU gritted out a tough victory over an upset-minded Villanova team. The Cougars in game one showed their ability to weather adversity and a team playing up to the Cougs own level. Villanova despite the loss has shown fight and the path for a course correction to get Nova back towards the top of the Big East and into the dance come March.
Tuesday November 4
Texas Longhorns vs No. 4 Duke Blue Devils – 8:45 p.m. ESPN
Well, first off, you get to root against Duke, something most college basketball fans love. Second off it’s the inaugural Dick Vitale invitational. The Dickie V invitational is a new season-opening event and is intended to become a season-opening tradition to honor the great coach and announcer Dick Vitale and all he’s done for the sport. Onto the hardwood now, this is an intriguing matchup. Texas in their first game under new head coach Sean Miller, who eliminated the Horns in their first four matchup vs Miller’s Xavier squad last March. Now Miller gets a chance to get a statement win in his first game in burnt orange, playing No. 4 Duke in Charlotte. Duke, of course, made the Final Four last year with Cooper Flagg before collapsing to Houston in that game, and now no Flagg in Durham. Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer, though, has reloaded, bringing in highly touted recruit twins Cameron and Cayden Boozer, plus key returning guard Caleb Foster. Can Texas make a major statement early in their season, and how does Duke look this year, plus the always-hostile SEC vs ACC matchup in play here?
Friday November 7
No. 19 Kansas Jayhawks at No. 25 North Carolina Tar Heels- 6:00 p.m. ESPN
A classic feels in order here with these two blue bloods squaring off. As the last two times Kansas and UNC have faced off, the games have lived up to the billing. Something both teams hope is the case for them this year after disappointing seasons a year ago . Kansas the preseason no. 1 team got knocked out in the first round of March Madness, and questions are being pondered about how much longer Bill Self will be on the bench for the Jayhawks. The Jayhawks have potential number one pick guard Darryn Peterson to try and get Kansas back to their standard after substandard years in Lawrence since their last national title in 2022, which came against North Carolina. Onto the UNC side now, it’s hotseat time for Tar Heels coach Hubert Davis as since a run to that national title game vs Kansas in his first year, it’s been a constant disappointment in Chapel Hill. With the Tar Heels being the only preseason No. 1 team in history to miss March Madness and two early exits to boot since then. With controversy over whether UNC even deserved to make the dance last year, Davis needs a good year and a deep run in March to quell questions about his job security. Davis has gone for a mix of old and new for the Heels this year, with returning senior guard Seth Trimble expected to couple well with new 7-foot center transfer Henri Veesaar. It’s a blue-blooded college hoops matchup in early November, what more could you ask for out of a Friday night?
Saturday November 8
Don’t let the fact that college football is going on distract you from a high-profile slate of college hoops games Saturday.
No. 15 Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 5 St.John’s Red Storm-11:00 a.m. FS1
Another top-15 matchup awaits us Saturday as Alabama looks to continue its climb in basketball prowess under Nate Oats. They do so against a man who has more prowess in basketball than any other coach in the country, Hall of Famer Rick Pitino’s St. John’s Red Storm. Both these teams are poised for a deep March run, as Alabama made it to the Elite Eight last year and St. John’s was a two-seed but got tripped up in the first weekend. You have fiery coaches at the world’s greatest arena, Madison Square Garden, for a high noon showdown (well, at least high noon out East), a great way to start a strong college hoops Saturday.
No. 14 Arkansas at No. 22 Michigan State-6:00 p.m. FOX
Two living legends will face off in East Lansing as Hall of Famers with John Calipari’s Arkansas squad against Tom Izzo’s Spartans. It was a rough first year early on in Fayetteville for Coach Cal, but he got his squad together and led them into the Sweet 16 last year. That raises expectations for the Hogs this year, with their coach having his roster loaded with players such as returning guard DJ Wagner and a high-profile freshman ball handler in Darius Acuff Jr. College basketball has changed drastically since Tom Izzo’s first year in East Lansing, but one thing has stayed the same: the Spartans will go dancing under Izzo. Last year, Sparty extended its tournament streak to 27 straight years and featured a deep run to the Elite Eight. Izzo might not have the high-profile guys like Cal, but he develops talent tremendously well over time. Going to be a great contrast of styles between the grizzled veterans for Sparty and the talent but wild Razorbacks
Oklahoma at No. 21 Gonzaga- 9:00 p.m. ESPN2
A nice nightcap Saturday brings us to Spokane as the lovable little old school out West, who’s become a basketball power, Gonzaga hosts a team from the big bad SEC in Oklahoma. Both these teams had opening exit weekends last year in March after some ups and downs in the regular season. Oklahoma has a daunting road ahead of it, having to play in far and away the best conference in the SEC. A marquee win against a team that can always be counted on to be good in the Zags could prove pivotal come Selection Sunday. On the Gonzaga side, they did win the WCC last year, and this is their final year in it, but there were serious concerns that Gonzaga would miss the tournament at times last year. Having a win over a school from a strong conference like the SEC could do wonders for the Zags if they don’t win their conference. Oklahoma and Gonzaga each have hard roads ahead of them. A win over the other would be a huge momentum and confidence boost to kick off another year of college basketball.