College hoops is played successful 3 chapters. There is the nonconference season, past league play and finally, the postseason.
Because of those stages and the five-plus months they're dispersed across, a squad that starts beardown mightiness not decorativeness that way. And the aforesaid is existent for teams that mightiness request much clip to turn earlier they highest aboriginal successful the year. That's wherefore immoderate matchups successful the opening of the play are truthful interesting.
They're a large mode to footwear disconnected the 2022-23 season, but they're besides much of a measuring instrumentality than definitive impervious astir wherever a squad volition extremity up connected Selection Sunday.
Above all, it's a large appetizer for what we mightiness spot successful March. Let's instrumentality a look astatine immoderate of the apical nonconference matchups successful men's assemblage hoops implicit the adjacent 3 months.
Michigan State Spartans vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs
Nov. 11, USS Abraham Lincoln, San Diego, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
They're playing connected an progressive nuclear-powered craft bearer docked astatine the San Diego Naval Air Station. On Veterans Day. Coaches Tom Izzo and Mark Few person well-earned reputations of playing "anybody, anywhere," and this matchup surely lives up to that. Throw successful experienced rosters cranky astir aboriginal NCAA tourney exits and we tin apt expect late-season intensity. That's bully capable for me. -- Lunardi
Duke Blue Devils vs. Kansas Jayhawks
Champions Classic, Nov. 15, Indianapolis, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Due to Bill Self's four-game suspension, the Jayhawks volition beryllium coached by Norm Roberts for this one. Still, it's the defending nationalist champion versus Duke's archetypal caller caput manager successful 42 years. No. 5 Kansas is young, but Jalen Wilson and Dajuan Harris Jr. return. Speaking of youth, Jon Scheyer has the nation's No. 1 recruiting people successful Dereck Lively II, Dariq Whitehead, Tyrese Proctor and Kyle Filipowski. Here's hoping Whitehead is steadfast for the No. 7 Blue Devils by the clip they get to Indy. -- Gasaway
Virginia Cavaliers vs. Baylor Bears
Nov. 18, Las Vegas, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2
I americium precocious connected some squads this season. Each has Final Four upside, successful my view, and this early-season brushwood is an fantabulous accidental to beryllium it. Scott Drew and Tony Bennett are besides Hall of Fame coaches-in-waiting who would different ne'er look each other. Plus, the 2nd crippled of this doubleheader (UCLA vs. Illinois) is nary slacker. -- Lunardi
Kentucky Wildcats vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs
Nov. 20, Spokane, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
This crippled has everything. Two preseason apical five-teams. Oscar Tshiebwe vs. Drew Timme. A small tinge of drama, with the crippled being played off-campus astatine Spokane Arena alternatively of The Kennel connected campus. If that's not enough, Gonzaga constituent defender Nolan Hickman, a erstwhile McDonald's All-American, was erstwhile committed to Kentucky. For my money, this is the astir intriguing nonconference crippled connected the schedule. -- Borzello
Houston Cougars vs. Oregon Ducks
Nov. 20, Eugene, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Both Dana Altman and Kelvin Sampson person led their teams to the Final Four successful caller years, but they're some searching for a nationalist championship. Sampson seems to person the borderline present with Marcus Sasser, an AP first-team All-American, Tramon Mark and five-star enlistee Jarace Walker anchoring this team. A matchup against standout Will Richardson and Co., however, volition beryllium an important barometer for the Cougars. -- Medcalf
Saint Joseph's Hawks vs. Pennsylvania Quakers
Nov. 30, Philadelphia, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+
This is the 2nd matchup of an old-fashioned Philadelphia Big 5 doubleheader (La Salle takes connected Temple successful the opener). I learned to emotion the crippled successful the Palestra, the large aged barn connected Penn's field successful West Philly, and haven't been determination since earlier the pandemic. And determination haven't been 4 metropolis schools successful the gathering successful astir 4 years. It won't substance if nary of the teams are NCAA tournament-caliber. I'm much than OK with a small nostalgia. -- Lunardi
North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Indiana Hoosiers
Nov. 30, Bloomington, 9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
Not lone volition this beryllium the archetypal existent roadworthy crippled for the preseason No. 1 Tar Heels (they play Portland successful Portland connected Nov. 24, but it's not the Pilots' location court), it's besides a accidental for Indiana to amusement whether it deserves to beryllium considered the preseason favourite successful the Big Ten. We won't get excessively galore idiosyncratic matchups amended than Armando Bacot banging wrong against Trayce Jackson-Davis, either. -- Borzello
UCLA Bruins vs. Stanford Cardinal
Dec. 1, Stanford, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Men's assemblage hoops fans astatine Maples Pavilion haven't had an NCAA tourney squad to enactment since 2014. Now, the Cardinal faithful judge 2023 could yet beryllium their year. No. 8 UCLA volition supply Stanford with a measurement of conscionable however realistic its hopes are successful rather perchance the earliest must-watch league crippled of the play nationally. -- Gasaway
Arizona Wildcats vs. Indiana Hoosiers
Dec. 10, Las Vegas, 7:30 p.m. ET, Fox
This is simply a amusive matchup successful December that volition archer us, aboriginal successful the season, if some teams tin unrecorded up to the hype. But they're besides facing questions. Who is Arizona aft losing 3 players who were among the apical 33 NBA draught picks, including lottery prime Bennedict Mathurin? Is Indiana the champion squad successful the Big Ten? A fewer weeks earlier league play gets hectic, the Hoosiers volition person different accidental to beryllium they're the squad to bushed successful the Big Ten. -- Medcalf
Dayton Flyers vs. Wyoming Cowboys
Dec. 17, Chicago, 8 p.m. ET, CBSSN
Both are among the top-five mid-major outfits successful the country, and the result of this crippled volition beryllium referenced perpetually successful the lead-up to Selection Sunday. Dayton large antheral DaRon Holmes II is simply a aboriginal pro, battling with Wyoming's Graham Ike connected the interior. Meanwhile, each team's superior playmaker -- Dayton's Malachi Smith and Wyoming's Hunter Maldonado -- are highly effectual successful antithetic ways. -- Borzello
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Arizona Wildcats
Dec. 17, Tucson, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
The No. 11 Volunteers are my prime to triumph the SEC and the No. 17 Wildcats are aiming for back-to-back Pac-12 titles. Rick Barnes and his radical volition beryllium tested successful a existent roadworthy crippled 2 clip zones distant from home. Also enactment that Dec. 17 volition beryllium nonconference festivus: In summation to the Dayton-Wyoming tilt correctly tagged by Borzello, we'll spot Gonzaga vs. Alabama successful Birmingham, UCLA vs. Kentucky astatine Madison Square Garden, Indiana vs. Kansas and Houston vs. Virginia. -- Gasaway
Kansas Jayhawks vs. Kentucky Wildcats
Jan. 28, Lexington, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Who knows what the nationalist scenery volition look similar successful precocious January? But it's harmless to presume this SEC/Big 12 Challenge crippled will person Selection Sunday implications. Kansas mislaid a batch of endowment pursuing past year's nationalist rubric run, but don't consciousness atrocious for Wilson and Co. The Jayhawks are inactive susceptible of a heavy run. And Kentucky boasts perchance the 2nd subordinate to triumph the Wooden Award back-to-back. These precocious January nonconference battles are amusive and they're bully for the sport. -- Medcalf
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