The start of the men’s college basketball season is right around the corner and fans are in store for some marquee opening-week matchups beginning on Monday.
Here are five must-watch games for the first week of the season:
The defending champions kick-off the season with a top-15 showdown in Las Vegas. Leading scorers Walter Clayton Jr. (18.3 PPG), Alijah Martin (14.4 PPG) and Will Richard (13.3 PPG) have all departed, but the return of forwards Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh to go along with 247 Sports’ sixth-ranked transfer class could lead to another deep run.
The Wildcats bring in a pair of five-star recruits in Koa Peat and Brayden Burries. Although the departure of leading scorer Caleb Love (17.2 PPG) to the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers is a huge hole to fill, there is a lot of young talent on this Arizona team to give Florida a challenge.
Following a first-round NCAA Tournament exit to cap a disappointing campaign in which it began as the preseason No. 1 team, Kansas heads to Chapel Hill to face the Tar Heels with a completely revamped roster.
The Tar Heels had to play their way into the NCAA Tournament through the First Four last season after missing the “Big Dance” entirely the year prior. Senior guard Seth Trimble (11.6 PPG) returns, but the loss of RJ Davis is massive as both new-look teams try to pick up a signature blue-blood win.
The Crimson Tide will be tested early with the first of five ranked non-conference matchups coming against the Red Storm. Guard Latrell Wrightsell (11.5 PPG) is the only one of Alabama’s top-three scorers from last season returning, so he, along with fellow returnees Aden Holloway (11.4 PPG) and Labaron Philon Jr. (10.6 PPG), will need to step up.
Rick Pitino’s St. John’s squad brings back center Zuby Ejiofor and picked up Bryce Hopkins, Dillon Mitchell and Ian Jackson in the nation’s top-ranked transfer class. Alabama will be a good early test for the Red Storm, but the pieces are in place to make another run.
John Calipari’s Razorbacks face Tom Izzo’s Spartans in East Lansing in a matchup between two Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame head coaches. Despite losing each of its top-three scorers, guard D.J. Wagner (11.2 PPG) returns while five-star recruits Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas join the mix.
The Spartans also lost their top-three scorers, but return forwards Coen Carr (8.1 PPG), Jaxon Kohler (7.8 PPG) and guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (7.2 PPG). There may be some new faces on this year’s rosters, but a Calipari-Izzo clash is still must-see television.
Gonzaga is Oklahoma’s only ranked opponent outside of conference play, so a win would be crucial in building a strong resume out of the gate. However, with Jeremiah Fears (17.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4.1 APG) and Jalon Moore (15.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG) departed to the New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma has a lot to overcome.
A brutal non-conference schedule awaits the Bulldogs as usual, but with leading-scorer Graham Ike (17.3 PPG) and Braden Huff (11 PPG) returning, along with newcomer Tyon Grant-Foster being granted a preliminary injunction to play, per ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, Gonzaga looks poised to handle any challenges that come its way.
