The Associated Press (AP) released its preseason poll, with Kansas beginning the season as the No. 1 team in the country. With the AP Poll now out, it is time to look at the best non-conference games, outside UConn’s gauntlet non-conference slate.
No. 8 Baylor at No. 6 Gonzaga (Nov. 4, 11:30 p.m., ESPN2)
College basketball’s opening night starts with a bang: a top 10 matchup that is the rematch of the 2021 national championship game. Both teams are national championship contenders this season but are vastly different teams from their last rematch, which came on Dec. 2, 2022. The Bears have an exciting group of players including Duke transfer Jeremy Roach, Miami (Fla.) transfer Norchad Omier and freshman VJ Edgecombe. Gonzaga has former Creighton guard Ryan Nembhard back at point guard, along with Wyoming transfer Graham Ike. Expect a big year out of senior guard Nolan Hickman, who averaged 14 points per game last season for the Bulldogs.
No. 9 North Carolina at No. 1 Kansas (Nov. 8, 7 p.m., ESPN2)
Speaking of national championship rematches, North Carolina seeks revenge against Kansas for the 2022 national title game. North Carolina has its starting backcourt from last season back, with first-team All-American R.J. Davis and ACC All-Rookie guard Elliot Cadeau. It will be interesting to see the Tar Heels’ new frontcourt with Armando Bacot, Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan all gone. Kansas is the preseason No. 1 team in the country for the second straight year, with a main core of Wooden Award candidate Hunter Dickinson, guard Dajuan Harris Jr. and K.J. Adams Jr. It will be exciting to see what Wisconsin transfer A.J. Storr has to offer the Jayhawks. He is playing for his third school in as many years.
No. 14 Purdue at No. 18 Marquette (Nov. 19, 9 p.m., FS1)
A new era will begin in West Lafayette, Ind. as center Zach Edey, one of Purdue’s best men’s basketball players ever, finally went to the NBA. It will be up to guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer to pick up the slack as the Boilermakers are significantly smaller than the past few seasons. For Marquette, guard Kam Jones returns as one of the best guards in the Big East Conference following teammate Tyler Kolek’s departure for the NBA. Kolek’s place in the backcourt will be filled in by Stevie Mitchell, along with Sean Jones who is expected to return following a season-ending injury last season. The similarity with both teams is that they both lost their starting center from the year before.
Players Era Festival: No. 4 Houston vs. No. 2 Alabama (Nov. 26, 8 p.m., TBS)
Both teams are expected to be national championship contenders, with Alabama making its first Final Four appearance in program history and Houston having a trio of starters return from last season’s team, which could have made the Final Four had All-American guard Jamal Shead not get injured. That trio consists of seniors L.J. Cryer and J’Wan Roberts, along with junior Emanuel Sharp. On the other side, All-American guard Mark Sears returns for Alabama. Also returning for their senior seasons are Grant Nelson and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. Head coach Nate Oats convinced former Rutgers center, Clifford Omoruyi, to come to Tuscaloosa, Ala., who is expected to be one of the Southeastern Conference (SEC)’s best big men.
Vegas Showdown: No. 7 Duke vs. No. 1 Kansas (Nov. 26, 9 p.m., ESPN)
Kansas was already explained, so why not look at potentially the best team head coach Jon Scheyer has had in his tenure at Duke? Despite losing Roach to Baylor, the Blue Devils are primed to have an excellent shot at the national championship this season. The best player on the team is by far their star freshman Cooper Flagg, who has been known to keep up with some of the NBA’s best. Along with him, junior Tyrese Proctor looks to fill in the shoes left by Roach as Duke’s best guard. These two previously faced each other on Nov. 15, 2022, with Kansas taking the 69-64 victory. Two blue bloods going head-to-head always means it is must-see TV.
No. 22 UCLA vs. No. 10 Arizona (Dec. 14, 3 p.m., ESPN2)
For the first time, UCLA and Arizona will not be conference rivals. Instead, UCLA is in the Big Ten Conference, while Arizona is in the Big 12 Conference. Arizona lost center Oumar Ballo to the transfer portal in the offseason but kept All-American guard Caleb Love for his senior season. Along with him, Jaden Bradley is expected to have a breakout season in his second year in Tucson. UCLA will look completely different from last year. Their top player is a returner, with Lazar Stefanovic finishing up with his senior season. What interests me the most about UCLA this season is the acquisition of Kobe Johnson, who transferred from USC, the Bruins’ arch-rival.