College hoops are back! I know you’re excited or you wouldn’t be here right now.
Now, the difficult part. Where do you even start? What do you watch? You probably know who your favorite teams are playing, but what about some other games? What’s worth your time?
It can be a bit difficult to find worthy games in the first weekend of college basketball. For the most part, major conference teams start their slates with subpar mid-major cupcakes to get the ball rolling.
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Of course, the biggest single day of the November schedules is on Tuesday (Nov. 17) with the Tip-Off Marathon on ESPN, but there’s three or four solid days of games before that starts, and you don’t want to fall behind so early.
Since Friday’s (Nov. 13) the best of the first few days of games, that’s where the focus will be here. There’s a number of games on tap that should give you a nice taste of the action.
So, what’s worth watching on the first day of the season? Allow to give you a helping hand.
Iowa State Cyclones vs. Colorado Buffaloes, 5 p.m. EST, ESPN, Sanford Pentagon (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
Iowa State’s got a Final Four-caliber team, two All-America candidates (Georges Niang and Monte Morris), one of the best defensive big men in the country (Jameel McKay), a new coach (out: Fred Hoiberg; in: Steve Prohm) and a style of offense to keep even the NBA elitists entertained. Colorado’s looking to come back from a down year last season.
Side note: the Sanford Pentagon is a pretty cool venue that’s fun to watch a basketball game at and is building towards being a major player in neutral court college basketball.
Position Battle To Watch: Center – Colorado’s Josh Scott vs. Iowa State’s Jameel McKay.
Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Pittsburgh Panthers, 7 p.m. EST, ESPN, Japan
Gonzaga’s frontcourt alone makes them a top 10 team (NPOY candidate Kyle Wiltjer, Przemek Karnowski and Domantas Sabonis). Their guards are the question right now. Pittsburgh’s also looking to turn it around but has veteran leaders to help get it done (Jamel Artis, James Robinson and Michael Young).
Position Battle To Watch: Wing/Forward – Pitt’s Jamel Artis vs. Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer
North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Temple Owls, 7 p.m. EST, CBS Sports Network, Navy
UNC begins its attempt to win a national championship before the potential sanctions sets them back a few years. They’re one of the deepest teams in the country and also plays a pro style of offense to be a pleasure to watch. Temple has to replace its backcourt from a 26-win team last season, but Fran Dunphy knows how to work magic.
Position Battle To Watch: Combo Guard – Temple’s Quenton DeCosey vs. Whoever North Carolina picks as their fifth starter.
Texas Longhorns vs. Washington Huskies, 10 p.m. EST, ESPN, China
Shaka Smart makes his Texas debut, which will make it rather interesting to see just how much Havoc he brought with him from VCU. Washington has a top-10 recruiting class (eight in-coming freshmen in all) and could be a spoiler throughout the year if teams aren’t careful.
Position Battle To Watch: Point Guard – Texas’ Isaiah Taylor vs. Washington’s Andrew Andrews
Other Games Worth Noting:
Stephen F. Austin @ Baylor
UAB @ Auburn
Boise State @ Montana
Friday’s the one day of the opening weekend that has a number of games worth watching. Saturday and Sunday both have their own interesting games, but Friday takes the cake, then the action slows down considerably and picks up again on Monday night and all day Tuesday with ESPN’s annual Tip-Off Marathon.
Next: 2015-16 All-American Teams
These opening day games will serve as a teaser for the greatness to come.
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