After waiting about eight months for the first tipoff of the college men’s basketball season, we have finally made it. Although opening day doesn’t typically offer many competitive, high-level matchups, there were still some surprisingly consequential results and upsets. Most notably, No. 6 Gonzaga blew the brakes off of No. 8 Baylor, winning by 38 points. I think it’s safe to say that the Zags will yet again be in the race for the championship. We also saw two top 25 teams fall to unranked opponents, with No. 13 Texas A&M failing to pull out a win against University of Central Florida and an underrated Ohio State squad beating No.19 Texas. Slight upsets like these should be expected, though, with the rankings needing some calibration as the season just began.
While Tuesday has no ranked teams playing, the rest of the week has some potential for great matchups. Here are the games I’m looking forward to the most for the rest of opening week.
Sacred Heart at No. 3 Connecticut on Wednesday
Obviously, this will almost certainly be a blowout, but it will also be the first time seeing the reigning back-to-back national champions play for the 2024–25 season. Coach Dan Hurley lost quite a lot from a roster standpoint following their championship run, but it doesn’t seem to matter much, as it was the same story before last season.
No. 9 North Carolina at No. 1 Kansas on Friday
This early season clash features the top team in the preseason rankings against another storied program in UNC. There’s not much more you can ask for in the first week of play. One of the best guards in the country, RJ Davis, versus one of the best big men in the country, Hunter Dickinson. This is pretty clearly the game of the week.
New Mexico at No. 22 UCLA on Friday
Last season for these two schools went very differently. New Mexico, along with five other Mountain West teams, claimed bids to the 2024 NCAA Tournament while UCLA struggled to complete a top five finish in the Pac-12. Now, UCLA is ranked and is looking for a statement win against a quality New Mexico team.
No. 8 Baylor at No. 16 Arkansas on Saturday
After their brutal loss to Gonzaga on Monday, this is almost a must-win game for the Bears. Not to mention, Arkansas is now being coached by Hall of Famer and former head coach for the University of Kentucky, John Calipari.
No. 11 Auburn at No. 4 Houston on Saturday
Following their extremely successful first season in the Big 12, Kelvin Sampson scheduled a tough test for his squad against the Johni Broome-led Auburn Tigers. With both teams looking to win it all, this will be must-see TV for Saturday night.
