Monday marks the start of the men’s college basketball season, and to be honest, there aren’t a ton of great games on the schedule in the opening week.
That’s to be expected in this new age of college basketball. The first week of the season is more for finding out what you have, as so many teams are built through the transfer portal these days. So the big names will usually test themselves against smaller schools in the first week to see where they are before facing a challenging opponent.
That’s not the case for everyone, however. There are some intriguing games on the schedule, and they’re worth your time. Here are the most interesting matchups in college basketball’s first week.
Arizona vs. Florida, Monday, Las Vegas
This game is on a neutral floor, and it’s a big test for defending national champion Florida. The Gators are a popular pick to run it back, given that Alex Condon returns and they’ve brought in Boogie Fland from Arkansas to run the point. There aren’t many tougher tests for a ball handler than Arizona, as Tommy Lloyd’s defense consistently pressures the ball and forces mistakes.
On the Arizona side, nobody is talking much about the Wildcats for a couple reasons. First, Lloyd still has to prove he can get beyond the round of 16. He’s in his fifth season in Tucson, and he’s guided the Wildcats to three Sweet 16s in four tries, but no further. Second, Arizona plays in the Big 12, which is totally overshadowed by Houston. The Cougars lost to Florida in the championship game last year, and the Wildcats haven’t yet shown they’re at that level. Beating Florida would be a sign that Arizona belongs in the conversation of potential championship squads.
Duke vs. Texas, Tuesday, Charlotte
This is size vs. speed in Charlotte. Texas’ big men are hampered at best, and Duke has Cameron Boozer (Carlos Boozer’s son) down low. Duke has dominated the glass under Jon Scheyer, and the Blue Devils have the ability to do it again here against the Longhorns. Texas is going to try to get out and run as much as it can to try to get easy baskets and neutralize Duke’s height.
This also brings out an interesting dynamic that comes whenever Duke plays in Charlotte: what will the crowd do? Duke doesn’t have a big following in its own state; its fan base is located in the northeast. There’s a running joke that the place you really don’t want to face the Blue Devils is in New Jersey. In Charlotte, the crowd could go either way.
Kansas at North Carolina, Friday
This is a game between traditional powers, but it’s the coaches who are the main story here. The meeting in 2022 for the national championship where the Jayhawks beat the Tar Heels feels like a lifetime ago. Since then, both programs have struggled. Carolina has won 20 games every year under Hubert Davis, but missing the NCAA tournament in 2023 and losing in round one in 2025 have the Tar Heel fans frustrated. If Davis struggles again this year, he might not get a sixth year as the head man in Chapel Hill.
Bill Self has a lifetime contract at Kansas. But the Jayhawks have not been up to Self’s standards over the past three years. Kansas has gone just 2-3 in the NCAA tournament in the past three years, and Self has had some health concerns creep up as the game changes. If Kansas isn’t competing for a Big 12 title and a No. 1 seed, something has gone wrong. This season will tell a lot about the future of Kansas basketball and whether Self decides to keep at it or call it a career.
Whichever team loses here is going to face serious questions about their season, especially if North Carolina loses at home. The Jayhawks have less pressure given that Self’s departure will come of his own choosing, whenever it does happen.
Georgetown at Maryland, Friday
In the days of John Thompson, this game never would have happened. The Hoyas used to refuse to play any local teams, and playing at a neutral site wasn’t an option because Georgetown uses Capital One Arena in Washington as its home building for all games against power conference foes. Now, Ed Cooley is running the show, and the Hoyas are playing a road game at Maryland.
Besides that novelty and the fact that the Hoyas could take the Green Line to the game if they wished, facing the Terrapins gives Georgetown a chance to establish if it is for real. The Hoyas have been downtrodden for years now, but they looked very good in the exhibition season against George Washington and Kentucky. Going to Lexington and beating the Wildcats by 14, even if Kentucky was down its point guard. was a statement. Beating Maryland would show that Georgetown will be competitive in the Big East.
Alabama at St. John’s, Saturday
Nate Oats vs. Rick Pitino could see both teams top triple digits. This is going to be played at breakneck pace. Alabama routinely leads the country in pace of play, and Pitino’s teams have long had full court pressure as their calling card. There will be no attempts to slow the game down here as both teams constantly look for shots and try to get the ball in the basket as quickly as possible.
With both teams projected near the top of their leagues, this is a chance for each team to make a statement.
Arkansas at Michigan State, Saturday
John Calipari had a nice first year at Arkansas, taking the Razorbacks to the Sweet 16. Tom Izzo’s Spartans are respected year after year for their defensive abilities. This has the potential to be a grind-it-out game, and it’s going to be played in East Lansing in a true home game for Michigan State.
Both teams defend the 3-point shot very well, so chances will be few and far between. The team that responds best to defensive pressure will get the win here.
Penn State at New Haven, Saturday
This is here solely because of how bizarre it is. New Haven is in its first year in Division I and has a gym that barely holds 1,000 people. And yet, the Chargers somehow got Penn State to come to New Haven and play them. Not only that, but the game will be broadcast on NEC Front Row, a free streaming service on the Northeast Conference’s website that most fans have never heard of.
Nothing about this game makes any sense. A Big Ten team traveling to a gym that barely meets high school standards is unheard of. But it’s going to happen, and that makes it intriguing. It also speaks volumes to what New Haven wants to be as it joins Division I: the Chargers play at Connecticut earlier in the week before hosting Penn State.
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