After a long eight-month wait, college basketball is back for another exciting season. A new class of collegiate stars are all set to strut their stuff on campus for some of the very best teams in the country. But with all the hoops action on show, which ones are the can’t-miss games that must be marked on everyone’s calendar?
We’ve got you covered with our picks of the 10 best games on this year’s schedule. And to make it that little bit easier to remember, we’ve separated them into the early season (November), midseason (December-January), and late season (February-March) must-watch matchups.
To get you even more caught up with the new college basketball season, check out some college hoops experts’ predictions on conference winners, as well as our own complete picks and predictions for the upcoming season.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]Top 10 Best Games of the 2014-2015 NCAA Basketball Season
Early Season (November)
Kansas vs. Kentucky – Nov. 18, ESPN
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]John Calipari’s absolutely loaded Kentucky team, which is the overwhelming +175 favorite to win this year’s national title, will be tested right out of the gate with the always-dangerous Kansas Jayhawks in this year’s Champions Classic headliner. The Wildcats return four key contributors in last year’s Final Four team as well as the top-ranked recruiting class in the country.
Not to be outdone, Kansas has the third-ranked freshman class set to follow in the footsteps of Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid, who led the Jayhawks to a win in last year’s Classic against Duke as freshmen.
Duke vs Michigan State – Nov. 18, ESPN
But before Kentucky and Kansas match wits, two of the most decorated coaches in college hoops in Mike Krzyzewski, and Tom Izzo match wits in the Duke vs. Michigan State Classic curtain-raiser.
Izzo will have his work cut out for him after losing a significant amount of last season’s Elite Eight team. Meanwhile, we get to see Coach K’s No. 1 recruiting class, led by top prospects Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones, for the very first time.
Midseason (December-January)
Duke vs. Wisconsin – Dec. 3, ESPN
It’ll be No. 1 vs. No. 1 when Duke and Wisconsin collide in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. In the red corner, Frank Kaminsky, recently named the No. 1 college basketball player by ESPN, and led Wisconsin to an unlikely Final Four berth. And in the blue corner, Okafor, the consensus No. 1 freshman of the season. Who emerges victorious in this heavyweight showdown?
North Carolina vs. Kentucky – Dec 13, CBS
Shortly after its date with Duke, Kentucky welcomes another ACC contender in North Carolina to Rupp Arena. UNC’s Marcus Paige is arguably the best guard in all of college basketball this season, and he’ll be backed up by one of the top freshman classes in the country. But will the Tar Heels have enough to tame the immensely talented Wildcats in Lexington?
Michigan vs. Arizona – Dec. 13, ESPN
With Kaleb Tarczewski, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Brandon Ashley and No. 3-ranked freshman Stanley Johnson, preseason No. 2-ranked Arizona will have arguably the most talented frontcourt in the nation. They’re the big favorites to run away with the Pac-12 and +650 favorites to become national champions, but their biggest non-conference test will come in the form of Michigan.
Kentucky vs. Louisville – Dec. 27, ESPN2
Calipari once again got the better of his old nemesis Rick Pitino as Kentucky knocked out the higher ranked Louisville in the Sweet 16 of last year’s tournament. Pitino and the Cardinals will have home court advantage for this year’s matchup, and will have the returning Montrezl Harrell to bang bodies with Kentucky’s talented bigs.
Late Season (February-March)
Kansas vs. Texas – Feb. 28, ESPN
Nobody’s sleeping on this dangerous-looking Texas team, which is a sneaky +2,500 bet to win the national championship. It’s certainly conceivable that the Longhorns could be challenging for the Big 12 regular season crown along with conference juggernaut Kansas late in the season.
Texas travels to Lawrence in the third-to-last game of the season, which could see Kansas’ decade-long streak of regular season championships in the balance.
Wisconsin vs. Michigan State – Mar. 1
If Wisconsin lives up to all the preseason hype, it’ll bag its first Big Ten regular season (and possibly conference tournament) championship for the first time since 2008. So maybe the Badgers can add a little insult to injury by blowing by perennial conference giants Michigan State on its way there when they meet the Spartans in their third-to-last game of the year.
North Carolina vs. Duke – Mar. 7, ESPN
They’ve saved the best for last in the ACC, where North Carolina visits Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium in their last regular season game. These matchups are always fiery, but they’ll have some extra flair this season if the projections for both teams are correct and the conference’s regular season championship is on the line in their final meeting.
Florida vs. Kentucky – Mar. 7, CBS
Florida’s vaunted senior class that dominated during so much of last season has graduated, but Billy Donovan’s squad is still a force to be reckoned with. The Gators figure to be the greatest threat to Kentucky’s outright dominance in the SEC this season, and could be the final team to stand between the Wildcats and an undefeated regular season when the two meet in the conference finale in Lexington.
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