The college basketball season is almost upon us and with that comes many non-conference matchups. There will be some duds as the Power 5 schools eat up some cupcakes. However, there have been quite a few early-season non-tournament games set up. You got part 1 and part 2 of this list. Now you can get these games on your schedule for prime basketball viewing.
Non-Conference Basketball Games
Kansas vs. Indiana
Date: Saturday, December 16th
Time: 12:30 AM ET
Location: Bloomington, Indiana
This battle of blue bloods is a repeat of last year as the two teams agreed to a home-and-home series. Kansas won the game last year 84-62 and this year’s Hoosiers will be without Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jalen Hood-Schifino who were the offensive catalysts last season. However, they have a homecourt advantage this year, which may help them despite so many new faces on the roster.
Kansas returns quite a few good players like Dajuan Harris Jr., Kevin McCullar Jr., and KJ Adams. They also added a few good transfers in former Michigan big man Hunter Dickinson, former Towson guard Nick Timberlake, and a couple of others. Meanwhile, Indiana brings in big man Kel’el Ware from Oregon, Anthony Walker from Miami, and a few others. If Indiana can get its chemistry and rotations rolling by December, they could be in line to pull off a major upset.
Maryland vs. UCLA
Date: Friday, December 22nd
Time: 9 PM ET
Location: Los Angeles, California
This is a return trip game for the Terrapins as they hosted UCLA last year and took a good thumping to the tune of 87-60. The Terps were a bit inexperienced and it showed. However, the tables could be turned this season as the Bruins lost Jaime Jaquez, Tyger Campbell, Amari Bailey, and Jaylen Clark from last year’s team. They have a whopping seven freshmen that have to be introduced to Mick Cronin’s system and that could lead to some chemistry issues early on in the season.
Maryland brings back All-Big Ten second-teamer Jahmir Young who is poised to be one of the best guards in the country. The Terps also bring back big man Julian Reese and forward Donta Scott. Coach Kevin Willard also brought in the 19th-ranked recruiting class, which includes four-stars Jamie Kaiser and DeShawn Harris-Smith. They also take on three transfers who should help the Terrapin cause. Don’t be surprised if this team comes out of Pauley Pavilion with a win against what should be the second or third-best team in the last season of the PAC12.
Arizona vs. Duke
Date: Friday, November 10th
Time: 7 PM ET
Location: Durham, North Carolina
This is one of the biggest first-week games of the season. While many other schools are enjoying their cupcakes, Arizona decided to take a shot at a big dog right out of the gate. The Wildcats are projected to win the PAC12 while the Blue Devils are predicted to dominate the ACC this season.
Arizona most notably lost Azuolas Tubelis, Courtney Ramey, and Kerr Kriisa from last year’s team. However, they brought in experienced guards in Caleb Love from UNC as well as Jaden Bradley out of Alabama to go along with Final Four standout Keshad Johnson out of San Diego State. The Wildcats bring back Pelle Larsson, Kylan Boswell, and Oumar Ballo while also bringing in a nice freshman class that includes two four-star freshmen in KJ Lewis and Motiejus Krivas. They won’t be as big next year but should be tougher.
Duke is not only bringing in the No. 2 recruiting class, but the Blue Devils returned a few major pieces in Kyle Filipowski, Tyrese Proctor, Mark Williams, and Jeremy Roach. If that wasn’t enough, coach Jon Scheyer brought in a couple five-stars and a couple more four-stars. That includes TJ Power (5-star), Jared McCain (5-star), Sean Stewart (4-star), and Caleb Foster (4-star). Expect this team to hit the ground running and to pick up some early wins against other top teams that might be integrating a lot more new faces.
Stay tuned for more college coverage and non-conference basketball games.
