NCAA Basketball: Must-watch early season games, tournaments for 2019-20

With so many early-season tournaments going on this NCAA Basketball campaign, how do you choose which games to watch?

The NCAA Basketball season is right around the corner, and there is no shortage of tournaments featuring top teams. My focus today isn’t on the sheer amount of games that will be taking place. Rather, it’s to help you dissect the volume into a manageable schedule. Here are the games you should be paying attention to:

1. State Farm Champions Classic: November 5th

Kansas and Duke square off in game one, followed by Michigan State and Kentucky in the late game. The return of Tre Jones, along with a loaded freshmen class at Duke, gives basketball fans plenty of reasons to tune in. Game 2 will be interesting, in that Kentucky actually has key returning pieces to match up with the Cassius Winston-led Spartans.

2. Kansas vs. Michigan State: Maui Jim Invitational

This game will only take place if both teams advance in the tournament. However, given the talent on both rosters, this is must-watch tv in a venue that has become synonymous with early-season college basketball. Tom Izzo isn’t stupid: he’s taking arguably his best team ever on the road to play the best teams in the country early in the season. This team is experienced and talented; Izzo will be looking to test lineups and fine-tune things early so this team can hit another gear come March.

3.  Auburn vs. New Mexico and Wisconsin vs. Richmond: Legends Classic

On Monday, November 25th, Auburn and Wisconsin will host semifinal games, with the winners squaring off in Brooklyn on November 26. Wisconsin will be much improved, and Auburn is coming off a final four run. Given the contrasting styles of play, this will be an interesting early-season test for both squads.

4. The Battle 4 Atlantis

There are too many good teams here to isolate any one matchup. Michigan, Oregon, Gonzaga, Seton Hall, and North Carolina headline a field of who’s who amongst college basketball teams. Games start on November 27, with the Seton Hall/Oregon matchup being one you won’t want to miss.

5. Emerald Coast Classic: Games start on November 29th

There are two games here that really stand out. First, Tennessee plays Florida State in a matchup of teams that lost major pieces from last year’s squads. Both are still dangerous teams that are looking at younger players to fill in those gaps. Purdue plays VCU in the second game, setting up a potential re-match with Tennessee following last year’s crazy NCAA tournament game.

6. Memphis vs. NC State: November 28th

The Memphis Tigers enter the season with the #1 recruiting class in the country. This early-season test will be a great gauge as to where Penny Hardaway and Co. are at.