NCAA Basketball: Top 10 games to watch on opening night of 2021-22 season
We finally reached the end of the NCAA Basketball offseason. It’s been months since Baylor defeated Gonzaga to win the national championship but yet it has felt like forever for those tasked with covering the offseason, including the transfers, NBA Draft decisions, and even waiver scenarios.
Now, we’ll be covering actual games on the court, starting on November 9th. The opening night has over 100 games, featuring most of the preseason top-25 teams, including the top-5. There are a number of matchups featuring D-I programs and non-D-1 programs but there also are several high-quality games to watch as well.
So which ones should you keep an eye on for opening night? Here is a top-10 ranking, as well as a couple of honorable mentions.
*Rankings are from AP preseason top-25 poll
Honorable Mentions
Akron at No. 13 Ohio State – 6:00 pm ET. on ESPN2
The Akron Zips have historically always given fits to top-25 programs in the non-conference and have a chance to give the Buckeyes a tough fight on opening night. Loren Christian Jackson (22.0 ppg and 6.1 apg) is gone but the backcourt duo of Bryan Trimble and Ball State transfer K.J. Walton will be formidable.
The problem will be that Akron also lost key frontcourt players this offseason as well, leaving Ali Ali and 7’0 freshman Aziz Bandaogo as the key pieces. If they can’t stop EJ Liddell of Ohio State inside, things could get ugly. But this will be an early test for Jamari Wheeler and Cedric Russell in the backcourt for the Big Ten program.
Siena at No. 23 St. Bonaventure – 7:00 pm ET. on ESPN+
Siena was the MAAC regular-season champ last year but lost three of four double-digit scorers, including Manny Camper and Jalen Pickett. Center Jackson Stormo is back and will go up against one of the best interior defenders in the country in Osun Osunniyi of St. Bonaventure. The Bonnies are the only other mid-major program to be ranked to start the season (Gonzaga) so they should be a team to see in action just to see how formidable nationally they really are.
UC-Irvine at New Mexico State – 9:00 pm Et. on ESPN+
The Anteaters and Aggies have been the consistent top teams of the Big West and WAC respectively over the past five years. So while this likely won’t have any at-large implications down the road, these are two of the best mid-major programs in the program and could be a fun matchup late in the night.
This will be a contrast of experience, as UC-Irvine has nine sophomores on the roster, compared to New Mexico State having eight seniors or “super seniors” itself. The matchup between Collin Welp of UC-Irvine and Teddy Allen of the Aggies will be fun to watch.
Cal State Bakersfield at No. 2 UCLA – 11:00 pm ET. on Pac-12 Network
Just seeing the No. 2 Bruins as one of the last games of the night should warrant watching, even if they’ll be a heavy favorite to win this matchup. But the Roadrunners have the potential of being a threat for at least a little while, led by a pair of 5th-year guards in Justin Edler-Davis and Justin McCall.