NCAA Basketball: Top 10 games to watch on opening night of 2021-22 season
6. Morehead State at No. 22 Auburn – 8:00 pm ET. on SEC Network
The Tigers are one of the most fascinating teams to watch early on. They have a completely revamped roster, led by five-star forward Jabari Smith and UNC transfer Walker Kessler. There are three transfers in the backcourt with KD Johnson, Zep Jasper, and starting point guard Wendell Green. They’ll be without returning leading scorer Allen Flanigan, who is out until January with a knee injury.
Auburn should be okay against Morehead State but they were one of the biggest surprises in NCAA Basketball last year, winning the Ohio Valley and making the NCAA Tournament. 6’10 forward Johni Broome was a star as a freshman and will cause problems for the young frontcourt for the Tigers. And if the guards struggle, this could be an upset alert matchup.
Prediction: Auburn 70, Morehead State 67
5. Cleveland State at BYU – 10:00 pm ET. on Check Local Listings
The Vikings of Cleveland State came seemingly out of nowhere last season to win the Horizon League and make the NCAA Tournament. And considering that they return everyone from last year’s rotation, look for them to be a major threat again. And could potentially knock off a few teams that may be working on their chemistry in November.
The Cougars should be careful of this home game but has one of the best and most efficient players in the country in Alex Barcello. He’s joined in the backcourt by Te’Jon Lucas, an all-conference guard from Milwaukee who is all too familiar with Cleveland State. The matchup between sophomore star forward Caleb Lohner of BYU and Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year Torrey Patton will be fun to watch and could play a big role in deciding how close this game is in Provo.