NCAA Basketball: Each top 25 team’s toughest November test in 2023-24
By Joey Loose
18. Texas
November 19 (vs. Louisville)
Adding Max Abmas into the mix, new full-time head coach Rodney Terry has put together a pretty solid roster that hopes to challenge for supremacy in the Big 12. Fortunately for these Longhorns, November doesn’t really put up much of a fight. It’s a month that includes five home dates with mid-majors, with the toughest of the group being either Rice, Texas State, or Wyoming.
Though it’s not on the schedule, there is a tricky November contest ahead for the Longhorns but we can’t exactly choose it today. Texas heads to New York for the Empire Classic and starts off against a Louisville program that looks dreadful. It’s their first non-home game of the season and has to be our pick, though their second matchup at Madison Square Garden against either Indiana or defending champion UConn will certainly be the tougher test.
17. San Diego State
November 17 (vs. Saint Mary’s)
Fresh off a wild run to the national championship game, San Diego State loses a few big pieces but returns Darrion Trammell, Jaedon LeDee, and Final Four hero Lamont Butler while adding some intriguing pieces into the mix. While they do have three very winnable home dates on the calendar for November, the Aztecs certainly won’t be sitting on their hands in the early going.
A tough road test at BYU awaits in the opening week of the season, but the Aztecs will face an even tougher challenge in Las Vegas one week later. As part of the Continental Tires Main Event, they’ll face off with #23 Saint Mary’s, playing one of the most highly-anticipated west coast matchups of the season. The Aztecs will get either Washington or Xavier two days later and play a neutral-site game against Cal the following week, but it’s hard to top a contest against Aidan Mahaney and those Gaels.