Florida and BYU Headline Thrilling Opening Day of 2025-26 Season

Happy Opening Day of the 2025-2026 season, and there is no easing in this year. The season kicks off bright and early at 8 AM EST with Queens and Winthrop as part of the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon. That is just the tip of the iceberg with the schedule on opening day. In addition to the Opening Day Marathon, there are some big-time games between ranked teams right out of the gate

Ranked versus ranked games don't usually happen right away, and it is good to see that not everyone is playing cupcakes out of the gate. It is good to see that the Field of 68 is putting together its Opening Day Marathon, giving many mid-major programs the chance to play against each other right away.

Five games stand out above the rest on opening day. Let's preview those games, pick a winner, and then provide the teams I think will win the rest of the games on opening day. Enjoy the Hoops!

No. 3 Florida vs. No. 13 Arizona – Champions Clash in Vegas

The defending National Champions get it going against one of the favorites in the Big 12 in a neutral-site game in Las Vegas. This game is part of the Hall of Fame series and will provide the first look at Xaivian Lee leading the Florida offense. Lee was a walking triple-double during his time at Princeton and is the perfect guard for the Gators. Arizona and Tommy Lloyd are going to have a high-powered offense that will need to be ready to start firing on all cylinders to beat the Gators.

BYU vs. Villanova – Dybantsa’s Debut Takes Center Stage

The other game in the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas features what many think will be the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, AJ Dybantsa from BYU. The Cougars are well-stocked and are expected to win a significant number of games under second-year coach Kevin Young. Kevin Willard gets his first game as the coach of the Wildcats against a top-10 team. This is why Willard came to Villanova, though, to bring the team back to glory.

Murray State vs. Omaha – New Era for the Racers

Murray State is one of the teams that should be on everyone's radar heading into the season. The Racers are coached by first-year head coach Ryan Miller, who was most recently an assistant coach at Creighton. Murray State is going to shoot a ton of threes and has a lot of former Creighton players on the roster. Omaha made the tournament last season but then lost a significant amount of talent to the transfer portal. This game is part of the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon.

Bradley vs. St. Bonaventure – Mid-Major Showdown to Watch

The second game of the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon features two teams with high expectations. Bradley is always a factor in the Missouri Valley, and they will be this year again. St. Bonaventure always seems to exceed expectations heading into the year, and they are poised to do so again this year. The Bonnies and Braves might be the most competitive game of opening day.

Missouri Tigers at Howard Bison Prediction and Picks

If this game were to happen a month from now, it wouldn't make this list. However, since Missouri plays a game on opening day at Howard in their gym, chaos could occur. Howard isn't nearly as talented as the Tigers, but crazy things happen at mid-major gyms when power schools come to play there. Don't sleep on the upset. If the Bison can keep this game close, they have a great chance of pulling off the upset.

Here are the rest of the games from an excellent opening night