Opening night is built for ranked teams to make a first impression. It also gives their opponents a chance to hijack the conversation. Monday’s schedule includes Army at No. 2 Duke, Fairleigh Dickinson at No. 3 Illinois, Oakland at Michigan and Monmouth at No. 13 St. John’s. Duke, Illinois, Michigan and St. John’s all entered the preseason AP Top 25, putting four teams with far less national attention in position to make the night interesting.
A close game can matter before the final score
These games don’t need four upsets to become memorable. A competitive first half, a late lead or a breakout performance can put an unfamiliar program in front of a national audience and give its season an early spark. For Army, taking Duke deep into the game at Cameron Indoor Stadium would be a memorable start. For FDU, a disciplined performance against Illinois could put the Northeast Conference team on the radar. The two games are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. CT, respectively.
Tough test from the start
Oakland and Monmouth face their own opening-night tests. Oakland visits Michigan at 6 p.m. ET, while Monmouth travels to St. John’s for a 6:30 p.m. ET tip. The preseason poll gives the home teams the higher profile, but early-season rotations and chemistry are still taking shape across the country. A sharp defensive effort or timely shooting from either visitor could make the game far more uncomfortable than the rankings suggest.
There is value in these games for the favorites, too. Duke, Illinois, Michigan and St. John’s need to show they can start cleanly and avoid giving opponents hope. For the visitors, the pressure is lighter and the opportunity is immediate. That combination often makes the season’s first night more unpredictable than it looks on paper.
And off we go
The biggest story Monday could still come from the marquee games. But if one of these four visitors turns a routine opener into a real fight, it may be the first surprise people remember from the new season. The rankings set the expectations; opening night is where teams begin to challenge them.
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