A new college basketball season starts in earnest today and the road to the Final Four is going to be an exciting one. With a preseason poll out, the AP Top 25 voters have clearly stated that they feel Florida is the team to beat this season, although the likes of Duke, UConn, Arizona and Illiinois also have legitimate cases to contend for a national championship.
There were some intriguing decisions made in regards to the poll itself, which differed from our preseason projections at FanSided, but we'll find out who is right as the first wave of games is being played. The first week of the season features a few intriguing matchups, such as No. 14 Miami taking on No. 1 Florida on opening night and a heavyweight matchup in Boston between No. 4 UConn and No. 16 Michigan on Friday night, which could form some early fodder for discussion.
Throughout the course of the season, we will take a look at every Top 25 matchup after the poll is released and project winners for those games. Read on for a day-by-day breakdown of the Top 25 slate and some extra analysis of the week's most important matchups, with projected winners listed in bold.
Top 25 game predictions for Week 1 of the college basketball season
Monday, Nov. 2
| Visiting Team | Home Team | Game Time (ET) | How To Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 14 Miami (FL) | No. 1 Florida* | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Oakland | No. 16 Michigan | 6:00 p.m. | Big Ten Network |
| Army | No. 2 Duke | 6:30 p.m. | ESPNU |
| Monmouth | No. 13 St. John's | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Quinnipiac | No. 6 Michigan State | 7:00 p.m. | Big Ten Network+ |
| Memphis | No. 18 Iowa State | 7:00 p.m. | FS1 |
| Jackson State | No. 19 Texas Tech | 7:00 p.m. | CBS Sports Network |
| Bellarmine | No. 24 Vanderbilt | 7:00 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| No. 15 Gonzaga | Purdue** | 7:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Fairleigh Dickinson | No. 3 Illinois | 8:00 p.m. | Big Ten Network |
| Fordham | No. 17 Kansas | 8:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Gardner-Webb | No. 4 UConn | 9:00 p.m. | Peacock |
| Chicago State | No. 7 Texas | 9:00 p.m. | SEC Network |
| La Salle | No. 10 Houston | 9:00 p.m. | CBS Sports Network |
| Chattanooga | No. 11 Louisville | 9:00 p.m. | ACC Network |
| Ohio State | No. 25 BYU*** | 9:00 p.m. | FS1 |
| No. 5 Arizona | No. 22 UCLA** | 10:00 p.m. | TNT |
| Milwaukee | No. 21 USC | 10:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network+ |
Orion 180 Tipoff Classic In Tampa, FL
Hall Of Fame Series In Las Vegas, NV
Bad Boy Mowers Series In Salt Lake CIty, Utah
Game(s) of the Day – No. 14 Miami vs. No. 1 Florida snd No. 5 Arizona vs. No. 22 UCLA
There is a strong mix of games on Opening night but there are two highlight-worthy matchups to discuss. First up we'll look at the showdown in Tampa between No. 1 Florida and No. 14 Miami, which should be a much stiffer test for the top team in the land than we anticipate. The Hurricanes were a bit underrated here entering the season by pollsters and have a legitimate star in forward Malik Reneau, who averaged over 17 points per game last season for Miami.
The other game of note is the night cap of the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas between former Pac-12 rivals in No. 5 Arizona and No. 22 UCLA. These teams have met in the non-conference portion of the schedule in each of the previous two seasons, with the Wildcats snagging a key victory last November, so the Bruins will look to send an early message by taking down a Top 5 team early in the campaign.
Tuesday, Nov. 3
| Road Team | Home Team | Game Time (ET) | How To Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wofford | No. 8 Tennessee | 6:00 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Manhattan | No. 23 Kentucky | 7:00 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| Drexel | No. 9 Virginia | 7:30 p.m. | ACC Network |
| Sam Houston | No. 20 Alabama | 7:30 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| Arkansas-Pine Bluff | No. 12 Arkansas | 8:00 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
Thursday, Nov. 5
| Road Team | Home Team | Game Time (ET) | How To Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest | No. 24 Vanderbilt | 6:00 p.m. | ACC Network |
| Bethune-Cookman | No. 19 Texas Tech | 8:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Jacksonville | No. 1 Florida | 8:00 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| Coastal Carolina | No. 2 Duke | 8:00 p.m. | ACC Network |
| Toledo | No. 6 Michigan State | 8:00 p.m. | Peacock |
| Gardner-Webb | No. 7 Texas | 8:00 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| Pennsylvania | No. 3 Illinois | 8:30 p.m. | FS1 |
| Cal Poly | No. 5 Arizona | 10:30 p.m. | truTV |
Game of the Day: Wake Forest at No. 24 Vanderbilt
The only matchup of the day featuring two power conference teams on Thursday is No. 24 Vanderbilt and Tyler Tanner hosting Wake Forest, which is projected to finish in the bottom half of the ACC. Demon Deacons' head coach Steve Forbes enters the year on the hot seat and can release a lot of pressure on himself by stealing a road win against a Top 25-caliber SEC program.
Friday, Nov. 6
| Road Team | Home Team | Game Time (ET) | How To Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeastern | No. 9 Virginia | 5:00 p.m. | ACC Network |
| James Madison | No. 23 Kentucky | 7:00 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Arkansas State | No. 20 Alabama | 7:30 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| No. 4 UConn | No. 16 Michigan* | 8:00 p.m. | TNT |
| Southern Miss | No. 18 Iowa State | 8:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Wagner | No. 14 Miami (FL) | 9:00 p.m. | ACC Network |
| Middle Tennessee | No. 17 Kansas | 9:00 p.m. | ESPNU |
| Omaha | No. 25 BYU | 9:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| North Florida | No. 22 UCLA | 10:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network |
*Hall Of Fame Series In Boston, MA
Game of the Day: No. 4 UConn vs. No. 16 Michigan
This showdown in Boston between two of the past three national champions is the unquestioned Friday night highlight of Week 1. While the Huskies appear set to be a juggernaut again on the back of a roster loaded with talent via retention, the reigning champion Wolverines have to prove themselves after their entire front line went pro alongside head coach Dusty May, leaving Mike Boynton on a prove-it deal to justify being the new face of the program.
Saturday, Nov. 7
| Road Team | Home Team | Game Time (ET) | How To Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morehead State | No. 11 Louisville | 12:00 p.m. | ACC Network Extra |
| New Mexico State | No. 15 Gonzaga | 5:00 p.m. ET | The CW |
Sunday, Nov. 8
| Road Team | Home Team | Game Time (ET) | How To Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iona | No. 13 St. John's | 12:00 p.m. | Peacock |
| No. 12 Arkansas | No. 9 Virginia* | 1:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| No. 10 Houston | California** | 8:30 p.m. | The CW |
| No. 21 USC | Wichita State** | 11:00 p.m. | The CW |
*Capitol Showcase In Washington, D.C.
**Lake Tahoe Classic In Stateline, NV
Game of the Day: No. 12 Arkansas vs. No. 9 Virginia
Casual fans may be locked into another NFL Sunday but we have a very good non-conference showdown in the nation's capital between No. 12 Arkansas and No. 9 Virginia. The Cavaliers rate as the ACC's biggest threat to Duke and have to deal with a strong Razorbacks team headlined by point guard Jordan Smith Jr, a potential lottery pick in next June's NBA Draft.
More college basketball news and analysis:
This article was originally published on www.fansided.com as Picks and predictions for every Top 25 college basketball games this week.