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College Basketball: 6 best games to watch on 2016 opening weekend

By Chris Stone

Mar 18, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo looks on during the first half of the first round against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo looks on during the first half of the first round against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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These are the games that you won’t want to miss during college basketball’s opening weekend

College basketball gets underway this weekend as teams finally get to play some competitive games after spending several weeks practicing and scrimmaging during the offseason. 2016-17 will have tough billing to live up to after last season’s finale ended with Kris Jenkins’ buzzer beater to win Villanova the national championship.

The good news is that opening weekend — namely Friday night — features a number of entertaining matchups highlighted by the Armed Forces Classic ahead of Monday’s tip-off marathon on ESPN.

Kansas vs. Indiana, Friday 9:00pm ET

The weekend’s best matchup pits two of the nation’s most well-known blue bloods against one another in the second game of Friday night’s Armed Forces Classic. Kansas and Indiana both have a history of successful basketball and this season each team looks to be a potential Final Four contender.

Beyond the excitement surrounding an early season contest between two top 15 teams, there’s an intriguing individual matchup to focus on in this one, too.

Kansas wing Josh Jackson is currently projected to be a top five pick in next June’s NBA Draft, and with the right season, he could be the top overall selection. Meanwhile, the Hoosiers’ OG Anunoby has been anointed as one of the most exciting NBA prospects returning to school this fall. Anunoby made his presence felt in Indiana’s NCAA Tournament win over rival Kentucky last March and is the model for versatility in the college game. With Jayhawks head coach Bill Self seemingly intent on rolling out more minutes for his four guard lineups this season, we could be in for plenty of possessions in which Jackson and Anunoby go to battle against one another.

Add in the rest of the talent that should be on the court when this one tips off and it should be must-see TV on opening weekend.