College basketball schedule this week: Top 10 games to watch
The Big Ten-ACC Challenge and another non-conference test for Gonzaga highlight this week’s college basketball schedule.
Feast Week is past us and college basketball is set to serve up another week of stellar action as the calendar flips to December. The highlight of the week is the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, which has set up a slate of intriguing matchups from two of the sport’s strongest conferences, while Gonzaga has another huge non-conference showdown on tap against Alabama.
It will be hard to top all of the drama from last week’s MTEs but there is still plenty to watch this week. Let’s break down the top ten games that you should find a way to watch on this week’s college basketball schedule.
Top 10 games on the college basketball schedule
Big Ten-ACC Challenge – Florida State at Purdue – Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
This matchup is underrated since most people forgot Florida State was ranked in the preseason Top 25 before getting tripped up at Florida in Week 1. The Seminoles haven’t lost since and now get a chance to score a marquee road win against Purdue, which made a statement by topping North Carolina and Villanova on a neutral floor to win the Hall Of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun.
Big Ten-ACC Challenge – Duke at Ohio State – Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Beating Gonzaga put Duke on the map as a legitimate national title contender. The Blue Devils will now have to follow that up with a tough road trip to Columbus against Ohio State, which put together a gritty win against Seton Hall in Fort Myers before falling to Florida on a buzzer-beater. The Buckeyes are battle-tested after playing three straight non-conference games against power conference foes so they will be ready to give Duke everything they can handle.
Big Ten-ACC Challenge – Virginia Tech at Maryland – Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Our third Big Ten/ACC Challenge game on the list features two unranked teams with the potential to make noise in March. The Hokies are fresh off a rough trip to New York, dropping both games in the NIT Season Tip-Off at Barclays Center, albeit with both defeats coming against ranked teams. Maryland enters this game off a loss to Louisville in the Bahamas Championship and wants to put up an impressive result after an uninspiring run through non-conference play.
Florida at Oklahoma – Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Sun/Bally Sports Oklahoma
The Gators have been a pleasant surprise this season, racing off to a 7-0 start with wins against Florida State and Ohio State to boot. Another non-conference test awaits as Florida travels to Norman to take on Oklahoma as Porter Moser looks to pick up his first signature win as the Sooners’ head coach.
Big Ten-ACC Challenge – Michigan at North Carolina – Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 9:15 p.m. ET on ESPN
One of the marquee matchups of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge is Michigan’s trip to Chapel Hill to take on North Carolina. Both programs were ranked inside the preseason Top 25 before some key stumbles in non-conference play, with Michigan losing twice in the span of a week prior to Thanksgiving while the Tar Heels went 0-2 at the Hall Of Fame Tip-Off, making this a huge opportunity for a resume-boosting win for both teams.
Colorado at UCLA – Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 9:30 p.m. ET on Pac-12 Network
The Bruins have been stewing for a week after getting dominated by Gonzaga in a 1 vs. 2 matchup last Tuesday (although a win over UNLV softened some of the blow). The Pac-12’s first few conference games begin this week as UCLA hosts Colorado, which has a buy-game loss on its resume but is talented enough to give the Bruins a run for their money in this contest.
Big East-Big 12 Battle – Kansas vs. St. Johns – Friday, Dec. 3 at 7:00 p.m. ET on FS1
The first college basketball game at UBS Arena is a good one as Kansas comes to New York to take on St. John’s. The Jayhawks are coming off a third-place finish at the ESPN Events Invitational that could easily have been a win if a buzzer-beater from Dayton didn’t fall while St. John’s has yet to really push itself in non-conference play, losing its only power conference matchup against Indiana while struggling to get by St. Francis Brooklyn and NJIT last week.
San Diego State at Michigan – Saturday, Dec. 4 at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS
It will be a busy week for Michigan as the Wolverines have another good non-conference game as they welcome the San Diego State Aztecs to the Crisler Center on Saturday. The Aztecs have played a representative schedule this far, beating Georgetown while losing to USC and BYU, and the Mountain West favorites could give Michigan a run for their money in this one.
Battle in Seattle – Alabama vs. Gonzaga – Saturday, Dec. 4 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Both Alabama and Gonzaga are coming off upset losses last week, although the Crimson Tide’s defeat against Iona looks much worse than the Bulldogs’ loss against a Top 5 Duke program. This neutral site matchup comes in Seattle so it should be a very friendly crowd for Gonzaga, which will try to rack up another impressive non-conference win ahead of their softer league schedule.
Big East – Big 12 Battle – Xavier at Oklahoma State – Sunday, Dec. 5 at 5:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2
This matchup in the Big East-Big 12 Battle is an underrated one as the Musketeers look to prove their mettle as Villanova’s top challenger with a road trip to Stillwater to take on Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are facing a postseason ban so they will look to take advantage of opportunities to take down top foes, making this a very dangerous trip for Xavier.
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