Midnight Madness 2015: Schedule for Top NCAA Basketball Teams

The calendar flipping to October means many things. Most of these are miserable. Cold, rainy weather comes in week-long waves. Bikinis and boardshorts are replaced by parkas and pants. That smooth, tan skin you've enjoyed all summer? Say goodbye, sucker; pastiness is in your future.

Fall is basically summer if you subtracted 75 percent of the fun and added the creeping spectrum of winter, which is where happiness goes to die.

Luckily, October also means the return of basketball—our nation's best excuse to stay the hell inside and avoid all the ugly outdoors. As the NBA preseason kicks off in earnest, college basketball teams around the country are preparing for their Midnight Madness celebrations.

From Lexington to Durham to Spokane, many of the nation's top teams will offer their fans a first glimpse at their team for the 2015-16 season—and feature some celebrities along the way.

With that it in mind, here is a look at the most notable Midnight Madness events and what to expect from the festivities. 

2015 Midnight Madness Schedule

Team	Date
Pittsburgh	Oct. 9
Kansas	Oct. 9
Gonzaga	Oct. 10
Kentucky	Oct. 16
Connecticut	Oct. 16
Duke	Oct. 17
Michigan State	Oct. 23
North Carolina	Oct. 23

What To Watch On Midnight Madness

Yeah, Yeah, Those Players Are Great, But Where's Drake, Kentucky?

Robb D. Cohen/Associated Press

Drake's had himself quite the 2015. The world's most memeable rapper released a surprise mixtape that is the only 2015 release to sell more than a million copies. He single-handedly turned Meek Mill, who was ascending to his own newfound level of stardom after linking up with Nicki Minaj, into a national joke. He then doubled down on all of that by releasing another mixtape, this one with Future, which went No. 1 on the Billboard charts and will hit gold status within days.

Oh yeah: As of right now, Drake's "Hotline Bling" is the No. 1 song on iTunes. It was not associated with any commercial project, but was merely released as a "loosie" on Drake's Beats 1 radio show earlier this summer.

To put it another way, when Drake does something in 2015, it makes news. Which is why Kentucky's Midnight Madness festivities will be worth a close watch. Drake, despite the mockery for his bandwagon ways, is perhaps the Wildcats' most high-profile fan. He has a close relationship with coach John Calipari and introduced him at last year's event.

This begs the question of whether Drake will be in town this year and what he'll do if he makes the trip. Will he release another track? Perhaps bring out Future for an impromptu performance? Anything is possible; it's just a shame Kentucky didn't pull off the undefeated season to make "Back to Back" a natural selection.

Anything except shooting a basketball would be great. 

How Can Coach K Reload After a National Championship?

Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

The last time Mike Krzyzewski won a national championship, he returned a veteran-laden team that was considered the preseason favorite to repeat. Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, the two good Plumlees (Mason and Miles) and Ryan Kelly each came back. He added star guard Kyrie Irving and brought in Seth Curry from Liberty to round out what looked like a juggernaut.

That team wound up making the Sweet 16, with Irving's injury issues undoing a team that only lost five games.

A repeat will be much more difficult this time around. Gone are Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones, arguably last year's four most important Blue Devils. In their place is a class of high-profile freshmen that will be tasked with living up to the legacy of their predecessors.

Center Chase Jeter will be taking over the hole left by Okafor, Brandon Ingram subs in for Winslow, Derryck Thornton goes in at point guard for Jones and Luke Kennard will take some of the minutes left by Cook. Veterans Marshall Plumlee and Amile Jefferson are around to smooth the process and sophomore Grayson Allen is due for a breakout, but this is a program with far more questions than answers.

“It’s a different kind of feeling to be on this side of it, having a season under your belt, coming in knowing what to expect," Allen said, per Luke Decock of the Charlotte Observer. "It’s kind of flipping the role, taking the freshmen under your wing. As it’s going forward, I’m going to try to tell them as much as I can so they figure it out earlier than I figured it out.”

Duke better hope Allen's mentoring pays off. Otherwise, Coach K may see the dangers of being freshman-reliant firsthand.

Freshmen of Note

Skal Labissiere, C, Kentucky: The nation's consensus No. 2 player, according to 247Sports, has a chance to join Anthony Davis, Nerlens Noel and Karl-Anthony Towns on the ever-increasing list of big men who have reached stardom in Lexington. Labissiere is of the tall, lanky build that made Davis and Noel shot-blocking mavens, and his tape is filled with feats of natural athleticism.

His game lacks polish and there will likely be a learning curve as he acclimates to major college competition, but Labissiere is a lock for the lottery who could challenge Ben Simmons at No. 1 if he made a bigger-than-expected leap over the summer.

Brandon Ingram, SF, Duke: Ingram's a good athlete with a polished three-point stroke and above-average ability to create off the dribble. He's a dream to project from an NBA sense and could be Duke's breakout freshman if he finds consistent aggression. Coach K has struggled coaxing out maximum defensive effort in recent years—an area where Ingram can be lackadaisical—but Ingram can be a special offensive talent.

Cheick Diallo, PF, Kansas: Diallo was perhaps the fastest-rising prospect late in the 2015 class, moving from talented enigma status to a bona fide lottery prospect. The Mali native still has rough edges all over his offensive game, lacking a smooth post game or projectable shot that will make him an easy difference-maker on that end. On defense, though, his combination of athleticism, length and aggressiveness is unmatched. Diallo could be the single most dominating defensive force in college basketball this season if head coach Bill Self gives him enough playing time.

Allonzo Trier, SG, Arizona: The player most likely to astound and confound in the same possession, Trier's going to be a lot of fun to watch. An aggressive offensive playmaker born without a conscience, there couldn't have been a more apt last name to give Trier. He's going to shoot Arizona into some games and put them in danger in others; his combination of off-the-dribble creation and shot-making is difficult to find in a freshman prospect. It'll be head coach Sean Miller's job to harness it all in the best possible way.