Midnight Madness 2016: Schedule for Top NCAA Basketball Teams

College basketball is right around the corner, and with the season roughly a month away, teams around the nation are preparing for their Midnight Madness events.

While not necessarily taking place when the clock strikes 12 a.m., Midnight Madness is an annual preseason event hosted by schools across the nation aimed at creating some excitement prior to the start of the new season.

It typically features player introductions, games and events like slam dunk and shooting contests, and it also provides fans with their first chance to the see their 2016-17 squad scrimmage and take the court for the first time.

The event does not mean much of anything in terms of indicating how a team will perform this year, but it does signal that the season is near, which is never a bad thing.

Take a look below at the Midnight Madness schedule that has been announced thus far for several of the nation's top programs, along with a breakdown of key storylines for a couple of those teams.

Date	Program	Event Name
Saturday, Oct. 1	Kansas	Late Night in the Phog
Saturday, Oct. 8	Gonzaga	Kraziness in the Kennel
Friday, Oct. 14	Arizona	McDonald's Red-Blue Game
Friday, Oct. 14	Kentucky	Big Blue Madness
Friday, Oct. 14	Maryland	Maryland Madness
Friday, Oct. 14	Connecticut	UCONN Basketball First Night
Thursday, Oct. 20	Texas	Texas Tip-Off
Saturday, Oct. 22	Indiana	Hoosier Hysteria
Saturday, Oct. 22	Xavier	Musketeer Madness
Sunday, Oct. 23	Virginia	Pepsi Blue-White Scrimmage
Sunday, Oct. 23	Wisconsin	Red/White Scrimmage

How Will Duke Manage its Surplus of Talent?

Despite its longstanding status as one of college basketball's premier programs, Duke may very well have its best roster ever on paper.

The Blue Devils return leading scorer and Naismith Award contender Grayson Allen along with senior big man Amile Jefferson, junior point guard Matt Jones and dynamic sophomores Chase Jeter and Luke Kennard. All of these players (with the exception of Jeter) averaged double-digit scoring numbers a year ago for a Sweet 16 team, and plenty of help is on the way. 

Duke welcomes the nation's top recruiting class, which features four 5-star players. The country's top center, Marques Bolden, top power forward Harry Giles and No. 2 small forward Jayson Tatum headline this impressive group. Point guard Frank Jackson, the remaining 5-star player, is also expected to contribute as the likely backup to Jones. 

CBS Sports' Gary Parrish efficiently summed up why Duke is atop of pretty much every preseason list, including his own.

"They can start a future NBA player at every position, if [head coach] Mike Krzyzewski wants," he wrote. Not only that, but Duke has soon-to-be NBA players coming off the bench.

With nearly 1,000 career wins and five national titles, Krzyzewski is certainly the best man to bring this talent together. This team will undoubtedly be able to score, but an improved defense could decide whether it realizes its championship potential.

Duke allowed 72.5 points per game last season, which was good for 192nd nationally. This will need to drastically improve in 2016-17, so look to see if this loaded squad can use its athleticism to become a complete team on both ends of the floor moving forward. 

There will not be much tough defense played in a showcase scrimmage, but expect some excitement when Duke shows off its new toys for the first time on Oct. 22.

Can Wisconsin Win the Big 10?

Following a trip to the national title game, Wisconsin seemed to be falling fast last year. The team stumbled to a 7-5 record that included losses to Milwaukee and Western Illinois when longtime head coach Bo Ryan suddenly retired on Dec. 15. However, the Badgers came alive during Big Ten play.

Wisconsin took down Michigan State on Jan. 17 and proceeded to win 10 of its next 13 games, all in-conference, to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament. From there, the Badgers made an impressive Sweet 16 run behind physical play, stingy defense and timely shooting.

The Badgers return essentially every key contributor from that team, with their top nine scorers set for another season in Madison. As a result, Wisconsin is picked to win the Big Ten in Athlon Sports, Blue Ribbon Yearbook, Lindy's Sports and Sporting News magazines, per Inside the Hall's Alex Bozich. 

ESPN's Jeff Borzello highlighted the three core pieces to Wisconsin's success:

Although Wisconsin's play may not have always been pretty, senior Nigel Hayes was named first-team All-Big Ten and led the team in scoring with 15.7 points last season while establishing himself as the leader in the locker room. Ethan Happ was named the conference's Freshman of the Year, and Bronson Koenig is a tremendous shooter, particularly in big spots, as he showed in the NCAA tournament:

The pieces are all there, but Wisconsin is definitely not a lock to win the conference with dangerous teams like Indiana, Maryland, Michigan State and Purdue lurking. The Badgers were a bit under the radar last season with the Hoosiers, Iowa Hawkeyes, Spartans and Terps receiving most of the attention. How Wisconsin will perform under the spotlight in head coach Greg Gard's first full season remains to be seen.

The conference schedule is a difficult draw. The Badgers play Michigan State, Ohio State and Purdue on the road in the teams' only meetings of the season while having to travel to Indiana and Michigan. Wisconsin does get the Hoosiers, Terps and Wolverines at home, but even splitting the eight games mentioned will be an awfully tough task.

So Wisconsin can definitely win the Big Ten, but whether it actually will or not is questionable. The team's improvement in Year 2 with Gard will be a huge factor. If the Badgers get better and can win five or six of the previously mentioned games, they will seriously contend for a conference title. If there is minimal or no improvement, Wisconsin could be looking at another year on the league's second tier.

Statistics are courtesy of NCAA.com. Recruiting information is courtesy of Scout.com.