Predicting the Best 10 Games Early in the 2016-17 College Basketball Season

Early season non-conference games matching up highly rated teams set the groundwork for the rest of the season.

Although the top teams typically schedule a number of early games against overmatched opponents, most schedule a game or two against other top teams, often at the request of television networks.

The games in November and December establish which teams are likely to exceed expectations, which may be overrated and which will be contenders in their conferences.

A number of high-profile games were played during the first few days of the regular season, with Indiana's victory over Kansas, Kansas' win over Duke, Wisconsin's loss to Creighton, Villanova's victory over Purdue and Michigan State's losses to both Kentucky and Arizona providing first impressions of those programs.

With those results in mind, we predict the 10 best remaining games that will be played by Dec. 31. Some teams, such as Kentucky, play several non-conference games against other ranked teams, but no team is included in more than one game on our list as we try to cast a broad net over the early season.

We went below the surface in a few cases, citing games involving teams not from major conferences. Those games may not draw the hype of games between big-name programs, but college basketball fanatics know those games may reveal hidden talent.

(All times listed are Eastern time.)

10. Oregon vs. Georgetown

Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

Where: Maui, Hawaii

When: Nov. 21, 4:30 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN2

This Maui Invitational quarterfinal matchup barely beat out the Nov. 29 game between nationally ranked Rhode Island and a Valparaiso team led by underpublicized Alec Peters for the final spot on our list. The likely return of Oregon's Dillon Brooks for the Georgetown game pushed that contest to the No. 10 slot.

The No. 4-ranked Ducks, who return four starters from a team that earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, were soundly beaten in a road game against unranked Baylor on Tuesday. However, Brooks, a first-team Associated Press preseason All-American who had offseason foot surgery, did not play. Was Brooks' absence the reason Oregon lost by 17 points?

Andy Katz of ESPN.com reported that Brooks is likely to make his season debut against Georgetown, which makes that game particularly interesting.

The Hoyas, who were picked to finish fourth in the Big East, crushed South Carolina Upstate 105-60 in their opener and nearly beat Maryland on Tuesday. Georgetown led by three points with 17 seconds left but lost by a point.

Isaac Copeland and L.J. Peak are Georgetown's best players, but the focus against Oregon will be on promising 6'10" sophomore Jessie Govan. He is a starter this season and is a classic low-post threat, although the Hoyas need more than the 12 points and three rebounds he got against Maryland.

Whether Govan can get shots off against Oregon's band of shot-blockers is the question. Ducks forwards Chris Boucher and Jordan Bell combined for 163 blocks last season and had 10 blocks in the season-opening win against Army.

9. Princeton vs. Monmouth

Mel Evans/Associated Press

Where: West Long Branch, N.J.

When: Dec. 20, 7 p.m. ET

TV: None

Granted, this game will barely register on the national radar, but serious college basketball fans will look at this battle of New Jersey teams with interest. One of these teams could provide a surprise when the NCAA tournament rolls around, and this game may give a hint as to which one it will be.

Monmouth drew national acclaim for three things last season: wins over Notre Dame, Georgetown, UCLA and USC, the emergence of 5'8" point guard Justin Robinson, who was the 2016 Mid-American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and the celebrations of the Hawks' bench players. Robinson is back and Monmouth is picked to win the MAAC.

The Hawks and Robinson face a daunting non-conference schedule that includes games against North Carolina and Syracuse. Monmouth (1-1) played South Carolina tough on the road even though Robinson had a poor game, ultimately losing in overtime when the Gamecocks hit the winning basket at the buzzer.

Princeton has a history of doing well in the NCAA tournament, upsetting defending national champion UCLA in 1996, and nearly becoming the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed when it fell to Georgetown by a point in 1989.

This season's Princeton team has that kind of potential. The Tigers, who were picked to win the Ivy League title this season, return their top nine scorers, including all-conference selection Henry Caruso, from a team that went 22-7 last season. The Tigers lost to BYU in their opener, but losing on the Cougars' home court is no embarrassment.

8. Washington vs. Gonzaga

Matt Marton/Associated Press

Where: Spokane, Wash.

When: Dec. 7, 8 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN2

With Washington unranked and Gonzaga having lost four starters including Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis from last season's team, you may wonder what this matchup is doing on the list.

Well, Gonzaga remade its lineup and is ranked No. 14, and Washington has a player everyone wants to see.

The Bulldogs have 7'1" Przemek Karnowski back after he missed all but five games last season with a back problem. They also added Washington transfer Nigel Williams-Goss and Cal graduate transfer Jordan Mathews. Those two started and combined for 30 points and 11 assists in the season-opening victory over Utah Valley and 27 points and five assists in the win over San Diego State.

Williams-Goss led Washington in scoring and assists two years ago as a sophomore, so going against his former team adds a bit of intrigue.

However, the most attractive aspect of this matchup is the presence of Washington freshman guard Markelle Fultz (pictured above). He is rated the nation's No. 3 incoming freshman by Scout.com, but more significantly DraftExpress projects Fultz to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft.

The Huskies lost their season opener to Yale in Seattle, which suggests Washington may not be at Gonzaga's level. But Fultz did not disappoint anyone, as the do-everything guard collected 30 points on 7-of-11 shooting (including 2-of-5 on three-pointers), seven rebounds, six assists and one block in his college debut. Everyone needs to get a look at Fultz now because he is not likely to be around long. Against Gonzaga, Fultz will have to perform at one of the most difficult venues for visiting players, the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Gonzaga plays a Dec. 3 game against Arizona that will mean more in the rankings, but the contest against Washington may be more entertaining.

7. Iowa State vs. Cincinnati

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Where: Ames, Iowa

When: Dec. 1, 9 p.m. EDT

TV: ESPN

Point-guard play takes center stage in this game between two teams looking to rise in the rankings.

No. 24 Cincinnati is picked to win the American Athletic Conference and is led by point guard Troy Caupain, the American Athletic Conference preseason co-player of the year. He put up modest numbers in the Bearcats' first two games, but not much was needed in Cincinnati's impressive blowouts of Brown and Albany by a combined margin of 52 points.

Caupain will need to raise his game in the Nov. 19 matchup against nationally ranked Rhode Island, where he will go against Rams point guard E.C. Matthews, who averaged 21.2 points in Rhode Island's first two games.

Caupain must be even better Dec. 1 when the Bearcats take on No. 20 Iowa State in the tough environment in Ames, Iowa. That's when Caupain will face Iowa State point guard Monte Morris, a preseason first-team Associated Press All-American as well as the Big 12 preseason player of the year.

In the Cyclones' blowout wins over Savannah State and Mount St. Mary's, Morris averaged 19.5 points on 65.2 percent shooting (including 4-of-6 on three-pointers) and 7.0 assists.

Iowa State's rivalry game against Iowa on Dec. 8 in Iowa City will have its appeal, but the Cincinnati game and the Caupain challenge come first.

6. St. Mary's vs. Dayton

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Where: Dayton, Ohio

When: Nov. 19, 2 p.m. ET

TV: Fox Sports Ohio

Two teams from conferences that reside just below the elite level meet in this intriguing contest those in the know appreciate.

St. Mary's, which was ranked in the Associated Press preseason poll for the first time in school history, returns all five starters from a West Coast Conference team that went 29-6 overall last season. But the Gaels did not get an NCAA tournament bid because its non-conference schedule was weak, and it lost its only non-conference road game, against California.

The Gaels hope to address that shortcoming with this road game against Dayton, which tied for the Atlantic 10 regular-season title last season and is the preseason pick to win it this season. Dayton guards Charles Cooke, a first-team preseason all-conference selection, and Scoochie Smith, a second-team pick, will challenge the St. Mary's backcourt of Emmett Naar and James Rahon, both of whom were all-conference picks last season.

This matchup pits East against West, and both teams have been impressive so far. St. Mary's took out Nevada 81-63 in its only game, and Dayton beat Austin Peay 96-68, then held on to defeat Alabama in Tuscaloosa. However, Dayton starting forward Josh Cunningham suffered a grotesque-looking leg injury against the Tide that is expected to keep him out of the game against St. Mary's.

5. West Virginia vs. Virginia

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

Where: Charlottesville, Va.

When: Dec. 3, 2 p.m. ET

TV: ESPNU

West Virginia may not be as talented as it was last season when it was a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, but the Mountaineers are good enough to be ranked No. 19 this week. Their non-stop defensive pressure, which created 21 turnovers in the season-opening win against Mount St. Mary's and 26 turnovers in the blowout of Mississippi Valley State, provides an interesting challenge for Virginia, which relies on precision half-court offense to grind opponents into the ground.

Eighth-ranked Virginia lost 2016 ACC Player of the Year Malcolm Brogdon but returns point guard London Perrantes and adds Memphis transfer Austin Nichols. Nichols was suspended for the season opener against North Carolina-Greensboro for a violation of team rules, but he played in the Cavaliers' 72-32 thrashing of St. Francis of New York. Nichols was Memphis' leading scorer two years ago as a sophomore.

A bigger challenge for the Cavaliers may come on Dec. 28 when they travel to Louisville, but the home game against West Virginia will indicate whether Virginia can handle pressure and can approach last season's success.

Virginia is the only challenging opponent on West Virginia's early schedule, so a Mountaineers win in that game may leave them unbeaten heading into Big 12 play.

4. Syracuse vs. Wisconsin

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Where: Madison, Wisc.

When: Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Ninth-ranked Wisconsin has the look of a Final Four team, but the 12-point road loss to No. 22 Creighton exposed some shortcomings.

The Badgers returned all five starters from a team that beat Xavier on their way to NCAA tournament Sweet 16. Wisconsin forward Nigel Hayes, who was selected the preseason Big Ten player of the year, had 14 points, four rebounds and five assists in the blowout of Central Arkansas and 16 points, four rebounds and five assists in the loss to Creighton. He is accompanied by forward Ethan Happ, last season's Big Ten freshman of the year, and guard Bronson Koenig, the hero of the win over Xavier.

Hayes and Koenig were starters on the 2015 Wisconsin team that reached the NCAA championship game, so they know what it takes. But the Badgers need to figure out how to counter teams who double-team their post players, as Creighton did effectively in Omaha.

Syracuse lost all-ACC selection Michael Gbinije from last season's Final Four team, but the Orange got a late infusion of talent when Andrew White III, who averaged 16.6 points and 5.9 rebounds for Nebraska last season, transferred to Syracuse in late August.

White had played his first two college seasons at Kansas, so he knows how to adapt to new surroundings. He adjusted quickly to Jim Boeheim's system, collecting 17 points and five rebounds in the Orange's season-opening 83-55 victory over Colgate and scoring 19 points in 90-46 rout of Holy Cross.

Syracuse also has a Nov. 18 home game against Monmouth that could be interesting, but playing Wisconsin on the road is a bigger challenge. That game should tell us a lot about both teams.

3. Michigan State vs. Duke

Al Goldis/Associated Press

Where: Durham, N.C.

When: Nov. 29, 9:30 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Michigan State and Duke have already lost games against ranked teams, but if everyone is healthy, their matchup in an ACC-Big Ten Challenge game will showcase some of the best freshmen in the country.

Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles and Marques Bolden, all ranked among the nation's top eight recruits by Scout.com, sat out Duke's first three games with injuries. Tatum, who has a foot injury, and Bolden, who has a lower leg problem, should be back in time to play Michigan State. There is an outside chance that Giles, rated the country's No. 2 recruit who had knee surgery last month, might be ready to play by then too.

You have to wonder whether Duke would have beaten Kansas if those three freshmen had been available to help out preseason All-American Grayson Allen, who had a mediocre game (12 points on 4-for-15 shooting).

Michigan State counters with the No.3-ranked recruiting class, according to Scout.com. Freshman guards Josh Langford and Cassius Winston are already contributors, but the centerpiece of that recruiting class is Miles Bridges, a 6'7" highlight reel just waiting for someone to push "play."

No. 13 Michigan State has already played two ranked teams, Arizona and Kentucky, and lost to both, including a 69-48 beatdown by Kentucky. Bridges scored 21 points against Arizona but had just six points on 2-of-11 shooting against the Wildcats.

Tom Izzo's teams typically improve as the season goes on, and this freshman-laden group should be better by the time it gets to Durham.

2. North Carolina vs. Indiana

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Where: Bloomington, Ind.

When: Nov. 30, 9 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Indiana turned some heads with its overtime victory over then-No. 3 Kansas in Honolulu. Hoosiers guard James Blackmon Jr., who sat out most of last season with a knee injury, also made an impression by scoring 22 of his 26 points after halftime. Seven of Blackmon's points came in overtime as he established himself as the team's go-to player, replacing the departed Yogi Ferrell.

The Hoosiers get a chance to knock off another powerhouse program when North Carolina comes to renovated Assembly Hall.

North Carolina lost guard Marcus Paige and all-conference forward Brice Johnson from the team that reached the NCAA title game, but Kennedy Meeks, Joel Berry II and Justin Jackson are back. The Tar Heels showed they deserve their No. 6 ranking by registering a 40-point win over a Chattanooga team that had beaten Tennessee by 13 points in Knoxville two days earlier.

North Carolina's strong frontcourt of the 6'10" Meeks and 6'9" Isaiah Hicks will pose an interesting challenge for Indiana center Thomas Bryant, who opted not to enter the NBA draft after his freshman season. DraftExpress projects Bryant as a late first-round pick in the 2017 draft.

Indiana probably will be without injured senior Collin Hartman for the North Carolina game, but the Hoosiers beat Kansas without him. 

If Indiana beats North Carolina, a distinct possibly with the game being played in Bloomington, the Hoosiers may be unbeaten when they face Louisville on Dec. 31. North Carolina plays a Dec. 17 game against Kentucky, but at least that game is on a neutral court in Las Vegas.

1. Kentucky vs. Louisville

Bill Haber/Associated Press

Where: Louisville, Ky.

When: Dec. 21, 7 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN 

Louisville and Kentucky both play several high-profile non-conference games, with the Cardinals facing Purdue on Nov. 30 and Virginia on Dec. 28, while the Wildcats' schedule includes a Dec. 3 game against UCLA and a Dec. 17 game against North Carolina as well the game they played against Michigan State.

However, the contest against each other takes on added intrigue because of the intense rivalry between the state's two college basketball powerhouses. The presence of controversial coaches Rick Pitino and John Calipari serves to add to the game's appeal. Kentucky fans will never forget that Pitino once coached Kentucky to a national championship before leaving and eventually turning up at the rival school, where he also won an NCAA title.

Kentucky was ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll and again relies on freshmen from a recruiting class ranked as the second best in the nation by Scout. Three freshmen were in Kentucky's starting lineup in its first two games, and those three (Malik Mong, Edrice Adebayo, DeAaron Fox) combined for 51 points in the 93-69 win over Canisius and 41 points in the impressive 69-48 demolition of Michigan State.

Louisville, ranked 13th in the Associated Press preseason poll, lost three starters from last season's team, but the presence of Quentin Snider, the addition of freshman V.J. King and the motivation of being eligible for the NCAA tournament again should lift the Cardinals, especially on their home court.

Kentucky has won the last four meetings with Louisville and eight of the last nine. That can't sit well with Pitino and the 18,749 people that will cram into Freedom Hall.

In a September 2016 article on college basketball rivalries, ESPN.com's Dana O'Neil described the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry this way: "Kentucky-Louisville annually wins the war on nasty. There is no such thing as a polite rivalry but these two don’t even try to hide their disdain for one another."