College Basketball: 11 Non-Conference Games You Better Not Miss Next Season

When the casual fan thinks of college basketball, once they get past some of the top programs in the country like Kentucky and North Carolina, the first thing they usually think of is March Madness and brackets.  According to most, college basketball is defined by its postseason tournament like no other sport in the United States.

There are two reasons for this.  For starters, the early season games don't get the publicity they deserve as the NFL hogs most of the media's attention.  Secondly, people just love brackets.  I don't know why, but throw a bracket into anything and out come the wallets and the competitive spirit.

And for most seasons that is fine.  If you only focus on the tournament then you will probably get a good feel for what happened that year in college basketball.  And you won't have to sit through what seems like an endless string of games straight out of cupcake city played only in Durham, NC.  I don't advise taking that approach myself, but it can work.

This year, however, you had better not sleep off the non-conference schedule if you don't want to miss many of the best games of next year.  While the tournament will be great as always, the most fun games will take place before Christmas. 

Some may be rivalries and others are first-time events, but collectively the set of games I am about to give you will be some of the best basketball you will see next year.  So without further ado here are the 11 non-conference games you had better not miss next year.

If you do, then kindly turn in your college basketball fan card as you leave and start banging your head against a wall*.

*I kid, I kid.  Mostly

11. Vanderbilt at Louisville

This matchup won't have the sex appeal of some of the others on the list, but as far as talent on the floor goes there won't be more than a handful of games all year that can come close to this game.

Both teams should enter the season ranked in the top 10. Both also enter this year coming off stinging disappointments in the NCAA tournament the past few seasons.  Win this game, and one of these teams just might be on track for a deep run this year.

Prediction: Louisville has the home court edge and Vandy chokes under pressure (what's new) as the Cardinals get the W.

10. Wisconsin at North Carolina

North Carolina will most likely be the number one team in the country when these two teams match up in late November.  Wisconsin is going to have a hard time changing that by beating the Tar Heels.

But this will still be a fun game to watch.  Wisconsin will try to slow the game down and play their style to frustrate the much faster and more athletic Heels.  And North Carolina will try to run Wisconsin off of the court.

Fans will also enjoy a great point guard battle between Jordan Taylor and Kendall Marshall.

Prediction: Taylor wins the point guard battle, but Marshall and the Heels win the war.  They are just too good for the Badgers and Harrison Barnes is too much for the Wisconsin defense.

9. Butler at Indiana

Could Butler become the new favorite team in the Hoosier state?  Or will Tom Crean finally begin to win back not only Indiana, but the Big 10 as well?

This will be a very interesting game for a couple of reasons.  Indiana has recruited very well as of late. It's do or die time for Tom Crean, who needs something other than moral victories at IU.  Lose this game and he just might be on his way out at Indiana before he ever really gets going.

For Butler, can they continue the ride they have been on the last two seasons?  Were they just lucky to find guys like Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack, or will they have some staying power?  This game may give us the answer.

Prediction: IU wins by at least 10.  I love what Butler has done these past two years but I tend to think it was more fluke than anything else.  Stevens is great and they were fortunate to get some great players, but the edge of the cliff (as far as being a Final Four level school that is) is fast approaching.  Still, how can you not watch Butler try to knock of the Hoosiers?

8. Cincinnati at Xavier

This game would make this list almost every year no matter how good the teams are.  But when they are both good it is definitely must see television.

Cincinnati is back on the rise under Mick Cronin and Xavier is their steady, better than you think self.  In fact, don't be surprised if both of these teams are ranked when they meet this December.

And not only will both teams be good, but these teams genuinely don't like each other.  Chippy play is the norm and this won't be a game for the faint of heart.

Prediction: Xavier wins a nail biter on their home floor. There will be two near fights during the game, and a mascot will get thrown out.

7. Duke and Michigan State

How many times in your life would you have been able to say that a Duke-Michigan State game is the warm up act in a double-header?  Probably never?

Well, you can say that this year.  As one half of the inaugural Champions Classic in New York City this November, the Spartans and Blue Devils will meet on the same night Kentucky takes on Kansas.  And I honestly have no idea how this game will go.

You can never tell what Michigan State is going to give you early in the season. They could come out and just physically whip the Blue Devils, or they might stink the joint up and lose by 30.  Again, no idea.

But anytime teams like this match up, with coaches like Tom Izzo and Mike Krzyzewski on the sidelines you just have to watch to see what happens.

Prediction: Duke wins by double figures.  I would maybe like Michigan State's chances next March, but they are just too unpredictable in the fall to rely on.  Plus, New York is basically a home game for Duke and they will ride the crowd and some hot shooting to an easy win.

6. North Carolina and Michigan State

I for one have never seen a game played on an aircraft carrier.  You haven't either.  This game will take place on an aircraft carrier.  Therefore I, and you, probably ought to watch this game.

Oh, and you get to see the number one team in the country play one of the toughest teams in the country to boot.  It's a guaranteed win folks.  And if you need me to say more about this game to convince you to watch, then you don't deserve to call yourself a fan.

Prediction: North Carolina rolls to an easy 15+ point win.  The only way Sparty keeps this one close is if half of the Heels fall off the side of the boat or get seasick.

5. Kansas and Kentucky

The bigger game at the Champions Classic will pit the Jayhawks and Wildcats against each other at Madison Square Garden.  Unfortunately, I don't see this game being much more competitive than the Michigan State and Duke game.

Kentucky will be loaded next year and Kansas will be a bit down compared to their historical and recent strength.  The Wildcats should win the game fairly comfortably by the time it is all said and done.

However, the Jayhawks will be able to give Kentucky some trouble in the post.  You can't really ever count out Kansas to at least show up and try to make a game of it.  While down for Kansas, they will still be a top 15 team next year.

Prediction: Kentucky struggles with a physical Kansas team early, but pulls away late to win by about 6 point or so.  This will also be the coming out party to either either Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Anthony Davis in a big time way.

4. Ohio State at Kansas

If only this could have happened last year.  These were the two top teams for much of last year and would have had a heck of a college basketball game if they would have met in the NCAA tournament last season.  Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

But this year will still be fun.  Ohio State will have the better team but will have to beat Kansas in Lawrence if they want to get this big non-conference win.  They can do it but it won't be easy.  Jared Sullinger will be the best player in the game by far, but if Thomas Robinson can hold his own then the home crowd might be enough to push Kansas over the top.

Prediction: Kansas pulls off the slight upset even though Sullinger has a monster 30 point 20 rebound game.  Unfortunately for the Jayhawks this will be the high point of the season.

3. Duke at Ohio State

This would have been a better game last year, but we will still be treated to two likely top five teams playing against one another when these two meet in late November.  And while I really like Duke for next year, I don't think they have a chance to get the win here.

Ohio State and Jared Sullinger might be the worst possible opponent for Duke next year.  Duke's bigs will get destroyed by the big fella on the blocks and Aaron Craft will be one of the few people in the nation that will be able to dramatically bother Austin Rivers' offensive game.

Factor in that Ohio State gets to stay in Columbus and you have to give them the nod in this one.

Prediction: Duke hangs tough, but Sullinger shoots about 20 free throws and Ohio State wins a close one.  Coach K will then spend his entire post game news conference complaining about/praising Ohio State's physical play.  The officials get the hint and offer a quick apology in the form of bogus charge calls for the rest of the year.

2. Louisville at Kentucky

Two top 10 teams separated by only an hour drive.  Two schools that really, really hate each other.  Two coaches that at best have a mutual dislike for one another and probably worse.  Yep, this will be good.

By all accounts this is one of the top rivalries in the country year in and year out, and the fact that they only play once a year just makes it that much bigger.  If these two teams were terrible this would still be a fun game to watch.  But when they are both as good as they should be next year this suddenly becomes must see TV.

Kentucky will have the more talented team by far, but you can't ever count out Coach Pitino.  And you also never know what to expect with a bunch of kids on the floor with this much emotion involved.  This game has crushed many who couldn't handle the pressure, but has also led to greatness.  Who knows what this year will bring.  All I know is you had better not miss it.

Prediction: Kentucky ends the year with a convincing 9 point win over the Cards.  Louisville has the lead at the half, but as the second half develops superior talent wins out and Anthony Davis makes his case for Player of the Year with a huge game and nearly records a triple double.

1. North Carolina at Kentucky

This has the potential to be the most hyped regular season game of the post-ESPN era, and maybe ever.  If things fall according to plan, North Carolina and Kentucky will enter this game ranked numbers one and two and should both be undefeated.

By far the two most talented teams going into the season and with more quality experience than either squad has had in years, this is college basketball's dream game this year.  Probably the only games that could top it in hype would be either a UNC-Duke or Kentucky-Louisville title game.  This will be that big.

This game will feature more than 10 likely NBA players and will be a rematch of last season's thrilling East Regional Final won by the Wildcats.  But really, with all of the new players at both schools last year won't mean anything.

Whoever wins, don't expect this to be the last time these two teams play this year.

Prediction: Kentucky rides the home crowd to win an overtime classic.  Harrison Barnes is the best player on the floor, but the next three best guys are Terrence Jones, Anthony Davis and Darius Miller.  Talk of an undefeated season consumes the Bluegrass state while Carolina plots its revenge and a repeat of last year when the regular season loser comes back to win in the tournament.

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