College Basketball 2011-12 Preview: 50 Intriguing Games Before New Year's Day

This year's NCAA champion will not be crowned in November or December, but there will be a lot of electrifying college basketball games played before New Year's Day 2012.

It's the time of the season where coaches test their teams guts and grit. It's the time that teams prepare for conference play which usually begins in January.

Here is a preview of the top 50 games of the 2011-12 college basketball season to be played before January 1, 2012:

November 7: Valparaiso at Arizona

Valpo and 'Zona go head-to-head on the opening night of the new season.

Arizona head coach Sean Miller needs to figure out how to move forward in the post-Derrick Williams era.

Kyle Fogg (pictured) will be counted on to provide scoring and leadership on a team that has no players returning that averaged double-figures last season.

Arizona's fantastic freshmen guards, Josiah Turner and Nick Johnson, are ready to launch a new era at "Point Guard U."

The Crusaders first-year coach, Bryce Drew, is having to get his feet on the ground and come up with a plan of how they are going to get it done without last year's leading scorer and assists leader Brandon Wood.

Valpo is picked to finish in fifth place in the Horizon League.

November 11: North Carolina vs. Michigan State

The Tar Heels and the Spartans...on an aircraft carrier.

North Carolina and Michigan State will square off on Veteran's Day aboard the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego.

North Carolina leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 10-3.

Tyler Zeller (pictured) may not be a "SportsCenter highlight waiting to happen," but his steady interior scoring will be a huge factor as the Tar Heels make their bid for the school's sixth NCAA championship.

Do-everything forward Draymond Green will lead the Spartan's attack that will incorporate freshman forward Branden Dawson and skillful guard Brandon Wood, a senior one-year transfer from Valparaiso.

November 11: Oregon at Vanderbilt

The Ducks and Commodores are both teams with something to prove in 2011-12.

The Ducks went 21-18 last year under first-year head coach Dana Altman and won the CBI championship.

Oregon has nine newcomers, adding five transfers and four prep standouts. Transfers include:

• Senior forward Olu Ashaolu (Louisiana Tech)
• Senior guard Devoe Joseph (Minnesota/transferred to UO last December)
• Junior centers Tony Woods (Wake Forest) and Chris Larson (Black Hawk CC)
• Junior forward Carlos Emory (Howard College).

The Commodores are thought to be one of the most talented and experienced teams in the country. But many people question their toughness and their ability to finish.

The Commodores had a double-digit lead in five of the 11 games they lost last season, including four in the second half.

November 15: Kansas at Kentucky

Kansas is a program in transition. The Morris Twins and Josh Selby left for the NBA.

Tyrel Reed, Brady Morningstar and Mario Little all finished their four years in Lawrence.

And now, Bill Self's 2011 recruiting class has been disassembled by a variety of scenarios.

But Thomas Robinson (pictured) is ready for a breakout season.

Kentucky, the preseason No. 2 team in the country, is a program that is ripe for another Final Four run.

With a combination of returning stars (Terrrence Jones, Darius Miller and Doron Lamb) and new elite-level recruits (Anthony Davis, Marquis Teague, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Kyle Wiltjer), the Wildcats will be as talented as any team in the country.

November 15: Florida at Ohio State

With Jared Sullinger (pictured) back on campus in Columbus, Ohio State will again be one of the best teams in the country.

In four out of the last six seasons, Ohio State has been either a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Florida made a deep run through March Madness last season, advancing to the Elite Eight, losing to Butler in overtime.

I am very interested to see the head-to-head matchup between Sullinger and the Gators' man-child, Patric Young.

While Young will give up 30-plus pounds to Sullinger, he will be able to bang with last year's National Freshman of the Year.

November 15: Duke vs. Michigan State at Madison Square Garden

This could be the game that Mike Krzyzewski surpasses Bob Knight as the all-time wins leader among college basketball coaches.

Duke has tons of talent and, as usual, can bring more talent off the bench than just about anyone.

Michigan State will be Michigan State.

The Spartans will rely on TOUGH defense, physicality and inside play to get things done.

Draymond Green, Tom Izzo's do-it-all forward, may cause matchup problems for whoever is assigned to him.

Green's size makes him difficult for most perimeter players to match up. His mobility and agility create nightmares for most frontcourt foes.

November 15: Belmont at Memphis

Balance vs. Talent.

The Belmont Bruins, who went 30-5 last season using an 11-player rotation, welcome four of their five starters back.

One of the Bruins' many strengths is their ability to knock down shots. Four of their five top scorers on last year's team hit 43 percent or better from beyond the arc.

Memphis may be as young and talented as any team in the nation. Harnessing and blending that talent is third-year head coach Josh Pastner's biggest challenge.

Will Barton (pictured), the Tigers' top scorer from last season, is ready to explode. He could go off for 30-plus in any game.   

November 17: Texas A&M at Mississippi State

A future SEC matchup, A&M vs. MSU could be an early-season enigma of a game.

Most college basketball fans don't know how many good players these two teams have on their rosters.

A&M returns three starters, including six of their top eight scorers from last year.

With forwards David Loubeau and Khris Middleton (pictured) returning to lead the way, the Aggies should compete for the Big 12 title.

UTEP transfer Arnett Moultrie and Reynardo Sidney could give the Bulldogs a tough-to-stop frontcourt tandem.

Dee Bost is an excellent backcourt leader. Throw in Rodney Hood and you have four potential NBA players on Rick Stansbury's MSU roster.

November 19: Louisville at Butler

Love so much about this matchup.

Proven veteran (Pitino) vs. Up-and-coming prodigy (Stevens)

Up-tempo (Louisville) vs. Half-court sets (Butler)

Talent and Depth (Cardinals) vs. Discipline and patience (Bulldogs)

November 21: Michigan vs. Memphis

Wow! Talk about two teams that make things happen from the perimeter.

The Wolverines launched 757 shots from beyond the arc last season, 15th most in D-1 and that trend should continue this season.

Tim Hardaway Jr. (pictured) and Zack Novack will be ready to rock with uber-freshman Trey Burke at the trigger.

Memphis has waves of wings. With Will and Antonio Barton, Wesley Witherspoon and Adonis Thomas spotting up or slashing from the perimeter, the Tigers are tough to handle.

November 21: Georgetown at Kansas

Two traditional powerhouse programs meeting as both are going through a makeover.

Jason Clark and Hollis Thompson (pictured) return to help JT3 keep things going in the Big East. Other than that, the Hoyas will rely on a lot of unproven or new players this season.

Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson can make a lot happen for the Jayhawks, but neither averaged double figures just a season ago.

With NBA departures and partial qualifying disappointments, Bill Self is going to have to use every trick he knows to keep Kansas viable in both pre-conference and Big 12 games. 

November 21: Notre Dame at Missouri

Notre Dame lost a lot of veteran players, including Big East Player of the Year Ben Hansbrough, but they have a decent core from which to build another nice team in South Bend.

Seniors Tim Abromaitis and Scott Martin are the Fighting Irish's go-to players.

Abromaitis can knock down shots from beyond the arc or back down players at the block.

Missouri was all ready to make a serious run at the Big 12 title and beyond until Laurence Bowers, their best inside player, went down with a torn ACL.

First-year head coach Frank Haith could put four guards/perimeter players on the floor at the same time, with Marcus Denmon (pictured), Michael Dixon and Kim English ready to step up.  

November 25: Georgia at Xavier

With the departure of Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie, the Bulldogs are scrambling to find out who is going to be ready to make things happen when Georgia opens the season.

They are awfully excited in Athens about incoming freshman shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

KC-P is one of the best incoming wings in the nation and will be an instant help to Mark Fox's offense.

Xavier could be the best non-major conference team in the nation.

Tu Holloway (pictured) decided to return instead of staying in the NBA draft.

Holloway does it all, averaging 19.7 ppg, 5 rpg, 5.4 apg and 1.4 spg.

Musketeers head coach Chris Mack will again pair Mark Lyons (13.6 ppg; 3.1 rpg; 3.1 apg) to form an excellent backcourt with Holloway.

Also, watch out for super SF recruit, Dezmine Wells, a strong wing who can fill it up.

November 28: Xavier at Vanderbilt

You have to give it to Chris Mack and his Xavier Musketeers.

They aren't just playing a bunch of cupcakes in November and December, waiting for the Atlantic Ten slate to begin.

In fact, in the first two months of the year XU, plays Georgia, Vandy, Purdue, Butler, Cinicinnati, Oral Roberts and Gonzaga.

This will be a huge test for the Musketeers. A win in Nashville would launch their season and would be a significant motivator for the rest of the season.

If the Commodores come to play, they just have too much talent and depth.

November 29: Duke at Ohio State

Could this be an Elite Eight or Final Four preview?

Both Ohio State and Duke have the players to make a deep run in the tournament again this year.

The Blue Devils' ability to stop Sullinger will be a key to this one.

How many Plumlees can you commit to stopping the Buckeyes' big man before you leave Ohio State's perimeter players open to knock down shots from beyond the arc?

November 30: Wisconsin at North Carolina

While UNC's front-court talent and depth will drive the final result of this game, the captivating battle will go on out front.

Here's another early season, premiere head-to-head matchup as Jordan Taylor and Kendall Marshall face off in battle of the point guards.

Taylor was a second-team All-American last season, who led the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.83 (161 assists, 42 turnovers), finished fourth in the Big Ten in scoring (18.1 ppg) and was on the league’s all-defensive team.

Marshall turned the Tar Heels season around, giving leadership and assists from the time that he was moved into the starting role in January.

November 30: Notre Dame at Gonzaga

It's great that teams are coming to Gonzaga. For years, the Bulldogs have had to travel to the four corners of the country to get a game with a big-time program.

Even though Notre Dame isn't where they were last year, they will not be a pushover when they come to Spokane.

A key matchup to watch will be Notre Dame's Tim Abromaitis (6'8", 235 lbs) and Gonzaga's Elias Harris (pictured; 6'7", 240 lbs).

Both forwards can score and crash the boards effectively.

December 1: St. John's at Kentucky

There may not be two schools that have seen more players come and go in the last few years.

St. Johns, last year, was a team of virtually all seniors. This year, the Red Storm is made up of incoming freshmen and JuCo transfers.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari has brought in one top-level recruiting class after another with most of his top players staying one year and then moving on to the NBA..

Terrence Jones (pictured) is one of the top PFs in college basketball. With incoming freshmen Anthony Davis, the Wildcats have one of the most forceful frontcourts in the country.

December 2: Florida at Syracuse

Two of the best backcourts in the country will face off in the Carrier Dome on the 2nd.

Syracuse's Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine (both pictured) averaged 23.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 8.8 apg. 

Florida's Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton averaged 28.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 6.0 apg.

This is the kind of contest in which the Orange needs to come in and take control.

With a collection of front-court options, Syracuse should be able to own the glass and play their style of game.

December 2: Vanderbilt at Louisville

If you like to see teams get up and down the floor and shoot the ball, this will be your kind of game.

Louisville attempted 24 shots from beyond the arc last season (No. 10 in the nation).

Vanderbilt went to the line 24 times per game (No. 25 in the nation).

The key player for the Cardinals is their junior point guard, Peyton Siva (pictured).

Siva led Louisville in steals, assists and free throws made.

December 3: North Carolina at Kentucky

This is a Final Four preview, if not a look at at the 2012 NCAA Championship Game.

No two teams have more talent on their rosters than North Carolina and Kentucky.

There's going to be great battles at every position

• PG: Marquis Teague vs. Kendall Marshall
• SG: Doron Lamb vs. Reggie Bullock/Dexter Strickland
• SF: Darius Miller/Michael Kidd-Gilchrist vs. Harrison Barnes
• PF: Anthony Davis vs. John Henson
• C: Terrence Jones vs. Tyler Zeller

While both teams are loaded with offensive weapons, North Carolina's rebounding and defense may give them the edge.

Can't wait!

December 3: Arkansas at Connecticut

This will be a great early test for Mike Anderson's Razorbacks.

With possibly three freshmen in the starting lineup, Arkansas is going to be young but talented.

B.J. Young and Rashad Madden will be an exciting backcourt combo to watch.

UConn is as talented as any team in the country.

While it is a huge undertaking to replace a player like Kemba Walker, the Huskies may not see any offensive or defensive drop-off.

With the emergence of Jeremy Lamb (pictured) and the arrival of Andre Drummond and DeAndre Daniels, head coach Jim Calhoun is prepared to challenge anyone anywhere.

December 3: Pittsburgh at Tennessee

One year ago, the Vols went to Pittsburgh and beat the Panthers, Pitt's first non-conference loss at home in nearly six years.

You can bet that Panthers' head coach Jamie Dixon will have his squad ready to battle in Knoxville.

Ashton Gibbs, Pitt's leading scorer had an off shooting night the last time these two met, and so he will be looking for a little bit of revenge.

Tennessee's first-year head coach Cuonzo Martin has a lot of work to do to put the Tennessee program back together.

Five of the Vols top scorers from last year are gone, including Tobias Harris and Scotty Hopson.

Even though Tennessee will have already gone through some tests when they go to the Maui Invitational, this will be a good barometer for Martin to see where things are at for his team before the SEC schedule kicks in to gear.

December 3: Marquette at Wisconsin

This will be an intense state-rivalry game.

Both the Golden Eagles (Jimmy Butler) and Badgers (Jon Leuer) are looking to replace a significant player.

The exciting matchup between Jordan Taylor (pictured) and Darius Johnson-Odom may determine the outcome of the game.

Taylor not only scores the ball well, but he led the nation last year in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.83amazing with how much he handles the ball).

December 3: Purdue at Xavier

If Robbie Hummel (pictured) can come all the way back from two separate knee injuries, the Boilermakers are going to be hard to handle.

Even though Purdue lost JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore from last year's team, Matt Painter's crew will still have plenty of firepower.

Lewis Jackson and Ryne Smith provided solid experience and leadership in the backcourt.

Xavier's pre-conference schedule may not leave their record unblemished, but they will be battle-tested and respected when it comes to tournament selection time.

December 3: Iowa State at Michigan

Cyclones head coach Fred Hoiberg is getting ready to find out how well four transfers can blend on a new team.

Power forward Royce White (former Minnesota commit) could have the biggest impact on the Cyclones lineup.

Michigan has a big part of their core returning, with wings Tim Hardaway Jr (pictured) and Zack Novack ready to pick up where they left off last season.

December 3: Texas at UCLA

The Longhorns lost as much as anyone in terms of talent that could have returned to campus.

UT saw Tristan Thompson, Jordan Hamilton and Cory Joseph all leave early for the NBA draft.

Though head coach Rick Barnes did another fantastic job recruiting, he will have his work cut out for him in trying to re-build with J'Covan Brown being the only true contributor to Texas' 28-8 2010-11 season.

UCLA may have the biggest frontline in the country with Reeves Nelson (pictured), Josh Smith and Brendan Lane returning, and the Wear Twins (6'10" transfers from UNC) becoming eligible.

Both teams will be looking to find legitmate options for perimeter scoring.

Brown will be the best option for UT. Jerime Anderson may be Bruins' head coach Ben Howland's man after he serves a two-game suspension at the beginning of the season.

December 3: Gonzaga at Illinois

Whenever Gonzaga goes out to play a game against a power conference school, it is intriguing.

Even though head coach Mark Few and the Bulldogs have earned the respect of most of the college basketball world, it is still an interesting contest to play against, in this case, a Big Ten School.

Few has a big, physical frontline that will help him go up against anyone.

Robert Sacre and Elias Harris (pictured) are a handful to keep off of the boards on both ends of the court.

Illinois lost five of its top seven players from last year.

Head coach Bruce Weber hopes that junior guard D.J. Richardson can recapture the magic that earned him the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award two years ago.

December 3: West Virginia at Mississippi State

These are two teams that lost lots of players from last year, but both have reason to be optimistic.

While only three players come back from last season and seven newcomers are coming on board for the Mountaineers, Bob Huggins will face an interesting challenge.

Kevin Jones, who returned from considering an early entry into the NBA draft, may slide from PF to SF. Truck Bryant gives Huggins something to build around in the UWV backcourt.

Mississippi State has lots of talent returning, becoming eligible and arriving.

Head coach Rick Stansbury's challenge is bringing it all together.

The Bulldogs could rise to the top of the SEC West and make a decent run in the NCAA Tournament.

Dee Bost (pictured) is an excellent leader and stabilizing force in the MSU backcourt.

December 4: Baylor at Northwestern

Baylor could be a very dangerous team come March.

They have all of the pieces to win the Big 12 and go deep into the NCAA tournament.

Perry Jones is the Big 12 preseason Player of the Year, and head coach Scott Drew has effectively recruited all of the pieces necessary to put a great team on the floor in Waco.

This will be an interesting game for the Bears, as they catch the Northwestern Wildcats with one of the best teams they have ever had in school history.

John Shurna (pictured) has been the Wildcats leading scorer the last two seasons. Shurna is one of the best shooting big men in the country, connecting on 43.4 percent of her shots from beyond the arc.

If Northwestern could pull this one out, it could go a long way towards helping them if they are on the March Madness bubble come Selection Sunday.

December 4: Cal at San Diego State

Cal has an experienced team that will feature Allen Crabbe (pictured)—the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.

Mike Montgomery also welcomes back seniors Harper Kamp and Jorge Gutierrez for their final season.

San Diego State jumped up into the national scene last year but has a major rebuilding job to face, with their top four scorers leaving either to the NBA draft or graduation.

Chase Tapley (8.6 ppg; 2.4 rpg) and James Rahon (7.0 ppg; 1.6 rpg) will give head coach Steve Fisher a good backcourt in which to build.

The Bears experience and talent should be help them take this game even though SDSU has a great home record/advantage.

December 6: Memphis at Miami

If you like seeing a good backcourt battle, you'll love Memphis vs. Miami.

Memphis has a long list of elite-level perimeter players starting with guards Joe Jackson (9.9 ppg; 2.1 rpg; 3.1 apg) and Chris Crawford (6.6 ppg; 3.1 rpg; 3.3 apg) and wings Will Barton (12.3 ppg; 4.9 rpg; 2.8 apg) and Wesley Witherspoon (9.1 ppg; 2.1 rpg. 3.1 apg).

Miami has a great backcourt tandem in Malcolm Grant (14.8 ppg; 1.8 rpg; 3.2 apg) and Durand Scott (13.6 ppg; 4.2 rpg; 3.1 apg; 1.2 spg)

Whichever team wins this battle is likely to win this game.

December 6: Marquette vs. Washington

Marquette and Washington are both teams that like to get up and down the floor, and they are at their best when they are playing at a fast pace.

Last year, Marquette scored 76.1 points per game; Washington put in 83.5.

Even though Washington lost their top three scorers, they will be in good hands. Terrence Ross (pictured) and Abdul Gaddy form a dynamic duo. And that's before you even factor in freshman phenom Tony Wroten.

Figuring out to utilize all three of these premiere perimeter players is Huskies head coach Lorenzo Romar's challenge.

Marquette has their own terrific trio in forwards Jae Crowder and Jamil Wilson and guard Darius Johnson-Odom.

December 6: Villanova at Missouri

Yet another game that features outstanding perimeter play.

Villanova seems to always have great guards, and this year is no exception.

Junior point guard Maalik Wayns will lead the way, but James Bell and Dominic Cheek will fill the wings and make things happen for the Wildcats.

Missouri may be forced into playing three or four guard lineups during stretches because of Laurence Bowers' injury. But the Tigers have the talent to make that work.

With Marcus Denmon (pictured), Michael Dixon, Kim English and Flip Pressey in the Missouri backcourt, first-year head coach Frank Haith can go in whatever direction he wants.

December 7: Arizona at Florida

Arizona has lots to work through before it gets back to where they were when they made it to the Elite Eight last year.

Derrick Williams' departure is only one factor that head coach Sean Miller has to address. Besides his 19.5 ppg and 8.3 rpg, Miller has to replace MoMo Jones' 9.7 ppg and Jamelle Horne's 6.1 ppg and 3.1 rpg.

The Wildcats have an amazing recruiting class, featuring a great backcourt duo in Josiah Turner and Nick Johnson.

Florida has an amazing four backcourt players, with Erving Walker (pictured) and Kenny Boynton returning, Mike Rosario (Rutgers transfer) becoming eligible and freshman phenom Brad Beal arriving.

Since this game is played early in the season and in Gainesville, the Gators should take care of business here.

December 7: Xavier at Butler

Two young coaches, Chris Mack and Brad Stevens going head-to-head.

Two mid-major teams that will battle from the opening tip to the final buzzer.

Tu Hollowayone of the best guards in the nation.

One great game.

December 8: Harvard at Connecticut

On paper, this is no contest.

Harvard doesn't have the horses to keep up with UConn.

But, Tommy Amaker (pictured) has the Crimson headed in a very positive direction, almost making the NCAA tournament as an at-large team last year.

Harvard has five of its top six scorers returning, including Keith Wright, last year's Ivy League Player of the Year and a preseason Wooden Award Top 50 Watch List nominee.

To even stay in this one, Harvard will have to make great decisions on shot selection and almost eliminate all turnovers.

December 10: Kentucky at Indiana

Indiana is making strides back to being relevant again.

Adding Cody Zeller, a legitimate 5-star, will push the Hoosiers to another level in the Big Ten.

If Christian Watford elevates his game again, Indiana will have a dynamic frontcourt.

But all of this is still part of a bigger process that Hoosiers head coach Tom Crean is trying to make happen.

The fact that this is a rivalry game makes it remotely possible that Indiana could hang with Kentucky.

December 10: Ohio State at Kansas

Funny things happen to some very good teams when they play at Allen Fieldhouse on the campus of the University of Kansas.

Yes, most of the time, opposing teams are running up against Jayhawks' teams that have superior talent and experience.

But, even when that is not true, there have been plenty of teams that went home with a loss.

While it is not likely that Ohio State is going to lose to Kansas on the 10th, since February 1994, the Jayhawks have lost only 13 regular season games in Allen Fieldhouse—a 253-13 record (a 95.1 winning percentage).

December 10: Washington at Duke

Washington and Duke are two teams that have lots of perimeter talent, but, as the season is getting ready to start, it's not really obvious how all of the pieces are going to fit together.

Abdul Gaddy and Tony Wroten both have great handles and passing ability. Sophomore slasher Terrence Ross is ready to have a breakout season.

Duke has Seth Curry (pictured), Austin Rivers and Andre Dawkinsall great wings who have the ability to score from downtown.

For this game, the team that can best utilize the greater amount of their perimeter talent will win.

December 11: Detroit at Alabama

Detroit will come to Tuscaloosa in mid December with one thing in mind: get some street cred by knocking off a power conference frontrunner.

Ray McCallum Jr. led the Titans in scoring, assists and steals as a freshman.

Eli Holman is a beast on the boards and is one of the most undervalued bigs in the country.

This could be a very special year for Alabama basketball.

JaMychal Green (pictured) is one of the better interior players in the SEC.

Tony Mitchell and Trevor Releford give Anthony Grant two complementary players to take care of things on the inside and outside.

When it's all over, Bama has too much and should come out of this with a well-earned W.

December 17: Memphis at Louisville

Can't wait to see the matchup between Joe Jackson (pictured) and Peyton Siva. Both put in about 10 points per game, but their contribution goes beyond scoring.

These are two very good floor generals, who run their teams and take care of their teammates by getting them the ball in scoring position.

Whoever controls the tempo of the game more effectively will come out on top.

December 17: Texas A&M at Florida

By the time these two teams face each other in mid-December, Florida will know a whole lot more about where they stand.

The Gators will have been tested by playing Ohio State, Vanderbilt, Arizona and Syracuse.

A&M, on the other hand, will not have played a single ranked opponent.

Khris Middleton (pictured) and David Loubeau return to lead the Aggies this season.

The Gators incredibly deep and talented backcourt will cause A&M headaches throughout the game.

December 19: UC Santa Barbara at Cal

UCSB returns four starters from last year's squad, including the top three scorers and rebounders

Orlando Johnson (pictured) has won two straight Big West scoring championships and has been a two-time all-conference selection.

Along with Johnson, UCSB will rely on another big-time scorersenior James Nunnally, a 6-6 swing man.

The Bears balanced attack featuring Allan Crabbe, Harper Kamp and Jorge Guttierez will make it hard for the Gauchos to stay in this one.

December 20: Butler at Gonzaga

Usually, these two teams are seeking out big-time programs from a power conference.

This time, they get to go head-to-head in Spokane.

Gonzaga's roster is well-stocked.

Butler was hit pretty hard with departures with Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard leaving.

But, with Brad Stevens patrolling the Butler sidelines, the Bulldogs are always in the game.

Andrew Smith (pictured, 8.5 ppg; 5.4 rpg) will need to take on a much bigger role this season.

December 21: Oklahoma State at Alabama

This one will be physical vs. physical.

Both Oklahoma State and Alabama play a very aggressive style of ball.

Both teams apply constant pressure and will look to control the tempo of the game and make it a half-court affair.

Tony Mitchell (pictured) is an athletic forward who will go head-to-head with OSU's latest stud freshman, LeBryan Nash, a hard-nosed player that has a motor that doesn't stop.

December 22: St. Mary's at Baylor

Baylor has a lot of talent that head coach Scott Drew can put on the court.

But one of the things that makes even talented teams great are "glue guys" and Quincy Acy (pictured) fits that role for the Bears.

By this time, Baylor will have played 10 games and hopefully figured out how to incorporate the incoming recruits and transfers.

St. Mary's is having to try to move on from the Mickey McConnell-era.

The Gaels return virtually everyone else from a 25-9 team, so Baylor can't take this one for granted.

December 28: Northwestern at Ohio State

Games between Christmas and New Year's sometimes have unexpected outcomes.

Northwestern gave Ohio State a run for their money twice last year with the Buckeyes coming out on top by a point and by six in overtime.

Bill Carmody, the Wildcats coach, will have a well-thought out game plan and will work hard to see that his team is supremely prepared for this one.

This is the first Big Ten game of the year for both teams.

Wouldn't it be something if the Wildcats could pull this out?

December 31: Louisville at Kentucky

The Battle for the Bluegrass is one of the most intense, longest standing rivalries in college athletics.

Even before Rick Pitino "changed sides," this game was for bragging rights in a state that loves their basketball teams.

Darius Miller (6'8", 235 lbs), a versatile wing player, brings size and length to the perimeter. His defense is a huge strength because he can guard anything from PG's to PF's.

This will be a white-knuckler, most likely going down to the final possession

December 31: Arizona State at Arizona

The rivalry between Arizona and Arizona State is intense.

Even though Arizona has had great success over the last couple decades, Arizona State has won four of the last seven matches between these two schools.

Solomon Hill (pictured), a junior forward, will be counted on to carry a greater scoring role after the departure of Derrick Williams.

The Sun Devils are hoping that Jahii Carson, a top-level recruit, will break down opponents and score a truckload of points from his guard position.