Opening day college hoops: The 5 best games for Kentucky fans to watch
By Mark Knight
The day has finally arrived for the opening tip of basketball season, and the Kentucky Wildcats get to tip off under a new head coach for the start of a new era. Mark Pope and this rebuilt Kentucky squad are ranked 23 going into the season with a lot to prove and a whole season to do it. The most important game you should be watching on opening night is Kentucky vs. Wright State, which starts at 7 p.m. and is on ESPNU.
However, there are so many other games today that you may want to be aware of and pay attention to. College basketball no longer does the 24 hours of hoops season start like they used to do, so a lot of the games below will have overlap time, and the final two games will be LATE for fans in the Eastern time zone. Therefore, you may just want to take this guide as a " flip between" or stream on other devices while the Kentucky game is going on. Feel free to stay up late watching basketball; I will; your boss won't mind.
5. Louisville vs. Morehead State
Where: KFC Yum! Center - Louisville, Kentucky
Time: 7:00 pm EST
Channel: ESPN+ / ACC Extra
Why should I care about this game?
Really, because Ls down, that's why. It will also be interesting to see how Louisville is rebuilt and if Morehead State can give them a scare. The Cardinals are almost 19-point favorites right now, but Morehead State shouldn't be taken too lightly.
4. Bucknell vs. Delaware
Where: Bob Carpenter Center - Newark, Delaware
Time: 6:30 pm EST
Channel: FloSports (streaming only)
Why should I care about this game?
Bucknell is our next opponent, but it's on some obscure streaming site, so you may have a tough time finding it unless you have a subscription. If you are a basketball junkie, though, checking the box score on our next opponent is absolutely fun.
3. Duke vs. Maine
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium - Durham, North Carolina
Time: 7 pm EST
Channel: ACC Network
Why should I care about this game?
Duke is the following opponent after Bucknell and our first big test of the season. Duke is ranked in the top 10, and its young roster looks to be loaded from top to bottom. This game shouldn't be close at any point, but if you want to flip over at times to see how Duke looks, you can find the game on the ACC Network.
2. Gonzaga vs. Baylor
Where: Spokane Arena - Spokane, WA
Time: 11:30 pm EST
Channel: ESPN2
Why should I care about this game?
There are two reasons this is of interest to a Kentucky fan. First, the Wildcats play Gonzaga on December 7th in Seattle, WA. This is one of the other big-time games on our schedule, and Mark Pope will be looking for a way to win.
The second reason is that it's one of the few games on opening tip-night that should be an actual battle. It's a game between two preseason top-10 teams. This will be a great game, and I am looking forward to watching it, even if it's super late.
1. Ohio State vs. Texas
Where: T-Mobile Arena - Las Vegas, Nevada
Time: 10 pm EST
Channel: TNT / TruTV
Why should I care about this game?
There are also two big reasons to watch this game. The first is that Ohio State and Texas are both on our schedule. We won't see Texas until way later in the year, but we get to square off against the Buckeyes on December 21. It's still later in the year than either Duke or Gonzaga, but before conference play gets underway.
The second major reason is the same as the last matchup mentioned. It's a big-time game against two good teams. While Ohio State is not currently ranked, they very well could be and, at some point, might find themselves in the top 25. This will be a really intriguing game to watch, and it should be a battle down to the final possessions.
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