The 2025-26 Division I NCAA basketball season officially tipped off early Monday morning, kicking off a five-month journey to this season’s Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. With a handful of season-opening invitationals and made-for-TV slugfests, there’s actually a pretty decent slate of hoops on opening week this year.
Without further ado, here are the must-see matchups from college basketball’s opening week.
Monday
3 Florida vs. 13 Arizona | Hall of Fame Series (Las Vegas), TNT/TruTV, 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST
The most interesting question ahead of this college basketball season is whether last season marked the beginning of a UConn-esque stretch of dominance for the Florida Gators or if it was a one-off season of destiny.
Todd Golden’s ability to rebuild will certainly be tested, as the Gators lost three of their most impactful players to the NBA in Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin. Returning center Alex Condon will be the team’s focal point, but transfers Xaivian Lee (Princeton) and Boogie Fland (Arkansas) are poised to make Florida one of the nation’s best backcourts again.
This game is also notable for the fact that it will mark the collegiate debut of LeBron James’ son, Bryce, with Arizona. It’s also the first half of the season-opening Hall of Fame Series doubleheader at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where Ballislife will be present tonight with in-person coverage.
8 BYU vs. Villanova | Hall of Fame Series (Las Vegas), TNT/TruTV, 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST
The second game of the stacked Hall of Fame Series doubleheader in Las Vegas on Monday features the long-awaited debut of super prospect AJ Dybantsa, who is in firm contention with Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and Duke’s Cameron Boozer to become the No. 1 pick in one of the most interesting top prospect debates in recent memory with those three Grade A elite talents.
On the other hand, it’s hard to believe that Villanova hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2022. The university gave coach Kyle Neptune the axe this offseason and made Kevin Willard public enemy number one at the University of Maryland by poaching him from the Terps, so it will be interesting to see if Willard’s tenure starts off on the right foot.
Tuesday
Texas vs. 6 Duke | Dick Vitale Invitational (Charlotte), ESPN, 8:45 p.m. EST/5:45 p.m. PST
The Dick Vitale Invitational between Texas and Duke will feature another long-awaited collegiate debut, as one of the most accomplished prep basketball players of all time in Cameron Boozer will play his first regular-season game for the school his father, Carlos, starred at in the early 2000s before becoming an NBA All-Star. The Blue Devils also feature another likely lottery pick in sharpshooter Isaiah Evans and plenty of depth around the edges that should have them poised to make another deep NCAA Tournament run.
Like Villanova, Texas is also entering a new era in the coaching seat. Sean Miller will be making his return to power conference college hoops after his involvement in a corruption scandal led to his ousting from the University of Arizona in 2021 after reviving his stock with a successful stint at Xavier.
Friday
19 Kansas vs. 25 North Carolina | ESPN, 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST
This game won’t mark Darryn Peterson’s debut, that comes against Oakland on Monday night, but it does mark the super prospect’s first appearance on the big stage. With another potential top 5 pick in North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson on the other end, this is a game we could be looking back on through nostalgic social media posts in a handful of years.
In addition to adding a superstar in Peterson, the Jayhawks return forward Flory Bidunga, who averaged 5.9 points and 5.4 rebounds last season as a true freshman. If Bidunga progresses as expected this season, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to see him sneak his way into the first round of the NBA Draft in June.
Senior Seth Trimble headlines UNC’s crop of returners, and the Tar Heels also went out and snatched guards Kyan Powell (Colorado State) and Jonathan Powell (West Viriginia) out of the transfer portal, but some uncertainty surrounding the Heels’ depth has them barely scraping the Top 25 to start the season.
Saturday
15 Alabama vs. 5 St. John’s | FS1, 12 p.m. EST/9 a.m. PST
Anything that involves St. John’s don Rick Pitino is must-see TV at this point, especially now that he’s sitting in the coaching chair for New York’s iconic collegiate basketball program.
There was no better story in college hoops last season than the Johnnies’ return to prime time, and all expectations are that Pitino and his roster, headlined by Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins and returning star Zuby Ejiafor. Star guard RJ Luis did surprisingly choose to leave the team, opting to go undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft, but my hunch is the Johnnies will be fine.
Alabama, of course, has turned into a juggernaut of sorts since Nate Oats took over in 2019, and they should once again be squarely in contention for the SEC title this season, led by returning star Labaron Philon, who is another player most likely to hear their name called in the first round of the NBA Draft.
14 Arkansas vs. 22 Michigan State | FOX, 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST
Anytime two premier coaches like Arkansas’s John Calipari and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo square off in a nationally televised game, whether it’s to start the season or end it, you’re best off clearing the schedule for those two hours and finding a television set to park in front of, preferably with a snack and a beverage. You might just see Coen Carr create an eternal highlight.
DJ Wagner, a Calpari guy through and through from Kentucky to Arkansas, headlines the Razorbacks’ crop of returners. Their run in the NCAA Tournament last season garnered them some respect in the polls, despite the fact that it accompanied a turbulent regular season.