College basketball schedules are nearing completion ahead of the 2025-26 season, and there will be no shortage of marquee nonconference matchups over the first couple months. While the Players Era Festival will bring numerous high-profile showdowns to Las Vegas in November, we’re also in store for some blockbuster, on-campus games.
Just to name a few of the on-campus highlights, we’ll get Michigan State vs. Duke, Alabama vs. Purdue, Illinois vs. Texas Tech, Kentucky vs. Indiana and UConn vs. Arizona. Then, there’s the 2025 ACC-SEC Challenge, which brings another 16 contests of note, including Duke vs. Florida and Kentucky vs. North Carolina.
These are the games and results that help set the tone for the season. Entire conferences suffer or thrive on Selection Sunday because of the metrics that were built through November and December performances.
The SEC’s blockbuster run through nonconference action last season set the stage for the league to earn a record-breaking 14 NCAA Tournament bids. While the collective attention of the sports world was mostly focused on football and what turned out to be a substandard season on the gridiron, the SEC was quietly taking college basketball by storm.
With basketball season drawing ever closer, we’ve identified the nonconference games we’re most excited for (in chronological order).
Kentucky @ Louisville (Nov. 11)
Their Nov. 11 meeting at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville is coming much earlier than normal, but the timing is arguably a positive. The rivalry showdown is slated for a Tuesday night, which will make it an attractive national viewing option for sports fans who won’t have any significant football alternatives. It will also be the first real test for both teams, meaning we should learn a ton about their new rosters in a pressure-packed environment.
Last season’s Kentucky vs. Louisville game transpired before the Cardinals found their mojo…
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