• Friday, No. 8 Louisville vs. Minnesota (Puerto Rico): Forget the father-son angle -- this is about a likely bubble team getting a marquee win over a potential No. 1 seed.
• Nov. 17, Miami (Fla.) at No. 7 Florida: Only one of these teams is an NCAA lock, but a road win for the Hurricanes would go a long way toward changing that assessment.
• Nov. 18, No. 25 Utah at No. 16 San Diego State: The Utes missed the 2014 tourney because their nonleague slate was, to be kind, almost completely useless. A big early win fixes that problem.
• Nov. 20, No. 22 SMU at Indiana: The Hoosiers are hoping to be on the bubble and will need something good to happen outside the Big Ten to make their case.
• Nov. 21, George Washington at No. 9 Virginia: The Atlantic 10 won enough games like this one to earn a record six NCAA bids last season, but a new year awaits.
• Nov. 22, Florida State vs. Providence and Massachusetts vs. Notre Dame (Mohegan Sun in Connecticut): Two of these teams are "last four in" to start the season, with the others not far off. The next day, Florida State plays UMass and Providence meets Notre Dame. We'll call the four contests one big "bracket game."
• Nov. 26, Minnesota vs. St. John's (Madison Square Garden): The Golden Gophers return to the scene of their NIT title in a battle of presumptive bubble teams.
• Nov. 28, Boise State at NC State: The Mountain West really needs another team or two to make its case after San Diego State.
• Nov. 29, Tulsa at No. 11 Wichita State: Tulsa moves to the American Athletic Conference this season and Wichita State is somehow hoping to improve on a one-loss season.
• Nov. 30, Providence at No. 1 Kentucky: Games like these are a "free shot" for the underdog -- all reward, no risk.
