The Best Non-Conference College Basketball Games

By Sam Schlesinger   November 16, 2022 

The Best Non-Conference College Basketball  Games

Have you ever wondered how the non-conference portion of the college basketball schedule was made? Basically, coaches and other team representatives get to build the schedules themselves, with the goal of giving their team the best possible chance at making the NCAA tournament. 

The tournament committee takes the strength of your schedule into consideration when mapping out the tournament field, so teams try to balance their schedule with games they know they’ll win and games that will look more impressive to the committee.

Every coach has his own philosophy on how to build a non-conference schedule. Good teams in good conferences may pay lesser teams to come to them for home games and load up on easy wins before playing their conference games which are much more competitive, or they could get their team more ready by scheduling multiple games against ranked non-conference opponents. It’s generally in the best interest of good teams from bad conferences to schedule games against ranked opponents to try and add impressive wins to their resume, but every team goes about it differently.

However coaches decide to do things, the competitive games during non-conference play are sometimes few and far between. Here’s a list of the best 20 games to watch before conference play begins in January:

Gonzaga @ Texas, November 17th (ESPN2)

Gonzaga will try to bolster their credentials (which always come into question since they play in a weak conference) by playing a true road game at Texas. Texas was ranked 12th before the season started, one of 5 ranked teams in a loaded Big12 conference.

Virginia @ Baylor, November 18th (ESPN2)

Baylor has been one of the hottest teams this decade. They’ve made 8 tournaments since 2012, they were a 1 seed in both 2022 and 2021, and they won it all in 2021. Before last year, Virginia had made 7 straight tournaments and were a 1 seed in 4 of them. They ranked 18th overall before the season started and are hopeful their tournament hiatus will only last 1 year.

Villanova @ Michigan State, November 18th (ESPN)

Whether they’re ranked or not, Michigan State always feels like they can beat any team they face. They’ve arranged one of the toughest non-conference schedules of any power-5 team and already have a 1 point loss to 2nd ranked Gonzaga and a double OT win against 4th ranked Kentucky on their resume. Villanova ranked 16th before the season started, but an early loss to Temple has thrown their legitimacy into question. 

Illinois @ UCLA, November 18th (ESPNU Main Event)

Illinois has been a hot team for the last three years, making the tournament as a 1 seed in 2021 and a 4 seed last year. UCLA will look for a signature non-conference win as the Pac-12 is not quite as competitive as it used to be.

Texas Tech @ Creighton, November 21st (Maui Invitational) 

Creighton is the crown of the Big East right now having made the tournament in 4 out of the last 5 years including a Sweet 16 bid in 2021. Big-East wins won’t carry as much weight as a ranked opponent from the SEC. Texas Tech has two games against ranked opponents outside their conference schedule.

Kentucky @ Gonzaga, November 20th (ESPN)

Two of the most storied college programs of this century. Gonzaga has made the NCAA tournament every year since 1999 and has been a 1 seed in the last three tournaments, while Kentucky came back strong in 2022 after missing the tournament in 2021 for the first time since 2009. Kentucky and Gonzaga agreed to a home-and-home this past summer, and will play at Kentucky in 2023.  

Alabama @ Michigan State, November 24th (Phil Knight Invitational) (ESPN)

Alabama is one of 5 ranked SEC teams. Known much more as a football school, the Alabama basketball program has actually appeared in 3 of the last 4 tournaments. They’ve ranked as high as a tournament 2 seed and have gotten as far as the Sweet 16 (both in 2021). They’ll have their hands full with Michigan State who scheduled 3 non-conference games against ranked opponents.

Virginia @ Michigan, November 29th (ACC/Big10 Challenge) (ESPN)

Virginian and Michigan both loaded their schedules with 3 games against non-conference opponents who were ranked before the season. They’re trying to give themselves the best chance at landing a tournament 1 seed.

UNC @ Indiana, November 30th (ACC/Big10 Challenge) (ESPN)

North Carolina has more Final Four appearances than any other team in college basketball. They’re always in the thick of things and they started the season ranked 1st overall. Indiana was on a 4-year tournament drought before sneaking in as a tournament 12 seed last year. They entered this season ranked 13th overall, and a win against UNC would be the ultimate plus on their tournament resume.  


We're loving Caleb Love.
We’re loving Caleb Love.

Ohio State @ Duke, November 30th (ACC/Big10 Challenge) (ESPN)

Duke only had a single game schedule against a non-conference ranked opponent, and they lost that game to Kansas. Ohio State wasn’t ranked preseason, but they’ve been in the tournament four years in a row and always have a competitive squad. They’ll both look for an impressive win in the ACC Big10 challenge.

Creighton @ Texas, December 1st (Big East/Big 12 Battle) (ESPN)

Texas should be Creighton’s toughest opponent this season when they face off in the Big-East/Big 12 Battle. They were ranked 12th overall before the season, one of 3 top-12 teams in the Big 12.

Michigan @ Kentucky, December 3rd (Basketball Hall of Fame London Showcase) (ABC)

Michigan has been one of the best teams in college basketball over the last 6 years. Since 2017, they haven’t failed to reach the Sweet 16 in any tournament, and made it all the way to the championship in 2018. Kentucky is probably the best team on their schedule. This will truly be a clash of titans.

Illinois vs Texas, December 6th (Jimmy V Classic) (ESPN)

Iowa vs. Duke, December 6th (Jimmy V Classic) (ESPN)

The Jimmy V classic is an annual double header, featuring some of college basketball’s best programs, to raise money for cancer research. Illinois and Texas were ranked 23rd and 12th respectively before the season. They’ll be game 1. Game 2 will feature Duke, who ranked 7th before the season, and Iowa who may be ranked by the time this game is played. 

Alabama @ Houston, December 10th (ABC)

Houston’s heyday was back in the early 80’s when Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon were on the team. They had been quiet for a couple decades after that but recently have made 4 straight tournaments, ranking as high as a tournament 2 seed in 2021. Alabama plays in the loaded SEC but this may be their toughest game of the season.

Arizona @ Indiana, December 12th, (Las Vegas Clash) (FOX)

Arizona had been a tournament regular for years before missing it twice in a row in 2019 and 2021 (there was no tournament in 2020). Last year they came back, made the tournament as a 1 seed, and made it to the Sweet 16. This is one of two games against a non-conference ranked opponent for both teams, they’ll both need to make this count.

Houston @ Virginia, December 17th (ESPN2)

Houston plays in the AAC and is the only ranked team in the division. They tried to load their non-conference schedule with games against tough opponents like Oregon, Alabama, and Virginia. Virginia plays in a much better conference, the ACC, but will look to get a signature win against a non-conference ranked opponent at home.

UCLA @ Kentucky, December 17th (CBS Sports Classic)

UCLA used to win championships all the time, but they haven’t made it to the finals since 2006 and haven’t won it all since 1995. UCLA and Kentucky are the two most celebrated college basketball programs of all time with 11 and 8 titles respectively. They’re like the Celtics and the Lakers of college basketball. 

The last time these teams faced off in a big game it was D’Aaron Fox vs. Lonzo Ball.

Indiana @ Kansas, December 17th (ESPN2) 

Both teams have two non-conference games against ranked (preseason) opponents. This will be the second of such matchups for both teams. Kansas already beat Duke in the State Farm Champions Classic, can they pick up another impressive win?

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Tennessee @ Arizona, December 17th (ESPN2)

Tennessee started the season ranked 11th overall, but an early loss to Colorado dropped them down to 22. A signature win against a ranked non-conference opponent on the road in Arizona is something they need on their resume now.

Michigan @ UNC, December 21st (Jumpman Invitational) (ESPN)

UNC’s second non-conference game against a ranked (preseason) opponent and Michigan’s third. Both teams should be angling for one more impressive win before conference play begins in January.

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