Top 20 men's college basketball games to watch this season

After leaving the sweet taste of a Kris Jenkins game-winning three-pointer as time expired to beat North Carolina and give Villanova its first men's college basketball championship since 1985, college basketball is back. While college basketball is typically dominated by the same power schools, there is always a Villanova that takes the sport by storm. That said, here is a list (in no particular order) of 20 games to look forward to watching throughout this 2016-17 season.

The Dukes of the world are repeated on the list, which is to be expected, but the joy is the games not listed here that will end up being classics. Happy Hunger Games! May the odds ever be in your favor.

All rankings are according to AP Top 25.

No. 4 Villanova vs. Lafayette, Friday, November 11

On paper, the game with more important implications with be when 'Nova takes on No. 15 Purdue at Purdue on Nov. 14. But the Wildcats game against Lafayette will be their first time back together on a court since that magical night on top of the world back in April. Fan favorite and hometown point guard Ryan Arcidiacono has moved on to the San Antonio Spurs organization, but folk hero Kris Jenkins is still with the team. Head coach Jay Wright and his team's follow-up act begins against Lafayette.

No. 3 Kansas vs. No. 11 Indiana, Friday, November 11 (Armed Forces Classic) 

This will be the first meeting between Kansas and Indiana since Dec. 16, 1995 where the Jayhawks won 91-83, a game which was played in Kansas City (technically a neutral site, but obviously favoring Kansas).

Players to watch: Indiana sophomore forward OG Anunoby, Kansas junior guard Devonte Graham and Kansas freshman guard Josh Jackson, the No. 1 recruit in the nation according to many and has been compared to former Kansas star and current Minnesota Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins.

No. 3 Kansas vs. No. 1 Duke Tuesday, November 15

Our first look in 2016 at Duke guard Grayson Allen, and he'll be facing Kansas senior guard Frank Mason II. These teams under Coach K and Bill Self are always battling to be No. 1 in the country, so an early look at both powerhouses will garner interest far and wide.

No. 10 Arizona vs. No. 12 Michigan State Friday, November 11 (Armed Forces Classic)

Arizona has won four of six meetings against Michigan State, which includes both neutral site matchups. This is a treat of a non-conference game to start the season with.

No. 3 Kansas at No. 2 Kentucky Saturday, January 28

This matchup last season on January 30 went into overtime at Allen Fieldhouse, ultimately resulting in a 90-84 Jayhawks win. Kentucky, by Kentucky standards, is coming off of a very disappointing season. The Wildcats finished the regular season at 26-8 overall and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Indiana.

Surprising to nobody, Calipari's Wildcats are all either freshmen or sophomores, while Kansas has players from freshmen to seniors.

No. 1 Duke vs. No. 6 North Carolina Thursday, February 9 and Saturday, March 4

Duke and North Carolina playing each other on the last day of each team's regular season is a gift from the gods. And, even though the game is four months away, it will undoubtedly live up to the hype. Plus, you know that whoever loses the first matchup between these two on Feb. 9 will be out for revenge on March 4.

Also worth nothing: Duke freshman forward Harry Giles is the early favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. These games against North Carolina either make or break freshman NBA Draft darlings.

No. 14 Gonzaga vs. No. 10 Arizona Saturday, December 3

Every year is supposed to finally be Gonzaga's year. Looking at Gonzaga's schedule right now, Arizona is only one of two ranked teams on the Bulldogs' schedule (the other is No. 17 Saint Mary's) so needless to state that this game will be vital if Gonzaga plans on getting over that perpetual hump and making a true run this season.

No. 16 UCLA at No. 2 Kentucky Saturday, December 3

By far the Bruins' most challenging out-of-conference opponent all season. The Pac-12 will be a fun conference to watch UCLA navigate, though, with No. 5 Oregon as the defending conference champions.
UCLA got the better of then-No. 1 Kentucky on the same date last season, winning at home 87-77.

Regardless of who UCLA is playing, all eyes will be on freshman point guard Lonzo Ball who is already being widely lauded as the next big thing.  

No. 19 Syracuse vs. No. 9 Wisconsin Tuesday, November 29

Coming off of a Final Four loss against North Carolina last season, the Orange will be in the conversation yet again in 2016-17. Jim Boeheim will be on the sidelines for Syracuse for his 41st season, a figure of consistency.

Sophomore forward Tyler Lydon built a name for himself during last year's NCAA Tournament and isn't expected to be a one-hit wonder. Paired up with him will be freshman forward Taurean Thompson, who selected Syracuse over Michigan State and others.

As for Wisconsin, popular forward and Wisconsin staple Nigel Hayes is still a Badger for one more season. Long-time head coach Bo Ryan left the program in a not-so-smooth retirement after last season. Of course, there's no way of knowing how far first-year head coach Greg Gard and Wisconsin will go in 2016, but they are definitely on the side of interesting.

Oklahoma vs. Baylor Friday, December 30

The Sooners and Bears find themselves on the outside looking in on the preseason Top 25, two teams who were strong last season in the Big 12. Especially Oklahoma, who made it to the Final Four and dazzled the country behind phenomenon Buddy Hield (now a New Orleans Pelican).

Both rosters, not just Oklahoma, have noticeably changed since last season. Oklahoma lost Hield, and Baylor lost forward Taurean Prince to the Atlanta Hawks. Both players led their respective teams in points per game last season. The Sooners did retain Hield's backcourt running mate, senior guard Jordan Woodard whose job will get a lot harder without the attention demanded by Hield.

This game will be an interesting opportunity to gauge where these two rosters are moving forward: will they build on momentum from last season, or feel some growing pains?

No. 20 West Virginia at No. 8 Virginia Saturday, December 3

In-state matchups always have obvious appeal, so there's that. And it definitely doesn't hurt that both of these teams are good. Last season, Virginia dominated at West Virginia, beating the Mountaineers by a score of 70-54 on its way to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament (where they were upset in the Elite Eight by Syracuse). That loss to the Cavaliers was West Virginia's first of the 2015-16 season after starting 7-0. West Virginia finished second in the Big 12, behind Kansas who has won or co-won the conference an astounding 12 seasons in a row.

This year, Virginia will have forward Austin Nichols on the court for the first time. Nichols, a junior, had to sit out last season after transferring from Memphis.

No. 21 Texas at No. 24 Iowa State Saturday, January 7

A Big 12 pitting that features two of the conference's tween teams on the rise. At least from Texas's perspective, thanks to Shaka Smart. Not to mention, last season, this matchup gave us a dramatic 94-91 win by the Longhorns in overtime.

Player to watch: Iowa State's senior guard Monte Morris who has been called, "One of the most underrated players in the nation, he returned for his final year and could be a Big 12 Player of the Year candidate. Averaged 13.8 ppg and 6.9 apg."

No. 5 Oregon vs. Georgetown Monday, November 21 (Maui)

A historically great basketball program in Georgetown versus a historically irrelevant but now fresh and fierce basketball program in Oregon makes for a really interesting early-season dichotomy.
Georgetown has not been good as of late, as the Hoyas finished eighth in the Big East last season with an overall record of 15-18. Meanwhile, the Ducks won the Pac-12 last season comfortably with a 31-7 overall record.

This is particularly interesting because it is the quintessential example of how college basketball, while still maintaining a repeating core of dominant programs, is evolving. Oregon was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament last year; Georgetown did not make the NCAA Tournament last year. That is a sentence that would seem preposterous in historical context.

According to CBSSports' Matt Norlander, Georgetown has reason for hope in sophomore center Jesse Govan: "At the moment, he's projected as a first-round pick over at Draft Express. Georgetown needs a big year in a big way for John Thompson III. Govan's an under-the-radar player of serious value. He's long, can block shots and will almost certainly vault his field goal percentage from 48 (last season's mark) to the mid-50s. Plus, he'll be one of the best rebounders in the Big East. It's nice to see Georgetown once again have a reliable man in the middle."

No. 22 Creighton Bluejays vs. No. 4 Villanova Saturday, December 31

Creighton will be a tough test for the defending champions. The Bluejays' senior point guard Maurice Watson led the team in points per game last season with a 14.1 average. Villanova's leading scorer in 2015 was Josh Hart with a 15.5 points per game average, who remains on the roster as a senior.

No. 12 Michigan State at No. 25 Maryland Sunday, March 5

As we all know, March is Tom Izzo month. This game will be, if all goes as it usually does, a preview of what to expect from the Spartans in the NCAA Tournament. This is when Michigan State is in premiere form, and it'll be interesting to see if preseason-ranked Maryland stands to still be a contender come the final game of the regular season.

Ohio State vs. No. 18 UConn Saturday, December 10

The lasting image from UConn's 2015-16 season was this Jalen Adams half-court shot.  Kevin Ollie's Huskies are now two years removed from an NCAA Championship in 2014. Both the Huskies and Buckeyes finished middle-of-the-pack in their respective conferences last season.

Two name brand programs (re)searching for their identities.

No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 19 Syracuse Monday, January 16

Rematch of last year's Final Four, where the Tar Heels demoralized Syracuse 83-66. By this point in the season, freshman-to-watch Seventh Woods will be used to playing at the college level, even though he's been in the spotlight since he was 14 years old. Watching him play against Tyler Lydon should be fun to watch.

No. 13 Louisville at Notre Dame Wednesday, January 4

This matchup delivered last season. On Feb. 13 last year, Notre Dame upset the Cardinals 71-66. The Fighting Irish were one of only eight losses on Louisville's schedule last season. Notre Dame finished two spots below Louisville in the ACC standings in 2015-16 at sixth.

No. 23 Rhode Island vs. Cincinnati Saturday, November 19

Rhode Island does not have any preseason ranked teams on its schedule. Of all the teams on their schedule, I think Cincinnati will be their best test early on to gauge where the Rams really are in the scope of things. (Cincinnati is ranked No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.)

No. 11 Indiana vs. No. 15 Purdue Thursday, February 9

The easiest explanation on this entire list: Good Indiana-style basketball.