The first weekend of the collegiate basketball season is upon us!
With a ton of games on the slate, there are five games in particular that I’m keeping a close eye on and that should be on your watch list. Two of those games feature ranked matchups that bookend an exciting opening weekend. Let The Weekend Watch commence!
Friday, November 6th
#4 UConn vs #16 Michigan | 8pm ET | TNT
UConn Top Prospects: Braylon Mullins (sophomore), Na’jai Hines (sophomore), Colbren Landrew (freshman), Nik Khamenia (sophomore), Silas Demary Jr. (senior)
Michigan Top Prospects: Trey McKenney (sophomore), Moustapha Thiam (junior), Elliot Cadeau (senior), J.P. Estrella (graduate student), Roddy Gayle Jr. (fifth-year)
All eyes will be on this primetime neutral site matchup in Boston that features seven potential draft picks in the upcoming 2027 NBA draft led by early season lotto candidates in Mullins, Hines, Landrew, and McKenney.
It’s the big man battle between Hines and Thiam that I can’t wait to watch and could really steal the show. I believe both are lottery talents that will rise on boards throughout the cycle.
Hines is a strong, physical big with a football background (tight end) that’s surprisingly light on his feet and excels as a playfinisher, shot-blocker, and glass cleaner. Listed at 7’2” and 250 pounds, Thiam brings a massive play-finishing and rim-protection presence to the floor alongside some interesting touch flashes.
How Hines handles the overwhelming NBA size and length of Thiam will be a significant data point to add to his evaluation, just as it will be for Thiam, who will be up against Hines’s physicality and motor. Thiam missed Michigan’s season opener with the flu and hopefully will be ready for UConn.
I’m ultimately buying McKenney as a quality NBA defender thanks to his stout frame and 6’9” wingspan, but I’m still curious about how versatile of a defender he could become. Spending time on Mullins, Landrew, Khamenia, and Cadeau would all be possible in this one. Each offers a different challenge for McKenney that I’m interested in seeing.
Queens (NC) vs Oklahoma St | 9pm ET | ESPN Plus
Queens Top Prospects: Jordan Watford (sophomore), Isaiah Henry (sophomore), Nasir Mann (graduate student)
Oklahoma St. Top Prospects: Kashie Natt (fifth-year), Julius Halaifonua (junior), Latrell Allmond (freshman), Parker Robinson (freshman), Jalen Montonati (freshman), Ryan Crotty (sophomore)
Through two games against Winthrop and Loyola Marymount, Jordan Watford is producing like the frontrunner for the 2027 Atlantic Sun Player of the Year: 23 PPG, 5 RPG, 5 APG, 1.5 SPG, and getting to the free-throw line for 8.5 attempts per game.
The long, slashing guard is showcasing his ability to get to the rim, finish there with footwork and craft, and be a reliable live-dribble playmaker. This game against Oklahoma St. will be the first of several opportunities this season for Watford to compete and put together good tape against high-level competition. Queens is set for dates versus BYU, LSU, Houston, and Baylor.
In all likelihood, it will be the 6’3” Kashie Natt drawing the Watford assignment. Natt is a draft deep-cut player who joins Oklahoma State after winning the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year award. He’s an athletic pest at the point of attack and a defensive playmaker both on and off the ball who lends a significant helping hand to bigs with his ability to hunt and corral rebounds (career 8.0 RPG). Natt should be on the radar for E-10 and two-way deals.
I’m hoping that Halaifonua finds his footing with Oklahoma State. I enjoyed watching him up close at Georgetown before his transfer and am still intrigued by his mix of size (7’0”), footwork, touch, and feel. Oklahoma State also boasts a compelling underclassmen group of Allmond, Robinson, Montonati, and Crotty to monitor long-term.
Saturday, November 7th
Maryland vs Georgetown | 7:30PM ET | Peacock
Maryland Top Prospects: Baba Oladotun (freshman), Andre Mills (redshirt sophomore), Pharrel Payne (redshirt senior), Tomislav Buljan (sophomore), DJ Wagner (senior), Kaden House (freshman)
Georgetown Top Prospects: Jaland Lowe (senior), Vyctorius Miller (junior), Caleb Williams (junior), Chol Machot (junior), Vince Iwuchukwu (senior), Justin Caldwell (freshman)
It’s a rivalry game in the DMV as Maryland and Georgetown battle in DC. Baba Oladotun will be the highest-ranked prospect on the floor and rightfully enters with a lot of intrigue as he navigates the early portion of the season. His combination of NBA positional size and an evolving dribble-pass-shoot foundation defines his scouting profile while his tools develop into concrete skills.
Lowe and Mills are their respective team’s engines. Georgetown will rely on Lowe to be both their primary scorer and facilitator. Although I’ve cooled on Lowe being a starting NBA point guard over the past couple of years, him being a viable backup NBA guard is still in play, and the opportunity at Georgetown allows the runway to prove that.
Maryland feeds off Mills’s aggressive slashing, multiple-level shotmaking, and competitive spirit. He’ll be one of the better guards in the Big Ten. If his shooting and playmaking can take a step forward, Mills is a legitimate NBA prospect.
The bigs could end up deciding the game. The 7’1” Iwuchukwu is back after averaging a career-best 11.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 1.6 stocks per game. Coach Cooley has experimented with a two-big lineup of Iwuchukwu and Machot, a 7’0” shot-blocking and playfinishing big transfer from Charleston that’s shown glimpses of shooting and ball-handling skill.
Maryland’s big man tandem of Payne and Buljan will be formidable all season long. If Mills is Maryland’s engine, Payne is the heart. Every team needs a Pharrell Payne: a long, athletic, and physical play-finishing, shot-blocking big who competes with a high motor. Listed at 6’9” and 250 pounds, Buljan offers a melding of size, ball skills, and passing feel that complements Payne and suggests NBA appeal.
UT Martin vs IU Indianapolis | 4PM ET | ESPN Plus
UT Martin Top Prospects: Sasha Savkov (freshman), Davi Remagen (sophomore), Kaan Onat (freshman), Filip Petkovski (sophomore)
IU Indianapolis Top Prospects: Peyton Heiss (junior), Kameron Tinsley (junior)
So far under head coach Jeremy Shulman’s three-year reign, UT Martin has fully embraced the international scene and has positioned themselves as a hub for international talent, with nearly all of their roster either coming from overseas or having a direct link. Last season, Matas Deniusas won Ohio Valley Conference Rookie and is now at Rhode Island. Andrija Bukumirovic, a first-team All-OVC selection, transferred to Boston College after two seasons developing at UT-Martin.
Shulman is back with another fascinating collection of international talent to develop that caught my eye in their tough double-overtime loss to Tulane in the opener. Savkov is a lean 6’11” shotmaker with functional ball skills. Remagen, a transfer from Georgia Tech via Germany, brings feel, playmaking, and multiple-level shotmaking to the lead guard spot. Onat is a craft lefty shotmaker with feel and playmaking ability as well. Don’t be surprised to see them take home plenty of OVC honors and become must-watch prospects in the process.
Sunday, November 8th
#12 Arkansas vs #9 Virginia | 1pm ET | ESPN
Arkansas Top Prospects: Jordan Smith Jr. (freshman), Abdou Tore (freshman), Miikka Muurinen (freshman), Billy Richmond III (junior), Davion Thompson (freshman), JJ Andrews (freshman), Cooper Bowser (senior)
Virginia Top Prospects: Chance Mallory (sophomore), Sam Lewis (senior), Johann Grunloh (sophomore), Thijs De Ridder (sophomore), Elijah Gertrude (senior)
After Duke and Michigan collided last season, the second annual Capital Showcase is back for a showdown between Arkansas and Virginia in D.C. The Razorbacks are led by potential first overall pick Jordan Smith, who returns home to the DMV and has a chance to make an early-season statement.
Arkansas should be amongst the nation’s best defensive teams with their ability to overwhelm with their length, athleticism, physicality, and versatility. From Smith Jr. to Richmond, Toure, and Andrews, Arkansas can throw some outstanding defenders at UVA’s dynamic Chance Mallory and versatile wing Sam Lewis. Mallory and Lewis needing to find answers against a group of NBA defenders like Arkansas is one of my key aspects to watch.
This is another game where we should be locked in on the big man battle too. UVA’s De Ridder and Grunloh are an excellent duo. De Ridder, a physical inside-outside presence, is building off an All-ACC First Team selection season and is poised to be a focal point again for UVA. Grunloh’s role as a stretch five shot blocker will be needed to contest Arkansas’ aggressive slashers and to pull Muurinen and Bowser away from the basketball.
It’s not just a homecoming for Jordan Smith Jr.; Bowser returns and will be looking to play well in front of friends and family. He knows and thrives in his role as an athletic playfinisher and shot-blocker. Don’t be surprised to see him rise on boards. Muurinen is as physically gifted as they come, plus there is real shooting upside. Since his commitment to Arkansas, envisioning him operating the Trevon Brazile role seems like the perfect fit. Could this game be the start of Muurinen’s ascension?