The 25 most intriguing non-league games of the 2014-15 season
Our 2014-15 season preview continues with the Dagger's look at the 25 most intriguing non-conference games. Check back every day for more college hoops preview content.
1. Kentucky vs. Kansas, Nov. 18 (Champions Classic in Indianapolis): The marquee game of the Champions Classic will pit likely preseason No. 1 Kentucky against a Kansas team that lost Andrew Wigins and Joel Embiid yet could be stronger this season than last. Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden could be ready to make the leap to starring roles. Newcomers Kelly Oubre and Cliff Alexander are elite talents.The only question for the Jayhawks is at point guard, where sophomore Frank Mason, combo guard Conner Frankamp or freshman Devonte Graham must emerge.
More from Yahoo Sports' 2014-15 Season Preview:
• Oct. 3: Eight key questions as practice begins
• Oct. 6: Preseason Top 25 with best-case and worst-case scenarios
• Oct. 7: WCC Preview: Newcomers may tighten Gonzaga's grip on the league
• Oct. 8: To become a more well-rounded player, Kyle Wiltjer changed his body and his game
• Oct. 9: Ranking the 15 transfers who can make the biggest impact
• Oct. 10: A-10 Preview: As VCU ascends, much of the league rebuilds
• Oct. 13: Atoning for last March's costly gaffe drives VCU's JeQuan Lewis.
• Oct. 14: Ten freshmen who will make the biggest impact
• Oct. 15: Mountain West Preview: Who will emerge to challenge San Diego State?
• Oct. 16: Cody Doolin could be the ideal antidote to what has ailed UNLV
• Oct. 20: Ten coaches under the most pressure to win this season
• Oct. 21: Big East Preview: To raise its stature, the league needs a big March
• Oct. 22: Chris Holtmann aims to guide Butler through period of uncertainty
2. Duke at Wisconsin, Dec. 3: One of the most anticipated Big Ten-ACC Challenge games in recent memory features two of the top five teams in most preseason polls. Wisconsin brings back seven of its top eight players from a Final Four team including All-American candidates Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker. Duke boasts its usual collection of elite perimeter players and fills its hole at center with the nation's consensus No. 1 recruit Jahlil Okafor.
3. Kentucky at Louisville, Dec. 27: The nation's premier non-league rivalry will feature a Kentucky team with nine McDonald's All-Americans against a Louisville team with a strong backcourt and a potential All-American forward in Montrezl Harrell. The WIldcats swept a pair of games last season, winning 73-66 in Lexington behind a combined 28 points from Andrew and Aaron Harrison and then ousting the Cardinals from the NCAA tournament in the Sweet 16.
4. Gonzaga at Arizona, Dec. 6: This rematch of Arizona's round of 32 NCAA tournament rout last March could also be a battle of the two best teams in the West next season. The Zags return all but two key players, add a strong recruiting class and bring in Kentucky transfer Kyle Wiltjer and USC transfer Byron Wesley. Arizona should again be one of the nation's elite defensive teams and will make up for the loss of leading scorer Nick Johnson by turning to sophomore Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, McDonald's All-American Stanley Johnson and a now healthy Brandon Ashley.
5. North Carolina at Kentucky, Dec. 13: Before last year's one-year hiatus, the last five games in this series had been decided by seven points or less. Another close one is possible this year as well if the Tar Heels find perimeter shooters and scorers to take the pressure off Marcus Paige and interior defenders who can replicate departed forward James Michael McAdoo's ability to hedge and recover on ball screens.
6. Duke vs. UConn, Dec. 18 (East Rutherford, N.J.): Two teams with a surprising amount of NCAA tournament history will meet on a neutral floor in New Jersey. Duke handed UConn a crushing overtime loss in the Elite Eight in 1990 on a Christian Laettner buzzer beater. The Huskies got revenge with two of their biggest wins in program history, the 1999 national title game and the 2004 national semifinals.
7. Florida at Kansas, Dec. 5: Florida launched its 20-game win streak last season with a 67-61 victory over the Jayhawks in Gainesville, but not many of the Gators who spearheaded that victory will be in uniform for the rematch at Allen Fieldhouse. Florida will turn to sharpshooter Michael Frazier, versatile forward Dorian Finney-Smith and former McDonald's All-Americans Kasey Hill and Chris Walker in hopes of winning a second straight against the Jayhawks.
8. Duke vs. Michigan State, Nov. 18 (Champions Classic in Indianapolis): While this will be much of the nation's first glimpse at highly touted Duke freshmen Tyus Jones and Jahlil Okafor, the matchup against the Blue Devils will also be an early gauge for whether Michigan State will be a national threat this year. The Spartans lost Gary Harris, Keith Appling and Adreian Payne from last year's Elite Eight team, but they return standout forward Branden Dawson, play-making wing Denzel Valentine and sharpshooter Travis Trice.
9. Wichita State vs. Memphis, Nov. 18 (Sioux Falls, S.D.): In response to the many complaints that their non-conference schedule wasn't tough enough last season, Wichita State did its best to find quality opponents willing to play this year. One of those who didn't back down was Memphis, which resulted in this intriguing matchup. The Shockers return one of the nation's premier backcourts with Fred VanVleet, Ron Baker and Tekele Cotton, but they have to find a way to replace the production of graduated forward Cleanthony Early.
10. Texas at Kentucky, Dec. 5: Only a few teams boast the interior size and depth to match up with Kentucky's stable of big men, but Big 12 contender Texas is one of them. The Longhorns were one of the nation's premier shot-blocking and rebounding teams a year ago and add elite 6-foot-11 freshman Myles Turner to a frontcourt that already includes Cameron Ridley, Jonathan Holmes, Connor Lammert and Prince Ibeh.
11. UConn at Florida, Jan. 3: When UConn and Florida met in the Final Four last April, the underdog Huskies stormed back from an early 12-point deficit to upset the top-seeded Gators 63-53 and move one win closer to their fourth national championship. Florida will get a rematch Jan. 3, but the two teams will look very different. Shabazz Napier, DeAndre Daniels and Niels Giffey are gone for UConn. Florida will also have four new starters after losing seniors Patric Young, Scottie Wilbekin, Casey Prather and Will Yeguete.
12. Michigan at Arizona, Dec. 13: The last time these two name-brand programs met, Michigan led top-ranked Arizona for 32 minutes in Ann Arbor before eventually falling 72-70. The Wolverines will be out for revenge, but they'll be on the road this time and they'll be at a big disadvantage in the frontcourt. They'll have to hope Mark Donnal and Ricky Doyle can hold their own in the paint and turn to Caris Levert and Zak Irvin for perimeter offense.
13. Virginia at VCU, Dec. 5: Hardly anyone outside the state of Virginia saw VCU's 59-56 victory over the Cavs last year because it tipped off at the same time as the Champions Classic. That should change this year with a better time slot and a pair of teams who will begin the season in the preseason top 20. Virginia is a threat to win the ACC again despite the departure of Joe Harris and Akil Mitchell, while VCU is the clear-cut favorite to win the Atlantic 10.
14. Ohio State at Louisville, Dec. 2: Ohio State lost Aaron Craft, Lenzelle Smith and LaQuinton Ross from a team that struggled to score for long stretches, but Thad Matta is hopeful some new additions will help the Buckeyes improve on offense. Freshman D'Angelo Russell is a big-time scoring wing and Temple transfer Anthony Lee averaged 13.6 points and 8.6 boards last season. Fun matchup to watch? Louisville shooting guard Terry Rozier, an Ohio native, will probably spend plenty of time defending Russell, who was raised in Louisville.
15. Kentucky vs. UCLA, Dec. 20 (CBS Sports Classic in Chicago): These two blue bloods have combined to win 19 national championships, but only the Wildcats are a threat to add to their haul this season. Thanks to the early departures of Kyle Anderson, Jordan Adams and Zach LaVine, UCLA has only nine scholarship players, three scholarship guards and no true point guard. The Bruins' young frontcourt is very promising, but the lack of depth and the over-reliance on freshmen gives UCLA plenty of bust potential too.
16. SMU at Gonzaga, Nov. 17: How good is Larry Brown's team? This should be an ideal early litmus test. SMU appeared to have dark horse Final Four potential before top prospect Emmanuel Mudiay opted to skip college and big man Markus Kennedy encountered potential academic issues. The return of standout guard Nic Moore and the breakout potential of former top 30 recruit Keith Frazier and a healthy Yanick Moreira offer reason for optimism, but the Mustangs really need Kennedy to take care of business in the classroom.
17. Ohio State vs. North Carolina, Dec. 20 (CBS Sports Classic in Chicago): This will be a nice test for both the Tar Heels and Buckeyes as they approach the start of conference play. All-American candidate Marcus Paige will have the chance to prove himself against an Ohio State perimeter defense that traditionally has been among the nation's best the past few years but won't have Aaron Craft to lead it this season.
18. VCU vs. Villanova, Nov. 24 (Legend's Classic in Brooklyn): Guards, guards and more guards. In what promises to be a fun, fast-paced game, VCU will hope its swarming, full-court press spearheaded by quick-handed Briante Weber will disrupt a perimeter-oriented Villanova team led by steady point guard Ryan Arcidiacono and high-scoring Darrun Hilliard. The winner will face the winner of the other semifinal between Michigan and Oregon.
19. Harvard at Virginia, Dec. 21: Though Harvard's non-conference schedule features other tests against the likes of Boston College, Arizona State and UMass, this is clearly the Crimson's best regular season chance to make a name for themselves and prove they're worthy of a potential high seed in March. Harvard returns standouts Siyani Chambers, Wesley Saunders and Kenyatta Smith, all of whom were part of teams that have won the Ivy League title and NCAA tournament games both of the past two years.
20. Oklahoma vs. UCLA, Nov. 26 (Battle 4 Atlantis): This opening-round game of the loaded Battle 4 Atlantis tournament is a huge show-me game for both the Sooners and Bruins. A win all but guarantees a crack at North Carolina in the semifinals and potentially a chance to face Wisconsin or Florida on day three. A loss likely means facing Butler in the consolation bracket, squandering some of the strength of schedule boost this event should provide.
21. Louisville vs. Minnesota, Nov. 14 (Puerto Rico): Father challenges son when Rick Pitino's Louisville Cardinals square off against Richard Pitino's Minnesota Golden Gophers in the season opener for both teams. Quipped the elder Pitino to the Louisville Courier-Journal recently, "He wanted to play us because he thought he could beat us. That was before [All-ACC forward Montrezl] Harrell came back."
22. Syracuse at Villanova, Dec. 20: This is the second matchup in a three-game series between the former Big East rivals. Syracuse won at the Carrier Dome 78-61 last year, but the Orange won't resemble that team this year. C.J. Fair, Jerami Grant and Tyler Ennis — three of Syracuse's four leading scorers last season — all left for the NBA, forcing the Orange to rely heavily on veteran Trevor Cooney and freshmen Kaleb Joseph and Chris McCullough this year.
23. Wichita State at Utah, Dec. 3: This may be the toughest test Wichita State faces as it seeks to duplicate last year's remarkable unbeaten regular season. Every key player besides Princeton Onwas is back for Utah from a team that was NCAA tournament-caliber by the end of the season but just didn't play a strong enough non-league schedule to make it. The battle of point guards between All-American candidates Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet will be especially fun.
24. Utah at San Diego State, Nov. 18: One of the under-the-radar tip-off marathon games pits a San Diego State program that has established itself as one of the best teams in the West against a Utah program seeking to reclaim that status this year. This could be the best Utes team since the Rick Majerus era, but they'll be an underdog on the road against the Aztecs. San Diego State returns all but two rotation players from last season's 31-win Sweet 16 team and adds maybe the best recruiting class in school history, but this will be the first true test of how the Aztecs replace Xavier Thames' scoring and leadership.
25. Arizona at UNLV, Dec. 21: With all five starters having departed from last year's chaotic, underachieving season, UNLV will build anew around three decorated freshmen and a fifth-year senior point guard who transferred from San Francisco. Too many newcomers and not enough continuity is typically a recipe for early-season struggles, but the Rebels may begin to put it together by the time Arizona visits in late December.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
