5 Storylines 5 Days Out From College Basketball

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Football season is very much still in full swing. The weather is starting to change and we are getting some perfect fall days over the last few weeks. However, basketball is right around the corner. In fact, the college basketball season officially tips off in just five days. Monday, November 6th will be here before we know it. Several Top 25 programs begin their seasons on that opening Monday including each of the preseason Top 5. It will be a massive slate of games to tip off the season before Baylor vs. Auburn really gets things going on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

In honor of hitting the five-day-out mark, we will be taking a look at five more of the biggest storylines entering the 2023-2024 season. Every five days we will release five more headlines and ultimately reach a total of 25 when the season begins on the 6th of November. You can find each previous article below:

As Jon Rothstein would say: And Here. We. Go.

Secret Scrimmage Season

Before the official start of the college basketball season, we have secret scrimmage season. Teams from around the country get together and play behind closed doors. However, the results of these matchups always seem to leak out. Here are a few of the most intriguing results that came public from this season’s secret scrimmages.

Florida 91, Miami (FL) 89. There are two converging takeaways from this secret scrimmage that took place on October 21st. First, the Gators are a trendy team on the rise heading into 2023-2024. Riley Kugel picked up where he left off last season scoring 20 points in the win. Meanwhile, fading Miami after their surprising Final Four run will be popular early in the season. This result reaffirmed both of those camps.
North Carolina 79, Florida Atlantic 63. Similar to the game above, this will reaffirm the “fade FAU” crowd while also working for the “UNC is back” crowd. Jalen Washington, who was injured last season, and Elliot Cadeau received rave reviews.
Michigan 115, Marquette 111. Playing four 12-minute quarters helped lead to the high score, but there still wasn’t much defense being played in this one regardless. Concerning result for the Golden Eagles against a team expected to finish toward the bottom of the Big 10.
Indiana State 70, Cincinnati 68. The Missouri Valley is always one of the more interesting mid-major conferences. Bradley and Drake will likely live at the top, but the Indiana State Sycamores should be a popular dark horse. South Florida transfer Ryan Conwell scored 19 points in this win and will be an impact addition.
Colorado State 87, Minnesota 49. Things are not going well in Gopher country. They have a re-tooled backcourt but got absolutely blitzed by Minnesota alum Coach Niko Medved’s team. Isaiah Stevens is going to help get Colorado State back toward the top of the Mountain West this season.

Opening Day Games to Watch

There are 184 Division I college basketball games (give or take a counting error) taking place on opening night. However, November 6th won’t exactly feature a super exciting slate of matchups. This is all about quantity over quality and welcoming in the excitement of another season. IUPUI, a team that has finished 358th and 360th in KenPom the previous two seasons, will unceremoniously tip off the season at 11:00 a.m. EST against Division III Spalding. That obviously won’t catch too many eyeballs. Though a lot of teams will use the first week or two of the regular season to continue ramping up to higher-level competition, there are still a few games worth watching on opening night. Let’s take a closer look at them.

Georgia @ Oregon (4:30 p.m. EST, truTV) – This will be the first matchup of the day that actually features two Division I teams. Furthermore, it actually features two high-major programs. As long as you remember from March what channel truTV is you’ll want to make sure you get home early from work to watch this one.
Northern Arizona @ #6 UConn (6:30 p.m. EST) – The first look at the defending national champion Huskies. Meanwhile, Northern Arizona nearly made a shocking run to the NCAA Tournament after winning three games in the Big Sky Tournament before coming up just short against Montana State.
Morehead State @ #24 Alabama (8:00 p.m. EST, ESPN+) – If you are looking for the most intriguing game of the day this one may take the cake. The Morehead State Eagles enter the season as the favorites to win the Ohio Valley Conference while the Crimson Tide are a Top 25 team. This could potentially be one of only a couple of matchups featuring two NCAA Tournament teams.
Bradley @ UAB (8:00 p.m. EST, ESPN+) – This is one of the very few matchups on November 6th that pit two Top 100 KenPom teams against each other. In a bracket-buster game of sorts, two of the best mid-major programs in the country will help tip off the college basketball season.
#21 USC @ Kansas State (10:00 p.m. EST, TNT) – Our primary national television game of opening night just took a hit as Kansas State suspended forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin following his arrest on Sunday. Still, this will be our first look at freshman Isaiah Collier and the talented Trojans backcourt.

Putting the “L” in Louisville

Things are not going well up the road in Louisville. Coach Kenny Payne turned in one of the worst high-major seasons in recent memory going 4-28 in year one as the Cardinals head coach. Their dreadful year included an exhibition loss to Lenoir-Rhyne as well as home losses to Bellarmine, Wright State, and Appalachian State to begin the season. Now, the Cards enter 2023-2024 having just lost an exhibition contest to Kentucky Wesleyan on Monday night. The non-conference schedule is a little easier this season, and Louisville is at least a little more talented, but there is zero light at the end of the tunnel right now.

Will it be two years and done for Coach Payne at his alma mater? In the transfer portal era, being this bad for a second season in a row at a place like Louisville is hard to accept. There is a world where the Cardinals win seven or eight non-conference games. Would that be enough to create some momentum heading into ACC play and save his job? What if they were to lose to the likes of Chattanooga, New Mexico State, and Bellarmine? Surely a change wouldn’t be made midseason, but things would certainly hit a fever pitch around the Yum! Center.

Waiver (down to the) Wire

In fairness, the NCAA warned everyone that you would need a really good reason to be granted a waiver for a second-time transfer. Not everyone believed that they would follow through. However, so far at least, they’ve mostly stood their ground and have denied several waiver requests. Aziz Bandaogo and Jamille Reynolds both were denied at Cincinnati. RaeQuan Battle was denied by the NCAA at West Virginia. Jaylon Tyson has been denied a waiver to suit up at California. There are many more just like them and even a longer list of those still waiting for a ruling. Yes, many players and programs alike still don’t have a decision just five days away from the start of the college basketball season. This will be one of the primary stories to follow over the next couple of weeks.

In Search of a Long Shot

There are plenty of traditional powers at the top of the preseason AP Top 25 poll that everyone will know. Kansas enters the season at number one in the country. Duke, Purdue, and Michigan State are all no stranger to high expectations. UConn, ranked sixth, are the defending champions after cutting down the nets for the fourth time in 16 years. However, for those looking for more of a long shot to follow this season, we’ve turned to our friends at FanDuel to find some value on the board. Here are five “long shot” bets heading into the 2023-2024 college basketball season that could earn you some money.

UConn to win the NCAA Championship +2200: Despite winning it all last season and returning some key pieces, an excellent freshman class, and a high-impact transfer, the Huskies have just the 10th best odds to win the title. We haven’t seen anyone repeat since 2006-2007 Florida, but this team has the talent to do it. There is value in these odds.
TCU to make the Final Four +1000: Coach Jamie Dixon has gotten the basketball program rolling pretty well at TCU. The Horned Frogs made the second round last season and have high expectations entering 2023-2024. Jameer Nelson Jr. and Avery Anderson III are up to the task of replacing lost firepower in the backcourt. Emanuel Miller returns as a potential All-Big 12 performer in the front court. This a potential five or six-seed type of team that could make a run in March.
Wisconsin to win the Big Ten +1500: Will the Badgers win the Big Ten? Probably not. However, at +1500, they are worth taking a flyer. Purdue or Michigan State are likely to win this league, but injuries happen. Wisconsin is old, talented, and well-coached. They will be in the mix and within striking distance if something crazy happens.
Tyler Kolek to win the Wooden Award +2500: The best guard in the country has only the sixth-best odds at +2500 to win National Player of the Year? Jump on that. Marquette plays an up-tempo style that lends itself to putting up statistics. Kolek may well lead the NCAA in assists and could capture some in-season headlines with a triple-double or a 20-points, 15-assists type of night. Also, the Golden Eagles could be one of the best teams in the country. If Marquette comes out on top, and Kolek posts the numbers he is expected to post, it’ll be hard to not give him the award.
New Mexico to make the Final Four +2500: Okay, let’s go further off the board. Who is the true Cinderella-type team that could make a March Madness run to the Final Four? Take a look at the Lobos. They just might have the best mid-major backcourt in the country with Jaelen House, Jamal Mashburn Jr., and Jemarl Baker. Meanwhile, Nelly Junior Jospeh with anchor the front court. That’s a core that can make a run.