Radford at Georgetown 12:00 PM ET
Senior guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera leads the way for a talented and primarily young Georgetown team when it hosts Radford on Saturday afternoon to open the 2015-16 season. Smith-Rivera, who has amassed 1,386 points in his career and averaged more than 16 in each of the last two seasons, returns after considering a jump to the NBA.
VMI at Penn St. 1:00 PM ET
Coming off the first winning season in his four-year tenure, Penn State coach Patrick Chambers is hoping to build upon that success by adding a dynamic freshman class to a veteran crew. However, if the Nittany Lions are going to be competitive in the rough-and-tumble Big Ten, they’ll have to begin the process of finding a replacement for star guard D.J. Newbill when they host Virginia Military Institute in the season opener Saturday.
St. Francis (NY) at Boston College 2:00 PM ET
A young and revamped Boston College roster will be put to an early test when it hosts St. Francis (N.Y.) in the season opener for both teams on Saturday. The Eagles will dress eight freshmen after losing nine of their top 11 scorers from last season, while the Terriers lost their top two scorers in Jalen Cannon and Brent Jones.
Central Arkansas at Tulsa 5:00 PM ET
Tulsa senior guards James Woodard and Shaquille Harrison will start their final season together when the Golden Hurricane hosts Central Arkansas on Saturday. Woodard and Harrison, who have played in nearly every game since the arrived on campus, combined for 27.6 points last year to lead Tulsa to the NIT.
Harvard at Providence 7:00 PM ET
Providence lost three of its top four scorers from last season but managed to keep Kris Dunn from bolting for the NBA draft. Dunn, who was tabbed as a possible lottery pick in last June’s draft, and the Friars will begin the 2015-16 campaign by hosting Harvard on Saturday.
Alabama St. at Virginia Tech 7:00 PM ET
Virginia Tech kicks off Year 2 of the Buzz Williams era when it hosts Alabama State as part of the Emerald Coast Classic on Saturday night. The Hokies, picked to finish 14th out of 15 teams in the ACC preseason media poll, will be attempting to end a four-year streak of finishing in the league's basement.
Norfolk State at South Carolina 7:00 PM ET
The fourth season under coach Frank Martin brings hope for a big step forward at South Carolina, where the Gamecocks are poised to open the season Saturday by hosting Norfolk State. The Gamecocks return five of their top six scorers from a year ago and have high expectations for a highly-touted freshman class.
Northwest Christian at Oregon St. 7:30 PM ET
Expectations are high as Oregon State opens its season by hosting Northwest Christian on Saturday and if the Beavers realize their potential, they could find themselves in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1990. Oregon State returns all five starters for the first time in 11 seasons and has a talented group of freshmen in what some are touting as the best recruiting class in school history at his disposal, but not so fast says second-year coach Wayne Tinkle.
The Citadel at Butler 7:30 PM ET
While many teams in the Top 25 are scrambling to replace their best players from 2014-15, Butler enters this season as a veteran squad with plenty of returning talent. The 22nd-ranked Bulldogs have their top three scorers back in the fold as they kick off a promising campaign Saturday at home against The Citadel.
Central Florida at Davidson 7:30 PM ET
It will be a battle of talented backcourts when Davidson hosts UCF in the opener for both teams Saturday night. Jack Gibbs scored a career-high 37 points as the Wildcats won 95-69 at UCF last season and forms a top-notch guard duo with Brian Sullivan, while Knights sophomores B.J. Taylor and Adonys Henriquez averaged a combined 23.6 points in 2014-15.
Mississippi Valley State at Nebraska 8:00 PM ET
A
season that started out with high hopes and higher expectations for coach Tim Miles
quickly turned into an underachieving nightmare for Nebraska. This year, the
Cornhuskers will be counting on a youth movement to return the program to
respectability, and that journey begins Saturday at home against Mississippi
Valley State.
Bryant at Duke 8:00 PM ET
Duke generated a lot of buzz this offseason for its recent recruiting efforts, but its 2015-16 opener will likely be remembered for the performance of two holdovers from last season’s national championship squad. Grayson Allen and Amile Jefferson look to build upon impressive season debuts on Saturday when the fourth-ranked Blue Devils continue play in the 2K Classic against visiting Bryant.
Sam Houston St. at Southern Methodist 8:00 PM ET
SMU hopes its season - which starts Saturday with a visit from Sam Houston - will go better than its offseason. The Mustangs were sanctioned by the NCAA for multiple violations and will miss the American Athletic Conference and NCAA Tournaments while coach Larry Brown - cited for lack of institutional control - was suspended for the first nine games.
New Jersey Tech at Kentucky 8:00 PM ET
In what is expected to be another star-studded freshman class for Kentucky, Jamal Murray has staked an early claim to be the best of the bunch. The first-year point guard showed off his skills in Friday's season opener and will look for another strong showing for the top-ranked Wildcats on Saturday against visiting New Jersey Tech.
Southern Miss at Memphis 8:00 PM ET
After missing out on postseason play for the first time in 15 years, Memphis is eager to turn the page starting with Saturday’s season opener against Southern Miss. The new-look Tigers had seven players transfer from last year’s squad but have reason for optimism thanks to senior forward Shaq Goodwin and an impressive cast of newcomers.
Western Michigan at DePaul 9:00 PM ET
DePaul’s new coach is actually a familiar face as
Dave Leitao is back guiding the Blue Demons after a decade away. The reunion season tips off Saturday as DePaul hosts Mid-American Conference power Western
Michigan.
Texas Southern at Creighton 9:30 PM ET
The 2014-15 campaign proved to be a sobering one for Creighton, which stumbled to its first losing season in nearly 20 years. The Bluejays figure to get tested right away, however, as they open this season at home Saturday against preseason Southwestern Athletic Conference favorite Texas Southern in an opening-round game of the Men Who Speak Up Main Event.
