College Basketball may still be months away, but the release of non-conference schedules gives fans an opportunity to begin speculation, make travel plans, and build some hate for their soon-to-be foes. In this week’s NCAA Basketball Podcast, analysts Trevor and Shea highlighted ten non-conference matchups for the 2022-23 season, giving you this week’s Weekly Dime—The Top Ten College Hoops Non-Conference Matchups for 2022-23
1) Seton Hall at Kansas
The Jayhawks will be hosting the Pirates in the Big 12/Big East Battle on December 1st. This game should be an absolute rock fight. Both teams will be stellar on the defensive end of the court and this game should be a grind each and every possession. It will be a huge opportunity for Shaheen Holloway to establish himself right away with his alma mater Seton Hall, and as everyone found out last year- he definitely knows a thing or two about taking out top teams. This is an NCAA Tournament level matchup barely into the month of December.
2) Creighton at Texas
Another Big 12/Big East Battle cracks the list, this time with the Longhorns hosting the Bluejays on December 1st. Creighton and Texas will be two of the top teams in the country next season, both should be Sweet 16 level teams and even beyond. There are a ton of big time individual matchups to keep an eye on in this game- from the PGs Tyrese Hunter and Ryan Nembhard, the playmaking of Timmy Allen and Baylor Scheierman, and of course the Texas bigs’ against Ryan Kalkbrenner. Then add in the extra flavor of the Longhorns’ Christian Bishop who played at Creighton for 3 seasons before transferring to Austin. This game has all the makings to be one of the most entertaining non-conference matchups of the 2022-23 season.
3) Xavier at Cincinnati
Who doesn’t love the Crosstown Shootout?!? This is one of the most storied rivalries in college basketball- the two teams have played each other 89 times dating back to 1928. The two schools are separated by less than 3 miles, which makes the rivalry that much better. The matchups are full of intensity, if you need any evidence just look at the 2011 game that ended in a brawl. Whenever the Musketeers and Bearcats match up, the atmosphere is going to be beyond electric- this year’s game will be at Cincinnati’s Fifth Third Arena on December 10th. Xavier will be an NCAA Tournament level team, Cincinnati has 4 starters returning plus two high level transfers coming in; so this year’s Crosstown Shootout should be very competitive.
4) Dayton vs Wyoming
This matchup should be one that will impact seeding implications come NCAA Tournament time. Both teams should be in the top 5-10 mid-major teams in the nation next season, and one of them will walk out with a big time victory on their resume. The game is being played at a neutral site location- the Chicago Bulls United Center. It will be played on December 17th. Both teams have a case to crack the AP Top 25 to begin the year with all the talent they are returning, so this should be a must watch game.
5) Arkansas at Baylor
These teams will be matching up for the first time since the Elite Eight in 2021 when the Bears knocked off the Razorbacks on their way to a National Championship. They’ll meet in Waco, TX on January 28th as a part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The SEC won last year’s challenge 6-4 thanks to Arkansas beating West Virginia. 2023 should make for another back and forth battle between two of the best conferences in the country and this could be the premier event of the whole challenge as both teams are ranked in the top 10 of the ESPN Way-Too-Early Preseason Rankings. Give me Scott Drew vs Eric Musselman any day of the week.
6) Michigan at Arizona State
This year’s Legends Classic features Michigan and Arizona State—a bar test game for both programs. Michigan got hurt by the NBA draft and lost starters Eli Brooks and DeVante Jones—but Hunter Dickinson is still in line for BIG-10 Player of the Year candidacy and will hopefully carry the Wolverines back atop the conference. However, multiple analysts suggest Michigan won’t be able to overcome their losses, so this matchup with the Sun Devils is a perfect opportunity for them to prove the experts wrong and remind college hoops why Juan Howard and company are still tough enough to claim the BIG-10 title. On the flip side, Arizona State thrived in the transfer portal—adding the Cambrige brothers out of Nevada and Auburn, along with another Wolfpack member Warren Washington. After a pedestrian season in the PAC-12, they ride a 7-3 conference finish into the 2022-23 season and the Wolverines will be one of their first formidable opponents. This game is a great test for both programs as it sets a benchmark for how they will be perceived for the rest of the season.
7) Gonzaga at Michigan State
Gonzaga and Michigan State face off in a reboot of the Carrier Classic. Basketball on an aircraft carrier was quite a surprise when this event was established back in 2011, maybe more surpise than the NCAA bargained for. The day featured multiple matchups to be played in San Diego and South Carolina before it became apparent that weather and court conditions weren’t exactly ideal. The courts were covered in condensation and multiple teams called it quits rather than risk injury. It’ll be interesting to see how the NCAA handles nature in this one—but if the court permits, it’ll be a great game against the preseason #1 and one of the greatest tenured coaches in college hoops.
8) Duke at Kansas
In early November, Jon Scheyer gets his first crack at real coaching when Duke takes on Kansas at Indianapolis’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse as part of the annual Champions Classic. While Kansas may not carry the same title winning roster, the arrival of some elite transfers like Kevin McCullar from Texas Tech reload the Jayhawk roster full of experience. Duke, however, owns the best recruiting class in the country, and it’ll be worth watching how both the young coaches and players deal with the established former champs.
9) North Carolina at Indian
UNC heads to Indiana Nov. 30th to take on the Hoosiers who are potential favorites for the BIG-10. It’ll be one of the first tests for the core-4 of UNC to prove they have the ability to run it back, while Indiana hopes to establish a less streaky track record compared to their run in 2021-22. Indiana boasts a treacherous non-conference schedule that features former NCAA champions Kansas, NIT champions Xavier, former Elite-8 Arkansas, and former elite-8 Arizona. UNC sits right in the middle of this schedule, so it’ll be fun to see just how tough Indiana is in the juggernaut they’ve created. UNC comes into the season with high expectations—sitting either atop or 2nd in any preseason ranking—and a trip to Bloomington to battle Trayce Jackson-Davis and the Hoosiers is a perfect test to establish their returning legitimacy.
10) SMU at Dayton
Dayton will take on SMU in a renewed home-home agreement beginning in UD arena early November. Dayton is the odds-on favorite to take the Atlantic-10 while SMU was runner-up to Houston in the American last season. The Mustangs will need to make some major adjustments after the departure of Kendric Davis, but new coach Rob Lanier brings a ton of experience to SMU after his time as head coach w/ Georgia State and Sienna. Like Indiana, Dayton has brutal non-conference schedule, so SMU may be a little more than a thorn in their side as they search for an Atlantic-10 title.
