The early-season slate has not disapointed! Top programs are stacking résumé-building wins, while others are already starting to fall behind. We’re now entering the most crucial stretch of the non-conference season — the period that often shapes March far more than people realize.

As a reminder, Sansom Sports Media has expanded to Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, while continuing to deliver Bracketology insight, NKU Norse coverage, and now expanded Xavier and Cincinnati game breakdowns. I’ll also be highlighting notable matchups from around the country to give fans a deeper look into the national landscape.

This weekly series is designed to be your daily viewing guide, spotlighting the biggest matchups of each day and breaking down the implications for the season and NCAA Tournament picture.

Small clerical note – this week will be split into a couple of articles as we move into Feast Week towards the end of this week!

📊 METHODOLOGY

Since we don’t yet have analytical data to produce official NET or quadrant rankings, I’ll be using KenPom.com’s rankings — the sport’s leading analytical source — to determine projected quadrant values.

Each game is assigned a Power Rating (1–5):

5️⃣ Must-Watch
National-impact game; typically Q1 vs. Q1.

4️⃣ High-Level Matchup
Strong game with postseason or résumé relevance.

3️⃣ Notable/Competitive
Quality mid-major matchup or underrated high-major game.

2️⃣ Worth Monitoring
Intrigue, rivalry angle, or stylistic fun; lower impact.

1️⃣ Minimal Impact
Not a major bracket game, but includes a notable storyline.

🗓 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH, 2025

2️⃣ Tulsa @ Kansas State — ESPN+, 8:00 ET
Kansas State has looked better than I expected to start the year, despite some lulls in play at times. While this one shouldn’t be close, Tulsa isn’t a pushover by any means.

• PPG: TLSA – Green (17), KSU – Haggerty (24)
• REB: TLSA – Smikle (6), KSU – Johnson (6)
• AST: TLSA – Riley (3), KSU – Haggerty (7)

3️⃣ Oregon State @ Oregon — FS1, 10:00
Rivalry Matchups will forever make the list here! The battle for Oregon will be fun, Oregon has not looked great to start the year, can they get back on track?

• PPG: ORST – Lake (14), ORE – Bittle (17)
• REB: ORST – Lake (6), ORE – Bittle (11)
• AST: ORST – White (3), ORE – Bittle (2)

3️⃣ Oakland @ UCF — ESPN+, 7:00
Oakland is tough, and while UCF is 3-1, they are a bit up and down.

• PPG: OAK – Garrett (15), UCF – Kugel (18)
• REB: OAK – Wells (7), UCF – Stillwell (6)
• AST: OAK – Robinson (4), UCF – Fulks (7)

3️⃣ Drake @ Charleston — Flo Sports, 7PM ET
This is a really intriguing mid-major matchup! Likely no tournament implications, but should be fun!

• PPG: Drake – Quinn (14), Charleston – Kalu (14)
• REB: Drake – Federiko (8), Charleston – Reeves (6)
• AST: Drake – Quinn (3), Charleston – Counter (5)

🗓 Tuesday, November 18th, 2025

5️⃣ Michigan State vs. Kentucky — ESPN, 6:30
The Champions Classic is here!! Both teams here haven’t necessarily impressed a ton this year, and this will be the first key matchup for the Spartans. Kentucky will now have to indefinitely play without Lowe.

• PPG: MSU – Kohler (14), UK – Aberdeen (15)
• REB: MSU – Kohler (13), UK – Moreno (8)
• AST: MSU – Fears (9), UK – Johnson (3)

5️⃣ Kansas vs. Duke — ESPN, 9:00
This was the marquee matchup for the Champions Classic before Peterson got hurt. Now, without the star freshman, things will get trickier. Duke will be the clear favorite here.

• PPG: KU – Bidunga (17), Duke – Cam Boozer (23)
• REB: KU – Bidunga (8), Duke – Boozer (10)
• AST: KU – Council Jr. (6), Duke – Boozer (4)

3️⃣ Wichita St @ Boise St — MWN, 9:00
This is a key mid-major matchup. Despite the horrid loss for Boise to start the year, they have been solid since. Wichita on the other hand, appears to be a key contender for the AAC title!

• PPG: WICH – Giles (20), Boise – Meadow (16)
• REB: WICH – Berg (8), Boise – Kenne II (6)
• AST: WICH – Kindell (5), Boise – Andrews (5)

2️⃣ East Carolina @ UNC Wilmington — FloSports, 7:00
Again, I try to include any and all potential rivalry matchups here! I expect UNCW to win this one, but anything can happen!

• PPG: ECU – Emejuru (20), UNCW – Hodge (19)
• REB: ECU – Emejuru (11), UNCW – Wessler (9)
• AST: ECU – Mneng (5), UNCW – Williams (3)

3️⃣  Vermont @ Buffalo — ESPN+, 6:30
This is a really fun matchup in New England!

• PPG: UVM – Long (22), BUF – Freitag (18)
• REB: UVM – Mari (6), BUF – Batchelor (8)
• AST: UVM – Mari (5), BUF – Freitag (3)

🗓 Wednesday November 17, 2025

5️⃣ Alabama vs Illinois — FS1, 9:00
Neutral site in Chicago, this is a clear Q1 for both teams! One of the best matchups for the non-conference slate!

• PPG: ALA – Philon (19), ILL – Boswell (19)
• REB: ALA – Allen (7), ILL – Mirkovic (13)
• AST: ALA – Philon (6), ILL – Boswell (4)

5️⃣  Arizona @ UConn — FS1, 7:00
First: Tommy Lloyd’s scheduling philosophy of playing anyone anywhere is awesome. This game is going to be extremely fun, and is the clear best game of the week!

• PPG: ARIZ – Peat (16), UConn – Reed (20)
• REB: ARIZ – Awaka (11), UConn – Reed (9)
• AST: ARIZ – Bradley (4), UConn – Demary (6)

3️⃣ USF @ OKST — ESPN+, 8:00
USF travels to Stillwater in what should be a fun one! Both teams are solid, and this result is massive for the year.

• PPG: USF – Omojafo (20), OKST – Miller (20)
• REB: USF – Nelson (10), OKST – Fallah (7)
• AST: USF – Omojafo (4), OKST – Clary (4)

 4️⃣ Dayton @ Marquette — truTV, 7:30
Both teams have been pretty disappointing to start the year. This game has massive importance and will help form the narratives for both teams!

• PPG: DAY – Bennett (18), MARQ – Ross (21)
• REB: DAY – L’Etang (8), MARQ – Gold (8)
• AST: DAY – Derkack (4), MARQ – Ross (4)

3️⃣ Youngstown St @ Toledo — ESPN+, 7:00
In a battle for Northern Ohio, this one is going to be fun. The Penguins have impressed this year, and Toledo is a consistent power out of the MAC.

• PPG: YSU – Carroll (14), TOL – Wilson (17)
• REB: YSU – Rolf (5), TOL – Craig (8)
• AST: YSU – King (5), TOL – Blyden (5)

3️⃣ Bethune-Cookman @ Ohio — ESPN+, 7:00
This is yet another really fun mid-major matchup! Bethune has looked solid this year at times, as has Ohio. both teams are looking for their 2nd win of the year!

• PPG: BCU – Morris (16), OHIO – Paveletzke (21)
• REB: BCU – Morris (6), OHIO – Hadaway (6)
• AST: BCU – Morris (4), OHIO – Paveletzke (4)

💡 FINAL THOUGHTS

Every day there are matchups that I have left off of this list that belong on this list. However, I’m really trying to give you all something that shows the most impactful games of each day. However, we will always have massive upsets like we saw in the first couple of weeks!

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