After last week being a holiday week, and the break that ensues with that, I have been desperate for a night of entertaining games across the country. Monday night delivered in a big way! For more clarity, I do try to keep the reviews of games to tournament or top of conference type of games, but will always try to ensure we give some love to any fun stories through all levels of D1 every night!

While I don’t care about the AP Poll, I know many follow it ver closely. AP top 25 teams went 13-0 on Monday night with all of those games being buy games. The closest result was Houston’s 9 point win over Middle Tennessee. No other games were within 15 points, however, both Michigan State and Georgia struggled with their opponents at times. For most of those teams, conference play is what is up next!

In the biggest game of the night, Washington beat Utah!

Quinnipiac picks up a crucial win over Marist to get to 3-0 in MAAC play! Saint Peters joins them at the top of the conference beating Fairfield by 4.

William & Mary get their first CAA win of the year, beating Towson by 14. UNC Wilmington, Charleston, Hampton, Elon, and Hofstra all also pick up their first CAA wins of the year.

Muarry State improves to 3-0 in MVC play, while Belmont falls to Indiana State! Bradley also improves to 3-0, beating Evansville, while UNI stays undefeated, moving to 2-0!

Cincinnati shakes up rotations and picks up a 17 point win over Lipscomb in Cincinnati.

Stephen F Austin moves to 3-0 in the Southland, dominating East TX A&M.

Horizon League Updates: NKU beats RMU in a tight one, Milwaukee, Detroit Mercy, and Cleveland State all pick up good wins. Wright State with the performance of the night in the conference, beating Oakland by 15!

Utah Valley beats California Baptist at home in a really entertaining matchup in Orem, and a battle between the two favorites in the WAC.

METHODOLOGY

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
High quality mid-major matchup and/or decent high-major game

2️⃣ Worth Monitoring
Intrigue, rivalry angle, or stylistic fun; Typically the solid mid-major matchups will go here.

1️⃣ Minimal Impact
Not a major bracket game, but includes a fun storyline or a mid/low major game of interest

Tuesday’s Preview:

Buy Games: Northwestern, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Nebraska.

2️⃣ Vermont @ Princeton | 1:00, ESPN+

This will be an entertaining game, despite Princeton being just 3-11. Vermont is favored by 1.5.

3️⃣ Florida State @ North Carolina | 7:00, ESPN2

Both teams open conference play in Chapel Hill, and I expect UNC to cover the 13.5 point spread.

2️⃣ Duquesne @ Davidson | 7:00, ESPN+

This should be a really fun A-10 battle, and one that is telling for the middle of the conference!

3️⃣ Seton Hall @ Marquette | 7:00, FS1

Marred in controversy, Marquette has to play basketball, and the Pirates are playing very well this year. Can Marquette right the ship?

3️⃣ Pitt @ Miami | 7:00, ACCN

Pitt is, honestly not very good. This is the opportunity for Miami to really announce they’re here to the country.

3️⃣ Miami (OH) @ Bowling Green | 7:00, ESPN+

Bowling Green is favored here by 5.5, but that feels like a lot of points. Miami is without their starting PG, how will they be able to adapt? This is a crucial matchup in the MAC Regular season!

1️⃣ Tennessee State @ Tennessee Tech | 8:30, ESPN+

No tournament implications here, but this is a really fun regional rivalry that should be close!

4️⃣  Louisville @ Cal | 9:00, ACCN

Is Cal Legit? Wil Mikel Brown Play? This matchup in Berkley has a lot of question marks, and will have a lot of eyes on it. I expect Louisville to win, but this might be close!

3️⃣ Nevada @ Colorado State | 9:00, MWN

MWC games rarely disappoint, and this one is no different! CSU is slightly favored here, but this is a very important matchup in that second tier of the MWC.

5️⃣ Butler @ Creighton | 9:00, FS1

Has Creighton actually turned a corner? Is Butler an actual tournament team? This matchup in Omaha will be telling for both teams! Biggest game of the day!

3️⃣ Pacific @ Loyola Marymount | 10:00, ESPN+

This matchup, while a bit under the radar features two teams who are looking for their first WCC win of the year. This matchup will help clarify the middle of the conference some!

5️⃣ New Mexico @ Boise State | FS1

This is a monumental matchup for both teams. Boise is looking to avoid an 0-2 start in MWC play, while UNM looks to climb to 11-2 overall and 2-0 in the MWC. Huge implications for the bubble picture in Boise!