8. Utah State vs. LSU Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic November 22nd

After a regular-season first-place finish in the SEC and a suspension from the conference after some involvement in the ongoing FBI investigation in college basketball, Will Wade and his staff begin a new season with newly hyped recruits and a trio of returning impact players. The Tigers of Baton Rouge may not be as well-positioned as last years bunch, but this will be a formidable neutral site test for the Aggies in Montego Bay.  

9. Nevada vs. Saint Mary’s Basketball Hall of Fame 2019 Air Force Reserve San Francisco Calif December 21st

Nevada has put together an impressive non-conference schedule under new head coach Steve Alford. Alford hopes to build on the momentum Musselman brought to the program and a game with perpetual bubble team and West Coast Conference powerhouse St. Mary’s just added to the Wolf Pack’s strength of schedule. The Gaels return their top three scorers, led by the 20 PPG+ senior guard Jordan Ford. 

10. Colorado @ Colorado State December 13th

Rounding out the top ten is a visit from in-state rival Colorado in mid-December. A close loss last year to the Buffalos is still on this program’s mind and a consistently good Tad Boyle brings back his top seven scorers from last year’s fourth-place finish team in the Pac-12. 

11. Colorado State vs. NMSU Cayman Island Classic November 25th 

The Rams are 0-2 in the Chris Jan’s era against the Aggies, and New Mexico St. brings back a majority of their scoring threats from last years NCAA Tournament team that nearly upset Final Four participants Auburn. 

12. UNLV @ UCLA November 15th

One of two true road tests in non-conference play for the Otzelberger led Rebels, the Bruins are led by a new face as well in head coach Mick Cronin. There is not outright star power on this Bruins team as in years past but with a solid returning group including So. G Jules Bernard, Sr. G Prince Ali, So. F Chris Smith, and Fr. F Shareef O’Neal returning from a medical redshirt year after heart surgery. The Rebels led by Jr. G Amauri Hardy have a solid foundation for their new head coach to build on with a win in Brentwood. 

13. Nevada @ Davidson November 19th

Nevada’s first true road game early on in mid-November. The Davidson program led by head coach Bob McKillop for the last thirty years brings back their top six scorers including one of the best backcourts in the entire nation with senior Jon Axel Gudmundsson and junior Kellan Grady. Keep this matchup on your watchlist. 

14. UNLV @ Cincinnati November 30th 

The second true road test for the Rebels early on takes place on the other side of the country in Cincinnati. The Bearcats led by first-year head coach John Brannen have a solid returning group including Sr. G Jarron Cumberland. The Bearcats have a coach from the region that knows the program. This could be a solid win for the Rebels or an understandable road loss with veteran leadership returning for Cincinnati. 

15. San Jose State @ Arizona November 14th

After going through another exodus of top players, the Spartans and third-year head coach Jean Prioleau take on a rebuilding Arizona Wildcats squad that brings in top ten recruits Nico Mannion and Josh Green. Sean Miller and his squad look to get back to the top of the PAC-12 with five-star recruits and transfers. This should be a pretty clear-cut game but a chance for Mountain West fans to see the new Wildcats early on. 

Just missed the cut:

San Diego State vs. Creighton (Nov. 28th), Nevada vs. USC (Nov. 16th), New Mexico vs. Auburn(Nov. 25)