At long last, college basketball is officially back. Northern Illinois was first to the court in the Horizon League as it fell 89-87 in a 3 a.m. thriller, kicking off a week with a number of high-quality mid-major matchups, and of course, early-season opportunities against high-major programs.
There's Horizon League action every day this week. Here's some of the matchups to keep an eye on and the long list of potential upsets.
UT Martin at IU Indy, Saturday, Nov. 7, 5 p.m. ET, on ESPN+
Florida Atlantic at Wright State, Friday, Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m. ET, on ESPN+
This tip-off time isn't as extreme as Northern Illinois, but Robert Morris will be travelling across three time zones to take on Nevada. Entering Steve Alford's farewell season, the Lobos came in at third in the Mountain West preseason poll and received votes in the AP Poll. For the championship-hopeful Colonials, they'll have an opportunity to make a statement as a double-digit underdog on the season's opening night. In this game, the matchup between Jalik Dunkley and Elijah Price will be one to watch. Dunkley feels like a perfect fit for Andrew Toole and Price is a player of the year candidate in the Mountain West.
If you're looking for an individual battle between two really good mid-major guards, this one is worth tuning into. For Purdue Fort Wayne, DeAndre Craig Jr. is coming off a season where he averaged 14.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals. Following the departures of Corey Hadnot II and Mikale Stevenson, the preseason first-team all-league honoree is expected to step into the lead-guard role for the Mastodons. His opposition, Tarence Guinyard is fresh off a big season of his own, averaging 16.6 points, 3.3. Rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals. Beyond Craig, Purdue Fort Wayne is a bit of a mystery, but it'll open with a good test against the Dukes.
No team is more excited for a fresh start than Milwaukee. Prior to having its 2025-26 campaign totally derailed by injuries, Bart Lundy's program had won 20 games in three consecutive seasons. The returning frontcourt of Danilo Jovanovich and Chandler Jackson should be one of most formidable in the Horizon League, and has a great opportunity to set the tone for the season. Santa Clara kicks off its season on Monday against Towson, but following Allen Graves' departure for the NBA, it will be looking to fill that production in the frontcourt. Should the veteran duo of Jovanovich and Jackson find success exploiting the Broncos' growing pains up front, the Panthers are worth keeping an eye on late Wednesday night.
Greg Kampe built such an absurd nonconference schedule that this is one of the more manageable opportunities, but a trip to The Thunderdome is by no means easy. Kampe is looking to replace a lot of production from a season ago, including his outstanding point guard, Brody Robinson, and trio of key frontcourt pieces in Isaac Garrett, Michael Houge and Tuburu Naivalurua. He's got another point guard he likes in RJ Taylor, Nassim Mashhour returning from injury and plenty of additions with size to run the zone, but there's a lot of unknown. The Golden Grizzlies will be immediately tested by the Gauchos' trio of guards featuring Aidan Mahaney, Miro Little and CJ Shaw.
For the first time in some time, there's expectations for Green Bay to compete amongst the league's best this season. This game will be the third of the week for the Phoenix, following tilts with a non-Division I opponent and Cincinnati. Caden Wilkins, who started 22 games for Green Bay last season, will suit up for the Tommies in this contest, alongside Austin Herro and Kendall Blue who are expected to be major pieces in St. Thomas' quest for its first NCAA Tournament berth. With the Phoenix meeting a non-Division I opponent and Cincinnati on the road to start the season, this will be the best opportunity to see Doug Gottlieb's team against a comparable opponent.
Oakland at No. 16 Michigan, Monday, Nov. 2, 6 p.m. ET, on BTN
Milwaukee at No. 21 USC, Monday, Nov. 2, 10:30 p.m. ET, on B1G+
Cleveland State at Missouri, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 8 p.m. ET, on SECN+
Green Bay at Cincinnati, Thursday, Nov. 5, 7 p.m. ET, on ESPN+
Youngstown State at Ohio State, Friday, Nov. 6, 6:30 p.m. ET, on B1G+
Northern Kentucky at Texas A&M, Friday, Nov. 6, 8 p.m. ET, on SECN+
Detroit Mercy at Marquette, Friday, Nov. 6, 8 p.m. ET, on ESPN+
Oakland at Stanford, Friday, Nov. 6, 10 p.m. ET, on ACCNX
Without having seen any of these teams play a game yet, the upset that would surprise me the least out of this slate of games is Oakland winning at Stanford. Offensively, the Golden Grizzlies are a mystery after losing much of their production on that end from a season ago. On the flip side, however, Ebuka Okorie was the Stanford offense in 2025-26. In the first week of the season, the Cardinal will be figuring out where offense is going to come from without Okorie, and when you add the challenge of Oakland's funky zone, maybe Kampe's crew can catch Stanford off guard.
