The Post takes a look at the best college basketball games to watch and other interesting tidbits for the upcoming season:
Games to watch
Champions Classic: Michigan State vs. Kentucky, Kansas vs. Duke (Nov. 6)
Every year, this doubleheader brings together teams capable of facing each other again in the Final Four. This year, the matchups — at Madison Square Garden — feature the four-highest ranked teams in the country for the first time. First, Michigan State’s Cassius Winston will match up with Kentucky’s Ashton Hagans. Then, Kansas senior center Udoka Azubuike will battle Duke’s one-and-done big man Vernon Carey.
Phil Knight Invitational: Memphis vs. Oregon (Nov. 12)
Let’s see what all the hype is about. Penny Hardaway enters his second season with the top-ranked recruiting class in the country, led by center James Wiseman, the likely top-overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The No. 15 Ducks are currently the only ranked team on the Tigers’ schedule, and a great early test of how much the young group has to grow.
Duke at Michigan State (Dec. 3)
Tom Izzo held a 1-11 lifetime record against Mike Krzyzewski, before the Spartans stunned Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett with a one-point win in last season’s Elite Eight. This meeting in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge will be the teams’ first to take place in East Lansing since 2003. Enjoy the battle between Winston and Duke’s Tre Jones.
North Carolina at Gonzaga (Dec. 18)
The top-10 teams face off for the third time in four years, in one of the biggest home games in Gonzaga history. North Carolina won the 2017 national championship matchup, and last season’s meeting in Chapel Hill. Cole Anthony — perhaps the country’s best freshman — could make it three straight.
Louisville at Kentucky (Dec. 28)
Even during Rick Pitino’s time in Louisville, the Wildcats owned one of the sport’s most intense rivalries. Kentucky has won six of the past seven meetings — and the past five battles in Lexington — but the Final Four contenders appear on equal footing this year, with the Cardinals holding the biggest star in forward Jordan Nwora.
Coaches in new places
Juwan Howard, Michigan
Replacing the winningest coach in school history (John Beilein) isn’t easy, but the Wolverines made their alumni base happy by bringing back one of the most popular players in program history. Howard, 46, has never been a head coach at any level, but the former Fab Five big man spent the past six years as an assistant with the Miami Heat, and wisely added longtime St. Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli to his staff.
Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska
The Cornhuskers aren’t accustomed to success — making one NCAA Tournament appearance in the past two decades — but Hoiberg could create a new trend, following three seasons and change as head coach of the Chicago Bulls. Hoiberg, 47, replaces longtime Nebraska coach Tim Miles, and returns to college for the first time since leading Iowa State to four straight NCAA Tournaments from 2011-15.
Buzz Williams, Texas A&M
Virginia Tech made one NCAA Tournament in 18 years. Then, Williams arrived in Blacksburg and left with a school-record three straight trips. The 47-year-old Williams should do even better in his native Texas, and in a weaker league, taking over for Billy Kennedy. Williams holds a 239-138 record at his past two jobs (Marquette, Virginia Tech), with eight NCAA Tournament appearances in 11 years.
Mick Cronin, UCLA
The Bruins had a hard time filling what was once one of the most coveted jobs in the country, but stumbled into a coach who built one of the most consistent programs in the country at Cincinnati. Cronin, 48, made the NCAA Tournament in the final nine of his 13 seasons with the Bearcats — winning at least 28 games in each of the past three seasons — and brings drastic change to Westwood with his hard-nosed defensive philosophy. However, Steve Alford made three Sweet 16s and was fired during his sixth season. Cronin has only reached the Sweet 16 once (2012).
Jerry Stackhouse, Vanderbilt
The former NBA All-Star hasn’t been at the college level since playing under Dean Smith at North Carolina, but Stackhouse has spent the past four years on the sidelines — two as an NBA assistant and two as head coach of the Raptors’ G-League team, which he led to a title. The 44-year-old is tasked with rebuilding a program coming off a season in which it became the first in SEC history to finish without a conference win.
Transfers to watch
Sr. F Kerry Blackshear Jr., Florida (Virginia Tech)
The premier transfer on the market this offseason, Florida struck gold with the well-rounded 6-foot-10 big man. Don’t forget, he nearly sent Duke home in the Sweet 16 last March, with an 18-point, 16-rebound, five-assist, two-block masterpiece.
So. G Quentin Grimes, Houston (Kansas)
A former five-star prospect granted a waiver to play immediately, Grimes struggled with consistency at Kansas. But at Houston, he will face less pressure and be given more freedom. Expect big numbers.
Sr. G Justin Pierce, North Carolina (William & Mary)
The Tar Heels lost a ton of firepower and Pierce can help fill that void. A potent 3-point shooter and willing ball-mover, he averaged 14.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists a year ago and will be able to play his natural wing position in Chapel Hill.
Sr. F Nate Sestina, Kentucky (Bucknell)
Reid Travis worked out well last winter, so John Calipari went back to the graduate-transfer well, landing the versatile 6-foot-9 Sestina, who brings an added dimension of perimeter shooting.
Jr. F Omer Yurtseven, Georgetown (N.C. State)
The 7-footer from Turkey gives the Hoyas a legit rim protector and a back-to-the-basket scoring replacement for Jessie Govan. Yurtseven averaged 13.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks for N.C. State in 2017-18.