City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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(Ed. Note: This article is part of CoBL's 2015-16 College Season Preview, which will run from October 2-November 13, the first day of games. For the complete rundown, click here)

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The first few months of the college basketball season always go a little ignored, with the NFL season wrapping up while the NBA and NHL are underway. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t some great hoops to watch, with many teams in the area challenging themselves over and over in the non-conference portion of their schedules to prepare for a run at their league title and the auto-bid into the NCAA Tournament that comes with it.

Here are the 10 non-conference games we’re really looking forward to this season, in chronological order--beginning with an intense opening night:

Temple vs. North Carolina (Nov. 13, 7 PM)
This game is good for Temple for a lot of reasons: It gives them national exposure, shows where they are immediately and, most importantly, gives the team a chance for a statement win right out of the gate. Chances against the nation’s No. 1 team don’t come around too often, especially when they’re on a boat. An Owls’ win would launch their season off on the right foot, but even a competitive loss would show the team it can play with anyone. And with senior leader Marcus Paige hurt, the Tar Heels are a little more vulnerable.

Lehigh @ Syracuse (Nov. 13, 7 PM)
Lehigh will have a few opportunities before Patriot League play starts to knock off a big-name opponent, and the trip to the Carrier Dome might be the best chance. The Mountain Hawks return the bulk of their team and are used to playing with one another. If Jim Boeheim’s team thinks it can cruise to a win in the season opener, Lehigh may be leaving with an upset. Last year, Lehigh knocked off two high-major opponents on the road, winning at DePaul and Arizona State.

Saint Joseph’s vs. Drexel (Nov. 13, 8 PM)
Nothing quite like a city game to get the season started. These two will get things started on Hawk Hill with a Friday night showdown. Both teams have questions in their starting backcourts, so it will be interesting who’s handling the ball for each side and how Bruiser Flint and Phil Martelli set their rotations. Last year’s matchup was an ugly one offensively, with the Hawks surviving 52-49; while this one isn’t likely to be played in the 80s, expect a pair of much deeper and more experienced teams to put on a better show this time around.

Lehigh vs. Yale (Nov. 19, 7 PM)
This is a fun matchup for anyone who likes watching mid-majors. The Ivy League favorite against the Patriot League favorite in what should be an entertaining tilt. Lehigh has one of the toughest nonconference slates among mid-majors in the country, and though Yale isn’t a Power 5 team, this is another example of Brett Reed testing his team. The Bulldogs were voted atop the Ivy League in the preseason poll, led by senior forward Justin Sears, the reigning Ivy Player of the Year.

Saint Joseph’s vs. Florida (Nov. 21, 2:30 PM)
DeAndre Bembry will have his first to show off his talent in front of somewhat of a national lens when the Gators and the Hawks meet up in Uncasville, Conn. Florida struggled last season, finishing 16-17, but adds an impressive recruiting class this time around under new head coach Michael White, and will be looking to start off the season hot and prove some critics wrong. St. Joe’s will certainly have a chance to derail those plans on the second weekend of the season.

La Salle @ Rowan (Nov. 28, 3 PM)
Is La Salle likely to win against Rowan? Yes, of course. Even though the Explorers might not be the best team in the Atlantic 10, they shouldn’t have too much trouble with a Division III opponent, even on its home court. But this game is about the story behind it: this is La Salle head coach John Giannini led Rowan to a Division III national championship in 1996, his final season at the South Jersey school before a Division I opportunity at Maine proved too good to turn down. Many of Giannani’s Profs will be back in the gym to be honored along with their head coach in what’s sure to be a packed house at Esby Gymnasium.

Penn State vs. Canisius/Louisiana-Monroe (Dec. 10/12)
Nittany Lions’ basketball already made its triumphant “Return to the Rec” two years ago, playing its first game in Rec Hall since 1996, so these matchups don’t have quite that same flare. But the two games inside PSU’s smaller, older gym still bring back a lot of nostalgia in Happy Valley, and with these games should be a welcome respite for Penn State students gearing up for finals. These games are the opening round of the Las Vegas Classic, though Penn State plays Colorado in the semifinals on Dec. 22 no matter what happens.

Temple @ Wisconsin (Dec. 5, 12:30 PM)
Wisconsin’s runner-up team from last year lost several key pieces and will face an experienced Temple line-up at the Kohl Center in early December. The Badgers serve as one of the non-conference tests for the Owls that could provide a signature win on their NCAA tournament resume, meaning this game could likely mean a lot more in March than it will in December.

Villanova vs. Oklahoma (Dec. 7, 7 PM)
Villanova will be faced with two top-twenty tests when the calendar flips to December, and the first of those battles--between ‘Nova and the Oklahoma Sooners, who rank eighth in the AP preseason poll--will showcase some of the best backcourt play in the country. Watch for Villanova’s Jalen Brunson and Ryan Arcidiacono to be locked in quite the guards’ duel with sharpshooting Oklahoma tandem in Buddy Hield and Isaiah Cousins.

Villanova @ Virginia (Dec. 19, Noon)
One of the few teams in the country to say they’ve been as good in the regular season as Villanova the last few years is Virginia, who’s won 60 games in the last couple of seasons and ended the season ranked third and sixth in the AP poll, respectively. And both teams are trying to get over the sting of an early exit in the 2015 NCAA Tournament; both lost in the Round of 32 in March. Under head coach Tony Bennett, the Cavaliers have been the No. 1 defense in the country each of the last two seasons, according to KenPom.

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Don’t worry, we didn’t forget about the Big 5. Those games always have extra significance; here are the top city games to watch this year:

Saint Joseph’s vs. Villanova (Dec. 1, 7 PM)
This year’s Holy War is sure to be a raucous affair after ‘Nova put a 28-point beatdown on its archrival last year. Now, the Wildcats will walk into Hagan Arena against a Hawks squad that looks much-improved from a year ago and wants a measure of revenge.

Temple vs. Saint Joseph’s (Dec. 13, 4 PM)
The Big 5 favorite is Villanova, with Temple and Saint Joseph’s behind them, so this game could be very important for the Big 5 standings. If Saint Joseph’s knocks off ‘Nova at home, they could take a commanding advantage in the Big 5 with another win here. If the Hawks are trying to even their record, a Temple victory would set up the Owls and Wildcats on a collision course later in the season. If both emerge 1-1, Villanova has to feel very good about its chances at no less than a share of the city title.

Penn/Saint Joseph’s & Temple/La Salle (Jan. 20 7/9:30 PM)
The doubleheaders are back at the Palestra. Expect five hours of sold-out excitement at the Cathedral of College Basketball when the first true doubleheader in over a decade is held, with only Villanova missing out on all the fun. Temple and La Salle is the opening game, with Penn vs. Saint Joseph’s to follow, and it would be surprising if either game turns out to be a blowout. What will be interesting to see is who Temple/La Salle fans cheer for during Penn/SJU and vice-versa.

Temple vs. Villanova (Feb. 17, 7 PM)
It’s possible that this game is ultimately meaningless for the Big 5 championship, but there’s an almost-as-likely chance that Temple has a chance to at least force a tie in the series with a win here. The WIldcats didn’t have much trouble with the Owls a year ago, jumping out to a 17-7 lead and winning 85-62, their second double-digit win in a row in the series. Temple took the two before that, however, and as high as ‘Nova might be ranked, there’s a lot of familiarity between the programs and the rivalry is very much alive.