The top five non-conference games during the upcoming season include numerous heavyweights in college basketball. This year, teams vying for deep March Madness runs will not only have to encounter tough league contests. They’ll also have to navigate through tricky out-of-conference encounters.
Top Five Non-Conference Games During the 2025-26 Season
The non-conference portion of the annual college basketball calendar is exciting and fun. Sure, conference rivalries — hi, Duke versus North Carolina and Michigan versus Michigan State — get fan bases riled up. But before programs hit the meat of their league dockets, there are preseason tournaments and challenge events between different conferences.
Some of the matchups for the 2025-26 campaign are downright juicy. In no particular order, here are the top five non-conference games that you’ll want to mark down on your calendar.
Florida vs. UConn
Yes, please. The winners of the past three national titles will square off in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City. This contest will transpire on Tuesday, Dec. 9. In the 2025 NCAA Tournament this past spring, No. 1 seed Florida snuck by No. 8 seed Connecticut in the round of 32. The Gators would go on to win the national championship, beating fellow No. 1 seed Houston in the final game by two points. Both Florida and UConn are expected to be highly ranked in the upcoming preseason top-25 polls. ESPN has the Gators at No. 2 and the Huskies at No. 4 in its latest preseason top 25.
St. John’s vs. Kentucky
The storylines here are delicious. St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino, who led Kentucky to the national championship in 1996, looks to conquer the Wildcats while at the helm of the Red Storm. St. John’s and Kentucky will square off in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday, Dec. 20, from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. CBS Sports has the Red Storm at No. 1 in its latest preseason rankings. Kentucky is hovering around the top 10. Oh, and the Wildcats head coach, Mark Pope, was the team captain of that Kentucky team that won it all in 1996. Fun.
Duke vs. Michigan
Anyone interested in a late February non-conference duel? That’s what you’ve got between the Blue Devils and the Wolverines. Rather than play earlier in the 2025-26 season, preseason top-10 teams Duke and Michigan will go toe to toe on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, at the “Duel in The District.” This contest will occur at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The Blue Devils, a Final Four participant in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, figure to be one of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s premier squads, led by the five-star Boozer twins. The Wolverines, meanwhile, reached last season’s Sweet 16 and are positioned as a top-four team in the Big Ten Conference.
Purdue vs. Alabama
The Crimson Tide will host the Boilermakers on Thursday, Nov. 13, in a non-conference affair. Purdue is No. 1 in ESPN’s preseason top 25. The Boilermakers made the Sweet 16 last season and the national championship game in 2024. Alabama, on the other hand, went to the Elite Eight this past spring and the Final Four in 2024. The Crimson Tide eyes a top-15 ranking in the preseason polls. Both teams will have high-octane offenses in the upcoming campaign.
Houston vs. Arkansas
The Cougars, national runner-ups a season ago, will be in the top three of preseason polls ahead of 2025-26, experts say. Houston will take on Arkansas and its head coach, John Calipari, who led the Razorbacks to the Sweet 16 as No. 10 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The teams will face off on Saturday, Dec. 20, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Arkansas is No. 11 in ESPN’s preseason top 25.
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