The 2026-27 college basketball season tips off Monday with 20 preseason AP Top 25 teams in action, highlighted by two ranked-on-ranked showdowns. No. 5 Arizona meets No. 22 UCLA in Las Vegas, while No. 1 Florida hosts No. 14 Miami in Tampa. Other notable neutral-site games feature No. 15 Gonzaga vs. Purdue, No. 18 Iowa State vs. Memphis, and Ohio State vs. No. 25 BYU.
Arizona vs. UCLA (10 p.m. ET, TNT)
Arizona enters without forward RJ Godfrey, who remains in legal proceedings for a fifth year of eligibility. The Wildcats rely on freshmen Caleb Holt and Ivan Kharchenkov along with big man Mo Krivas. UCLA counters with Texas Tech transfer Jaylen Petty and 17-year-old freshman Nikola Kusturica, plus forward Eric Dailey Jr. Coach Mick Cronin's slow-pace approach has limited possessions in six of the last seven meetings with Tommy Lloyd. The pick: UCLA +4.5.
Florida vs. Miami (6 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Florida's frontcourt trio of Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu, and Alex Condon is considered the nation's best. Miami's Malik Reneau and Somto Cyril must contain them, while Villanova transfer Acaden Lewis has impressed in exhibitions. The pick: Miami +5.5.
Iowa State vs. Memphis (7 p.m. ET, FS1)
Memphis big man Nemanja Popovic is ruled ineligible for the first six games, a significant loss against Iowa State's trapping defense. The Cyclones miss guard Killyan Toure (shoulder) but welcome back senior Tamin Lipsey. Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger is 43-29-1 against the spread in non-conference games. The pick: Memphis +13.5.
Gonzaga vs. Purdue (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Gonzaga's three elite big men — Braden Huff, Massamba Diop, and Izan Almansa — pose a mismatch for Purdue's lone serviceable big, Daniel Jacobsen. The Zags also feature NBA prospect Davis Fogle. The pick: Gonzaga -4.5.
Ohio State vs. BYU (9 p.m. ET, FS1)
BYU retains star guard Robert Wright III, adds five-star wing Bruce Branch III, and lands former Michigan State big Jaxon Kohler. Ohio State's ceiling hinges on five-star forward Anthony Thompson. The pick: BYU -2.5.
