College Basketball Opening Week 2026: Games & TV
Most teams tipped off on Monday, Nov. 2 (see our men's opening-night post and the women's opener in Paris). Here are the ranked matchups and big-name games for Thursday, Nov. 5 through Sunday, Nov. 8. All times are Eastern (standard time). Rankings are the AP preseason polls, which were still the latest polls on ESPN when this was published; the first in-season polls will reshuffle them.
Men's games, Nov. 5–8
| Date | Time | Game | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu Nov 5 | 6 p.m. | Wake Forest at No. 24 Vanderbilt | ESPN2 |
| Thu Nov 5 | 8 p.m. | Coastal Carolina at No. 2 Duke | ACC Network |
| Thu Nov 5 | 8 p.m. | Toledo at No. 6 Michigan State | Peacock |
| Thu Nov 5 | 8 p.m. | Jacksonville at No. 1 Florida | SECN+ |
| Thu Nov 5 | 8:30 p.m. | Penn at No. 3 Illinois | FS1 |
| Fri Nov 6 | 7 p.m. | James Madison at No. 23 Kentucky | SEC Network |
| Fri Nov 6 | 8 p.m. | No. 4 UConn vs. No. 16 Michigan, TD Garden, Boston (Hall of Fame Series) | TNT |
| Fri Nov 6 | 9 p.m. | Middle Tennessee at No. 17 Kansas | ESPNU |
| Sun Nov 8 | 1 p.m. | No. 12 Arkansas vs. No. 9 Virginia, Capital One Arena, Washington (Capital Showcase) | ESPN |
| Sun Nov 8 | 8:30 p.m. | No. 10 Houston vs. California, Tahoe Blue Event Center (Lake Tahoe Classic) | TBD |
UConn and Michigan both won their openers and meet on a neutral floor in Boston on Friday night. It's the first ranked-vs.-ranked men's game of the week. Sunday's Arkansas–Virginia game in Washington is the other one.
Women's games, Nov. 5–8
| Date | Time | Game | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu Nov 5 | 6:30 p.m. | No. 2 UConn at No. 5 Michigan | FS1 |
| Sun Nov 8 | 2 p.m. | No. 10 Iowa at No. 2 UConn | FS1 |
| Sun Nov 8 | 3 p.m. | No. 14 Kentucky vs. No. 25 NC State, Spectrum Center, Charlotte (Ally Tipoff) | ESPN2 |
| Sun Nov 8 | 5:30 p.m. | No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 12 North Carolina, Spectrum Center, Charlotte (Ally Tipoff) | ESPN |
UConn plays two top-10 opponents in four days: at Michigan on Thursday, then Iowa at home on Sunday. For the rest of the women's non-conference slate, see Women's College Basketball 2026-27: Top Games to Watch.
Next up: the Champions Classic on Tuesday, Nov. 10, in Chicago.
Print it: every team page has a one-page PDF and a calendar file. Times and channels that haven't been announced show as TBD.
Sources
- ESPN men's college basketball scoreboard API (groups=50), Nov. 5–8, 2026: events 401909726, 401909563, 401925754, 401906770, 401913526, 401921802, 401920685, 401909785, 401920424 and 401918053, retrieved Nov. 3, 2026
- ESPN women's college basketball scoreboard API (groups=50), Nov. 5–8, 2026: events 401911737, 401911738, 401913737 and 401906089, retrieved Nov. 3, 2026
- ESPN rankings API (men's and women's AP Top 25, preseason), retrieved Nov. 3, 2026
Times and TV assignments can change; check the linked sources and providers before you plan or pay. Commentary is our own. Send a correction if you spot an error.