The 2026-27 college basketball season tips off Monday with 20 of the preseason AP Top 25 teams in action, featuring two ranked-on-ranked matchups that set the tone for the new campaign. No. 5 Arizona faces No. 22 UCLA in Las Vegas at 10 p.m. ET on TNT, renewing a former Pac-12 rivalry and showcasing two of the sport's top freshmen: Arizona's Caleb Holt and UCLA's Nikola Kusturica. Arizona will be without forward RJ Godfrey due to eligibility issues, but boasts a formidable frontcourt with Ivan Kharchenkov and Mo Krivas. UCLA counters with Texas Tech transfer Jaylen Petty and a game plan from coach Mick Cronin to slow the pace.
Earlier, No. 1 Florida takes on No. 14 Miami in Tampa at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Gators' frontcourt trio of Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu, and Alex Condon is considered among the nation's best, while Miami relies on transfers like Acaden Lewis and the interior duo of Malik Reneau and Somto Cyril. Analysts lean toward a Florida win but see Miami covering the 5.5-point spread.
Other notable neutral-site games include No. 15 Gonzaga vs. Purdue in Las Vegas (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT), No. 18 Iowa State vs. Memphis in Sioux Falls (7 p.m. ET, FS1), and Ohio State vs. No. 25 BYU in Salt Lake City (9 p.m. ET, FS1). Gonzaga's trio of big men — Braden Huff, Massamba Diop, and Izan Almansa — poses a significant mismatch for Purdue's lone serviceable big, Daniel Jacobsen. Iowa State enters without defensive guard Killyan Toure but returns fifth-year senior Tamin Lipsey, while Memphis will miss big man Nemanja Popovic for the first six games due to NCAA ineligibility. BYU, retooled with guard Robert Wright III, wing Bruce Branch III, and big man Jaxon Kohler, is favored over an Ohio State team building around five-star forward Anthony Thompson.
