How to Watch Future NBA Prospects on the Top-25 NCAA Teams Playing on Opening Night Tuesday

Tuesday night will be the opening tip-off for the 2019-20 NCAA men’s basketball season. Several top-25 teams will be in action on the first night of hoops, many on national television. Those games not slated for a national audience are frequently available via live stream on designated school websites.

Each of the games will have some level of intrigue. Two games in particular will draw tremendous national interest. The top-four teams are matched against one another in New York. Both of these exciting opening-night games will be telecast live on ESPN.

Many of the conference networks will also carry opening-night games. Another interesting feature to watch will be the players on these teams who are projected as draftees in next year’s NBA draft. The NCAA basketball schedule has dozens of games on opening Tuesday, including big games on the NCAA basketball TV schedule with huge ramifications.

Here’s the first AP top-25 poll, followed by a list of the games with projected NBA mock draft players set to tip-off Tuesday night. The list includes the big games from the Tuesday night college basketball schedule on ESPN, plus other telecasts.

The First 2019-20 NCAA Men’s Basketball Poll

Michigan State Kentucky Kansas Duke Louisville Florida Maryland Gonzaga North Carolina Villanova Virginia Seton Hall Texas Tech Memphis Oregon Baylor Utah State Ohio State Xavier Saint Mary’s Arizona LSU Purdue Auburn VCU

Michigan State Spartans vs. Kentucky Wildcats – 9:30PM ESPN

Cassius Winston vs. Ashton Hagans, Tyrese Maxey, Nick Richards, Kahlil Whitney: You will want to kick off your NCAA men’s basketball season with obviously the biggest game on the Tuesday night slate. Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans will match talent against Coach John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcat Blue.

The game is being played at Madison Square Garden in New York, and will be the live national broadcast on ESPN. Tip-off between the two early-season top-ranked teams is 9:30pm. This game will include five NBA prospects heading into next season.

One key matchup to watch is the two point guards, Cassius Winston and Ashton Hagans. Kentucky will put three more mock draft projections on the court, Tyrese Maxey, Nick Richards and Kahlil Whitney, an athletic 18-year-old playing his first college game.

Keep an eye on injury reports, as Nick Richards is listed as questionable. Cassius Winston has also been limited in practice over the last month, but is noted to be a probable go on Tuesday in New York.

Kansas Jayhawks vs. Duke Blue Devils 7:00PM ESPN

Devon Dotson, Ochai Agbaji, Udoka Azubuike vs. Tre Jones, Wendell Moore, Vernon Carey Jr., Matthew Hurt, Cassius Stanley, Javin DeLauier: The next game on our can’t-miss-list is the lead up game at Madison Square Garden. Duke and Kansas will put their number 3 and 4 national rankings on the line in front of a live national TV audience on ESPN.

The game has more projected NBA mock draft players than any other on the college basketball schedule on ESPN set for opening night. Two Jayhawks, Devon Dotson and Ochai Agbaji, are both projected first-round picks.

Dotson has a question mark attached to his injury status for Tuesday’s nationally televised opener. The 6’11” Udoka Azubuike is forecast as a second-round pick and will be ready to go. Duke has more players on mock draft boards than any team in the country.

Headlining that list are Tre Jones and Wendell Moore. Blue Devil center 6’10” freshman Vernon Carey, Matthew Hurt and Cassius Stanley are all projected for successful pro careers, probably starting with next year’s draft. Javin DeLauier is an intriguing senior player with four years of college experience.

Louisville Cardinals vs. Miami Hurricanes 6:30PM ACC Network

Jordan Nwora, Samuel Williamson: Jordan Nwora and Samuel Williamson will be the first top level, projected mock draft players to be available Tuesday night. It will be an excellent game to get a feel for the talent of these two players. Two more Louisville players, Steven Enoch and Jay Scrubb, are potential NBA draft picks next summer.

This is not only a valid challenge for the 5th ranked team in the country, but a good way for the Hurricanes to grade their team. Early season ACC conference battles are always exciting, so don’t miss this game live on the ACC Network.

Florida Gators vs. North Florida Osprey 7:00PM SEC Network

Scottie Lewis, Kerry Blackshear Jr., Tre Mann: The sixth-ranked Gators will have three potential NBA draft picks on the court against last year’s Atlantic Sun Semifinalist Osprey. Scottie Lewis and Kerry Blackshear Jr. are both deemed first and second round worthy.

Tre Mann is a five-star MacDonald’s High School All-American who will be playing his first college game in his hometown of Gainesville, Florida. While this won’t be one of the big-time exciting games Tuesday night, you’ll want to catch some action on the SEC Network.

Maryland Terrapins vs. Holy Cross Crusaders 7:30PM Big 10+ Network

Jalen Smith: The number-seven ranked Terrapins open up Tuesday in a non-conference home game against Holy Cross. Aaron Wiggins will play his first collegiate game and power forward Jalen Smith will be the showcase players for Maryland. The game is not set for any of the major channels, but you can watch the game on the Big10 Plus Network.

Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Alabama State Hornets (No TV – Live Audio) 8:00PM

Killian Tillie: Alabama State will battle the Bulldogs in their home opener at McCarthey Athletic Center. A 6’10” Frenchman, Killian Tillie, is the top-rated Gonzaga player, but the team always has potential pro talent on the court.

Depending on which report you scan, Tillie is a game-time decision or tagged out-indefinitely following a minor knee clean up early this month. Scouts watching Tillie may be as tuned in to his physical appearance, since his talent has always been a given.

Gonzaga has a host of new faces that the nation will soon get a first look at these talented freshmen, as the Bulldogs await Tillie’s return. There isn’t a current live viewing option available, but you can get live stats and full radio coverage on the Gonzaga basketball website.

North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Wednesday) 7:00PM ACC Network

Cole Anthony, Armando Bacot: The ninth-ranked Tar Heels won’t open up until Wednesday night. However, a national audience will get to see the projected top-10 lottery pick Cole Anthony and Armando Bacot on the ACC Network in a conference game against Notre Dame. This game will tip-off at 7:00PM in Chapel Hill.

Villanova Wildcats vs. Army Cadets 8:30PM FoxSports1

Bryan Antoine, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl: Back on the Tuesday night NCAA basketball TV schedule is a game showcasing two more mock draft players. The Villanova Wildcats have two potential future stars, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Bryan Antoine. Antoine is yet another is another freshman star that is set to hit the court for his first collegiate game.

Virginia Cavaliers vs. Syracuse Orange 9:00PM (Wednesday) ACC Network

Mamadi Diakite: The defending national champions take the court on Wednesday, same as the ninth-ranked Tar Heels. Virginia will have 6’9″ Virginia power forward Mamadi Diakite. Diakite is tabbed for the second-round in next summer’s NBA draft.

Memphis Tigers vs. South Carolina State Bulldogs (No TV – Live Audio) 8:00PM

James Wiseman, Precious Achiuwa: You may want to tune into the Memphis live audio stream for this game. While not on the NCAA basketball schedule for nationally televised games, the Tigers put a seven-footer many feel is the top mock draft prospect.

Memphis actually has two first-round projections. Wiseman is a talented seven-footer and the Nigerian-born Achiuwa is an equally fascinating player to watch. Catch the audio broadcast of this game on the Memphis Tigers’ website.

Oregon Ducks vs. Fresno State Bulldogs 9:00PM PAC12 Network

N’ Faly Dante: You can watch the Ducks open up on Tuesday night against Fresno State, but you won’t get a glimpse of the 6’11 Oregon freshman N’ Faly Dante until game number 10. Oregon hosts the Bulldogs at Matthew Knight Arena, without one of the nation’s highest prized recruits.

Utah State Aggies vs. Montana State Bobcats (No TV – Live Audio) 10:00PM

Neemias Queta: As the new season unfolds, big conference teams won’t want to sleep on the Montana State Bobcats. That may be the biggest point of intrigue on Tuesday night. Hitting the court will be another early-round NBA draft projection Neemias Queta.

The Portugal-born Queta was the Mountain West Conference freshman of the year. Queta is another player listed as questionable for the season opener. He did not play in the Aggies last exhibition, so his status for Tuesday is still unknown. Look for this to be another game-time decision.

Arizona Wildcats vs. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (Live Stream) 9:00PM

Nico Mannion, Josh Green: Arizona’s top talents are Nico Mannion and the 6’6″ Aussie sharpshooter Josh Green. Green is fresh out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Nico Mannion is another international player on the Wildcat roster. Mannion is an Italian-born point guard and two-time Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year. This game is not set for national broadcast, but it will stream live on the Arizona Wildcat basketball website.

LSU Tigers vs. Bowling Green Falcons (Friday) 8:00PM SEC Network

Trendon Watford: Trendon Watford is another of the highly talented stars who will wait a couple nights to tip-off. The SEC Network will carry the Friday night game between the host Tigers and the Falcons from the MAC Conference.

Auburn Tigers vs. Georgia Southern Eagles 9:00PM SEC Network

Austin Wiley: The final top-25 team with a projected NBA mock draft talent is Auburn. The Tigers will have talented senior Austin Wiley kick off his final college season on Tuesday against the Eagles. Auburn’s 6’11” senior is still somewhat of an unknown talent, but has tremendous raw ability.

The initial 2019 NCAA top-poll has everyone hitting the court on Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday night. Not all games are telecast on live TV. However, the couple of games that aren’t, offer a live audio available on the school website. All the times we posted for you are Eastern Standard Time. You’ll need to make adjustments for your time zone.

Just like early season polls ahead of the NCAA basketball schedule, NBA mock draft projections will change as the new season unfolds. However, if you want to see a huge majority of the next NBA superstars, tune into any of these exciting games.