Opening night of the 2025-26 college basketball season is essentially March Madness in November.
There’s a boatload of men’s and women’s college basketball games on Monday night, featuring some of the best teams in the nation to kickstart the new season.
On the men’s side, the defending champions are in action, as No. 3 Florida begins its title defense against No. 13 Arizona. Prized recruits will get their first taste of the limelight, like BYU five-star freshman AJ Dybantsa, with the Cougars taking on Villanova.
The women’s slate features three top-five outfits: No. 2 South Carolina, No. 3 UCLA, and No. 4 Texas.
Here’s everything that you need to know to watch the beginning of the college basketball season, with a full slate of games coming your way on Monday night.
College basketball games on TV today
Men’s Top 25 TV Schedule Today
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
|---|---|---|
| No. 5 St. John’s vs. Quinnipiac | 6:30 p.m. | FS1, Fubo |
| No. 14 Arkansas vs. Southern | 7 p.m. | SEC Network, Fubo |
| No. 18 Tennessee vs. Mercer | 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| No. 3 Florida vs. No. 13 Arizona | 7 p.m. | TNT, truTV, DirecTV |
| No. 4 UConn vs. New Haven | 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| No. 22 Michigan State vs. Colgate | 7 p.m. | BTN+ |
| No. 25 UNC vs. Central Arkansas | 7 p.m. | ACC Network, Fubo |
| No. 16 Iowa State vs. FDU | 8 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| No. 24 Wisconsin vs. Campbell | 8 p.m. | BTN+ |
| No. 19 Kansas vs. Green Bay | 8 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| No. 2 Houston vs. Lehigh | 8 p.m. | CBSSN, Fubo |
| No. 15 Alabama vs. North Dakota | 8 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| No. 20 Auburn vs. Bethune-Cookman | 8 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| No. 17 Illinois vs. Jackson State | 8:30 p.m. | BTN, Fubo |
| No. 7 Michigan vs. Oakland | 8:30 p.m. | FS1, Fubo |
| No. 11 Louisville vs. SC State | 9 p.m. | ACC Network, Fubo |
| No. 21 Gonzaga vs. Texas Southern | 9 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| No. 8 BYU vs. Villanova | 9:30 p.m. | TNT, truTV, DirecTV |
| No. 12 UCLA vs. Eastern Washington | 10:30 p.m. | BTN, Fubo |
Women’s Top 25 TV Schedule Today
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
|---|---|---|
| No. 11 UNC vs. NC Central | 11 a.m. | ESPN+ |
| No. 7 Duke vs. No. 16 Baylor | 12 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo |
| No. 14 Iowa State vs. St Thomas NB | 12 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| No. 12 Ole Miss vs. Norfolk State | 12 p.m. | SEC Network, Fubo |
| No. 19 Vanderbilt vs. California | 2:30 p.m. | ESPNU, Fubo |
| No. 6 Oklahoma vs. Belmont | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| No. 24 Kentucky vs. Morehead State | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| No. 10 Maryland vs. Loyola MD | 7 p.m. | BTN+ |
| No. 2 South Carolina vs. Grand Canyon | 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| No. 21 Iowa vs. Southern | 7:30 p.m. | BTN+ |
| No. 22 Oklahoma State vs. New Orleans | 7:30 p.m. | |
| No. 4 Texas vs. Incarnate Word | 8 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| No. 3 UCLA vs. San Diego State | 10 p.m. | BTN+ |
Where to watch college basketball games today
- TV channels: ESPN | ESPNU | SEC Network | ACC Network | BTN | FS1 | CBSSN | TNT | truTV
- Live streams: DirecTV | Fubo | ESPN+
Today’s slate of season-opening games will air across an array of different TV channels.
Any game airing on TNT or truTV can be streamed with DirecTV.
Other games airing on broadcast TV can be streamed on Fubo, which offers a free trial.
Several games will be available to stream exclusively on ESPN+.
NCAA college basketball rankings
Men’s AP preseason Top 25
- Purdue
- Houston
- Florida
- Connecticut
- St. John’s
- Duke
- Michigan
- BYU
- Kentucky
- Texas Tech
- Louisville
- UCLA
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Alabama
- Iowa State
- Illinois
- Tennessee
- Kansas
- Auburn
- Gonzaga
- Michigan State
- Creighton
- Wisconsin
- North Carolina
Women’s AP preseason Top 25
- Connecticut
- South Carolina
- UCLA
- Texas
- LSU
- Oklahoma
- Duke
- Tennessee
- NC State
- Maryland
- North Carolina
- Ole Miss
- Michigan
- Iowa State
- Notre Dame
- Baylor
- TCU
- USC
- Vanderbilt
- Louisville
- Iowa
- Oklahoma State
- Michigan State
- Richmond
- Kentucky
