Top 10 nonconference games to watch this season, ranked by Andy Katz

These are the top 10 non-conference games to watch this men's basketball season, ranked by Andy Katz.

1. Florida at Duke, Dec. 2, ACC/SEC Challenge: Tons of talent will be on the floor between two teams that have title aspirations. Getting the reigning champs at Cameron should provide a special night. 

2. St. John's vs. Kentucky, Dec. 20, Atlanta in the CBS Sports Classic: The Red Storm stepped up as a replacement for UCLA in this event. The organizers at CBS couldn’t have scripted a better opponent — Rick Pitino, the former Kentucky coach, going against his former team and player Mark Pope in Catlanta.

3. UConn vs. Florida, Dec. 9, Madison Square Garden in the Jimmy V Classic: The Huskies and Gators have loaded slates, and this one shouldn't disappoint at the Garden. MSG is UConn South, and the atmosphere should be off the charts for this matchup. 

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4. Kentucky at Louisville, Nov. 11: One of the top two men's college basketball rivalries is back to being a game between two teams with Final Four expectations. Playing the game this early in the season may dampen the importance a tad, but the atmosphere should still rock. 

5. Duke vs. Michigan, Feb. 21, Washington, D.C.: I love the scheduling of this game in February between two schools that could by tying for No. 1 seeds.

6. UConn vs. BYU, Nov. 15, Boston: AJ Dybantsa gets a homecoming game at the Garden. The Huskies own Boston, too, and this should be a high-flying highlight affair. 

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7. Kansas vs. Duke, Nov. 18, MSG in the Champions Classic: Love, love, love when the Champions Classic is at MSG. Having two blue bloods with two of the top players in the country — Darryn Peterson and Cam Boozer — makes it even more special.

8. Arkansas vs. Duke, Nov. 27, Chicago: The Hogs and Blue Devils serve up a special Thanksgiving Day game at the United Center. Both teams will be works in progress early, but this game should have shelf life all season.

9. UConn at Kansas, Dec. 2: Dan Hurley continues to challenge the Huskies, and there is no better barometer than playing Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse.

10. Houston vs. Tennessee, Nov. 25, Las Vegas in the Players Era: This should be the best game of the scheduled matchups in Las Vegas — the third game will be set after two days of results. The Cougars are a top-five team, and the Volunteers should be a top-10 squad — if not early, then likely by midseason.