The college basketball season tipoff always brings great anticipation in the form of highly intriguing matchups that help set the tone for how the NBA draft ultimately shapes up in June.
Along with a new mock draft, we've compiled a list of the best matchups for the top prospects from this list in the month of November, with a heavy emphasis on specifically what NBA executives will be watching.
Follow along all month long with us on TV or live at these arenas, where you'll likely find ESPN's Mike Schmitz or me at most of these games.
ESPN's Basketball Power Index was used to project the draft order. Unlike our Top 100 rankings, this mock attempts to project which players will end up entering the draft. All times ET.
NBA draft scouting guide to November basketball
Nov. 6: State Farm Champions Classic (Kansas-Michigan State, 7 p.m. | Duke-Kentucky 9:30 p.m. | ESPN)
The college basketball season starts with a huge bang, as four of the most heralded programs in college basketball meet at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. We will have more on this doubleheader later, with quite an emphasis on the lip-smacking Duke-Kentucky matchup.
Nov. 9: Arkansas-Texas (ESPN Armed Forces Classic, 7 p.m. | ESPN)
Arkansas' Daniel Gafford gets an early test in Fort Bliss, with a strong Texas frontcourt led by prospects Jericho Sims and Jaxson Hayes. Arkansas lost quite a bit of firepower to graduation, so scouts will want to see how productive Gafford can be as a sophomore. Potential second-rounder Kerwin Roach will return from a one-game suspension for Texas.
Nov. 11: Vanderbilt-USC (9 p.m. | Pac-12 Network)
The draft's projected top point guard prospect, Vanderbilt's Darius Garland will have his hands full with 6-6 combo guard Kevin Porter, who generated quite a bit of buzz over the summer with the way he played against pros in open runs in Los Angeles. Porter injured his hand a few weeks ago, and he might not be at 100 percent for this matchup. Nevertheless, NBA teams will be out in droves to see how Garland and fellow five-star freshman running mate Simi Shittu fare in a highly intriguing matchup.
Nov. 12: Stanford-North Carolina (7 p.m. | ESPN2)
Stanford is testing itself early by flying cross-country to the Dean Dome. The matchup between Cardinal sophomore KZ Okpala and projected No. 2 pick Nassir Little should be fascinating. Keep an eye on both teams' big guards (Daejon Davis for Stanford and Coby White for UNC) who will be tasked with initiating quite a bit of offense.
Nov. 14: Michigan-Villanova (6:30 p.m. | FS1)
A rematch of last year's national championship, both teams will look very different after losing quite a bit of firepower to the NBA. Projected lottery pick Eric Paschall will be asked to step up in a major way offensively for Villanova after being a role player last season, and scouts will want to see how his extremely impressive performance at the Nike Academy in August (which won him MVP honors) translates to live competition.
Nov. 14: Marquette-Indiana (8:30 p.m. | FS1)
All eyes will be on Indiana freshman Romeo Langford in his first crack at serious college competition. He'll be going up against a highly skilled Marquette team that is also right on the cusp of being ranked in the top 25, which should lead to an entertaining contest.
Nov. 15: UConn-Syracuse, Iowa-Oregon (7 p.m., 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2) | Winners/losers games on Nov. 16
The 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden will be well-attended by NBA scouts as it serves as the official unveiling of projected top-10 pick Bol Bol of Oregon against major college competition. He'll have a good matchup in his first game on the 15th against Tyler Cook and Jack Nunge of Iowa, and he will then face off either against UConn or Syracuse. We'll also monitor potential first-rounder Tyus Battle of Syracuse.
Nov. 15, 16, 18: Charleston Classic
Games on Nov. 15: Ball State-Virginia Tech (11:30 a.m.) | Alabama-Northeastern (2 p.m.) | Purdue-Appalachian State (5 p.m.) | Wichita State-Davidson (7:30 p.m.) | ESPN2/ESPNU
The Charleston Classic is a sneakily interesting tournament to check in on, as it will give NBA scouts a chance to see how sophomore Herb Jones of Alabama is progressing on both ends of the floor. His ability to defend point guards at 6-7 with a 7-foot wingspan will be put to the test in all three games he plays, with the likes of Northeastern's Vasa Pusica (potential CAA player of the year), projected first-round pick Nickeil Alexander-Walker of Virginia Tech, player of the year candidate Carsen Edwards of Purdue and Davidson's Kellan Grady (Atlantic 10 freshman of the year) all in the field.
Nov. 18: Indiana-Arkansas (3:30 p.m. | ESPN)
Indiana isn't shying away from early-season competition, going straight from their Gavitt Tipoff Game against Marquette to a tough road contest against Arkansas. Daniel Gafford will give Romeo Langford a real test inside the paint with his NBA-caliber physical tools, the likes of which he might not see again all season long.
Nov. 19: Nebraska-Missouri State, USC-Texas Tech (7 p.m., 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2) | Winners/losers games on Nov. 20
The Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City will draw a fair share of NBA executives. This is the best opportunity scouts will have to watch Texas Tech sophomore Jarrett Culver in the month of November, and it just so happens that he'll be going up against another highly touted guard prospect in USC's Kevin Porter. Nebraska awaits one of those two teams, pending the first night's results, and many scouts will stay to see how potential first-rounder Isaiah Roby fares.
Nov. 19-21: Maui Invitational
Games on Nov. 19: Auburn-Xavier (2:30 p.m.) | Duke-San Diego State (5 p.m.) | Arizona-Iowa State (9 p.m.) | Gonzaga-Illinois (11:30 p.m.) | ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU
Maui could very well have the best overall field of teams in the early-season tournament slate, and the long flight to Hawaii won't deter scouts from watching this loaded group. This is the best opportunity NBA teams will have to evaluate Rui Hachimura and Gonzaga in the month of November, and the fact that teams can also get eyes on the likes of San Diego State's Jalen McDaniels, Illinois' Ayo Dosunmu and the trio of Duke No. 1-pick candidates (R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish) makes this arguably the highlight of the month from a scouting perspective.
Nov. 21, 23: NIT Season Tip-Off (Kansas-Marquette, 7 p.m. | Louisville-Tennessee, 9:30 p.m. | ESPN)
This event has been in existence since 2007, but there's an argument to be made that this is the strongest field the event has ever had, with two top-five teams in Kansas and Tennessee potentially matching up the day after Thanksgiving in the Barclays Center. Kansas freshman Quentin Grimes is the big prize from a scouting perspective, but teammates Devon Dotson and Dedric Lawson will also draw plenty of attention. This is a great opportunity for Tennessee's prospects -- Admiral Schofield, Grant Williams and Yves Pons -- to benefit from the exposure of a marquee game in New York City.
Nov. 22: UNC-Texas, Michigan State-UCLA (7:30 p.m., 10 p.m. | FS1) | Winners/losers games on Nov. 23
The Continental Tire Invitational at Orleans Casino has assembled a nice group of blue-blood programs to attract fans and NBA executives to spend their Thanksgiving in Las Vegas. Little will have a big crowd of scouts watching him every time he steps on the floor, and UCLA sophomores Kris Wilkes and Jaylen Hands would benefit from a matchup with the Tar Heels if they can get past Michigan State.
Nov. 22/23/25: Advocare Invitational
Games on Nov. 22: Villanova-Canisius (1:30 p.m.) | Memphis-Oklahoma State (4 p.m.) | LSU-Charleston (7 p.m.) | Florida State-UAB (9 p.m.) | ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU
Villanova is likely to attract a strong contingent of fans to spend their Thanksgiving at Disney World watching them defend their national championship. LSU has a couple of interesting freshmen to watch in Naz Reid, Emmitt Williams and Darius Days, and if they are able to advance to a dream championship game against Villanova, many NBA executives will make the trek to Orlando to see how they fare against Eric Paschall and the Wildcats.
Nov. 26: Murray State-Alabama (8 p.m. | SEC Network/ESPN+)
Murray State's Ja Morant propelled himself onto the NBA radar with a strong freshman season followed by an outstanding showing at the CP3 camp this summer. Scouts will want to see how he fares against a long and athletic defender like Alabama's Jones, as he's unlikely to see a defender in that mold during Murray State's Ohio Valley Conference slate.
Nov. 27: Indiana-Duke (9:30 p.m. | ESPN)
Indiana's Langford will be thrown into the fire of Cameron Indoor Stadium as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, a difficult game that will likely see him matching up against the likes of Barrett, Reddish and possibly even Williamson at times as part of this marquee game. This is a rare opportunity to see these star freshmen matching up against other NBA-caliber athletes.
Nov. 28: Virginia-Maryland (7:15 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2)
A historic rivalry dating back to 1913 (and 182 contests) resumes thanks to the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and four prospects vying for first-round consideration are taking part in it. The matchup at power forward between Virginia redshirt sophomore De'Andre Hunter and Maryland freshman Jalen Smith is particularly notable, despite the two players being at very different stages of their development curve, while also offering contrasting styles of play. Scouts will want to see how UVa's big point guard Ty Jerome handles himself in a competitive road game against a long and athletic Maryland frontcourt led by sophomore Bruno Fernando.
Nov. 28: North Carolina-Michigan (9:30 p.m. | ESPN)
The final game of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge sees UNC travel to Ann Arbor to take on last year's national championship game finalist. North Carolina's Little will have his hands full with Michigan redshirt junior Charles Matthews, who's exactly the type of long-armed, chiseled, defensive-minded combo forward who could shed real insight into where Little is at with his ball-handling and playmaking skill. Also keep an eye on the backcourt matchup between UNC freshman Coby White and Michigan sophomore Jordan Poole. Both are highly skilled combo guards who can score from all over the floor and could draw NBA interest as early as this spring depending on the type of seasons they have.