Sunday treated the college basketball world to the first game between two top-15 teams.  It’s a shame that Virginia beat Arkansas by 19 points, but the game was never that close.  Virginia is slightly underrated, and the Razorbacks may be a bit overrated right now.  Houston blew out California in Lake Tahoe, as expected, and Wichita State and USC played a fantastic game, as everyone expected.

The second week of the college basketball season is officially upon us, which means a lot of neutral-site tournaments will start in the coming weeks.  The total win-loss record through 8 days is 263-59.  Picks for Day 9, November 9, 2026, are below.

Ohio State over Marshall

Penn over Howard

Indiana over Syracuse

UConn over Wagner

Texas over Grambling

Tennessee over Radford

Miami over North Florida

UIC over UNC Greensboro

Notre Dame over Eastern Illinois

Coastal over Upstate

Jacksonville over Kansas City

Columbia over Stonehill

Towson over Long Island

Chicago State over South Carolina State

Clemson over North Dakota

Cincinnati over Minnesota

Bowling Green over Cleveland State

Georgia over FGCU

Alabama over Oakland

UAB over Florida A&M

Mississippi State over Jackson State

Missouri over SIU Edwardsville

LSU over Louisiana Tech

Northwestern over Boston University

Texas A&M over UL Monroe

Oklahoma over North Alabama

Purdue over Illinois State

Seton Hall over Charlotte

Auburn over Appalachian State

DePaul over Alabama A&M

Oregon State over Eastern Washington

Washington over Mississippi Valley State

Stanford over Rice

Hawaii over Portland

There are a lot of mid-major games on Monday’s schedule.  All of the ranked teams play tune-up games before getting into the teeth of their conference schedules, but it’s college hoops; there are always intriguing games on the schedule.

Seton Hall travels to Charlotte to play a road game against a mid-major that usually spells bad things for the road team. Former Cincinnati Bearcats coach Wes Miller coaches the 49ers, and they are ready to take on a Big East opponent and pull off an upset.  Seton Hall plays elite defense, but offense has always been a problem.  Expect a low-scoring game, but the upset potential is high.

The best game of the night may not be on many radars.  Minnesota is much better in year two under head coach Niko Medved and will travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bearcats led by coach Jerrod Calhoun.  Both teams have tournament aspirations, and Cincinnati is one to watch.  They are well coached and have the talent needed to surprise.  Enjoy the hoops.