The long wait for college hoops fans is finally over. After a spring without March Madness and an ensuing several months of uncertainty, college basketball returns just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.
As with college football, the schedules of teams are in constant flux adapting to COVID-19 concerns. Some of the game's best coaches like Tom Izzo and Jim Boeheim have tested positive over the offseason and forced temporary shutdowns of their team. As recently as this week, Scott Drew, the coach of No. 2 Baylor, tested positive for COVID-19, forcing his Bears to withdraw from this week's 2k Empire Classic and eliminating a possible matchup with No. 3 Villanova.
While some of the best players from 2019 have left for the NBA, there's still plenty of stars like Iowa's Luka Garza, Arizona State's Remy Martin or Kentucky's Olivier Sarr returning that fans should be familiar with to go with a new class of talented freshmen led by players like Cade Cunningham at Oklahoma State and Evan Mobley of USC.
Expect the usual suspects to vie for the title as teams like Villanova, Kentucky and Gonzaga all bring back talented rosters, but there could be a few unfamiliar programs in the Final Four such as a load Illinois team or Creighton.
MORE: Watch select NCAA basketball games with fuboTV (7-day trial)
When does college basketball start in 2020?
- Start date: Wednesday, Nov. 25
- March Madness: March 18-19 (Round 1)
- Final Four: Saturday, April 3
The 2020-21 season tips off at a variety of campuses and tournament site locations, but the NCAA Tournament recently announced that the entire event will be held in one central location, Indianapolis, rather than spread across the country at various sites like in years past.
College basketball schedule 2020
Wednesday, Nov. 25
| Game | Time | Network |
| Oakland vs. Xavier | 12 p.m. | FS1, fuboTV |
| George Washington vs. Navy | 12 p.m. | CBSSN, fuboTV |
| McNeese State vs. Nebraska | 12 p.m. | BTN, fuboTV |
| Drake vs. Kansas State | 2 p.m. | ESPNU |
| Saint Mary's vs. Memphis* | 2 p.m. | ESPN2, fuboTV |
| Illinois State vs. No. 23 Ohio State | 2 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV |
| North Carolina A&T vs. No. 8 Illinois | 2 p.m. | BTN, fuboTV |
| Oklahoma State vs. Texas Arlington | 4 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV |
| Bowling Green vs. No. 25 Michigan | 4 p.m. | ESPN2, fuboTV |
| North Carolina Central vs. No. 5 Iowa | 4 p.m. | BTN, fuboTV |
| Western Kentucky vs. Northern Iowa* | 4:30 p.m. | ESPNU |
| Western Michigan vs. Butler | 6 p.m. | FS1, fuboTV |
| Morehead State vs. No. 10 Kentucky | 6 p.m. | SECN, fuboTV |
| Liberty vs. Purdue | 6 p.m. | CBSSN, fuboTV |
| Eastern Michigan vs. No. 13 Michigan State | 6 p.m. | BTN, fuboTV |
| No. 3 Villanova vs. Boston College | 7 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV |
| (B) No. 15 West Virginia vs. South Dakota State* | 7 p.m. | ESPN2, fuboTV |
| Charlotte vs. No. 12 Tennessee | 8 p.m. | SECN, fuboTV |
| Tennessee Tech vs. Indiana | 8 p.m. | BTN, fuboTV |
| Central Connecticut State vs. Connecticut | 8 p.m. | FS1, fuboTV |
| Clemson vs. Mississippi State | 8:30 p.m. | CBSSN, fuboTV |
| Utah State vs. Wichita State* | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2, fuboTV |
| Eastern Illinois vs. No. 7 Wisconsin | 10 p.m. | BTN, fuboTV |
| Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Marquette | 10 p.m. | FS1, fuboTV |
| No. 22 UCLA vs. San Diego State | 10:30 p.m. | CBSSN, fuboTV |
* denotes part of Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic and will impact schedule rest of weekend
Thursday, Nov. 26
| Game | Time | Network |
| Chicago State vs. No. 8 Illinois | 12 p.m. | BTN, fuboTV |
| No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 6 Kansas | 1:30 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV |
| Jackson State vs. Ole Miss | 2 p.m. | SECN, fuboTV |
| LaSalle vs. St. John's | 2 p.m. | FS1, fuboTV |
| Nevada vs. Nebraska | 2 p.m. | BTN, fuboTV |
Friday, Nov. 27
| Game | Time | Network |
| Auburn vs. No. 1 Gonzaga | 11 a.m. | Fox, fuboTV |
| Sam Houston State vs. No. 14 Texas Tech | 2 p.m. | ESPNU |
| No. 6 Kansas vs. St. Joseph's | 2 p.m. | FS1, fuboTV |
| Navy vs. Maryland | 3 p.m. | BTN, fuboTV |
| Seton Hall vs. Louisville | 4 p.m. | ESPN2, fuboTV |
| Southern vs. No. 5 Iowa | 5 p.m. | BTN, fuboTV |
| Farleigh Dickinson vs. No. 24 Rutgers | 7 p.m. | BTN, fuboTV |
| Arkansas State vs. Ole Miss | 8 p.m. | SECN, fuboTV |
| Valparaiso vs. Vanderbilt | 8 p.m. | SECN, fuboTV |
| Colorado vs. Kansas State | 8:30 p.m. | ESPNU |
| Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. No. 7 Wisconsin | 9 p.m. | BTN, fuboTV |
Saturday, Nov. 28
| Game | Time | Network |
| Notre Dame vs. No. 13 Michigan State | 8 p.m. | BTN, fuboTV |
Sunday, Nov. 29
| Game | Time | Network |
| Richmond vs. No. 10 Kentucky | 1 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV |
| Gardner-Webb vs. Georgia | 2 p.m. | SECN, fuboTV |
| Mount St. Mary's vs. Maryland | 2 p.m. | BTN, fuboTV |
| Massachusetts Lowell vs. No. 23 Ohio State | 4 p.m. | BTN, fuboTV |
| No. 2 Baylor vs. Seton Hall | 4:30 p.m. | FS1, fuboTV |
| Rhode Island vs. Temple | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN2, fuboTV |
| Oakland vs. No. 25 Michigan | 6 p.m. | BTN, fuboTV |
| Eastern Illinois vs. Butler | 6:30 p.m. | FS1, fuboTV |
| Virginia Tech vs. South Florida | 8 p.m. | ESPN2, fuboTV |
College basketball games canceled by COVID-19
Here's the list of top 25 games scheduled for opening weekend that have been canceled or postponed because of positive COVID-19 tests:
- No. 2 Baylor vs. No. 18 Arizona State
- No. 4 Virginia vs. Florida
- No. 9 Duke vs. Gardner Webb
- No. 10 Kentucky vs. Detroit Mercy
- No. 11 Creighton vs. South Dakota State
- No. 12 Tennessee vs. Charlotte
- No. 12 Tennessee vs. VCU
- No. 20 Oregon vs. Eastern Washington
How to watch, live stream NCAA basketball games
There is no shortage of options for fans to get their early fix of college basketball as all the major sports channels will be showing a game over the opening week on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox, FS1, CBS Sports Network, SEC Network and Big Ten Network. For those with a cable subscription, the games will also be streamed free of charge on the network's corresponding website and/or app.
Cable cutters have a variety of options as well, although not every service offers every channel that games will be on. FuboTV is one of the few that does, and it offers a free trial.
| Streaming option | Cable subscription needed? | Free? | Cost | Free trial? |
| CBS All Access | No | No | $5.99/month | Yes |
| ESPN+ | No | No | $5.99/month | No |
| CBS Sports App | Yes | Yes | - | - |
| fuboTV | No | No | $60/month | Yes |
| AT&T TV Now | No | No | $55/month | Yes |
| Hulu Plus Live TV | No | No | $55/month | Yes |
| Sling TV | No | No | $30/month | Yes |
| YouTube TV | No | No | $65/month | Yes |