📅 Mark your calendar

Friends in Buffalo and Rochester say they cleared their calendars of all meetings today to mentally prepare for tonight’s Bills-Rams NFL opener. Honest question: Are any Rams fans in L.A. (or anywhere else) doing the same?

OK, enough football talk. We’ve got nearly every college basketball league schedule with two big ones announced Wednesday, and another coming today. Let’s dive in.

STARTING FIVE

1. Circle these dates for the SEC schedule

Scenario for Alabama fans: If the Tide play in the CFP Championship game (Jan. 9), Nate Oats’ basketball team will be just two days removed from arguably its most important conference game — home against Kentucky.

The past two times the Tide have been in the title game, they’ve been on the road. Certainly makes it easier on fans who are traveling to wherever the championship game is. The last time they were home? It was 2019, against Kentucky — Avery Johnson’s last season in Tuscaloosa, and a forgettable one (18-16).

But in that Jan. 5 home matchup with Kentucky, Bama notched a 77-75 win against a UK team that made the Elite Eight.

What’s it mean for this year? Who knows. But you take whatever nugget you can find when writing about announcements for 126 league games.

ANYWAY, it was a fun factoid. Here are the other games that caught my eye. Full disclosure. It’s a lot of Kentucky. What can I say? They’re the main attraction. (Click here for every SEC game.)

• Dec. 28: Tennessee at Ole Miss. It’s Year 5 for Kermit Davis in Oxford. Time to cement your team in the top half of the league. Holding court against a league contender would be an ideal start.

• Jan. 7: Kentucky at Alabama. See above. Also, will Jahvon Quinerly be ready by then? 

• Jan. 7: Georgia at Florida. Ex-Gators coach Mike White returns to Gainesville. Not sure it’s gonna go well for his team.

• Jan. 7: Arkansas at Auburn. Those talented Razorback freshmen will be tested well before SEC play (they’ll be in Maui), but Neville Arena should be the real eye-opener for Nick Smith & Co.

• Jan. 25 and Jan. 31: Texas A&M at Auburn, then Arkansas. The Aggies just missed the 2022 NCAA tourney. These two games in a week would be crucial Q1 wins.

• Sat. Feb. 4. Florida at Kentucky. Know who the last SEC team was to beat Kentucky in Rupp? Yup. New coach Todd Golden will have his hands full.

• Feb. 7: Arkansas at Kentucky. First of two Arkansas-Kentucky games. This is usually when Eric Musselman figures out his rotation and the Hawgs put together a run.

• Feb 18: Tennessee at Kentucky. The Vols lost by 465 points last season in Lexington.

• Feb 28: Arkansas at Tennessee. The only time these two play. Should influence SEC tourney and NCAA tourney seeding.

• March 1: Alabama at Auburn. Two hated rivals. Need I say more?

• March 4: Kentucky at Arkansas. The Almanac (on sale NOW!) says these are the league’s top two teams. This is the right way to end conference play. (But Tennessee at Auburn is also nice.)

2. Friday Nights are (once again) for the A-10

It’s easy to love the Atlantic 10 when they insist on putting good basketball games on Friday nights. What’s not to like about starting the weekend early?

Those games were the centerpiece of the league’s schedule announcement on Wednesday, with the definitive chef’s kiss of a finale — Dayton at Saint Louis on March 3. That’s one that could decide the regular-season champion.

The A-10 has sent two teams to the last three NCAA Tournaments. They’ll be in a prime position to improve that in 2023 as expected top teams Davidson, Dayton, Loyola Chicago, Saint Louis and VCU all play each other twice, opening up a host of potential Q1 and Q2 games. (Let’s be honest: If at least 3 A-10 teams aren’t dancing, something went awry.)

In all, it’s 135 league games, 79 of which are nationally televised on ESPN, CBS Sports or NBC Sports. (Keep those streaming guides handy, too.)

Individual games of note:

• League newbie Loyola Chicago opens conference play (and the New Year!) on Dec. 31 against George Washington.

• The Capital City Classic gets the Friday Night treatment twice! Richmond and VCU play on Jan. 20 and on Feb. 24.

• UMass-Rhode Island added some spice to their rivalry with two new coaches. Archie Miller and Frank Martin face off twice; Jan. 14 and Feb. 18, the latter of which is on ESPN.

• New coaches Matt McKillop (Davidson) and Keith Urgo (Fordham) make their league debuts against each other on Dec. 28.

• There are two MLK Day games (so you don’t automatically have to watch the NBA): GW at George Mason and St. Joe’s at La Salle.

There’s much, much more, but we only have so much room. The complete schedule can be found here.

3. That’s a Power-ful recruiting class

Another day, another 5-star recruit commits to Duke. What else is new?

T.J. Power, one of the summer standouts on the Nike EYBL Circuit, announced Wednesday he’s headed to Durham. He’s the fifth 5-star prospect in the Devils’ 2023 class that sits atop the overall class rankings and comes on the heels of their 7-player class of 2022 which has four 5-stars.*

Does it make Jon Scheyer the best recruiter in college hoops? That’s a conversation for another time. Let’s focus on Power.

The 6-8 forward out of Massachusetts is seen as a late-bloomer who was once a lock for Boston College. But the fifth-year senior — who’s older than some 2022 college freshmen — improved his overall game and in particular his 3-point shooting. He’s capable of grabbing a rebound and starting the break, or filling the wing and finishing it. He’s also going to try and play baseball at Duke, so that’s fun.

How he fits in with the rest of Duke’s roster will be interesting as well. Mackenzie Mgbako and Sean Stewart also project as stretch 4s, and it’s not a given that every member of the 2022 class is a one-and-done player. Could the frontcourt be a little too crowded?

Guess we’ll see if Scheyer’s recruiting ability translates to roster management.

*Of note, especially for Kentucky fans: John Calipari had two recruiting classes with six 5-star prospects.

4. Save the date for the Williamses

Curtis Williams is a 6-6 wing who’s ranked 69 overall in the 247 rankings composite. Brandon Williams in a 6-7 wing who’s ranked 88th.

Curtis, a Michigan native, is choosing from Alabama, Florida State, Providence and Xavier. Brandon, from New York, is picking between UCLA and St. John’s.

Both will reportedly announce on Sept. 19.

Also fun? UCLA already has a 2023 Williams commit.

More recruiting news from Wednesday:

• Akil Watson, a 4-star power forward in the class of 2023, will head to Arizona State.

• Rodney Brown de-committed from Cal over the weekend. The Top 150 senior says he’d like to visit Arizona, Gonzaga, Tennessee and USC.

• Three-star prospect Chase Clemmons won’t head to Nebraska in 2023.

• Georgia Southern landed 6-9 forward Avantae Parker.

• Youngstown State added 6-4 guard Anthony Breland.

5. Big 12 ‘going out west’

New Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark told reporters Wednesday that the league would love to add a team in the Pacific Time zone, giving it at least one school in all four time zones. Not sure that criteria does much other than create taxing windows for student-athletes and fans, but it’s something.

Yormark then got aspirational: “A program that has national recognition, one that competes at the highest level in basketball and football, stands for the right things, is a good cultural fit.”

Oregon. Definitely Oregon. Or is it San Diego State? Maybe Washington, if it’s 2019…

THE FAST BREAK

Links as you make those last-minute lineup adjustments.

• An ESPN executive says it has “every incentive in the world” to help the ACC make money.

• Southern Utah hired ex-Michigan State guard Tum Tum Nairn as an assistant. Coached Sunrise Academy and MoKan Elite this last year.

• HDI, a college hoops analytics company, will provide proprietary data to the SEC to help optimize non-league schedules.

• A random news nugget: A woman was arrested outside of John Calipari’s house, but police say it wasn’t about him or his family.

Thanks for reading the Field of 68 Daily! Be sure to share this with your friends!

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

One-stop shop to search, ID and book your golf trip

Search through 40+ golf resort partners to find the perfect location for your next golf trip, based on pricing, location, weather, social options, resort details, golf course details, lodging accommodations and more. Learn more!

ALSO BROUGHT TO YOU BY

2.6 million people wake up to this newsletter

There's a reason over millions start their day with Morning Brew — the daily email that delivers the latest news from Wall Street to Silicon Valley. Business news doesn't have to be dry and dense...make your mornings more enjoyable, for free. Check it out!

To sponsor a future Field of 68 Daily newsletter, please connect with us here. For article ideas, newsletter feedback, tips and more, shoot us a note at [email protected].