At long last, it is November, which means college basketball makes its glorious return into our lives.

As was the case last year, the first game of the 2024-25 men's college basketball season belongs to IU Indy, tipping off against IU Columbus at 11 a.m. ET this coming Monday. (Though, it's the Baylor-Gonzaga game 12.5 hours later that we're all jazzed about.) It is the first of around 6,000 games that will transpire before the next national champion is crowned.

But that journey begins with way more burning questions than answers.

Questions like:

• Is a three-peat looming for the UConn Huskies?
• Can Cooper Flagg possibly live up to the hype at Duke?
• How about the pair of freshman stars at...*checks notes*...Rutgers?
• And will it take longer to get used to seeing Texas in the SEC or John Calipari at Arkansas?

Let's open with a pair of questions that actually can be answered as we ramp up for opening day and all of the big storylines that come with it.

Which Teams Are in Which Conferences Now?

The college football fans in the crowd have already gotten at least somewhat comfortable with this brave new world, but let's touch on where everyone landed after the splintering of the Pac-12.

Atlantic Coast Conference: Added SMU, California and Stanford

Neither Cal nor Stanford will need to go all the way up to Boston College or all the way down to Miami until at least next season, but those two West Coast schools joining the ACC are definitely the biggest part of this nationwide shuffle that will take some getting used to.

If KenPom's preseason projections are right, though, the Golden Bears and Cardinal are far more likely to battle each other for last place in the ACC than they are to vie for a crown in their first season. SMU could be a factor, but the Mustangs aren't exactly expected to make the NCAA tournament for what would be the first time since 2017.

(SMU leaving the American was the lone change to that conference, shifting from a 14-team league to 13 teams.)

Big Ten Conference: Added Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington

After a decade at 14 teams, the Big Ten adds a few more notches to its belt as a now robust 18-team league. And good luck trying to predict the order in which they'll finish this season. The odds aren't quite as long as your 1-in-9.2 quintillion shot at a perfect bracket, but there are slightly more than 6.4 trillion ways this league could be ordered from No. 1 through No. 18, the vast majority of which are at least plausible. The entire league is ranked nationally in the Nos. 23-63 range by KenPom, save for Purdue (10th) as the favorite and Washington (76th) as the least likely champ.

Big 12 Conference: Added Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah; Lost Oklahoma and Texas

At least these additions make sense geographically, and the acquisition of Arizona makes an already loaded conference even more of a threat to win a title. In addition to the Wildcats, Kansas, Houston, Iowa State and Baylor are top 10 in the preseason AP poll. Cincinnati checks in at No. 20. Texas Tech, BYU and Kansas State didn't miss being ranked by much. There's now a little more "cannon fodder" than usual at the bottom of the league, but maybe Arizona State, Colorado and/or Utah will surprise us in their first season in the Big 12, like BYU did last year.

Southeastern Conference: Added Oklahoma and Texas

The two-pronged move that set this whole train in motion, Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC came together seemingly in a hurry during the summer of 2021, and now it is finally a reality. Both teams might be good enough to go dancing—Texas more likely than Oklahoma—and could turn the SEC into a 10-bid league.

West Coast Conference: Added Oregon State and Washington State

Arguably the funniest/saddest part of the Pac-12 dissolving was these two schools getting left in the lurch before landing in the WCC—where they still aren't projected to be a legitimate contender for a conference title. The WCC media poll has Washington State finishing in fifth place with Oregon State in seventh, both looking up at Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, Santa Clara and San Francisco.

The Beavers and Cougars won't be here for long, though, with more realignment coming our way in a few years when Gonzaga and five Mountain West teams will join OSU and WSU in the reanimated Pac-12.

Other Changes

Atlantic Sun Conference: Added West Georgia (from D-II); Lost Kennesaw State

Conference USA: Added Kennesaw State

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference: Added Merrimack and Sacred Heart

Northeast Conference: Added Mercyhurst (from D-II) and Chicago State; Lost Merrimack and Sacred Heart

Southland Conference: Added Stephen F. Austin and UT Rio Grande Valley

Western Athletic Conference: Lost Stephen F. Austin and UT Rio Grande Valley

When Does John Calipari Face Kentucky?

Chris Beard going from Texas Tech to Texas in 2021 was a big coaching change with a lot of feelings hurt and even more security needed when he made his first trip back to Lubbock with the Longhorns.

Ed Cooley leaving Providence for the Georgetown job two springs ago was even more of a stunner, with no love lost when the Friars hosted the Hoyas at The Dunk Amica Mutual Pavilion this past January.

Well, buckle up for Feb. 1, when John Calipari will make his less-than-triumphant return to Kentucky's Rupp Arena.

In case you forgot or somehow missed it altogether, Calipari hijacked Final Four weekend, with news of his impending departure from Kentucky breaking less than 24 hours before the national championship between Connecticut and Purdue.

To a significant chunk of Big Blue Nation, it was most welcome news. Calipari had won just one game in the NCAA tournament since last reaching the Sweet 16 in 2019, and fans were fed up with—after reaching four Final Fours within his first six seasons—his inability to win in March despite producing multiple draft picks in every single year at the helm.

All the same, it was shocking for it to come out of seemingly nowhere, just two weeks after Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart said that Calipari would be returning for a 16th season.

In the blink of an eye, the Arkansas-Kentucky rivalry from the 1990s was reignited, with that lone regular season showdown likely to be the most anticipated game of the entire year.

It's just a shame the schedule makers didn't save it until a little bit later. Putting that game on February 10 instead of February 1 would've been one heck of a way to welcome in the folks who wait until after the Super Bowl to start paying attention to college hoops.

Putting it on Valentine's Day might have been even better.

Regardless, what a slobberknocker that one is going to be.

Can UConn Go Back-to-Back-to-Back?

Kentucky came calling.

The Los Angeles Lakers did, too.

But Dan Hurley rebuffed their offers, opting to stay at Connecticut for a chance to do the seemingly impossible: Win three consecutive national championships in men's college basketball.

After Florida went back-to-back in 2006-07, the Gators had nothing left in the tank for 2008, missing the NCAA tournament with a 21-11 record.

Before that, Duke was the most recent repeat champ in 1991-92. And though the Blue Devils—with Hurley's brother, Bobby, running the point—did secure a No. 3 seed in 1993, they were bounced in the second round by Jason Kidd and the Cal Golden Bears.

But could the Huskies do what hasn't been done since the days of John Wooden coaching Bill Walton at UCLA in the early 1970s?

It'll largely be a different cast of characters from the one that dismantled Zach Edey and Purdue in April, but a plenty capable one.

Four of last year's primary starters are gone, yet Alex Karaban returns as a borderline first-team All-American. In fact, five of the nine leading scorers are back. And to that nucleus, they've added 5-star freshman Liam McNeeley, top-100 recruits Ahmad Nowell and Isaiah Abraham and transfers Aidan Mahaney (Saint Mary's) and Tarris Reed Jr. (Michigan).

Most importantly, though, they still have Hurley and his entire coaching staff, which probably should have been reason enough for them to land at No. 1 in the preseason AP poll.

Instead, the reigning, reigning champions ended up at No. 3, receiving just 11 out of a possible 60 first-place votes.

Two voters even put the Huskies all the way down at No. 10 on their ballots, giving an incredible amount of bulletin-board material to a coach who doesn't even need it.

Is All This Cooper Flagg Hype Justified?

Hyperbole always runs rampant in the preseason, particularly when it comes to the topic of highest-rated recruits and potential No. 1 draft picks.

With Cooper Flagg, though, the before-he-even-plays-a-college-game hype machine has shifted into a gear not seen since...what?

Ben Simmons in 2015?

Andrew Wiggins in 2013?

Maybe Kevin Durant in 2006?

Fueled at least in some small part by last year's freshman class being so inescapably uninspiring, the legend of this potential generational superstar has been growing for years.

#CaptureTheFlagg is already trending on a nightly basis among NBA fans feeling destined for a spot in the lottery.

It's easy to see why, though.

The 17-year-old, 6'9" phenom does it all. He's an elite defender, an angry dunker, a willing passer, a tenacious rebounder, a rangy shooter and exactly the type of positionless talent with length that makes draft scouts salivate uncontrollably.

Maybe he won't average 20 points or four blocks per game on a Duke team that should have no problem running 10 deep on most nights. In that exhibition desolation of Arizona State that went viral last week, he only had nine points and didn't block a shot.

He could be that type of NPOY star, though, particularly later in the season once he has acclimated to the college game and once it has become abundantly clear that he is their best option—similar to how the lone year in the NCAA played out for Brandon Ingram and Jayson Tatum of somewhat recent Duke lore.

You're going to want to watch Flagg on opening night against Maine. And again against Kentucky, Arizona and Kansas before we even get to Thanksgiving. Even if you're hate-watching because he's a Dukie, gorge yourself on what could be all-time greatness. Because he'll be gone before you know it.

Aside from Cooper Flagg, Who Are the Wooden Award Hopefuls?

While Flagg is the barely-old-enough-to-drive sensation everyone is excited to watch, old men figure to otherwise rule the national roost in what will be the final season substantially impacted by that blanket free year of eligibility from the 2020-21 campaign.

Under normal, pre-COVID circumstances, guys like Mark Sears, R.J. Davis, Hunter Dickinson, Caleb Love and Johni Broome who have already played in more than 125 games and scored over 2,000 points in their college careers would be donezo. However, those five (along with many, many others) exercised their right to a fifth season and will enter 2024-25 among the favorites to be named National Player of the Year.

Of the bunch, only Davis was a consensus first-team All-American last season, averaging 21.2 points per game for a North Carolina team that earned a No. 1 seed. He has gotten better with each passing year, and it's a bit scary to think about what he could accomplish this season if that trend continues.

Both Sears and Dickinson were consensus second-team AA's, and both are very strong candidates for NPOY this year as the leaders of the two teams sitting atop the preseason AP poll.

Alabama's point guard was incredible last season, averaging 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 44 percent from distance. He scored at least 22 points in nine of their final 10 games, setting the pace in their unexpected run to the Final Four.

Meanwhile, Kansas' big man averaged a double-double (17.9 PPG, 10.9 RPG), bringing his career totals to 2,208 points and 1,148 rebounds. Thanks to the bonus year, there's a good chance he'll become just the third player to ever record at least 2,500 points and 1,500 rebounds, joining Elvin Hayes (1966-68) and Dickie Hemric (1952-55) on that list.

Love and Broome were consensus third-team All-Americans and are a bit less likely to be named NPOY this year, but they're certainly viable candidates.

Love is the hot-and-cold, polarizing leader of Arizona, and good things tend to happen when he's feeling it from three-point range. Auburn's Broome is right there with Dickinson as a 2,500/1,500 candidate with 2,029 points and 1,205 rebounds in his career. And with Arizona and Auburn practically tied at 10th in the AP poll, either one could be the star of the nation's best team.

Also, let's not forget about Ryan Kalkbrenner. He's a few hundred points shy of the 2K club, but Creighton's fifth-year senior big man racked up more than 600 points and more than 100 blocks last season. He is both literally and figuratively the biggest threat to Connecticut repeating as Big East champs, and a strong candidate for the Wooden Award.

What About the Star Transfers?

Though the top tier of the preseason Wooden Watch consists of one freshman and six graduate seniors who are back with the same team as last season, rest assured that the transfer portal remains very much alive and well.

Per Verbal Commits, 2,066 players entered the portal—a staggering 20 percent increase from the previous year's mark of 1,724. Not all of them actually transferred or went to a D-I school if they did move, but at least half of them did, resulting in all sorts of key old faces in new places.

Probably the most noteworthy of the bunch—in part because it was a same-conference swap from Seton Hall to St. John's—is Kadary Richmond. As lead guard of the Pirates last season, he averaged 15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game, leading the team in all four categories. But now he'll be the star of the show for Rick Pitino, headlining a list of Red Storm arrivals which also includes Deivon Smith (Utah), Vincent Iwuchukwu (USC) and Aaron Scott (North Texas).

John Calipari took a whole bunch of players with him from Kentucky to Arkansas, including D.J. Wagner. He also got big man Jonas Aidoo from Tennessee. But the one that could have NPOY ramifications was Johnell Davis going from Florida Atlantic to the Razorbacks. He ranked fourth in the AAC in scoring last season and figures to be the go-to guy in that dribble-drive offense.

Another noteworthy same-conference and from-the-AAC transfer is PJ Haggerty, who was Mr. Everything for Tulsa before taking his talents to Memphis. He won't be nearly the same one-man show in his new home, but it might be up to him to save Penny Hardaway's job.

Baylor reloaded via former ACC players, adding both Jeremy Roach (Duke) and Norchad Omier (Miami). Kansas also loaded up courtesy of the portal, opening the year at No. 1 thanks in no small part to its additions of AJ Storr (Wisconsin), Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State) and Rylan Griffin (Alabama).

But the biggest one might be Robbie Avila, joining head coach Josh Schertz in the move from Indiana State to Saint Louis. The Billikens haven't been relevant in a while, last winning an NCAA tournament game in 2014. "Cream Abdul-Jabbar" was one of eight transfer additions to the roster, though, and a real threat for some NPOY love if Saint Louis matters in the slightest.

Who Are This Year's Michigan State and Iowa State?

Two years ago, the preseason No. 1 team (North Carolina) missed the NCAA tournament altogether, while both the eventual national champion (Connecticut) and a No. 1 seed (Purdue) were left out of the preseason AP Top 25.

There was nothing quite that drastic last year, but we did watch the preseason No. 4 team (Michigan State) flirt with missing the dance, while initially unranked Iowa State ended the year where Sparty began it.

So, who ends up being this year's colossal disappointment? And who are we drastically underrating at the outset?

On the "could sink like a lead balloon" front, it might be the No. 4 team once again.

Kelvin Sampson has given us every reason to simply presume that Houston will be very good, going 208-39 overall (.842 win percentage) over the past seven seasons, finishing each year as a ranked team. Upgrading from the AAC to the Big 12 last year did nothing whatsoever to break the Cougars' stride.

Jamal Shead was a bad, bad man, though, and that's a big, big void to fill. It should work out with Oklahoma transfer Milos Uzan becoming the primary ball-handler, with both JoJo Tugler and Terrance Arceneaux taking on bigger roles and with that always elite defense setting the tone night in and night out. But prolonged offensive cold spells were already an issue for the Cougars, and that plausibly get worse to a problematic degree.

At the other end of the spectrum, where is the love for Wake Forest?

Hunter Sallis is on the short list of strong candidates for National Player of the Year. He is one of three returning starters for the Demon Deacons, along with Cameron Hildreth and Efton Reid. And they are loaded with new pieces who could play huge roles, perhaps most notable among them Omaha Biliew, who, like Sallis, was a 5-star recruit who barely got any playing time prior to transferring to Winston-Salem. If he can deliver on that potential with Wake Forest, the Deacs should win an NCAA tournament game for the first time since 2010.

Only seven of the 60 AP voters had Wake Forest on their initial ballots. Should have been way more than that.

How Is It Possible We've Made It This Far Without Even Mentioning Rutgers?

You have to go all the way back to 1979 to find the last time that Rutgers either finished a season ranked in the AP poll or advanced at least as far as the Sweet 16, doing both of those things 46 seasons ago.

It has also been more than three decades since the Scarlet Knights won either a regular-season or conference tournament title, last doing so as a member of the A-10 in 1991.

So, yeah, national preseason content devoid of any mention of Rutgers is usually the way it goes.

Not this year, though, with Steve Pikiell shocking the world in getting both the No. 2 and No. 3 overall recruits in this year's class to spend one winter in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Those top challengers to Cooper Flagg for National Freshman of the Year and No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft are Airious "Ace" Bailey and Dylan Harper.

The latter landing at Rutgers at least made some sense. Not only was Harper born and raised in New Jersey, but his older brother, Ron Harper Jr., had quite the four-year run with Rutgers, eclipsing 1,500 career points while leading the Scarlet Knights to two NCAA tournament appearances.

Had Dylan been merely the 60th-best recruit in the country, there would have been a reasonable expectation that he go to Rutgers and still become the highest-rated recruit the program has signed in the 247 Sports era.

However, for the third-best player in this year's freshman class to spurn offers from the likes of Duke, Kansas, Indiana and UCLA to stay close to home was shocking.

Not quite as shocking as Bailey, though, who was born in Tennessee, was playing high school ball in Georgia and had offers from Kansas, Kentucky and plenty of other high-major programs before picking Rutgers out of seemingly nowhere. And it was Bailey who convinced Harper to take that unorthodox route to the NBA, making his decision nearly 11 months before Harper did.

Now we wait to see how it pans out for them, and whether it sparks a trend in future years.

Because beyond that dynamic duo, question marks abound at Rutgers.

Eleven players scored at least 25 total points last season for a 15-17 Scarlet Knights team, but only two of them (Jamichael Davis and Jeremiah Williams) are back. Pikiell did snag a pair of intriguing up-transfers in Tyson Acuff (21.7 PPG at Eastern Michigan) and Jordan Derkack (17.0 PPG at Merrimack). Those four and big man Emmanuel Ogbole figure to be the primary supporting cast around Harper and Bailey, but will it be enough?

Rutgers will open the year at No. 25 in the AP poll because of the freshmen firepower, and circle Nov. 27 on your calendars. That's when the Scarlet Knights will square off with No. 2 Alabama at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas—followed three days later by a "championship day" matchup with potentially No. 4 Houston, No. 13 Texas A&M or No. 15 Creighton. Will be a fun early glimpse of this team's ceiling.

Whose House Are We All Meeting at on December 14?

Between finals and winter break, mid-December used to be a wasteland on the college hoops schedule, mostly consisting of buy games and bye weeks.

At some point in the past few years, however, some key decision makers finally recognized and decided to take advantage of a colossal hole in the sports calendar: the Saturday after championship week in college football; before the start of bowl games and before the NFL begins throwing a couple of its games on Saturday every week.

This year, that date is December 14.

And if you make any plans for that day aside from watching college basketball, you're probably going to regret it.

There will be four games that day between teams in the preseason AP Top 25:

• No. 13 Texas A&M @ No. 14 Purdue (Noon ET)
• No. 22 UCLA @ No. 10 Arizona (3 p.m. ET)
• No. 6 Gonzaga vs. No. 3 Connecticut (8 p.m. ET)
• No. 15 Creighton @ No. 2 Alabama (8:30 p.m. ET)

If you count the Coaches Poll where Illinois is No. 24, there's also a fifth game with No. 12 Tennessee at No. 24 Illinois, nestled beautifully in the middle of that schedule at 5:30 p.m. ET.

That's just the tip of the iceberg, too.

There are also a bunch of huge rivalries on tap—Xavier-Cincinnati at 2:00 p.m., Georgetown-Syracuse at 2:30 p.m., Seton Hall-Rutgers at 3:00 p.m., Louisville-Kentucky at 5:15 p.m., Oklahoma-Oklahoma State at 8:00 p.m.—and close to a dozen other matchups that would be easily top-three viewing options on just about any other day in December.

Reserve one screen for the Army-Navy football game if you must, but December 14 is going to be Hoops Heaven; a glorious bridge connecting the chaos of all those late-November multi-team events (Battle 4 Atlantis, Maui Invitational, Players Era Festival, etc., etc.) with the New Year when conference play is in full swing across the country.

There will be plenty of entertainment in the six weeks between now and 12/14, but start preparing yourself for what should be the best day of the entire regular season.