10 non-Champions Classic games to follow on college basketball’s opening night

College basketball’s 2019-20 season tips off Tuesday night and all eyes will be on Madison Square Garden, where No. 3 Kansas will take on No. 4 Duke before No. 1 Michigan State squares off against No. 2 Kentucky in the nightcap.

While the action in New York will (understandably) demand the most attention from sports fans on college basketball’s opening night, the Champions Classic doubleheader isn’t the only show in town. Here are 10 other games to keep an eye on Tuesday (all times ET):

Central Arkansas at No. 16 Baylor (Noon/ESPN+)

It’s Bears vs. Bears to kick off the season at noon on the East Coast, and 11 a.m. where the game is actually being played. Of particular note here is the return of Baylor’s Tristan Clark, who was phenomenal a year ago before a season-ending knee injury on Jan. 8 capped his sophomore year at just 14 games. He scored in double-figures in 11 of those 14 games and was leading the nation in field goal percentage (73.7 percent) at the time of his injury.

No. 5 Louisville at Miami (6:30 p.m./ACC Network)

The top four teams in the country are playing a double-header inside Madison Square Garden Tuesday night. No. 5 is opening its season with a conference game on the road. Both teams are a little banged up going into this one, but don’t be surprised if Chris Lykes and company give the Cardinals all they can handle on night one.

Wagner at No. 12 Seton Hall (6:30 p.m./FS1)

Wagner is picked to be a top-four team in the Northeast Conference this season, but this one is all about the Pirates and Myles Powell kicking off his 2019-20 national Player of the Year campaign.

Virginia Tech at Clemson (7 p.m./ESPNU)

One of three ACC league games on opening night features Mike Young making his Virginia Tech coaching debut against Brad Brownell and Clemson. The Hokies are expected to take a sizable step backwards after last season’s Sweet 16 run and the departure of Buzz Williams, while Clemson is a team that boasts a promising core, but has already been bitten significantly by the injury bug.

Army at No. 10 Villanova (8:30 p.m./FS1)

After a disappointing (relative to their standards) 2018-19 season, Villanova enters 2019-20 as one of the most intriguing teams in the country. Jay Wright has a lot of similar pieces to work with, but there’s not much clarity as far as how he’s going to utilize them. The answers to all those questions begin to take shape Tuesday night.

Georgia Tech at NC State (8:30 p.m./ACC Network)

Georgia Tech has experience and some talent, but it also has to play this entire season with the knowledge that it’s banned from participating in the 2020 postseason. NC State seems like one of the teams in the ACC best-equipped to compete with the top tier of Duke, Louisville, North Carolina and Virginia, but star point guard Markell Johnson is reportedly dealing with an ankle injury.

Fresno State at No. 15 Oregon (9 p.m./Pac-12 Network)

Oregon was a massive disappointment for most of last season. Then, the Ducks found their stride at the end of the regular season, got even hotter and won the Pac-12 tournament, then used that momentum to crash the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years. The “ups” with this year’s loaded Oregon squad figure to be more prevalent and consistent than they were a year ago.

No. 20 Saint Mary’s vs. Wisconsin (9 p.m./ESPNU)

Randy Bennett has seen and heard all of your complaints about the way Saint Mary’s schedules during the non-conference portion of the season. You see this? You see that he’s playing Wisconsin in GD Sioux Falls on night one? Randy Bennett hopes you’re happy.

Georgia Southern at No. 24 Auburn (9 p.m./SEC Network)

Can Bruce Pearl ensure that Auburn is a perennial threat to make the Final Four and not just a flash in the pan? That process continues Tuesday evening on the SEC Network.

Utah at Nevada (10:30 p.m./CBS Sports Network)

Michigan State-Kentucky should be wrapping up just as this one is getting ready for the second half to tip off. That half should be the perfect come down for college basketball junkies trying not to OD on the first night.