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Welcome one and all to the 2023-24 college basketball season. Stars and storylines abound on the men's and women's side of the sport this year in one of the most highly anticipated seasons in recent memory. On the men's side, two teams with a lot of excitement open up their season against each other tonight in Las Vegas: USC and Kansas State.
Kansas State could have been one of last year's many NCAA tournament Cinderella stories, making it all the way to the Elite Eight if not for the fact that, as a 3-seed, they were the highest remaining seed left by that time. While they've lost some talent from that team, their expectations will still be high. And speaking of high expectations, Bronny James is set to make his debut at USC and lead a very exciting #21 ranked Trojans. Here's all your info on how to watch USC vs. Kansas State.
USC vs. Kansas State: How to watch
The college basketball opener for both USC and Kansas State will be broadcast on TNT. Throughout the season, many of the sport's biggest games will be on ESPN, CBS, and Turner Networks. And the NCAA tournament on the men's side continues to be broadcast through the CBS/Turner partnership. So, in keeping with that, TNT gets one of the most anticipated opening games of the men's college basketball season. If you cannot access TNT, you can watch and stream via fuboTV at no additional charge.
Date: Monday, November 6, 10:00 p.m. EST
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
T.V. channel: TNT | Live stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)
FanDuel Odds: USC -2.5 | O/U 145.5
USC storylines
Bronny James was always going to be the talk of the town in Los Angeles. Because of his father, he'll always have an incredible amount of hype attached to his name. But after his medical emergency earlier this year, it'll be a little longer before he takes the court. But USC fans have plenty to be excited about as well. Isaiah Collier, the five-star projected lottery pick, is set to make his debut tonight as well. USC has the world to be excited about with this year's team. And fans should be thrilled to watch them take the court tonight.
But if there are lessons to be learned in the wake of the chaos surrounding James' health this summer and the wider landscape of basketball in general, it's that nothing is guaranteed, and it all requires a lot of care and patience. Basketball is a sport prone to hyperbole, projections, and overreactions. And all that matters is this team taking a step forward towards peaking in March. Incidentally, exactly like their opponents did it last year.
Kansas State storylines
Kansas State's offseason has also been chaotic, to say the least. The biggest story is senior forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin's arrest for disorderly conduct a week ago. And his subsequent indefinite suspension from the team. Tomlin was a key cog in the team that fell three points short of a Final Four appearance. Last year's NCAA Tournament star, Markquis Nowell, is in the NBA. The Wildcats, like every college basketball team, face tall tasks to rebuild and replace the production they lost over the summer. Who will step up in the absence of Nowell? How will the team respond in the wake of Tomlin's suspension? Kansas State may be in an identity crisis to start the year. No one could blame them if they were. But maybe they'll show up, proving why they were so good last year instead.
