A little after 11:30 p.m. ET on a Friday night is not the perfect time for a high-profile college basketball game to tip. We can all agree on that. But, in the opening week of the season, you take great matchups however you can get them. So if we have to stay awake later than usual to see the end of Villanova-UCLA, we'll just have to stay awake later than usual to see the end of Villanova-UCLA because the alternative would be to miss this season's first top-five matchup, an on-campus showdown between two of the sport's signature programs.
Only eight schools have won at least three national titles.
UCLA and Villanova are two of them.
"It's going to be a great event," UCLA coach Mick Cronin said on The Jim Rome Show earlier this week. "If we lose, I'm going to wonder, 'Why the hell did I schedule Villanova?' But at the end of the day, we're all about March — and this game will make you better, win or lose."
Both UCLA and Villanova opened with blowout victories on Tuesday — but the Bruins' win wasn't all good news. In the process, they lost Cody Riley to a sprained knee that will keep him sidelined until at least next week (and possibly longer). The 6-foot-9 forward started 31 games last season and averaged 10.0 points and 5.4 rebounds. So his absence is far from inconsequential and will make beating a Villanova team led by Collin Gillespie and Justin Moore — the latter of whom finished with 27 points and seven assists in the season-opener — that much more difficult.
UCLA is No. 2 in Friday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Villanova is No. 5. You can watch the game on ESPN2.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Chet Holmgren finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds, seven blocks and six assists in Tuesday's 97-63 win over Dixie State. The Zags' next game is Saturday against Texas. | -- | 27-8 |
| 2 |  | Johnny Juzang finished with 19 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 95-58 win over CSU Bakersfield. The Bruins' next game is Friday against Villanova. | -- | 16-17 |
| 3 |  | Marcus Carr finished with 10 points, seven assists and three rebounds in Tuesday's 92-48 victory over Houston Baptist. The Longhorns' next game is Saturday at Gonzaga. | -- | 21-13 |
| 4 |  | Ochai Agbaji finished with 29 points on 17 shots in Tuesday's 87-74 victory over Michigan State. The Jayhawks' next game is Friday against Tarleton State. | -- | 23-11 |
| 5 |  | Justin Moore made six 3-pointers and finished with 27 points in Tuesday's 91-51 victory over Mount St. Mary's. The Wildcats' next game is Friday at UCLA. | -- | 18-16 |
| 6 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 27 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 88-76 victory over Buffalo. The Wolverines' next game is Saturday against Prairie View A&M. | -- | 8-24 |
| 7 |  | Emoni Bates finished with 17 points, four assists and four rebounds in Tuesday's 89-65 win over Tennessee Tech. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against North Carolina Central. | -- | 22-10 |
| 8 |  | Paolo Banchero finished with 22 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 79-71 victory over Kentucky. The Blue Devils' next game is Friday against Army. | -- | 27-9 |
| 9 |  | The Bears lost four starters from their team that won the national championship but should remain near the top of the Big 12 thanks to the return of Adam Flagler, Matthew Mayer and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, and the enrollment of five-star wing Kendall Brown and Arizona transfer James Akinjo. Baylor opens the season Friday against Incarnate Word. | -- | 24-11 |
| 10 |  | Chris Lykes got 16 points off the bench in Tuesday's 74-61 win over Mercer. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday against Gardner Webb. | -- | 16-17 |
| 11 |  | Zach Edey finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday's 96-67 win over Bellarmine. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against Indiana State. | -- | 34-5 |
| 12 |  | Keon Ellis finished with 18 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday's 93-64 win over Louisiana Tech. The Crimson Tide's next game is Friday against South Dakota State. | -- | 25-12 |
| 13 |  | Marcus Sasser finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 83-75 overtime victory over Hofstra. The Cougars' next game is Friday against Rice. | -- | 32-5 |
| 14 |  | UK allowed Duke to shoot 52.8% from the field in Tuesday's loss to the Blue Devils. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Robert Morris. | -- | 23-10 |
| 15 |  | Caleb Love and Brady Manek combined for 42 points in Tuesday's 83-67 victory over Loyola Maryland. The Tar Heels' next game is Friday against Brown. | -- | 29-8 |
| 16 |  | Will Richardson finished with 20 points and four assists in Tuesday's 83-66 win over Texas Southern. The Ducks' next game is Friday against SMU. | -- | 24-12 |
| 17 |  | Jacob Grandison went 7-of-10 from the field and finished with 20 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 71-47 victory over Jackson State. The Illini's next game is Friday against Arkansas State. | -- | 29-9 |
| 18 |  | E.J. Liddell finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in Tuesday's 67-66 victory over Akron. The Buckeyes' next game is Friday against Niagara. | -- | 22-14 |
| 19 |  | Malik Osborne finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds in Wednesday's 105-70 win over Penn. The Seminoles' next game is Sunday against Florida. | -- | 17-16 |
| 20 |  | Kennedy Chandler finished 7-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-4 from three, in Tuesday's 90-62 victory over UT Martin. The Vols' next game is Sunday against East Tennessee State. | -- | 27-9 |
| 21 |  | Qudus Wahab finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds in Thursday's 71-64 victory over George Washington. Maryland's next game is Saturday against Vermont. | -- | 16-17 |
| 22 |  | Wendell Green Jr. made three 3-pointers and finished with 19 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 77-54 win over Morehead State. The Tigers' next game is Friday against Louisiana Monroe. | -- | 27-8 |
| 23 |  | Adama Sanogo took 11 shots, made nine of them and finished with 20 points and five rebounds in UConn's 99-48 win over Central Connecticut. The Huskies' next game is Saturday against Coppin State. | -- | 37-3 |
| 24 |  | Kyle Lofton finished with 17 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 75-47 victory over Siena. The Bonnies' next game is Sunday against Canisius. | -- | 20-13 |
| 25 |  | Justyn Mutts finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists in Tuesday's 82-47 win over Maine. The Hokies' next game is Friday against Navy. | -- | 19-15 |
| 26 |  | Boogie Ellis went 9-of-11 from the field and finished with 20 points in Tuesday's 89-49 victory over CSU Northridge. The Trojans' next game is Saturday against Temple. | -- | 15-18 |
