Starting 5: Top 2022-23 games to watch for Indiana college basketball's Division I teams

The college basketball season officially tips off Nov. 7, and Indiana has a new, 11th school playing Division I hoops (welcome, Southern Indiana). In preparation of the 2022-23 season, we asked reporters across the USA TODAY Network's Indiana newspapers five questions about the teams they cover. We will publish one each day this week.

STARTING 5 SCHEDULE

Monday: Potential breakout players

Tuesday: Newcomers to watch

Wednesday: Biggest concern

Thursday: Best-case scenario

Friday: Game I'm most looking forward to

Ball State

Dec. 17 against Illinois State at Gainbridge Fieldhouse as part of the Indy Classic. The new downtown Indianapolis event will replace the Crossroads Classic, which featured games between Butler, Indiana, Notre Dame and Purdue for more than a decade. Now, it's Ball State's turn to get in on the fun. Illinois State embarrassed Ball State last season, leading by as many as 30 points in an eventual 85-64 defeat. Outside of a trip to the Bahamas, the rest of Ball State's nonconference schedule includes games against the likes of Earlham, IU-South Bend, Duquesne and Chicago State. I'll take a Missouri Valley team inside an NBA arena. It should be a good measuring stick game for Ball State. — Robby General

More:For Michael Lewis, it's a matter of when, not if, Ball State will return to NCAA tournament

Butler

Gonna pick two early ones: Butler vs. No. 11 Tennessee at Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 22) and at No. 9 Creighton (Dec. 22).

These games should signal how good, or bad, this team is. Butler will play BYU or Southern California in the second game in the Bahamas. No. 5 Kansas is on the other side of the Atlantis bracket.

After the Dec. 17 Big East opener against Connecticut at Hinkle Fieldhouse, the Bulldogs travel to Omaha. They have played horribly there, losing seven in a row. On the other hand, as bad a season as they had, they lost at Creighton just 54-52 last Feb. 8. Chuck Harris was limited to one point, and it’s hard to envision a reoccurrence of that. — David Woods, IndyStar

More:Not much is expected of Butler in 2022-23. Thad Matta's job? 'Make them better'

Evansville

As someone who is from the suburbs of St. Louis, I'd be foolish to not say the Aces' road trip against the Billikens on Nov. 12. Stepping aside from the personal reasons this game will be fun, SLU is likely the best opponent on UE's schedule, with most pundits having the Billikens in or near the Top 25.

Going into what should be a hostile environment at Chaifetz Arena against one of the better teams in the country should give first-year coach David Ragland and UE a good measuring of where they stand. — Anthony Kristensen, Courier & Press

More:5 things to know about Evansville men's basketball

Indiana

Indiana plays some heavy hitters this season in the nonconference, including Kansas in Lawrence and Arizona in Las Vegas. But if the Hoosiers really have restored themselves among college basketball’s best 12-15 teams, there won’t be a moment that proves it quite like the scene at Assembly Hall Nov. 30, when North Carolina comes to town. The game will be rife with storylines, from Trayce Jackson-Davis vs. Armando Bacot, to dueling second-year alumni coaches, to conference favorites squaring off in the marquee matchup of this year’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The atmosphere figures to be electric, and for Indiana, the test — seeing off a Final Four contender and protecting home court — could be tremendously revealing. — Zach Osterman, IndyStar

Indiana State

Nov. 30 against Drake. The Sycamores open conference play at home with Drake, the team picked to finish first in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll. The Bulldogs return MVC Preseason Player of the Year Tucker DeVries and fellow preseason first-teamer Roman Penn. This matchup will be a measuring stick for the progress made under second-year coach Josh Schertz. A win shows the Sycamores can compete with the best in the conference. A loss shows there’s still plenty of work to do. A bad loss means ISU is still in the early stages of its rebuild, but I expect this matchup to be competitive. — Akeem Glaspie, IndyStar

IUPUI

Oct. 27 against Brescia (Ky.). It’s only an exhibition, but IUPUI’s game against Brescia means it can finally turn the page on a brutal 2022 season. The Jaguars finished last season with only five healthy players, so practicing was nearly impossible, and coaches had to compete in almost every drill. Now second-year coach Matt Crenshaw has a full roster and the depth to deploy a full rotation of players. The Jags will need to show they can dominate an NAIA opponent, but it could take time for a roster with only three returning players to jell. — Akeem Glaspie, IndyStar

Notre Dame

Apologies to my Valentine, but gotta go with the Feb. 14 game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Notre Dame's first visit to Duke without legendary Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski on the sideline. The Duke loss was the one Notre Dame really wanted back from last season — the Irish were MIA in a lackluster 57-43 home loss. A chance at redemption in a possible Sweet 16 matchup never materialized. Thanks, Texas Tech.

Notre Dame believes it was better than it showed last year. It gets a chance to show it at Cameron in a league stretch that includes games against Virginia Tech, Virginia and North Carolina. Can this Notre Dame team run deep through the NCAA tournament? A win at Duke would be a good indication. — Tom Noie, South Bend Tribune

More:Yeah, these Irish are old, but they're also good and driven to do even more

Purdue

West Virginia. Big test over Thanksgiving weekend in Portland, Oregon at the PK 85 Tournament. The Mountaineers are going to bring pressure and this will be an early sign to see if Purdue is up for a challenge. A victory would likely send the Boilermakers into a matchup against Gonzaga. — Mike Carmin, Journal & Courier

Purdue primer:Point guard, post play, defense among topics as practice starts

Purdue Fort Wayne

Purdue Fort Wayne vs. Northern Kentucky on Feb. 17 will feature the co-favorites of the Horizon League, and both teams should be rounding into form with just a few weeks before the conference tournament in Indianapolis. The teams split last season’s meetings, with the home team winning both times. — Matthew VanTryon, IndyStar

Southern Indiana

With a strong nonconference schedule for its Division I debut, there were a few contests I could’ve chosen. But a road trip to an in-state foe is the most intriguing showdown to me. USI will play at Notre Dame on Nov. 16 — one of three games in the Gotham Classic. It’s part of a challenging three-game stretch to begin the season along with Missouri and Southern Illinois. Can a mid-major Indiana school knock off the Fighting Irish at their own place? It’s been done before (looking at you, Ball State). — Hendrix Magley, Courier & Press

'We project ourselves at No. 1': USI men's basketball hopes first OVC season is historic

Valparaiso

Valparaiso vs. Indiana State on Jan. 1 should be a good one. Valparaiso won both meetings between the two teams last season, including a two-point road win and a win in double overtime at home. — Matthew VanTryon, IndyStar

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana college basketball: Division I 2022-23 top games to watch