College basketball is a lot more than just conference play and March Madness. Sure, there is nothing like a Duke-Carolina showdown, and Duke-Maryland should be special in the ACC, but a look at the bigger picture shows so many competitive confrontations. It's just one reason the sport is special.

If you don't believe me, just look at the top 40 non-conference, regular-season matchups. This should whet your hoops appetite.

This list only includes games that are already set. You could have a top five showdown between Maryland and Florida in the IKON Classic on Friday. The Maui Invitational could include No. 1 Duke against UCLA or Kansas in the championship game. But we won't assume anything, yet.

There were other difficult decisions. Wake Forest and Cincinnati played a great game last season and this season's game is the renewal of Bob Huggins vs. Skip Prosser. But this game, along with Arkansas vs. Oklahoma, both missed the cut.

Here are our top games to watch outside of conference play (In chronological order):

	Steve Blake and the Terps help tip off the season in Madison Square Garden.

November
8: Arizona vs. Maryland, IKON Classic (ESPN2)
Two Final Four teams square off. This is the first look at the Wildcats without four departed starters.

8: Florida vs. Temple, IKON Classic (ESPN2)
An NCAA Tournament rematch; Temple won 75-54 last season. The Gators shot 8-of-29 from 3-point range in that loss. Also fun to see Lynn Greer vs. Brett Nelson and Kevin Lyde vs. Udonis Haslem.

16: William & Mary at Texas Tech
Knight in white satin? Nah. Bobby's back … enough said.

16: Cincinnati at Oklahoma State (ESPN)
Oklahoma State's opener is potentially first of a five-game, six-day stretch.

16: Gonzaga at Illinois
Cinderella vs. top-three team. Interesting matchup between Dan Dickau and Frank Williams.

27: Illinois at Maryland, ACC/Big Ten Challenge (ESPN)
Final Four preview? Juan Dixon and Steve Blake vs. Williams and Cory Bradford is exciting.

27: Duke vs. Iowa at Chicago, ACC/Big Ten Challenge (ESPN)
Hawkeye fans have been salivating over this one. Be careful about what you wish for ... Luke Recker will be challenged by the dynamic duo of Jason Williams and Chris Duhon.

28: Indiana at North Carolina, ACC/Big Ten Challenge (ESPN)
Two traditional standouts square off. Will this be more intense now that Sean May passed on the Hoosiers for Tar Heel blue?

28: Michigan State vs. Virginia at Richmond, Va., ACC/Big Ten Challenge (ESPN2)
Two top-15 teams meet in an underrated game in this ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Half the fun will be watching Tom Izzo and Peter Gillen working the sidelines.

	Is this the season Brett Nelson and the Gators gain revenge on the Spartans?

December
1: Kansas at Arizona (CBS)
Lute Olson and Roy Williams meet in a chess match.

4: Illinois at Arizona
Rematch of last year's Elite Eight war.

4: Notre Dame at Indiana (ESPN)
The Hoosiers play two games in Bloomington before January; this is one of them.

4: Wake Forest at Kansas (ESPN)
The Jayhawks remember a 31-point loss to the Demon Deacons last season.

5: Temple at Duke (ESPN2)
Let's hope this is more like the Preseason NIT classic than Duke's throttling of Temple on their second meeting last season.

5: Michigan State at Florida (ESPN2)
Rematch of the 2000 championship game.

7: Memphis at Mississippi (ESPN)
At first glance, this doesn't look enticing. Rod Barnes' team can play "D" and Justin Reed and company will be ready for a John Calipari club that should still be ranked in the top 10.

8: North Carolina at Kentucky (CBS)
Tradition is obvious when these programs meet.

8: Duke at Michigan (CBS)
Teacher vs. student as Coach K. faces Tommy Amaker.

14: Xavier at Cincinnati (ESPN)
This may be the most unsung rivalry in college basketball.

15: Tennessee at Memphis (ESPN)
Buzz Peterson gets a shot at a ranked foe.

15: Iowa at Missouri (ESPN)
Last year's game was a great one; Quin Snyder and Steve Alford will enjoy matching wits again.

15: Arizona at Michigan State (CBS)
A rematch of the Final Four semifinal game. This time, it is in East Lansing.

	Tayshaun Prince brings his Wildcats into the Jimmy V Classic to face Duke in a possible national championship preview.

18: Temple vs Alabama, Jimmy V Classic, East Rutherford, N.J. (ESPN)
Mark Gottfried believes he has an SEC contender. Tests like this will help prepare his team for league play. Still, this is a warm-up for the main event.

18: Duke vs. Kentucky, Jimmy V Classic, East Rutherford, N.J. (ESPN)
Could be the Game of the Year before the Final Four (Gary Williams might say Duke-Maryland I, II or III). The two top programs of the 90s should put on a great show.

20: Memphis at Temple (ESPN2)
Forget about the John Chaney-John Calipari storyline; that's old news. Think about DuJuan Wagner from Camden returning close to home.

20: Virginia at Georgetown
It's not Ewing vs. Sampson but it should still be a great game.

21: Maryland at Oklahoma (ESPN)
Expect a lot of athleticism in this game. There should be more scoring than last year's matchup.

22: Kentucky vs. Indiana, RCA Dome, Indianapolis (CBS)
Expect a sea of red and blue.

22: Illinois vs. Missouri at St. Louis (ESPN)
Kareem Rush and Frank Williams are All-America candidates ready to put on a show. This is always one of the most intense rivalries.

22: Oklahoma State vs. Arkansas in Little Rock, Ark.
Eddie Sutton is back in Arkansas. Nolan Richardson is facing one of the top non-conference schedules in America.

29: Michigan State vs. Stanford in Oakland, Calif. (CBS)
Casey Jacobsen is in the spotlight.

29: Louisville at Kentucky (CBS)
Rick Pitino returns to Rupp!

29: Georgetown at UCLA (CBS)
Hoyas have a real road test.

	Duke and Boston College collide again this season -- this time in Chestnut Hill.

January
2: Arkansas at Memphis (ESPN2)
You don't know how many more of these border wars will be played in the future ... enjoy them while you can.

7: Oklahoma at Connecticut (ESPN2)
Big 12 vs. Big East figures to be competitive.

12: Kansas at UCLA (CBS)
Probably will be the second meeting of the season. These teams will likely face off in the Maui Invitational semifinals.

19: North Carolina at Connecticut (CBS)
Don't worry, Huskies fans still remember the 1998 NCAA Tournament regional finals in Greensboro.

24: Duke at Boston College (ESPN)
Troy Bell has some unfinished business with Jason Williams. More likely, Williams will finish business with Bell.

February
3: Virginia at Missouri (ABC)
The Tigers are out to avenge last year's loss to the Cavaliers.

10: Oklahoma State at Fresno State (ABC)
Maurice Baker and Melvin Ely will get some well-deserved exposure.