As your Dallas Mavericks enter the meat and potatoes of their schedule, college basketball does the same. Feast week has come and gone, but we push onward into December with elite matchups on deck. Most of the country’s elite will be playing someone with a pulse this week, and the Big Ten will enter conference play already. This is where the players and teams start to make their moves.
Prospect spotlight: Yaxel Lendeborg (F, Michigan)
Nov 25, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) reacts during the first half in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game against the Auburn Tigers at Michelob ULTRA Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Nov 25, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) reacts during the first half in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game against the Auburn Tigers at Michelob ULTRA Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Last week was dominated by the Michigan Wolverines, which rolled through the Players Era Festival behind an elite offense. Forward Yaxel Lendeborg has led the charge for Michigan, averaging 16 points per contest to go along with nearly eight rebounds and three assists. There were some questions about how Lendeborg’s game would translate to the Big Ten, as he was coming from UAB this offseason. So far, Yaxel is shooting over 60% from the floor, nearly 40% from deep and over 82% at the foul line, all career bests. Safe to say, he’s translated just fine.
Time will tell if Lendeborg makes a leap in the NBA Draft pecking order. He was a projected late first round pick last year before going to Michigan, and early returns have him in a similar range in this deeper draft class. The jury is still out, but any team would be getting a better player this year than they would have had Yaxel come out in last year’s draft class.
With a big week ahead, let’s look at the games and prospects you should turn your attention to.
December 2nd
15 Florida at 4 Duke – 6:30p (ESPN)
5 UConn at 21 Kansas – 8:00p (ESPN2)
16 North Carolina at 18 Kentucky – 8:30p (ESPN)
13 Tennessee at Syracuse – 6:00p (ESPN2)
A four pack of on-campus games in this slate warms my heart to its core. In this four-hour window, you will get a chance to see the following players: Duke’s Cam Boozer, Florida’s Thomas Haugh, UConn’s Braylon Mullins (on a minutes restriction but the true freshman is finally on the court) and Alex Karaban, (hopefully) Kansas’s Darryn Peterson, UNC’s Caleb Wilson, Kentucky’s Malachi Moreno, Tennessee’s Nate Ament and Ja’Kobi Gillespie, and Syracuse’s Kiyan Anthony. Do I need to say more? Up to a quarter of the 2026 NBA Draft’s first round could be playing on Tuesday. Saddle up!
December 3rd
6 Louisville at 25 Arkansas – 6:15p (ESPN)
SMU at 17 Vanderbilt – 8:15p (SEC Network)
NC State at 20 Auburn – 8:15p (ESPN)
Our love for Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. knows no bounds, so of course a national TV game against Darius Acuff will make the cut here. But the real standout to me is this Vanderbilt squad. What they did in the Bahamas last week in route to winning the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament was impressive, capped off by beating Saint Mary’s by 25. That same Gael’s squad bounced Vandy from March Madness last season. The ‘Dores are a veteran group without a headlining prospect. But what they do have is a very good group that is going to compete in the SEC.
December 5th
11 Gonzaga at 18 Kentucky – 6:00p (ESPN2)
What a brand name game this matchup is. Expect plenty of offensive output in this matchup, as the Zags and Cats are both averaging 90 points per game.
December 6th
10 Iowa State at 1 Purdue – 11:00a (CBS)
4 Duke at 7 Michigan State – 11:00a (FOX)
6 Louisville at 22 Indiana - 1:00p (CBS)
Baylor at Memphis – 3:30p (CBS)
14 Illinois vs 13 Tennessee (in Nashville) – 7:00p (ESPN)
19 Auburn at 2 Arizona – 9:00p (ESPN)
Nov 5, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Tayton Conerway (6) celebrates after a play during the first half against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
Nov 5, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Tayton Conerway (6) celebrates after a play during the first half against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
What a day this will be. We’ve written about some of these squads several times, but I’d like to give special shoutouts to several teams here. First, the Indiana Hoosiers are unbeaten and scoring the ball at a high level. This game is all about Indiana’s Tayton Conerway, who starred at Burleson Centennial in high school, and Lamar Wilkerson, a Sam Houston State transfer, dueling with Mikel Brown Jr. Points should be plentiful, given the offensive creation that both teams will come with.
Iowa State also deserves a mention here, as the Cyclones put up a great showing in Las Vegas last week, going 3-0. True freshman guard Killyan Toure played big minutes after star guard Tamin Lipsey went down. He answered the bell by averaging 19.5 points in 31 minutes per game in route to two blowout wins of Creighton and Syracuse. Iowa State is typically not a “one and done” program, but Mr. Toure deserves your attention.
Last on the shoutout list is the Baylor Bears. Cam Carr has been a walking highlight reel for this group, which alongside guard Tounde Yessofou has been putting up points at an elite clip.
All told, I would expect that over half of the potential first round picks in the 2026 NBA Draft are playing at least one big game this week. I haven’t even included a large chunk of games, like Texas Tech at LSU, Clemson at Alabama, Missouri at Kansas or Georgetown at North Carolina in this either, as there are simply just too many good games featuring elite prospects. Enjoy the week!