Weekend Preview: Nate Wolters, Indiana headline the Best of the Rest

Sunday 1:00 p.m.: Marshall at Villanova (ESPN3): After a rough 2011-2012 season, Villanova looks to bounce back this season and make a push for the NCAA tournament. They’ll be tested immediately, as Deandre Kane and the Thundering Herd are the biggest challengers to Memphis for Conference USA supremacy.

Friday 9:00 p.m.: Montana at Colorado State: The Grizzlies will be playing without Will Cherry, but they are still a team that is good enough to be a threat come tournament time. Colorado State made the tournament last season and brings everyone back for new head coach Larry Eustachy.

Friday 9:00 p.m.: South Dakota State at Alabama (ESPNU): SDSU’s Nate Wolters is arguably the nation’s best mid-major guard, but he’ll have his work cut out for him against Alabama’s stingy defense.

Friday 7:00 p.m.: Bucknell at Purdue: Bucknell, along with Lehigh, is a heavy favorite to not only win the Patriot League, but they are a team than could pose a threat to someone come tournament time. This is a rebuilding year for the Boilermakers, but there is some talent on their roster. Keep an eye on breakout candidate Terone Johnson.

Friday 8:00 p.m.: Bryant at No. 1 Indiana (Big Ten Network): Cody Zeller and company kick off their season.

Friday 7:00 p.m.: Miami (OH) at No. 6 NC State (ESPN3): For the first time in what feels like forever, the Wolfpack are a legitimate contender in the ACC. But NC State has plenty of doubters given the way their season went in 2011-2012. Can Mark Gottfried’s club make a statement?

Friday 7:00 p.m.: Virginia at George Mason (MASN): The Cavaliers saw their tough road test get easier with the Patriots suspended Erik Copes and Vaughn Gray for the first three games of the year.

Friday 7:30 p.m.: Belmont at Lipscomb (ESPN3): Belmont’s inaugural season as a member of the Ohio Valley kicks off with the nation’s most underrated rivalry: the Battle of the Boulevard.

Friday 8:00 pm: Fresno State at Texas (Longhorn Network): The Bulldogs are a talented group, but they may still be a year away from truly reaching their potential. Regardless, this is a great chance for them to make a statement early in the season, as this young Texas team will be without Jaylen Bond and star point guard Myck Kabongo.

Friday 8:15 p.m.: Denver at Iona (ESPN3): Two of the nation’s best mid-major squads do battle in New York. This will be a terrific matchup stylistically, as the Pioneers are as methodical as it gets while Iona wants to run and run and run.

Friday 9:00 p.m.: Tennessee State at BYU (BYUtv): Perhaps the most underrated individual matchup of the weekend: Robert Covington going up against Brandon Davies. It will also be interesting to see what kind of shape Tyler Haws is in after serving a two-year mission.

Friday 9:00 p.m.: Oral Roberts at UTEP: ORU is the favorite in the Southland despite losing four key players from last season, but UTEP is a sleeper in Conference USA.

Sunday 6:30 p.m.: Duquesne at Georgetown (ESPNU): Duquesne is going to struggle this year after losing head coach Ron Everhart and star point guard TJ McConnell, but this will be our first chance to get a glimpse of a sneaky-good Georgetown team on dry land.

Sunday 8:00 p.m.: Loyola (MD) at Washington (Pac-12 Network): Loyola is one of the favorites to win a good MAAC this year and will be led by the always-entertaining Jimmy Patsos. Washington has a nasty habit of dropping non-conference games to teams they should be able to beat.

Friday 8:30 p.m.: Georgia Southern at Valparaiso: Another sneaky good individual matchup as GSU’s Eric Ferguson goes head-to-head with Valpo’s Ryan Broekoff.

Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.