College basketball on TV: Watch Cade Cunningham and other star recruits Wednesday
The college basketball season is finally here.
Action tips off Wednesday, and several of the game’s most exciting new players will be making their college debuts on national television.
Obviously, the newest Kentucky Wildcats recruits — led by top 10 national prospects Brandon Boston Jr. and Terrence Clarke — will play their first college game against Morehead State on Wednesday at 6 p.m. on SEC Network. Boston and Clarke will be joined by fellow freshmen Isaiah Jackson, Devin Askew, Lance Ware and Cam’Ron Fletcher on the Rupp Arena court.
Here’s a look at some other top freshmen, and how you can watch them Wednesday.
Memphis vs. Saint Mary’s — 2 p.m. on ESPN 2: Get things started early with a look at former Kentucky target Moussa Cisse, the top player in Penny Hardaway’s newest recruiting class. Cisse — a 6-foot-10 center — might end up being the best shot-blocker in all of college basketball this season, and there should be no James Wiseman-like drama around his eligibility. The Tigers said over the weekend that Cisse has been cleared to play immediately.
Oklahoma State at UT Arlington — 4 p.m. on ESPN: No. 1-ranked recruit Cade Cunningham very nearly picked Kentucky, but he’ll instead play for Oklahoma State, where his brother is an assistant coach. The Cowboys have been banned from this season’s NCAA Tournament, so you won’t be able to watch Cunningham — a uniquely skilled 6-7 point guard — during March Madness. Best to get a glimpse of him whenever you can. Cunningham is already being projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
North Carolina vs. College of Charleston — 6 p.m. on ACC Network: If you want something to flip to during commercials for Kentucky’s game — and you have access to the ACC Network — UNC has plenty of intriguing newcomers to keep an eye on. Point guard Caleb Love and center Day’Ron Sharpe are both projected by ESPN as first-round picks in next year’s NBA Draft, and both were top 15 recruits in the 2020 class. The Tar Heels’ list of freshmen also includes five-star 7-footer Walker Kessler.
Arizona State vs. Rhode Island — 7 p.m. on ESPN: There aren’t many players in the 2020 recruiting class that are more fun to watch than Arizona State freshman Josh Christopher, who plays with flash and flair and often has a smile on his face. The Sun Devils newcomer is no stranger to highlight-reel dunks. You’ll want to check him out at some point this season (perhaps watch the second half of this one after Kentucky’s game ends?). ESPN’s new mock draft this week has Christopher going No. 11 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Other games: If you have access to the Pac-12 Network and Longhorn Network, you’ll be able to watch top 10 national recruits Evan Mobley and Greg Brown make their college debuts. Mobley — a Southern Cal post player and the No. 4 prospect in ESPN’s early mock draft for 2021 — will play Cal Baptist at 9 p.m. on Pac-12 Network. And Brown — a longtime Kentucky recruiting target and the No. 16 player in ESPN’s mock draft — will lead Texas against UT Rio Grande Valley at 8 p.m. on Longhorn Network.
Disclaimer: College basketball games are getting canceled left and right due to COVID-19, so be sure to double check to make sure the game(s) you want to see are still on by tip-off time.
