Exhibition Season Grew Teeth This Week
Three tune-ups with real stakes tip this week — No. 9 Virginia visits Villanova, No. 19 Texas Tech visits No. 23 Kentucky, and No. 12 UNC visits No. 20 Maryland — as the preseason polls give the season its first shape.
- Villanova hosts No. 9 Virginia on Thursday night at Finneran Pavilion in the Wildcats' third and final preseason exhibition. Villanova is 2-0 in exhibitions: 77-75 over Rutgers on Oct. 11 and 84-67 over George Mason on Oct. 17. m:…9375
- No. 19 Texas Tech plays No. 23 Kentucky in an exhibition Friday at 6 p.m. CT at Rupp Arena, broadcast on SEC Network+. Kentucky is 5-0 all-time against Texas Tech in regular-season meetings. m:…7963
- No. 20 Maryland hosts No. 12 North Carolina in a women's exhibition Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m. at the XFINITY Center. Maryland is coming off a 93-82 exhibition win over Virginia Tech on Oct. 19. m:…8684
- Texas is predicted No. 2 in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll behind South Carolina. m:…6580
Thursday: a top-10 visitor for Villanova
The week's gauntlet starts Thursday night at Finneran Pavilion, where Villanova hosts Virginia — ranked No. 9 in the AP preseason Top 25 — in the Wildcats' third and final preseason tune-up. Villanova has already banked two exhibition wins, holding off Rutgers 77-75 in Piscataway on Oct. 11 and pulling away from George Mason 84-67 on Oct. 17. Ohio State transfer Devin Royal has been the story of the preseason, averaging 22.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per exhibition outing, while Tyler Perkins has averaged 19.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest. m:…9375
The tune-up label expires after this one: Villanova opens its season against Notre Dame on Nov. 1 at the Eternal City Tip-Off in Rome. Thursday is the last look before the games count. m:…9375
Villanova is not at full strength: Kwame Evans Jr. has missed two exhibition games with a left leg injury, while Matt Hodge continues recovering from an ACL tear sustained on February 28. m:…9375
Friday: Rupp Arena gets a ranked doubleheader of a tune-up
On Friday, No. 19 Texas Tech travels to Lexington to face No. 23 Kentucky in an exhibition at 6 p.m. CT at Rupp Arena, broadcast on SEC Network+. The Red Raiders, ranked No. 19 in the AP preseason poll, bring a roster of five returners and nine newcomers under Grant McCasland, who enters his fourth season with a 74-31 record at Tech. Kentucky counters with five returners and six transfers, and the Wildcats already have an exhibition result on the board: a 69-49 win over Little Rock last Friday. m:…7963
History says this building has not been kind to the visitors: Kentucky owns a 5-0 record in five regular-season meetings with Texas Tech. The Red Raiders open the real season Nov. 2 against Jackson State. m:…7963
Texas Tech was picked fifth in the Big 12 preseason poll, and JT Toppin is unavailable to begin the season due to a previous injury. One proven weapon is back: Donovan Atwell set a program record with 130 made 3-pointers last season. m:…7963
Saturday: the women's game takes the marquee
Saturday belongs to the women's game. No. 20 Maryland hosts No. 12 North Carolina in its final exhibition at 1 p.m. at the XFINITY Center. The Terrapins, ranked No. 20 in the preseason AP poll released Oct. 20 and No. 17 in the coaches poll, are already battle-tested: they beat Virginia Tech 93-82 on Oct. 19 in their first exhibition. Three All-Big Ten honorees — Bri McDaniel, Oluchi Okananwa and Addi Mack — anchor a roster that has won 27 straight non-conference home games dating back to Nov. 11, 2022. Head coach Brenda Frese was inducted into the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 16, 2026, and owns a career record of 688-208 over 28 years. m:…8684
The poll backdrop
In the SEC coaches poll, Texas is predicted to finish second behind South Carolina, which took 239 points to top the ballot; LSU and Vanderbilt are tied for third with 204 points each, and Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes was named Preseason Player of the Year. The Longhorns are coming off back-to-back Final Four appearances, with senior Madison Booker on the Preseason All-SEC First Team. Texas has its own ranked tune-up on the calendar: the Longhorns host UCLA in an exhibition in Cedar Park on Oct. 25 before opening the season Nov. 4 against Fairleigh Dickinson. m:…6580
What is still unresolved
- Whether exhibition results against ranked opponents predict anything about November and December form.
- Which young rotations — Texas Tech's nine newcomers, Kentucky's six transfers — settle first.
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