With today marking the earliest date that teams could schedule non-exempt games (read: non-tournament games), college basketball will truly be tipping off all across the nation. Most of the games on tonight’s slate are going to be pure snoozers, but for fans hoping to get a look at the year’s top teams, ESPN and its Full Court package offer an early treat.

Morehead State at #5 Kentucky – 5:30 PM CST, ESPNU – Even though John Wall isn’t playing, the Wildcats certainly will not be lacking talent in their season opener. Returning superstar Patrick Patterson leads Kentucky as they begin their quest for another championship banner to hang in Rupp.

William & Mary at #14 Connecticut – 6:30 P.M. CST, ESPN FC – Texas fans can get an early look at the Huskies, who will host the Longhorns in a huge non-conference match-up in January. All eyes will be on the UConn backcourt, where the experienced leadership of Kemba Walker and Jerome Dyson should anchor another salty squad for Coach Calhoun.

Idaho State at Iowa State – 7:00 P.M. CST, ESPN FC – Not much appeal in this one beyond the potato and corn fields of America. Unless, of course, you’re a basketball writer with a Big 12 focus who has been waiting seven long months for this week to arrive…

Hofstra at #1 Kansas – 7:00 P.M. CST, ESPN FC – The Jayhawks not only brought back the bulk of a team that won the Big 12 title in 2009, but added even more talent with a recruiting class highlighted by the talented Xavier Henry. If the football team doesn’t come on court to renew their bad blood with the Jayhawk hoopsters, this one should be in the books early.

Loyola (Illinois) at Kansas State – 7:00 P.M. CST, ESPN FC – The best team no one is talking about in the Big 12 is K-State, who returns Denis Clemente and five other upperclassmen. In addition to the speedy guard — who lit up Texas for 44 points last season — Coach Frank Martin will rely on the talents of freshman forward Wally Judge, one of the top newcomers in the nation.

Wright State vs. #13 Washington – 9:00 PM CST, FSN – Many pundits are picking the Cal Bears to claim the Pac-10 title, but the defending-champion Huskies will be far from a pushover. Guard Isaiah Thomas looks to build on last season’s Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors, while highly-touted recruit Abdul Gaddy will be joining him in the backcourt. With big man Quincy Pondexter on campus for another year, Washington’s inside-out attack should get the season off to a running start against the Raiders.

Just one game on the tube tonight, tipping in just about ten minutes…

James Madison at #17 Ohio State – 6 P.M. CST, Big Ten Network

Fans were treated to nearly as many minutes from the Buckeye bench as from the starters in Monday night’s 100-60 blowout victory over Alcorn State. Evan Turner‘s triple-double led the way, but Jon Diebler‘s long-range marksmanship provided a game-high 22 points. The big storyline for tonight’s game is the scheduled return of big man Dallas Lauderdale. With the high likelihood of another runaway win, there probably won’t be a lot of minutes for the junior forward. But Lauderdale’s season debut should give Ohio State fans their first look at the Coach Thad Matta’s preferred starting five.

Remember the catch-all disclaimer we ran just two days ago in the first scoreboard round-up? The one about sometimes sleeping instead of writing? Yeah…..we’re already playing that card this morning.

We’ll be back this afternoon with a late look at last night’s action, a run through the first 2009-10 edition of Fast Break, and a quick look at tonight’s lone televised contest. Auf wiedersehen for now, dear readers.

Welcome to the first in our daily series recapping the previous night’s action around the country. As the season rolls on, this morning scoreboard check will include unranked Big 12 teams, as well. And as a catch-all disclaimer, it should be noted that on some mornings, sleep just seems more valuable than the scoreboard rundown.

#4 North Carolina 88, Florida International 72 – After all of the off-season controversy surrounding the alleged mix-up in scheduling this game, it appears that perhaps Isiah Thomas didn’t have that much to worry about. Thanks to a ridiculous 26 Tar Heel turnovers, the Golden Panthers were able to keep the game respectable for much of the night, never falling behind by more than 26 points.

For Carolina, the bright spot of the night was the defense. The Heels blocked eight shots and held the Panthers to 30% shooting in the first half. Ed Davis led the block party for Carolina, swatting away four shots to go with his double-double performance of 13 points and 11 rebounds. Deon Thompson led all scorers with twenty.

#12 California 75, Murray State 70 – The final score indicates a much closer game than what actually transpired out west, but it also makes way for concerns about the Bears’ killer instinct. Mike Montgomery’s squad built a lead as big as 18 points in the second half of this one, but the hot-shooting Racers hit 53% of their shots in the second stanza and refused to give up.

The backcourt combination of Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher provided 31 points for the Bears, including Randle’s 10-of-11 shooting from the charity stripe. Cal lost the battle on the glass by a 30-29 count, and had a meager 1.25 assist-to-TO ratio.

#17 Ohio State 100, Alcorn State 60 – The least competitive game of the night also gave us the least information about a Top 25 team. With the Buckeyes cruising the whole way, Thad Matta was able to go deep on his bench, dishing out at least thirteen minutes to ten different Buckeyes.

Jon Diebler hit 6-of-9 treys in a 22-point performance, but the standout star of the night was Evan Turner. The junior from Chicago held down point guard duties and logged a triple-double with fourteen points, ten assists, and 17 rebounds.

If the dominating win wasn’t enough to get Buckeyes excited about the new season, big man Dallas Lauderdale is expected back for Thursday’s game against James Madison.

#25 Syracuse 75, Alabany 43 – It didn’t take long for Jim Boheim to get over the 800-win hump, reaching that milestone in the first game of the 2009-10 season. The Orange bounced back quickly from their embarrassing exhibition loss to Le Moyne, decimating the Danes with suffocating defense. Syracuse forced 32 turnovers, including 21 steals, and held their opponents to just 27% shooting from the floor. Former Iowa State Cyclone Wes Johnson had six of the Syracuse steals and added twelve points and eight rebounds.

Guard Andy Rautins had to leave the game with just over fourteen minutes left. After jumping to pass to big man Arinze Onuaku, he landed on an opponent’s foot and twisted his ankle. Rautins wore a walking boot the rest of the evening, and his status is still in doubt for Wednesday’s game against Robert Morris.

The college basketball season is now just fifteen minutes away. Here are your TV listings for the night:

Florida International at #4 North Carolina – 6 P.M. CST, ESPNU
The biggest story of the night will undoubtedly be the regular-season coaching debut of Isiah Thomas, although the new may have already started wearing off following a loss to the NAIA’s Northwood in an exhibition on Wednesday night. For the defending-champion Tar Heels, the key storyline in early November will be how the team moves forward following the loss of Tyler Hansborough, Wayne Ellington, and Ty Lawson. The return of Marcus Ginyard following last year’s foot injury will definitely provide senior leadership, something the Heels will likely need for their quintet of ESPN Top 100 recruits.

Alcorn State at #17 Ohio State – 6 P.M. CST, Big Ten Network
This is a guaranteed yawner from the opening rounds of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, but fans will get their first look at how the Buckeyes have matured following an offseason where nearly the entire team returned. The only key piece missing from last year’s squad is big man B.J. Mullens, who left for the NBA after just one season. Dallas Lauderdale will be expected to fill the void this year, although he will likely be missing this early season matchup as he recovers from a broken finger he suffered in preseason practices.

Albany at #25 Syracuse – 8 P.M. CST, ESPNU
Iowa State transfer Wesley Johnson lit up the scoreboard in Syracuse’s exhibition on Tuesday night, dropping in 17 second-half points en route to a 22-point performance. Unfortunately for the Orange, it came in an embarrassing loss to D-II school Le Moyne. To be fair, Syracuse was experimenting with man-to-man for much of the game, a drastic departure from Jim Boheim’s famously stingy zone D. But the result certainly raises eyebrows in a season where pundits are wondering if this young Syracuse team can handle the rigors of the Big East conference. A convincing win over the visiting Danes would help to wash away some of the bad taste that is already tainting this season.

Murray State at #12 California – 10 P.M. CST, ESPNU
In what is likely going to be a down year for the Pac-10 Conference, hopes are high for the talented and experienced Golden Bears. Cal returns four starters from last year’s team, including a pair of senior guards in Patrick Christopher and Jerome Randle. It’s a well-proven axiom that solid backcourt play leads to quality results in March, so many expect the Bears to be dancing into the second weekend. If you can’t stay up to watch this one, be sure to set the DVR and get your first look at the Best Team Nobody Knows.