Basketball fans needed a plan for Monday night, because the NBA and the opening tip of the 2026-27 college season landed on the same evening.

In the NBA, two matchups carried storylines beyond the standings. Brooklyn, fresh off its first win of the season, crossed town to face Atlantic Division rival New York in a Nets-Knicks clash. Out west, Ime Udoka reunited with familiar faces as his Rockets — eyeing the top of the Western Conference — hosted the Celtics in Houston.

The college slate was just as loaded for night one. Gonzaga and Purdue met in a heavyweight Hall of Fame Series opener at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. No. 4 UConn raised the curtain against Gardner-Webb at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, while Ohio State opened against No. 25 BYU at the Delta Center.

Yahoo Sports published viewing guides for all five games, with streaming and TV channel details for each. The bigger takeaway: college basketball is officially back, and with ranked teams in action from the first night and NBA contenders already jockeying for conference position, the winter hoops calendar is fully underway.