Opening night arrives across the country Monday, with No. 11 Louisville carrying the top billing as the Cardinals host Chattanooga at 9 p.m. in the KFC Yum! Center.

The early window belongs to George Mason, which welcomes UMBC to Fairfax at 4 p.m. From there the schedule stacks up fast: Georgetown hosts Loyola (MD) at 6:30, while the 7 p.m. block features Yale against Howard in New Haven, Clemson versus Stetson, Butler against Lafayette in Indianapolis, UCF hosting FGCU in Orlando, and Xavier taking on Mount St. Mary's in Cincinnati.

The 7:30 window brings a pair of in-state tune-ups — Western Kentucky against Morehead State in Bowling Green and Mississippi State hosting Tennessee Tech in Starkville — before Saint Mary's closes the night against Illinois State in Moraga at 10 p.m. Eastern.

Every one of these is a home opener, and the hosts will be favored across the board. The intrigue is in rotations: first looks at new transfers, freshmen debuts, and how retooled rosters fit before the schedule stiffens.