This week John Wall will begin what figures to be a short college career.

LEADING OFF

With a couple of exceptions, last week was the college basketball equivalent of dipping toes into water as few good teams really challenged themselves. The cannonballs arrive this week as the final four of the 2K Sports Classic and the Puerto Rico Tipoff tournaments highlight a legitimate docket of games.

Top 24 - I decided on 24. I started to rank 20 and that felt restricting and 30 felt like too much. Since I'm not actually voting in the A.P. this year I didn't want to pick 25 and mislead anyone so this week's marks the debut of the top 24.

1. Kansas
2. Michigan State    
3. Texas
4. Kentucky
5. Purdue
6. Villanova
7. West Virginia
8. North Carolina
9. California
10. Butler
11. Duke
12. Ohio State
13. Oklahoma
14. Washington
15. UConn
16. Missouri
17. Tennessee
18. Michigan
19. Georgia Tech
20. Louisville
21. Dayton
22. Georgetown
23. Minnesota
24. Siena

GAMES OF THE DAY: 

MONDAY: Penn at Villanova - Not a great Monday at schedules go. But any matchup between two Big Five teams is worth paying attention to.
TUESDAY: ESPN 24 Hours of Basketball- Somewhere down the line it would be great if this event opened the season, but its still pretty fun where it is. This year's games include:

Memphis vs. Kansas, St. Louis, 10 p.m. - A rematch of the 2008 finals won't compare to that game, but the Tigers figure to give the top-ranked Jayhawks a true test.

Gonzaga at Michigan State, 8 p.m. - This Zags team isn't as good as some of the recent editions, but this is a terrific game never the less.

WEDNESDAY: Butler at Northwestern, 8 - This is a sneaky good game that could slip by a lot of people. But this is as good as Butler has ever been and Northwestern, a perennial doormat has a legitimate shot to make the NCAA Tournament this season.

THURSDAY: North Carolina vs Ohio State at Madison Square Garden, 9  -  The Tar Heels are ranked awfully high for a team that lost a lot. Ohio State's Evan Turner could be the best player on the floor here.

Syracuse v, California, Madison Square Garden, 7, -The Orange always seems to be good in Madison Square Garden events in both November and March. But the young and rebuilding Orange will have their hands full with a very good Cal team that has a chance to make a name for itself in this event.

Dayton vs. Georgia Tech, Puerto Rico, 11:30 a.m. -Both of these came into the season with high expectations, this is a huge opportunity to deliver on it.

FRIDAY: Seton Hall at Cornell, 7 - The defending Ivy League champs have loaded up their schedule heavily. With a SEC win already in their pocket, the Big Red will try to add a Big East win.

2K Sports Classic  games -Whatever the matchups of the winners and losers of Thursday's MSG will be worth watching Friday.

SATURDAY: Rider at Kentucky, 1 p.m. -  Rider beat Mississippi State last week. This will be a much tougher task.

SUNDAY: Puerto Rico Classic Final - I'm guessing Villanova vs. either Dayton or Georgia Tech

Recommended Reading - 

For the first time in a long time, there is legitimate optimism in November for St. Bonaventure basketball.

Question I don't know the answer to: How is Georgetown going to Savannah State? I know Horace Broadnax played at Georgetown, but that's still a stunning game for a top 25 team to play on the road.

Buzzer beaters
Keep your eye on Harvard. Yes Harvard. While the Crimson aren't likely to dethrone Cornell in the any time soon, they look more formidable than they have in quite a while.