By Dan Shanoff, CNN/SI

Conference play is inherently exciting, thanks to geographic rivalries, decades of simmering bad blood and late-season jockeying for position on the NCAA tournament bubble.

But it's a team's non-conference schedule that can make or break its season. Wins over quality opponents can give a potential at-large team from a mediocre conference an edge on Selection Sunday. And a school with a schedule full of Top 25 teams—Temple and Maryland regularly fall into this category—can stay afloat in the RPI listings despite a relatively low winning percentage.

There are two schools of thought on non-conference scheduling:

The Cupcake School (a.k.a. the John Thompson Theory) proposes that a soft early-season schedule gives a team the opportunity to rack up easy wins and develop some momentum heading into a tough conference slate.

The Quality School (a.k.a. the John Chaney Theory) suggests that a treacherous non-conference slate provides necessary seasoning for both conference play and the NCAA Tournament. Marching into Stanford's Maples Pavilion in December in front of a crazy student section will make a Sweet 16 game in Boise feel as quiet and relaxed as playing in a church gym.

10 MUST-SEE GAMES Consider this an endorsement of quality. Pay the cable bill, cue the VCR and be sure to mark your calendar with the following must-see non-conference games: Nov. 13: DePaul at New Mexico, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN First look at heralded Blue Demons freshmen. Dec. 5: UCLA vs. Oklahoma State in Anaheim, Calif., 7:15 p.m. ET More frosh: Can Bruins handle 'Boys? Dec. 5: Temple at Indiana, noon ET, ESPN Purists' delight: John Chaney vs. Bob Knight. Dec. 9: Florida at Duke, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Ultimate road test for young Gators. Dec. 12: Maryland at Kentucky, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Don't blink—you might miss a shot. Dec. 19: Princeton vs. Maryland in Baltimore, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Back-door cuts vs. full-court press. Dec. 29: North Carolina at Cal, 9 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Net First half of tasty Bay Area double-dip. Dec. 29: Temple vs. Stanford in Oakland, 11:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Net Is this December or NCAA regional semis? Feb. 6: Connecticut at Stanford, 3 p.m. Possible Final Four preview. Feb. 21: Syracuse at UCLA, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC Homecoming for Orange PG Jason Hart.

BIG NAMES, LATE NIGHTS: IN-SEASON TOURNAMENTS The preceding list excludes in-season tournaments, some of which feature a handful of good teams, but no guarantee of a marquee matchup—not while giant-killers like Chaminade and American-Puerto Rico still host. Here are the best of the lot, with a list of the top teams in each. 1. Chase NIT, finals in New York City (Nov. 16-27) Georgia, Massachusetts, Memphis, Missouri, North Carolina, Purdue, St. John's, Stanford. 2. Puerto Rico Shootout, San Juan (Nov. 26-29) Kentucky, Maryland, UCLA, Xavier 3. BB&T Classic, Washington, D.C. (Dec. 6-7) DePaul, George Washington, Maryland, Stanford 4. Maui Invitational, Lahaina, Hawaii (Nov. 23-25) Clemson, Indiana, Syracuse, Utah 5. Great Alaska Shootout, Anchorage (Nov. 23-28) Cincinnati, Duke, Fresno State

A CLASS OF ITS OWN: THE GREAT EIGHT On Dec. 1 and 2 at the United Center in Chicago, the Great Eight, a made-for-TV extravaganza, includes five teams that made the Elite Eight last season.* This year's matchups are: Dec. 1 Connecticut vs. Washington, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Kansas vs. Kentucky, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Dec. 2 Rhode Island vs. Utah, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Duke vs. Michigan State, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN *1998 Elite Eight representatives Arizona, North Carolina and Stanford chose not to participate and were replaced by Kansas, Michigan State and Washington.