The college basketball season has officially arrived.

The games are starting.

And so now we have five months of basketball ahead of us -- roughly four months until the Field of 68 is revealed on Selection Sunday. Between now and then we'll get buzzer-beaters and 40-point games, broken records and, yes, probably a scandal or two. With that in mind, CBSSports.com college basketball experts Gary Parrish, Jeff Goodman,Jeff Borzello and Matt Norlander assembled a list of 68 Things To Watch this season. The list starts with an aircraft carrier, ends with a busted bracket and touches on most of the nation's relevant programs. Take a look. Get excited. We're closing in on tipoff.


1. Hoops on the high seas: The Carrier Classic between Michigan State and North Carolina on Veteran's Day will be historic because they're playing a basketball game on top of an aircraft carrier -- the same one that was used to bury Osama bin Laden at sea. And, oh yeah, President Obama will be there, too. -- Jeff Borzello

2. Coach K's quest: Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski will break his former mentor Bob Knight's mark as the all-time wins lead in men's Division I basketball. It could come as early as Nov. 15 in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden. -- Jeff Goodman

3. The sophomores: Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones and Terrence Jones are all back in school. Thank you, NBA Lockout. -- Gary Parrish

4. NBA lockout: The longer it drags on, the more attention the college game will get. We'll also be paying close attention because of what the new collective bargaining agreement means as far as the one-and-done rule is concerned and whether it reverts to high school kids being able to jump directly to the NBA. -- J.G.

5. Injuries: Connecticut's Andre Drummond, Louisville's Wayne Blackshear, Kansas' Thomas Robinson and Vanderbilt's Festus Ezeli all suffered preseason injuries of some sort and to different degrees. Somebody's Final Four hopes are always diminished because of a torn knee ligament or broken toe or something. Which school will be unlucky this season? -- G.P.

6. John Calipari's continuing surge at UK: The fans in Lexington are enjoying a lovefest with Calipari, and rightfully so. He has brought in elite talent each year, and he performed a magical coaching job a year ago in getting the Wildcats to the Final Four. This is the best combo of talent and character he has ever enrolled. Will it translate into a national title? -- J.G.5. Injuries: Connecticut's Andre Drummond, Louisville's Wayne Blackshear, Kansas' Thomas Robinson and Vanderbilt's Festus Ezeli all suffered preseason injuries of some sort and to different degrees. Somebody's Final Four hopes are always diminished because of a torn knee ligament or broken toe or something. Which school will be unlucky this season? -- G.P.

7. Connecticut and Jim Calhoun continue: Who would have thought we would be here? Yet Calhoun has a team that's just unfair, really. He can win another title, and if he does, seriously, Jim, retire. You will have done it all. -- Matt Norlander

8. The fight to be the face of college basketball: Jimmer Fredette developed into the sport's star last season. Will it be one player this season? And, if so, who? Harrison Barnes? Jared Sullinger? Terrence Jones? -- J.G.

9. Butler going for a third straight title game: Brad Stevens lost a lottery pick and still returned to the national title game. This time he lost a second-rounder and an overseas guy, so why can't he shock the world again? That's an unfair expectation since he'll now deal with life without Gordon Hayward, Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack. But the Bulldogs won't drop off the map, either, despite what a preseason loss to a Division II school might suggest. -- J.G.

10. Shabazz Muhammad's recruitment: Signing Day is this week, but it appears the nation's top prospect is a long way from deciding his future. Put me down as predicting UCLA. But watch out for Coach Cal and Kentucky, too. -- G.P.

11. Dec. 3, 2011: That's the date North Carolina travels to Lexington and faces Kentucky at Rupp Arena in what is a matchup of the nation's two top-ranked teams. This could be a preview of April's national title game. There will be no shortage of pros on the court. -- J.G.

12. Harvard looks to end 65-year drought: The Crimson nearly made the NCAA tournament last season but lost at the buzzer to Princeton in a one-game playoff for the Ivy League's automatic bid. With a healthy Kyle Casey, they won't fall short this year. -- J.B.

13. John Calipari vs. Rick Pitino: These guys despise one another and already have traded verbal jabs in the preseason. Their programs will go head-to-head on New Year's Eve. Louisville vs. Kentucky. Pitino vs. Calipari. There's not much better than this. -- J.G.

14. Kevin Stallings in the NCAA tournament: Folks will continue to question the Vanderbilt coach until he makes a deep run in March. My guess is this is the season he does it. -- G.P.

15. Kansas' Big 12 streak of dominance is in jeopardy: The Jayhawks simply don't have a lot of typical Kansas depth and talent this season. Outside of Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor, it's a nondescript group of players. Two of the top reserves are former walk-ons. -- J.B.
16. Anthony Grant at Alabama: Grant looked like a great hire when he went to Tuscaloosa, and he's living up to expectations. This should be his best team yet. The roster is good enough to make the NCAA tournament and advance. -- G.P.

17. The former Alabama coach at N.C. State: What Mark Gottfried lacked in press-conference-pop he has made up for in recruiting success. No, this wasn't the guy N.C. State fans were convinced they would get to replace Sidney Lowe; they wanted Jamie Dixon or Sean Miller or Phil Jackson or John Wooden. But they seem happy with how things are going under Gottfried, and they should be. -- G.P.

18. VCU trying to make another NCAA tournament: The Rams were one of the final teams allowed into last season's NCAA tournament, then they shot their way to the Final Four. They lost plenty of talent off that team, though. Can they even get back to the Field of 68? -- J.B.

19. Mississippi State's chemistry or dysfunction: The Bulldogs were a mess last season. Dee Bost missed half the year, Renardo Sidney brawled with a teammate and Ravern Johnson popped off on Twitter. They have talent -- especially with the addition of transfer Arnett Moultrie. But did they mature? -- J.B.

20. Virginia Tech's annual Selection Sunday sweating: It's always entertaining to watch Seth Greenberg squirm before the unveiling of the field. Will the Hokies even have a chance to sweat it out this year? Without Malcolm Delaney, Jeff Allen and now J.T. Thompson, Greenberg's team could struggle their way off the bubble. -- J.B.

21. Conference musical chairs: This game of conference realignment is equal parts fascinating and annoying. It's also far from over. -- J.G.

22. The Big Least: The Big East has already lost Syracuse and Pittsburgh to the ACC and is in danger of going from the most dominant hoops league in the country to one mired in mediocrity. Does it just patch up the holes or go the route of an all-hoops league and bid farewell to its remaining football members? To be continued, obviously. -- J.G.

23. Good Joe Jackson/Bad Joe Jackson: Will he be the Memphis point guard who won C-USA tournament MVP honors or the Memphis point guard who got benched in February? It's a key question for the Tigers. For what it's worth, I'm betting he's more good than bad. Lots more good than bad, in fact. -- G.P.

24. Hoosier Hysteria: It's Year 4 of the Tom Crean Era in Bloomington and IU fans are restless. He'll need to show progress this season or it may not matter who he has enrolling a year from now (or how much the buyout is). -- J.G.

25. What's Bruin in Westwood: Ben Howland doesn't have UCLA back to what it was a few years ago, but he's inching closer. The front line might be as imposing as any in the nation with Reeves Nelson, Josh Smith and the Wear twins. And Howland's recruiting has the program headed in the right direction again. -- J.G.