If you’re anything like me, the first thing you do each day (moreso on weekends) is get on whatever sports app you prefer and check to see what the day’s schedule looks like.
There are certain days you look forward to more than others: the first weekend of March Madness, start of the NBA playoffs, NFL Wild Card Weekend. A relatively new entrant into that list is Black Friday.
I noticed it a handful of years ago. One Friday after some errands I sat down to watch some college football and noticed there were a bunch of college basketball games scheduled for the day. The expansion of the multi-team holiday week tournaments pushed a handful of college hoops games to Black Friday.
The NBA naturally always has games slated for the day, but today features two afternoon in-season tournament games between Boston and Orlando, and Phoenix and Memphis.
The NFL is getting in on the fun with its first Black Friday game, between Miami and the New York Jets — a mismatch on paper for sure, but “It’s Football”™
It’s amazing. The first college basketball game starts at 11:30 a.m. EST. The 12-hour college football slate begins at noon. The NFL game kicks at 3 p.m. and goes right into a night full of NBA action.
Black Friday is officially a top-5 sports day.
To get you ready, here are some of the highlights.
NFL
Miami at New York (A), 3 p.m.
College football
Iowa at Nebraska, noon
About an hour before kickoff, the over/under on this game is around 25.5. Big Ten football, baby!
TCU at Oklahoma, noon
Texas Tech at Texas, 7:30 p.m.
the final regular season Big 12 game for the Sooners and Longhorns before they move to the SEC for annual 8-4 finishes.
Penn State at Michigan State (in Detroit), 7:30 p.m.
The Spartans start and end the season on Friday night, in the Big Ten’s first Black Friday night game.
Oregon State at Oregon, 8:30 p.m.
The final scheduled Civil War sees the Ducks looking to boost their College Football Playoff profile with a win over the rival Beavers.
Men’s college basketball
Texas A & M vs. Florida Atlantic, 11 a.m.
Two top-20 teams square off in a semifinal in the 2023 ESPN Events Invitational
Arkansas vs. North Carolina, 1 p.m.
Another pairs of ranked foes will meet in the Battle 4 Atlantis third-place game
Memphis vs. Villanova, 3:30 p.m.
Two teams off to strong early starts will look to add a trophy to their resumes as the Tigers and Wildcats battle in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game.
USC vs. Oklahoma, 3:30 p.m.
The ranked Trojans face the unranked Sooners in the final of the Rady Children’s Invitational
Baylor vs. Florida, 5:30 p.m.
The Bears and Gators meet in the preseason NIT in Brooklyn.
Other notable matchups
Iowa State vs. Virginia Tech, 5:30 p.m.
Seton Hall vs. Iowa, 6 p.m.
Michigan vs. Texas Tech, 6 p.m.
Alabama vs. Ohio State, 7 p.m.
Women’s college basketball
UCONN vs. UCLA, 7:30 p.m.
Stanford at Florida State, 9:30 p.m.
NBA
Boston at Orlando, 2:30 p.m.
Phoenix at Memphis, 5 p.m.