What happens in November and December doesn’t always dictate what happens in March or April, but it definitely paints a picture.

Pac-12 teams will be embarking on non-conference schedules that will set them up for future success once the league season begins.

Let’s take a look at 12 of the games we have circled on our preseason calendar.

Saturday, November 12

California vs. No. 9 Notre Dame • 1 p.m. PT • NBC
Citi Shamrock Classic • Enterprise Center • St. Louis, Mo.
Bears coach Charmin Smith will coach in her hometown the first time in a matchup that could give us an early indication if the Jayda Curry-led Bears are in a position for a big jump in 2022-23 after two seasons marred by COVID cancellations and injuries.

November 16

No. 15 Oklahoma at Utah • 6 p.m. PT • Pac-12 Networks
The Sooners, under second-year head coach Jennie Baranczyk, are ranked No. 15 in the AP preseason poll, making them, on paper, the Utes’ toughest nonconference opponent. Oklahoma is picked to finish third in the Big 12 and features guard Taylor Robertson, the Big 12 3-point record holder, and forward Madi WIlliams.

Friday, November 18

Washington State vs. BYU • 5 p.m. PT
Northshore Showcase • Cannon Activities Center • Laie, Hawai’i
In a battle of the Cougars, WSU take on BYU at the Northshore Showcase in Hawai'i. BYU, which won the WCC regular-season title last year with a 15-1 record, was picked to finish third in the West Coast Conference behind Gonzaga and Portland. This will be one of the toughest matchups of the non-conference for WSU.

Sunday, November 20

No. 1 South Carolina at No. 2 Stanford • noon PT • ABC
Assuming that the current rankings hold through the first couple weeks of the season, this will be an epic No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup between two teams with legendary coaches in Tara VanDerveer and Dawn Staley, rosters loaded with national stars like Aliyah Boston, Haley Jones and Cameron Brink, and could be an early preview of the Final Four in Dallas.

Thursday, November 24

No. 20 Oregon vs. No. 12 North Carolina • 2 p.m. PT • ESPNU
Phil Knight Invitational • Chiles Center • Portland, Ore.
The Ducks will travel to Portland for the Phil Knight Invitational to take on the Tar Heels, which open the season ranked No. 12 in the country in the preseason AP poll. It’s the program’s highest ranking in more than seven years. Junior guard Deja Kelly is back after averaging 16.5 points a game last season and UNC returns 85 percent of its scoring. Oregon will move on to face either Iowa State or Michigan State in the tournament, another tough game.

Friday, November 25

Colorado at No. 5 Tennessee • 4 p.m. PT • SEC Network
The Buffaloes will travel to Knoxville to play in one of the most difficult venues in the country the day after Thanksgiving. The two programs haven’t faced one another since 1997. Tennessee is 3-1 in their four-game history between. Colorado’s only win came in 1981.

Oregon State vs. No. 4 Iowa • 5:30 p.m. PT • ESPNU
Phil Knight Legacy • Chiles Center • Portland, Ore.
The Beavers' new starting lineup will take on the No. 4 Hawkeyes, and will get a chance to stop junior guard Caitlin Clark, the unanimous preseason All-America pick who averaged 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists a game last season.

Sunday, November 27

Oregon State vs. Duke/No. 6 UConn • 10 a.m. PT/7 p.m. PT • ABC/ESPN2
Phil Knight Legacy • Moda Center/Veterans Memorial Coliseum • Portland, Ore.
The Beavers won’t know which team they play in the PKI Tournament until the matchup between the Blue Devils and Huskies is settled, but either way, OSU will get one of its biggest tests of the season against high-quality teams coached by Kara Lawson and Geno Auriemma.

Tuesday, November 29

UCLA at No. 1 South Carolina • 4 p.m. PT • SEC Network
The Bruins will travel to Columbia to face the top-ranked Gamecocks for only the third game between the two programs. UCLA is 0-2 in these matchups, the last one taking place in Los Angeles in 2015. This will be a big day for freshman Kiki Rice to see how she measures up against one of the best teams in the country.

Sunday, December 18

No. 5 Tennessee at No. 2 Stanford • noon PT • ABC
This annual matchup between the Cardinal and the Lady Vols, which dates back to 1988, will be another battle between two of the country’s best programs and a barometer check for both teams heading into the holiday break and the start of conference play. Stanford has won the last three games in this series and seven of the last 10.

USC vs. No. 3 Texas • 12:30 p.m. PT • ESPN2
Pac-12 US LBM Coast-to-Coast Challenge • American Airlines Center • Dallas, Texas
The remodeled Trojans will take on the Longhorns, which are on the short list of NCAA title contenders to open the season, coming off a second consecutive Elite Eight appearance. Texas returns Rori Harmon and Aaliyah Moore, both picked to the All-Big 12 Preseason Team.

No. 19 Arizona vs. No. 18 Baylor • 4:30 p.m. PT • ESPN2
Pac-12 US LBM Coast-to-Coast Challenge • American Airlines Center • Dallas, Texas
In what will likely be the Wildcats’ only nonconference matchup against a ranked opponent, Arizona will get a great frame of reference of its position relative to the elite teams in the Pac-12 heading into Conference play. The Bears are not picked to win the Big 12 for the first time in 11 seasons and have eight new players on their roster.