College basketball is played in three chapters. There is the nonconference season, then conference play and finally, the postseason.
Because of those stages and the five-plus months they're spread across, a team that starts strong might not finish that way. And the same is true for teams that might need more time to grow before they peak later in the year. That's why some matchups in the beginning of the season are so interesting.
They're a great way to kick off the 2022-23 season, but they're also more of a measuring stick than definitive proof about where a team will end up on Selection Sunday.