Freshman Koa Peat scored 30 points with seven rebounds and five assists in a stirring debut and No. 13 Arizona pulled off a 93-87 upset of No. 3 Florida in Las Vegas in the Hall of Fame Series on Monday.
Jaden Bradley scored 27 points and Ivan Kharchenkov added 12 points with 10 rebounds as Arizona rallied from a 12-point deficit in the first half to defeat defending champion Florida.
Peat, the centerpiece of the Wildcats’ acclaimed freshman class, went 11 of 18 from the floor in a team-high 36 minutes.
Thomas Haugh scored 27 points for Florida and Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee added 14 in his Gators debut. The Gators shot 36.8% from the floor in the second half to lose their opener after they dropped just four games last season on the way to the third title in program history.
No. 2 Houston 75, Lehigh 57
Kelvin Sampson earned his 800th career win as the Cougars handled the visiting Mountain Hawks.
Over a 36-year career coaching at Montana Tech, Washington State, Oklahoma, Indiana and Houston, Sampson now has compiled a record of 800-354, including last season’s run to the NCAA championship game.
This win, Sampson’s 300th at Houston, featured a familiar script for a Sampson-coached squad, with Houston getting more rebounds (43-30) and shot attempts (61-51) while holding its opponent to worse than 40% shooting from the field.
Emanuel Sharp scored 24 points while making 9 of 10 from the free-throw line, pacing the Cougars in both categories.
No. 4 UConn 79, New Haven 55
Alex Karaban collected 19 points and 10 rebounds and Solo Ball added 18 points to fuel the host Huskies to a season-opening victory over the in-state Chargers.
All-Big East Preseason First Team members Karaban and Ball combined to sink six 3-pointers and all 11 of their free-throw attempts. Jaylin Stewart recorded 11 points and eight rebounds and Georgia transfer Silas Demary. Jr. had 10 points for the Huskies, who spoiled the Division I debut of the Chargers.
UConn played without All-Big East Preseason First Team member Tarris Reed Jr. (hamstring), star freshman Braylon Mullins (ankle) and classmate Jacob Furphy (ankle). New Haven’s Andre Pasha scored 17 points, Najimi George had 14 and Maison Adeleye added 13.
No. 5 St. John’s 108, Quinnipiac 74
Zuby Ejiofor scored 17 points the Red Storm began their third season under coach Rick Pitino with a wire-to-wire victory over the outmatched Bobcats in New York.
The Red Storm lived up to their billing with a dominant showing ahead of Saturday’s game against No. 15 Alabama at Madison Square Garden. Ejiofor, the preseason Big East Player of the Year, made 7 of 10 shots from the field in 24 minutes.
Dillon Mitchell scored a game-high 18 in his St. John’s debut after transferring from Cincinnati. The guard made 7 of 9 shots and also grabbed seven rebounds to go along with four of the Red Storm’s 12 steals.
No. 7 Michigan 121, Oakland 78
Morez Johnson scored 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting to help lead the Wolverines past the Golden Grizzlies in an intrastate matchup in Ann Arbor.
Johnson was one of seven players who scored in double figures for the Wolverines. Trey McKenney made 6 of 8 shots from 3-point range and scored 21 points off the bench and Elliot Cadeau dished out 12 assists for Michigan, which set a school record for points in a half with 69 before intermission.
Isaac Garrett scored 20 points and Tuburu Naivalurua added 18 for Oakland.
No. 8 BYU 71, Villanova 66
AJ Dybantsa scored 21 points in his college basketball debut — including 13 in the second half — to lead the Cougars over the Wildcats in the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas.
Dybantsa also grabbed six boards and shot 9 of 18 from the floor. Richie Saunders complemented the freshman phenom with 15 points and seven rebounds, and Robert Wright III notched 14 points.
Bryce Lindsay led Villanova with 22 points and Duke Brennan added 15 rebounds. The Wildcats were leading BYU by two with 6:28 remaining but could only manage two baskets over the last six minutes.
No. 11 Louisville 104, South Carolina State 45
The Cardinals’ second season in the Pat Kelsey era began in remarkable fashion as five players scored in double figures en route to a 59-point rout of the visiting Bulldogs.
Khani Rooths led the way with a career-high 20 points off the bench for the Cardinals, who led 13-0 less than four minutes into the game. The winning margin was Louisville’s largest since an 87-26 win over Savannah State on Nov. 24, 2014.
South Carolina State’s first field goal came with 10:36 left in the first half and made the score 24-4. The Bulldogs shot just 10.3% in the first half.
No. 12 UCLA 80, Eastern Washington 74
Donovan Dent scored 21 points and dished nine assists in his Bruins debut as the hosts held off the Eagles in Los Angeles.
With five scorers in double figures, UCLA led most of the way against its Big Sky Conference opponent. Each time the Bruins appeared ready to blow the game open, however, Eastern Washington cut into the deficit — including pulling to within a single-digit margin in the final minute.
The Eagles had an opportunity to pull within five with 34 seconds remaining after Emmett Marquardt rebounded Skyy Clark’s one-and-one front-end miss. Isaiah Moses then penetrated and found Johnny Radford on the wing, but his 3-point attempt rimmed off and UCLA held on from there
No. 14 Arkansas 109, Southern 77
Trevon Brazile had 25 points and 11 rebounds, heralded freshman Darius Acuff Jr. scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half of his college debut and the Razorbacks blew out the Jaguars in both teams’ season opener in Fayetteville, Ark.
Freshman wing Meleek Thomas added 21 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals off the bench for the Razorbacks, who won their 52nd straight home opener.
Michael Jacobs had 22 points and Fazl Oshodi had 15 points on five 3-pointers for Southern. The Jaguars scored on their first possession for a 2-0 lead but never led again.
No. 15 Alabama 91, North Dakota 62
Labaron Philon scored a career-high 22 points and added eight assists to lead the Crimson Tide to an easy season-opening 91-62 victory over the Fighting Hawks in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Houston Mallette added 15 points and eight rebounds and Amari Allen registered 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals for Alabama, while London Jemison scored 12 points. The Crimson Tide never trailed in the game.
Garrett Anderson had 13 points and three steals for North Dakota, while Eli King added 11 points and four steals. The Fighting Hawks managed to shoot just 5 of 20 from beyond the arc as they lost to Alabama for the second straight season.
No. 16 Iowa State 88, Fairleigh Dickinson 50
Milan Momcilovic scored 29 points on 11-for-16 shooting, including 7-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc, and the Cyclones cruised past the Knights in Ames, Iowa.
Tamin Lipsey added 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals for Iowa State (1-0), which is looking to build upon a 25-win campaign from a season ago. Joshua Jefferson finished with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
David Jevtic scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead Fairleigh Dickinson (0-1). Eric Parnell scored 13 points, and Taeshaud Jackson added nine points and seven rebounds.
No. 17 Illinois 113, Jackson State 55
Ben Humrichous and Tomislav Ivisic scored 21 points to lead six players in double figures as the Illini rolled to a victory over the Tigers in Champaign, Ill.
Playing without starters Mihailo Petrovic (hamstring) and Andrej Stojakovic (knee), the Fighting Illini jumped to a 24-3 lead in the opening seven minutes and sprinted the distance to win their 10th straight opener and 26th in the last 27 years. Freshman David Mirkovic recorded 19 points and 14 rebounds in his college debut — achieving a double-double in the first half — while freshman Keaton Wagler added 18 points and four assists.
Devin Ree paced Jackson State with 19 points before fouling out. Point guard Daeshun Ruffin, the SWAC’s preseason player of the year, was limited to 12 points and one assist.
No. 18 Tennessee 76, Mercer 61
Prized recruit Nate Ament totaled 18 points and nine rebounds as the Volunteers opened the season with a win over the Bears in Knoxville, Tenn.
The 6-foot-10 Ament, a McDonald’s All-American last season, made 6 of 11 shots from the floor, including 1 of 4 from 3-point range. Sophomore J.P. Estrella tallied a career-high 12 points, hitting 6 of 10 from the field, and added five rebounds. Jaylen Carey, a Vanderbilt transfer, had eight points and 10 rebounds in his Tennessee debut.
Baraka Okojie led Mercer with 15 points and had four rebounds. Armani Mighty contributed 14 points and five boards, and Zaire Williams had 10 points and four rebounds.
No. 19 Kansas 94, Green Bay 51
Freshman Darryn Peterson scored 21 points in his college debut and Flory Bidunga led all scorers with 23 points as the Jayhawks cruised past the Phoenix in Lawrence, Kan.
Peterson was 7-for-11 from the field, including 3 of 7 from 3-point range, in 22 minutes for Kansas. With a comfortable margin, Kansas coach Bill Self rested Peterson, who missed the team’s last exhibition game with cramps, for most of the second half.
Bidunga went 9-for-11 from the field and made 5 of 6 free throws. He also led the Jayhawks with six rebounds. Marcus Hall led Green Bay with 17 points. The Phoenix shot just 28.6% (16-for-56) from the field.
No. 20 Auburn 95, Bethune-Cookman 90 (OT)
The Tigers needed overtime to avoid a stunning upset in Steven Pearl’s head-coaching debut before holding off the visiting Wildcats.
With Auburn leading 81-78, Elyjah Freeman fouled Bethune-Cookman’s Arterio Morris on a 3-point attempt with less than a second remaining in regulation. Morris made all three foul shots, part of his 20 points.
But Keyshawn Hall’s free throws with 3:27 left in overtime gave the Tigers an 86-85 lead and they never trailed again. Hall scored a game-high 28 points.
No. 21 Gonzaga 98, Texas Southern 43
Tyon Grant-Foster scored 15 points in his debut with the Bulldogs and Braden Huff added 14 as Gonzaga rolled to a victory over the Tigers in Spokane, Wash.
Graham Ike recorded 13 points and 11 rebounds while reserve Adam Miller also scored 13 points for the Bulldogs, who led by as many as 57.
Duane Posey and Jaylen Wysinger scored eight points apiece to lead the Tigers, who missed 16 of their final 17 field-goal attempts.
No. 22 Michigan State 80, Colgate 69
Jaxon Kohler scored 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds the Spartans beat the Raiders in East Lansing, Mich.
Jeremy Fears Jr. also had a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists, while Coen Carr contributed 12 points for Michigan State, which was 24-for-37 from the free-throw line while Colgate was 4 of 6.
Sam Wright led the Raiders with 17 points and Jalen Cox supplied 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the loss.
No. 24 Wisconsin 96, Campbell 64
John Blackwell scored 31 points and Nick Boyd added 21 as the Badgers pulled away from the Fighting Camels in Madison, Wis.
Campbell, which trailed by 15 early in the second half, rallied within 67-62 on two free throws by Chris Fields Jr. with 8:39 remaining. But Blackwell then scored eight of Wisconsin’s next 11 points to trigger a 15-0 run. Nolan Winter’s dunk put the Badgers in front 82-62 with 3:48 left.
Wisconsin has eight newcomers from the team that went 27-10 last season and lost to BYU 91-89 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin, which led the nation in free throw shooting last season with 82.6%, hit 17 of 19 free throws.
No. 25 North Carolina 95, Central Arkansas 54
Caleb Wilson scored 22 points in his collegiate debut, and the Tar Heels received contributions from a variety of sources in a season-opening victory against the Bears in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Kyan Evans, boosted by four 3-pointers, poured in 15 points, Henri Veesaar had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Seth Trimble scored 12 for North Carolina, who won its 21st consecutive season opener. The Tar Heels have also notched victories in 24 straight home openers.
Cole McCormick scored nine points for Central Arkansas, which fell into an early hole and couldn’t shoot its way back into range to make it interesting. The Bears shot 31.3% from the field, making eight of 29 attempts from 3-point range. McCormick fouled out with nearly five minutes left.
