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No. 1 Florida beats No. 14 Miami 77-67 as Thomas Haugh posts 19 and 10
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- No. 1 Florida beats No. 14 Miami 77-67 as Thomas Haugh posts 19 and 10
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Thomas Haugh had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead No. 1 Florida to a 77-67 win over No. 14 Miami on Monday night in the season opener for both programs.
Rueben Chinyelu added six points and 14 rebounds for the Gators, who left Benchmark International Arena with a loss the last time they played there to Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 22.
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Acaden Lewis, a transfer from Villanova, had 24 in his first game for the Hurricanes.
Haugh, the preseason Southeastern Conference Player of the Year who would have likely been a lottery pick had he left for the NBA, was dominant from start to finish. The 6-foot-9 senior chipped in five offensive boards, four assists, two steals and a block. He didn't commit a turnover and hit 4 of 8 from 3-point range.
Miami kept within striking distance, scoring the first eight points of the second half. The Hurricanes sliced Florida's lead to 53-51 when Somto Cyril followed a missed free throw with a dunk.
But the Gators answered with defense, holding the Hurricanes without a field goal over a five-minute stretch. When Urban Klavzar made a 3-pointer, Florida led 66-55.
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When Haugh didn't connect, his teammates picked him up. Late in the first half, Isaiah Brown followed Haugh's miss with a putback dunk to give Florida a 44-32 advantage.
Stuck in a tight battle over the game's first eight minutes, Florida used a 9-0 run to take command and didn't trail again.
NO. 2 DUKE 84, ARMY 50
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Dame Sarr scored 16 points and freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje had 15 points in his collegiate debut as Duke had big scoring runs to begin each half in a season-opening win over Army.
Patrick Ngongba II added 10 points for the Blue Devils, who started their 19th straight season with a top-10 ranking. It was the team's 27th consecutive season-opening victory and this one came with a flurry of fastbreak points and dominance in the lane.
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Kevin McCarthy scored 17 points for Army, which committed 24 turnovers.
Boumtje Boumtje, 17, is the youngest player in Division I, born in May 2009. He tacked on seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
The Blue Devils, who scored with 50 points in the paint, opened the game with a 12-0 lead. Army was without a field goal for nearly the first six minutes.
Duke's 11-0 spurt to begin the second half pushed the lead to 44-18. That was followed by Army's 12-0 run on the strength of four 3-point baskets.
NO. 3 ILLINOIS 120, FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 45
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Andrej Stojakovic and Stefan Vaaks each scored 20 points as Illinois opened its season with a win over Fairleigh Dickinson.
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The Fighting Illini made a program-record 19 3-pointers, had six players score in double figures and outrebounded Fairleigh Dickinson 65-21.
The 75-point margin of victory was the largest for Illinois (1-0) at the State Farm Center, which opened in 1963. The Illini fell seven points short of tying the school record for points in a game.
Quinton Coleman had 13 points and 10 rebounds, Ethan Brown added 12 points and nine rebounds, and Zavier Zens also finished with 12 points for Illinois — each in his collegiate debut.
Tomislav Ivisic scored 10 in the 7-footer's 30th game with multiple 3s.
David Jevtic had 13 points for Fairleigh Dickinson (0-1), which shot 28% from the field (17 of 61).
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NO. 4 UCONN 86, GARDNER-WEBB 46
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Braylon Mullins scored 11 of his 20 points in the second half and Nik Khamenia finished with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists as UConn beat Gardner-Webb.
Na'jai Hines had 12 points and 12 rebounds, Colben Landrew added 11 points and five boards, and Silas Demary Jr. finished with eight rebounds and eight assists as the Huskies (1-0) won their 10th consecutive season opener. They improved to 9-0 in openers under coach Dan Hurley, who earned his 200th win at UConn.
Jacob Hudson had nine points for Gardner-Webb (0-1), but the starters for the Runnin' Bulldogs missed 24 of their 31 field-goal attempts. Seth Brown and Jackson Skipper added eight points apiece.
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Mullins scored eight of UConn's 14 points in the first five minutes of the second half to push a 19-point halftime advantage to a 28-point lead.
Gardner-Webb missed eight of its first nine shots and had just two field goals in the opening 13 minutes. The Runnin' Bulldogs had baskets on consecutive possessions just once in the first half as they shot only 25.5% from the field.
Six of the nine UConn players who played in the first half were making their debut with the Huskies. Five of the six newcomers had at least one basket as the Huskies led 43-24 at halftime.
NO. 22 UCLA 84, NO. 5 ARIZONA 75
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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Trent Perry scored 21 points for UCLA, which opened the by overcoming a career-best 38 points from Arizona's Ivan Kharchenkov to beat the Wildcats in a matchup of former Pac-12 Conference rivals.
Kharchenkov, who also had 10 rebounds, topped his previous best of 20 against Denver last Nov. 24. Derek Dixon added 18 points for the Wildcats.
Jaylen Petty and Eric Dailey Jr. each scored 13 points for the Bruins.
This was the teams' first meeting at T-Mobile Arena since Arizona beat UCLA in the 2023 Pac-12 tournament final for the second year in a row. They had split the previous 14 meetings, with the Wildcats winning the most recent a year ago at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
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Arizona rallied to win that game and nearly pulled off another comeback Monday. Trailing by 16 points, Arizona came within a point when Kharchenkov made two free throws with 3:11 left.
That set up a somewhat tense final stretch, with UCLA doing just enough to hold on.
UCLA took early charge, breaking a tie by going on a 14-point run to go up 27-13 and eventually take a 43-29 lead into halftime.
The deeper Bruins' bench outscored Arizona's reserves 17-4 in the first half, the Wildcats' production largely limited to Kharchenkov, who had 18 points. The Wildcats struggled from outside in making just 1 of 13 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes.
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NO. 6 MICHIGAN STATE 96, QUINNIPIAC 59
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Jeremy Fears Jr. had 13 points and 11 assists and Coen Carr finished with 12 points and eight rebounds as six Spartans scored in double figures in Michigan State's win over Quinnipiac.
Anton Bonke, Jordan Scott, Kur Teng and Kaleb Glenn scored 11 points apiece for the Spartans. Under coach Tom Izzo, Michigan State is 87-1 at home during November and 24-8 in openers.
Forward Jesse McCulloch, who is expected to play a key role at center for the Spartans, did not play after getting hit in the head during practice and suffering a minor concussion.
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Tayeshawn Cunningham-Pemberton scored 11 points and Nate Guerengomba added 10 for the Bobcats, who were picked to finish sixth in the Metro Conference preseason coaches' poll after having four starters transfer. A fifth is awaiting approval for another year of eligibility. Quinnipiac has eight newcomers this season.
Michigan State led from start to finish. The Spartans took full control with a 15-2 run early in the game for a 20-6 lead and continued to pull away behind defensive pressure and work on the offensive glass.
Quinnipiac struggled offensively and was slowed by 16 turnovers and having eight shots blocked.
NO. 7 TEXAS 109, CHICAGO STATE 59
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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Matas Vokietaitis scored 22 points on 9-for-9 shooting from the field and Texas opened its season with a victory over Chicago State.
The 7-foot Vokietaitis also grabbed six rebounds. Point guard Isaiah Johnson scored 18 for the Longhorns, and freshman Joe Sterling added 14, including four of Texas' 13 3-point baskets.
Texas converted 62.5% from the field, including half of its 3-pointers.
The most highly-touted Longhorns freshman, 6-foot-9 Marcus Spears Jr., had 11 points, five rebounds and four blocks.
Spears was the No. 1 ranked recruit in the high school graduating class of 2027, according to ESPN, until he reclassified to start college this season at age 17 as the No. 4 recruit.
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Chicago State was led by Will Lovings-Watts with 13 points and Mike Price with 12.
NO, 10 HOUSTON 94, La SALLE 55
HOUSTON (AP) — Dedan Thomas Jr. scored 16 points, Corey Hadnot II added 14 and Houston opened its season with a win over La Salle.
Delrecco Gillespie had 13 points — 11 in the first half — and Chase McCarty scored all 10 of his points in the opening 20 minutes as the Cougars built a 43-23 halftime lead. Arafan Diane also scored 10 for Houston.
The Cougars shot 54% and outrebounded the Explorers 47-32. Houston also turned 19 turnovers into 25 points and had a 44-10 scoring advantage in the paint.
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Kam Burton scored 15 points and Devin Booker added 12 for the Explorers. La Salle shot 25% and went 8 of 39 on 3-pointers.
The teams combined for 46 fouls, three technicals and one flagrant foul. Houston finished 27 of 37 from the free-throw line, while La Salle was 17 of 23.
NO. 11 LOUISVILLE 84, CHATTANOOGA 70
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Flory Bidunga scored 16 points in his debut for Louisville, which jumped out early but struggled late in a victory over Chattanooga.
Adrian Wooley added 15 points for the Cardinals (1-0), who won their fourth straight season opener and third under coach Pat Kelsey. Seth Trimble and Jackson Shelstad finished with 13 each, while Alvaro Folgueiras scored 10 as Louisville shot 44.1% (30 for 68).
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Zach Bleshoy and Yonatan Levy led Chattanooga with 14 points apiece.
The Cardinals missed their first shot but then hit 10 of the next 11 to build a 23-11 lead after Bidunga's dunk with 13:43 remaining in the first half. That lead grew to 55-30 less than two minutes before halftime.
Not only did Louisville shoot well to start, the Cardinals also held the Mocs (0-1) off the glass, owning a 21-11 rebounding edge in the first half, with eight offensive boards.
The second half was a different story as Louisville shot just 29% (9 of 31) and missed its first 12 3-point attempts after halftime en route to a 1-for-16 second half from long range.
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Louisville went without a basket in the final 4:13 and made just two of its last 11 shots.
NO. 13 ST. JOHN'S 78, MONMOUTH 63
NEW YORK (AP) — Keyshawn Hall made his first six shots and scored 26 points in an impressive debut, leading St. John's to a victory over Monmouth in the season opener for both teams.
Among 11 newcomers for Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino in his fourth season with the Red Storm, Hall scored 20 by halftime and shot 9 of 16 from the floor. The transfer from Auburn also finished with nine rebounds and made all seven free throws in 33 minutes.
Ian Jackson, one of five returnees from the Johnnies' first Sweet 16 team since 1999, added 13 of his 15 points after halftime. Jackson, a preseason first-team All-Big East pick, shot 6 of 12 before fouling out.
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Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou had 12 points and new point guard Quinn Ellis from England scored eight. Ellis also had seven assists and five of the Red Storm's 13 steals.
The Red Storm (1-0) shot 41% and went 6 of 20 from 3-point range at Carnesecca Arena on campus in Queens.
Despite Hall's solid debut, the Johnnies struggled for much of the second half and led 59-47 with 9:07 remaining before Jackson hit a pair of 3s in 56 seconds for a 19-point cushion a few minutes later.
NO. 15 GONZAGA 78, PURDUE 72
LAS VEGAS (AP) —Davis Fogle scored 22 points and Gonzaga opened the season by defeating Purdue for the first time, winning in the Hall of Fame Series.
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The game was a procession to the free-throw line, with Gonzaga making 26 of 34 compared to 15 of 21 for Purdue.
Xaivian Lee, a Florida fifth-year transfer making his Gonzaga debut, added 18 points, Izan Almansa scored 11 and Braden Huff had 10.
Daniel Jacobsen led Purdue with 22 points despite battling foul trouble, C.J. Cox scored 11 and Antione West Jr. finished with 10.
Purdue, with the program's winningest coach Gene Keady watching from the stands, entered the game having won all five prior meetings between the teams, including three straight from 2022-24.
Beating Gonzaga in the season opener, however, is not easy, the Bulldogs running their streak to 23.
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The Boilermakers started a lineup without any players from the state of Indiana for the first time since Feb. 11, 1982, when they played Ohio State.
Gonzaga led for nearly 35 minutes, but Jacobsen kept Purdue within striking distance most of the night. The offense not only ran through the 7-foot-4 center, the Boilermakers didn't have many answers against the more balanced Bulldogs when he had to sit because of fouls.
NO 16. MICHIGAN 84, OAKLAND 68
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Roddy Gayle and Trey McKenney scored 17 points apiece for Michigan and the defending national champions beat Oakland in Mike Boynton's coaching debut with the program.
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J.P. Estrella, a transfer from Tennessee, had 15 points and 12 rebounds and freshman Quinn Costello scored 13 points in their first game with the Wolverines.
Gayle returned for a fifth season as one of the many college basketball players who joined lawsuits across the country after the NCAA changed its eligibility rules.
After Michigan won its second national championship and first since 1989, coach Dusty May left to lead the Dallas Mavericks and Boynton was promoted from assistant to head coach. The Wolverines also lost a trio of first-round picks to the NBA: Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson.
Boynton is getting another chance to lead a team after he was fired two years ago following a seven-season run at Oklahoma State.
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Michigan is counting on returning guards McKenney, Gayle and Elliot Cadeau to lead the way with transfers and freshmen filling the roster.
NO. 17 KANSAS 95, FORDHAM 65
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Tre White scored 22 points, top recruit Tyran Stokes added 15 in his Kansas debut, and the Jayhawks overcame early stretches of sloppy offense and porous perimeter defense to beat Fordham.
Leroy Blyden Jr. also had 15 points after transferring from Toledo, Melvin Council Jr. scored 10 in his return to the Jayhawks, and recent Purdue transfer Trey Kaufman-Renn came off the bench to score nine points and pull down five boards.
White, Council and Kaufman-Renn are among the dozens of players across the country who have won injunctions in court against the NCAA for another year of eligibility. The trio combined for 41 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in the opener.
Akira Jacobs had 20 points and Lateef Patrick Jr. scored 13 for the Rams, whose 3-point barrage kept them within 54-48 early in the second half before the Jayhawks embarked on a 19-3 run that finally gave them complete control.
Kaufman-Renn didn't play for Kansas during its exhibition slate, which included losses to second-ranked Duke and No. 11 Louisville in Allen Fieldhouse, as his eligibility situation was revolved and the former All-Big Ten forward got up to speed with his new team.
MEMPHIS 80, NO. 18 IOWA STATE 76
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Jayden Reid scored 17 of his game-high 26 points in the second half to lead Memphis to a win over Iowa State.
The Tigers had to hang on late to secure the win. Memphis led 69-62 with just over five minutes remaining on a 3-pointer by Rihards Vavers before the Cyclones made a late push.
Iowa State's 7-0 run tied it at 69 before Reid took over late to secure the win for Memphis. The Northwestern transfer scored 11 points in the final three minutes, including a big 3-pointer with 38 seconds to play to give Memphis a 78-73 lead.
Iowa State's Dominykas Pleta scored 13 points in the final 10 minutes of the game to keep the Cyclones in it. He finished with 15.
Ryan Prather Jr. led Iowa State with 19 points.
While Reid had the late-game heroics, the Tigers were led for most of the night by Luke Almodovar, who finished with 15 points. He fouled out with just over three minutes to play when Reid used his scoring surge for Memphis down the stretch.
The first half was tight, featuring 11 lead changes and seven ties. Fittingly, a dunk at the buzzer by Almodovar gave Memphis a 40-39 lead at the break.
NO. 19 TEXAS TECH 76, JACKSON STATE 42
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Damarion Dennis scored a career-high 22 points in his Texas Tech debut, and the Red Raiders opened the season with a 47th consecutive nonconference home win, beating Jackson State.
Cruz Davis, another transfer among nine newcomers after two seasons at Hofstra, had 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and a career-high six steals in the Red Raiders' 27th straight season-opening win.
Dennis, a Wyoming transfer who grew up in Texas, came off the bench and was 8 of 12 from the field, including a career-best four 3-pointers.
Mike Williams scored 11 points for the Tigers, who are playing all 14 nonconference games on the road.
Jackson State shot 29% overall and 21% from 3, with 29 of 48 shots coming beyond the arc in Trey Johnson's debut as head coach almost 20 years after he led his alma mater to its most recent NCAA Tournament appearance.
Texas Tech started the season without All-America post player JT Toppin. He is still rehabbing after tearing the ACL in his right knee last February, and there isn't a timeline for his return.
NO. 21 SOUTHERN CAL 95, MILWAUKEE 63
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Adonis Ratliff scored 25 points in his collegiate debut, Alijah Arenas had 21 points and a career-high eight rebounds, and Southern California beat Milwaukee.
Darius Ratliff, Adonis' twin brother, added 14 points and five blocks in his debut for the Trojans. Rodney Rice had 15 points and nine assists in his first game since a season-ending shoulder injury last year, and KJ Lewis added 10 points.
USC (1-0) shot 56.9% from the field, including 12 of 22 from 3-point range, and never trailed en route to its third straight season-opening win under coach Eric Musselman.
Amare Hereford scored 14 points and Tre Norman had 13 for the Panthers (0-1).
The Ratliff brothers, the twin sons of 16-year NBA veteran Theo Ratliff, are part of a decorated freshman class for the Trojans that includes touted recruit Christian Collins, who did not play.
Adonis Ratliff shot 7 of 10 from the field, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range, and added six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Darius Ratliff was 5 of 10 and made his only 3-point attempt.
NO. 24 VANDERBILT 93, BELLARMINE 47
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tyler Tanner scored 20 points to lead Vanderbilt to a dominant win over Bellarmine in the first matchup between the teams.
Tanner, a preseason Associated Press All-American, shot 7 for 10 from the floor and also had six assists and two rebounds.
Berke Büyüktuncel had 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting, Ace Glass had 12, and Chandler Bing scored 11 for the Commodores (1-0).
DeMarcus Surratt led Bellarmine with nine points, while Jacob Wassler had eight points.
Vanderbilt shot 60% from the field, 37% from 3-point range, 80% from the free-throw line, had 48 points in the paint, and scored 35 points off turnovers. They also recorded 12 steals, 19 assists, and outrebounded Bellarmine (0-1) 38-20.
The teams were tied at 14-14 with nine minutes left in the half, then Vanderbilt took command from that point with a 38-5 run that bled into the second half.
The Commodores returned Tanner and Bing, but lost four starters from last season's 27-win team, including Tyler Nickel, Duke Miles, Devin McGlockton, and AK Okereke.
NO. 25 94, OHIO STATE 83
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Rob Wright III scored 33 points and made four 3-pointers to lead BYU to a victory over Ohio State.
Collin Chandler and Tyler Betsey each had 15 points for the Cougars. Bruce Branch III had 12 points and Jaxon Kohler scored 11. Betsey and Kohler both grabbed six rebounds. BYU (1-0) shot 69% from the field and made seven 3-pointers in the second half.
Amare Bynum led the Buckeyes (0-1) with 18 points. John Mobley Jr. had 14 points and seven assists before fouling out with 4:48 left. Andrija Jelavic had 13 points and nine rebounds.
The Cougars scored baskets on four straight possessions, culminating in a second-chance corner 3 from Wright, to take their first lead of the game. BYU eventually extended the lead to 50-43 on a three-point play from Kohler.
Ohio State briefly regained a 57-55 lead on Mobley's layup. But the Cougars surged in front for good with a 14-2 run highlighted by Kohler's reverse backdoor layup and a 3-pointer from Wright for a 73-61 lead with 7:24 left.
BYU struggled from the perimeter out of the gate, missing eight of its first nine 3-point field goal attempts. Ohio State took advantage of the cold outside shooting to surge ahead of the Cougars midway through the first half.
