Top 25 Basketball Roundup: No. 9 Duke Beats No. 10 Kentucky in Opener

Duke Blue Devils guard Trevor Keels (1) rebounds in front of Kentucky Wildcats forward Oscar Tshiebwe (34) during the first half at Madison Square Garden in New York, on Nov. 9, 2021. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters

Freshmen Trevor Keels and Paolo Banchero provided a chunk of the points, helping No. 9 Duke defeat No. 10 Kentucky 79–71 as legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski began his final season Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Keels racked up 25 points on 10-for-18 shooting from the field and Banchero tallied 22 points by going 7-for-11 from the floor. Wendell Moore Jr. added 12 points as the Blue Devils overcame 1-for-13 shooting on 3-point attempts.

Oscar Tshiebwe had 17 points and 19 rebounds while Sahvir Wheeler scored 16 points and dished out 10 assists for Kentucky.

This was the start of Krzyzewski’s 42nd season at Duke. This was his 1,400th game in charge of the Blue Devils.

No. 1 Gonzaga 97, Dixie State 63

Sophomore Julian Strawther, making his first collegiate start, scored a game-high 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Bulldogs opened their season with a victory against the Trailblazers in Spokane, Wash.

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Nolan Hickman, (L), gets by Dixie State Trailblazers guard Noa Gonsalves (11) for a basket in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash., on Nov. 9, 2021. James Snook-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters

Bulldogs freshman 7-footer Chet Holmgren, the nation’s No. 1 recruit, came as advertised, finishing with 14 points, 13 rebounds, seven blocked shots, and six assists in 28 minutes. Rasir Bolton, a transfer from Iowa State, added 15 points and Drew Timme scored 11 for the Bulldogs, who went 31–1 last season with the lone defeat coming against Baylor in the NCAA Tournament’s championship game.

Cameron Gooden led the Trailblazers with 15 points and five assists, and Dancell Leter added 13 points.

No. 2 UCLA 95, Cal State Bakersfield 58

Johnny Juzang and Jules Bernard scored 19 points apiece to help the Bruins trounce the Roadrunners in Los Angeles in the season opener for both teams.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 14 points and Tyger Campbell had 10 for UCLA, which never trailed. Bernard made four 3-pointers. Justin McCall scored 11 points for Cal State Bakersfield, and Shaun Williams and David Walker added 10 apiece.

UCLA big man Cody Riley departed with a left knee injury with 12:08 left in the first half and didn’t return. Bakersfield’s Grehlon Easter crashed into Riley’s leg during a scramble for the ball.

No. 3 Kansas 87, Michigan State 74

Ochai Agbaji scored a career-high 29 points and keyed a Kansas defense that forced 16 turnovers as the Jayhawks toppled the Spartans at the Champions Classic in New York.

Michigan State Spartans forward Gabe Brown (44) dribbles as Kansas Jayhawks guard Jalen Coleman-Lands (55) defends during the second half at Madison Square Garden in New York, on Nov. 9, 2021. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters

Remy Martin, the Big 12 preseason player of the year and Arizona State transfer, went scoreless in the first half but still finished with 15 points. David McCormack added 10 points.

Four Michigan State scorers cracked double figures, including a team-high 17 points from A.J. Hoggard. Marcus Bingham Jr. finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, and Gabe Brown added 10 points.

No. 4 Villanova 91, Mount St. Mary’s 51

Justin Moore hit six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 27 points to lift the Wildcats easily past the Mountaineers in the season opener for both programs in Villanova, Pa.

Villanova Wildcats guard Josh Hart (3) drives against Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers guard Greg Alexander (23) in the first half during the first round of the NCAA Tournament at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY., on March 16, 2017. Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters

Brandon Slater added a career-high 17 points, Jermaine Samuels also contributed 17 and Collin Gillespie had 13 for the Wildcats in his return from a torn medial collateral ligament.

Malik Jefferson led Mount St. Mary’s with 13 points, and Nana Opoku added 11.

No. 5 Texas 92, Houston Baptist 48

Courtney Ramey scored 14 points to lead six teammates in double figures as the Longhorns opened a highly anticipated season with a victory over the visiting Huskies in Austin, Texas.

Texas led by 16 points at halftime and by 29 just 4 1/2 minutes into the second half. The Longhorns shot 64 percent from the floor and 13 of 23 from beyond the arc. Andrew Jones and freshman Jaylon Tyson added 11 points each for Texas, while Tre Mitchell, Marcus Carr and Christian Bishop had 10 each.

Za-Ontay Boothman led the Huskies with 12 points, with Darius Lee scoring 11 and Deshon Proctor hitting for 10.

No. 7 Purdue 96, Bellarmine 67

Sasha Stefanovic led all scorers with 23 points and Zach Edey had 16 points and nine rebounds as the host Boilermakers thumped the Knights in the season opener for each team in West Lafayette, Ind.

Five Boilermakers scored in double figures, with Isaiah Thompson (15 points), Brandon Newman (14) and Jayden Ivey (11) rounding out a balanced attack. Stefanovic and Thompson sank five 3-pointers apiece as Purdue shot 16-for-36 (44.4 percent) from deep and 50 percent overall.

Bellarmine went scoreless over a 5:13 stretch midway through the second half. The Boilermakers extended their advantage from 23 to 34 points during that span. CJ Fleming and Dylan Penn scored 14 points each to lead the Knights.

No. 11 Illinois 71, Jackson State 47

Jacob Grandison scored a game-high 20 points and Coleman Hawkins added 13 points and eight rebounds as the Fighting Illini overcame the absence of three starters to rout the Tigers in each team’s season opener in Champaign, Ill.

In a game rife with turnovers and poor shooting, the Fighting Illini simply flexed their considerable muscles against their Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent. They dominated the Tigers 45–25 on the boards, more than making up for 43.6 percent field-goal shooting and 19 turnovers.

Jackson State trailed by at least 10 for all but the game’s first five minutes. The Tigers shot just 37.3 from the floor and hacked up 20 turnovers. Coltie Young came off the bench to score 12 points. Jonas James and preseason SWAC Defensive Player of the Year Jayveous McKinnis chipped in 11 each. McKinnis also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and made five steals.

No. 12 Memphis 89, Tennessee Tech 65

Emoni Bates scored 17 points and had four rebounds and four assists in his career debut for the host Tigers in a season-opening victory over the Golden Eagles.

Another highly touted freshman, Jalen Duren, supplied 15 points, six rebounds and five blocks for Memphis, which never trailed. Lester Quinones scored 15 points with seven rebounds.

Mamoudou Diarra led Tennessee Tech with 11 points, and Jr. Clay tossed in nine points and dished out eight assists.

No. 13 Oregon 83, Texas Southern 66

Will Richardson’s 20 points led the Ducks to a season-opening win over the Tigers in Eugene, Ore.

Oregon also got 15 points from guard De'Vion Harmon, who made his debut with the team after transferring from Oklahoma. Jacob Young, a transfer who joined the program from Rutgers, scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half.

John Walker III led Texas Southern, which made the NCAA Tournament last season and won a First Four game to get into the field of 64, with 19 points and six rebounds.

No. 14 Alabama 93, Louisiana Tech 64

Keon Ellis notched 18 points and Jaden Shackelford added 17 as the Crimson Tide opened their season by rolling past the Bulldogs in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Coming off a season in which they went 26–7 overall, won the Southeastern Conference’s regular-season and tournament titles and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, the Crimson Tide hit 13 3-pointers against the Bulldogs. JD Davison and Juwan Gary added 12 points apiece.

Louisiana Tech was led by Keaston Willis’ 16 points, while Isaiah Crawford posted 15 points and seven rebounds.

No. 15 Houston 83, Hofstra 75 (OT)

The Cougars overcame a 13-point, second-half deficit and took down the visiting Pride in overtime in the season opener for both sides.

Marcus Sasser scored 11 of his team-high 25 points in the final eight minutes of regulation and overtime in the Cougars’ first game since the 2021 Final Four. Houston didn’t hold a lead for the final 37:52 of regulation.

Graduate student Zach Cooks scored 26 points for Hofstra, which almost pulled off one of the biggest wins in program history in the head-coaching debut of Speedy Claxton.

No. 16 Arkansas 74, Mercer 61

JD Notae had a game-best 30 points, Chris Lykes provided 16 points off the bench and the Razorbacks overcame a sluggish first half for a season-opening victory over the Bears.

Notae bombed in five 3-pointers and Au'Diese Toney posted 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for Arkansas, which trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half.

James Glisson III and Kamar Robertson had 12 points apiece for Mercer.

No. 17 Ohio State 67, Akron 66

Zed Key’s layup with 0.3 seconds left averted an upset as the Buckeyes held off the visiting Zips in their season openers in Columbus, Ohio.

Coming out of a timeout with three seconds remaining, freshman Malaki Branham took the inbounds pass and spotted Key in the paint for the winning basket to deny the Zips their first win over the Buckeyes since 1913. Ohio State leads the series 8–1.

E.J. Liddell had 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Buckeyes. Key had 14 points. Ali Ali had 15 of his 17 points in the second half for the Zips. K.J. Walton added 16 points.

No. 18 Tennessee 90, UT Martin 62

Freshman Kennedy Chandler poured in 20 points and hit all four of his 3-point attempts in his debut and the Volunteers poured it on in the second half for a win over the Skyhawks in Knoxville, Tenn.

Santiago Vescovi added 20 points for Tennessee, which set a school record with 17 3-pointers.

KK Curry led UT Martin with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and KJ Simon scored 14 points before being forced from the game with a right leg.

No. 19 North Carolina 83, Loyola (Md.) 67

Caleb Love scored 22 points and Brady Manek added 20, helping Hubert Davis score a victory in his first game as head coach of the Tar Heels, who topped the Greyhounds in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Dawson Garcia, a transfer from Marquette, had 12 points and nine rebounds, and Kerwin Walton supplied 11 points for North Carolina, which shot 52.7 percent from the field and was charged with 12 turnovers.

Jaylin Andrews led Loyola with 17 points, while Cam Spencer had 15 points.

No. 21 Maryland 83, Quinnipiac 69

In his debut for the Terrapins, Qudus Wahab scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead the win over the visiting Bobcats in the opening game for both teams in College Park, Md.

Maryland senior Eric Ayala hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions in the second half on his way to 13 points and eight rebounds. He also surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career. Donta Scott added 13 points and five rebounds, while Rhode Island transfer Fatts Russell contributed 12 points and four assists for the Terps.

Playing a few miles from his hometown of Silver Spring, Md., Matt Balanc scored a career-high 25 points to go along with his five steals for Quinnipiac. Tyrese Williams added 19 points, including hitting 5 of 9 3-pointers.

No. 22 Auburn 77, Morehead State 54

Wendell Green Jr. scored 19 points and the host Tigers defeated the Eagles in the season opener for both teams.

The Tigers led by as many as 29 points in the first half, but the Eagles rallied within 14 in the second half before Auburn pulled away. K.D. Johnson added 12 points, Devan Cambridge scored 11, and Jaylin Williams had 10 for Auburn.

Johni Broome led Morehead State with 12 points and added eight rebounds before leaving late in the second half with an apparent leg injury. Ta'lon Cooper scored 11 for the Eagles.

No. 23 St. Bonaventure 75, Siena 47

It took the Bonnies a half to solve the Saints, but they won in a rout in the season-opening matchup of conference champions from a season ago.

Kyle Lofton and Jaren Holmes scored 17 points apiece for the Bonnies, combining to shoot 13 of 27 from the floor, and Osun Osunniyi dominated inside with nine points, seven blocks and six rebounds.

Aidan Carpenter and Jayce Johnson led the Saints with 10 points each and Colby Rogers scored nine, with all of his points coming on 3-pointers.

No. 24 UConn 99, Central Connecticut State 48

Adama Sanogo scored 20 points and R.J. Cole added 15 to lift the host Huskies to a season-opening victory over the Blue Devils in Storrs, Conn.

Tyrese Martin scored 14 points and Tyler Polley added 11 off the bench for UConn, which shot a blistering 67.9 percent from the floor (19 of 28) in the first half to take a 52-23 lead at intermission.

Joe Ostrowsky scored 12 points off the bench and Nigel Scantlebury scored nine of his 11 points in the first half for Central Connecticut State, which fell in Patrick Sellers’ debut as head coach of his alma mater.

No. 25 Navy 66, Virginia 58

John Carter Jr. scored 19 points, including a clinching 3-pointer from the left wing with 24 seconds left, as the Midshipmen stunned the Cavaliers in Charlottesville, Va.

It marked Navy’s first win over a ranked team since it beat Syracuse in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 16, 1986. Future NBA superstar David Robinson was the standout of that Navy team.

Virginia began the 2021-22 season the same way it ended the previous one, with a shocking loss, after bowing out of the NCAA Tournament with a first-round defeat against Ohio. Jayden Gardner scored 18 points for the Cavaliers, who committed 14 turnovers.