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.
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)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F11%2F10%2FBASKETBALL-NCAA-1.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
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.
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.
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)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F11%2F10%2FBASKETBALL-NCAA-2.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
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.
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)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F11%2F10%2FCOLLEGE-BASKETBALL.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.