College basketball's opening day: Scores, top 25 rankings, highlights, results
👋 Thanks for joining us!
Thank you for following along with us on opening day of the college basketball season. It was an exciting day full of back-and-forth action and shocking upsets. There are still a few games going on. You can follow live stats and scores by clicking the links below.
Men's scoreboard | Women's scoreboard
And if you missed any of the action, we've got you covered with the best results of the day.
Women's
Men's
😮💨 No. 8 BYU holds off Villanova in Vegas
No. 8 BYU takes down Villanova in the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas, 71-66, going on a late run to stave off Villanova's late comeback attempt.
The Cougars found themselves with a 42-32 lead at halftime, but Villanova slowly chipped away at the lead in the second half, eventually pulling ahead, 56-55, with 8:05 to go. BYU then went on a 16-10 run to retake the lead and put away the Wildcats in Vegas.
BYU freshman forward AJ Dybantsa led the Cougars with 21 points in his impressive college debut.
AJ Dybantsa impressed im in his official BYU debut 🔥
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops)
The potential No. 1 overall pick finished with 21 points and 6 rebounds in the win.
But perhaps the best performance of the night came from BYU center Keba Keita. Keita had an incredible defensive showing, racking up eight points, seven rebounds (four DREB) and three blocks for BYU.
The dunk and the block. 🤯 |
— Hall of Fame Series (@hofseries)
😱 TWO shocking upsets in men's hoops
We had two more unexpected results come in as TCU and Boise State both fall on opening night.
New Orleans stuns TCU, 78-74, grabbing a big road upset win over the Horned Frogs. It's the Privateers' first win against a Power Four opponent since 2017. New Orleans' Coleton Benson led all scorers with 22 points.
NOLA'S TEAM PULLS THE SHOCKER HOLD ON AND BEAT TCU ON OPENING NIGHT
— Southland Conference (@SouthlandSports)
THIS IS ONLY NOVEMBER
Hawai'i Pacific 79, Boise State 78
Boise State falls to Division II Hawai'i Pacific in a stunning upset. Four Hawai'i Pacific players scored double-digit points against Boise State as HPU comes up with a huge upset win. Joshua West led all scorers with 23 points on 9/16 shooting.
🪄 Loyola wins on a buzzer beater
Absolute chills. In its first game since Sister Jean's passing less than a month ago, the Loyola Ramblers win their season opener, 91-88, with a buzzer beater over Cleveland State.
Destiny: wins at the buzzer over Cleveland State in its first game after Sister Jean's passing less than a month ago. Chills.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander)
🔥 Two-way dominance for BYU's Keba Keita
No. 8 BYU center Keba Keita is getting it done on both ends of the floor, hammering home a putback dunk, then sending a block into the crowd in a highlight-reel sequence.
KEITA DOING IT ON BOTH ENDS 😳
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB)
🤘 No. 4 Texas dominates in opener
The No. 4 Longhorns' offense was firing on all cylinders against UIW, powering Texas to a 123-51 win in the season opener.
+2 for JLee 🤘
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB)
Q1 6:44 | TEX 13 IWU 2
Six different Longhorns had 15 or more points, led by Jordan Lee with 21. Texas dominated from the jump, leading 61-28 at the half, and going on a 20-0 run between the third and fourth quarters.
😅 No. 20 Auburn avoids a shocking upset
No. 20 Auburn survives an overtime thriller against Bethune-Cookman, escaping with a 95-90 win.
This game was the definition of back-and-forth, with neither team leading by more than six points all night. Auburn looked like it would put the game away in the dying seconds, leading 79-75 with 13 seconds to go, but a clutch three from Arterio Morris made it a one-possession game with three seconds to go.
After Auburn made two more free throws, the Wildcats had a chance to tie it with another three-pointer, and Arterio Morris heaved it from half court. But he was fouled, sending him to the line for three free throws, which he sank to send it to OT.
ARTERIO MORRIS IS FOULED AND BETHUNE COOKMAN WILL SHOOT 3 FREE THROWS DOWN 3 TO AUBURN
— Carter Lowe (@collegefutebol)
Auburn was able to pull away in overtime, thanks to seven points from Keyshawn Hall, winning it 95-90 in the extra frame. It's head coach Steven Pearl's first win as the Auburn coach in a game that was closer than anticipated.
Workin'😤
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB)
👀 No. 20 Auburn in overtime against Bethune-Cookman
Bethune-Cookman is heading to overtime against No. 20 Auburn, looking to pull off an incredible opening night upset. The Wildcats tied the game after Auburn fouled on a three-point shot with just half a second left in regulation.
Bethune-Cookman is looking for its first win ever against a ranked opponent. The Wildcats are 0-28 all-time, losing every game by 14 or more points.
‼️ No. 13 Arizona upsets No. 3 Florida
In the only top-20 men's matchup of opening day, the No. 13 Arizona Wildcats take down the defending national champion No. 3 Florida, 93-87.
The Wildcats and the Gators traveled to Las Vegas for the Hall of Fame Series to open the season, and these teams did not disappoint, putting on a show all the way to the final buzzer. Florida found an early advantage in the first half, leading by as many as 12 points, but the Wildcats stormed back, going on a 30-14 run to take a 50-46 lead into halftime.
Florida clawed its way back into the game in the second half, tying it at 67 apiece with 7:49 to go, but Arizona found its rhythm again, pulling back in front by as many as nine points in the final three minutes.
But the Gators wouldn't go away, pulling back within three points within the final minute. With 44 seconds to go, Boogie Fland stole the ball and had a wide-open three-point chance, but missed the game-tying shot. Despite a few key errors in the dying minute by Arizona, the Gators couldn't capitalize when it mattered most, and Arizona held on for the win.
18-year-old Koa Peat had an outstanding college debut, notching a game-high 30 points and adding six rebounds and five assists in a signature win by the Wildcats.
PUTTING ON A SHOW IN VEGAS 🤩
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS)
😳 St. John's hangs 108 in season opener
No. 5 St. John's put on an offensive show tonight, breaking the 100-point mark in a 108-74 win over Quinnipiac. 12 different Johnnies had a bucket, and five players had double-digit points, led by Dillon Mitchell with 18.
D-MITCH GOIN' 🆙😁
— St. John's Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall)
Zuby Ejiofor showed why he's one of the top players in the country, putting up 17 points in a dominant physical game.
ZZZUUUUUBBBBYYYYYY 💪
— St. John's Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall)
💥 Two top women's teams are rolling
Two top-10 women's teams are steamrolling their opponents right now.
No. 2 South Carolina leads Grand Canyon, 71-38
The Gamecocks are crushing the Antelopes in the third quarter. Nine different South Carolina players have at least a bucket in the game, led by Ta'Niya Latson with 16 points.
We could get used to this 🤩 ➡️
— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB)
📺 SECN+ |
No. 10 Maryland up big over Loyola Maryland, 68-21
The Terps' defense is all over Loyola, holding the Greyhounds to just 21 points on 20% shooting. Maryland even held Loyola scoreless for an entire eight-minute stretch. Duke transfer Oluchu Okanawa has a game-high 16 points through three quarters.
First basket of the season goes to Oluchi! 🐢
— Maryland Women’s Basketball (@TerpsWBB)
✅ Ranked games halftime check in
We had six men's ranked games tip off at 7 p.m. Here's how they sit at halftime.
No. 18 Arizona leads No. 3 Florida, 50-46
The Wildcats are out to a hot start against the defending champs, leading the Gators by four at the half. Arizona's Koa Peat leads both teams with 13 points.
Koa Peat catching up his defender. 🤯
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB)
No. 4 UConn pacing New Haven, 37-24
The Huskies look solid to start the season as they lead New Haven by 13 after the first half. UConn has five steals already in a strong defensive game.
oh ok Solo
— UConn Men's Basketball (@UConnMBB)
No. 14 Arkansas up big over Southern 57-32
Arkansas is rolling Southern, scoring 57 first-half points behind an excellent showing from Darius Acuff Jr., who has 20 points and is 3/3 from beyond the arc.
BACK2BACK
— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB)
No. 18 Tennessee leading Mercer, 33-21
The Vols are putting on a defensive clinic against Mercer, holding the Bears to just 21.2% shooting and 1/17 from three-point range in the first half.
cade outta nowhere
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops)
📺 SEC Network+
📲
No. 22 Michigan State up on Colgate, 37-34
Colgate is holding its own against the No. 22 Spartans on the road, only trailing by three points after the first half. The Raiders are holding Michigan State to 40.6% shooting so far.
Defense ➡️ Offense gets it to go 💪
— Colgate Men's Basketball (@ColgateMBB)
📺: B1G+
No. 25 North Carolina rolling Central Arkansas, 51-23
North Carolina is rolling, piling up 51 points in an explosive first half. The Tarheels have eight steals already, stifling the Central Arkansas offense.
LOOK OUT 🗣️
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball)
📺 ACC Network
😮💨 St. John's and Maryland each up at the half
Two key men's games have reached halftime. Let's take a look at the action so far.
Maryland leads Coppin St in Hall of Fame Series, 47-32
The Terps are up big over Coppin State at halftime, leading the Eagles by 15 in Baltimore in the first game of the Hall of Fame Series. Andre Mills leads both teams with 11 points, but his best highlight so far was a chasedown block halfway through the first half.
Andre Mills reporting for duty 🙌
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops)
📺:
No. 5 St. John's up on Quinnipiac, 54-34
The Red Storm put up 19 points in the first five minutes in an explosive start to the season. Quinnipiac found its rhythm as the half continued, slowing down the St. John's offense a bit, but the Bobcats still find themselves in a 20-point hole at halftime. St. John's star Zuby Ejiofor has eight points so far, including this dunk on a slick feed from Bryce Hopkins:
BHOP to Zuby for the JAM ‼️
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX)
🤩 Ranked men's action getting underway
The women's games have given us lots of great action today, including a top-10 upset as No. 16 Baylor took down No. 7 Duke, 58-52 in Paris.
Now the men's games are getting underway, and there are six games featuring ranked men's teams tipping off within the next hour, beginning with No. 5 St. John's vs. Quinnipiac at 6:30 p.m. Then, the defending national champion No. 3 Florida faces off against No. 18 Arizona in the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas.
Here's the slate of ranked men's games starting soon and how to watch each game:
- No. 5 St. John's vs. Quinnipiac, 6:30 p.m. | FS1
- No. 3 Florida vs. No. 18 Arizona (in Las Vegas), 7 p.m. | TNT/truTV
- No. 4 UConn vs. New Haven, 7 p.m. | ESPN+
- No. 14 Arkansas vs. Southern, 7 p.m. | SEC Network
- No. 18 Tennessee vs. Mercer, 7 p.m. | SECN+
- No. 22 Michigan State vs. Colgate, 7 p.m. | Big Ten+
- No. 25 North Carolina vs. Central Arkansas, 7 p.m. | ACC Network
⚓️ Vanderbilt gets big out of conference win against Cal
Vanderbilt surged in the second half to beat Cal 75-65 in Paris and give the SEC its first win over the ACC this women's college basketball season.
It's a very different looking Vanderbilt than a season ago, but one thing that remains a constant is Mikayla Blakes. The sophomore had 27 points, four rebounds and two assists playing all 40 minutes. Aiyana Mitchell contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Vanderbilt was in danger of being the second ranked upset in Paris, but a 30-4 run from Commodores in the second half secured the opening-day victory.
Cal had four players in double figures but couldn't close out at as the Golden Bears go back home 0-1.
PAINT WORK 💪 x
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB)