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SI:AM | The Most Interesting Results From College Basketball’s Opening Night

Upsets, statement victories, standout individual performances. The first day of the season had it all.
Dan Gartland|
Florida returns four players from last year’s starting lineup.
Florida returns four players from last year’s starting lineup. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I learned about so many new schools while combing through basketball scores to write this newsletter. Did you know there’s a school called North American University, which is near Houston?

In today’s SI:AM: 
🏀 College hoops galore
🐻 Bears win again
👽 Wertheim talks with Wemby

Not quite November madness

You’re probably four months away from beginning to pay attention to college basketball, but the season did start in earnest yesterday. Believe it or not, there were actually a few notable results amidst a sea of powerhouses demolishing underfunded nobodies. Here are some of the games that stuck out. 

No. 1 Florida 77, No. 14 Miami 67 (men)

The biggest game of the day featured the No. 1 team in the country taking on a highly ranked opponent. The Gators, whose defense of their 2025 national championship ended in the NCAA tournament’s second round last season, got right back to their winning ways last night. 

Florida could very well earn a one-seed for the third year in a row. Four of its five starters are back this season, including forward Thomas Haugh, who had 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists against the Hurricanes. 

East Texas A&M 68, Oklahoma 64 (men)

It’s never good when a power-conference team loses a buy game to a low-major school with a cardinal direction in its name, but this one was especially bad. 

You might know East Texas A&M better as Texas A&M-Commerce. Or maybe not. The school only moved up to Division I in 2022 and changed its name two years later. The Lions went 42–87 in their first four D-I seasons and were 11–45 in nonconference games against D-I opponents. Before last night, their best win was a November 2023 victory over Saint Joseph’s. It was only Oklahoma’s second loss in its past 24 season openers. 

No. 1 South Carolina 101, No. 20 Maryland 93 (women)

This was one of only two ranked-vs.-ranked games on the women’s side, and it lived up to the hype. The Gamecocks, who lost in the national championship game to UCLA last season, opened with a shootout win over the Terrapins. It was the first women’s season opener between ranked opponents in which both teams scored at least 90 points. 

All-American Joyce Edwards led the way for South Carolina with 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists. But the player of the game was Maryland sophomore Addi Mack, who erupted for 35 points (on 14-for-20 shooting) with six assists. She was the team’s third-leading scorer last season.

No. 3 USC 100, UNLV 68 (women)

JuJu Watkins is back, and she hasn’t missed a beat.

With Watkins sidelined last season due to a torn ACL, the Trojans limped to an 18–14 finish, bowing out of the NCAA tournament in the second round. But they’re right back to being national championship contenders—and it isn’t just because of Watkins. 

Watkins had 21 points in her return last night, while Saniyah Hall had 22 and Jazzy Davidson had 23. That trio is going to be a problem for opponents this season. It’s a collection of talent rarely seen in college hoops. All three players were the No. 1 recruit in their respective class. 

Other games of note

  • The Cleveland State women picked up an upset over Penn State, 62–61. 
  • The Norfolk State women were upset by Division II Virginia State, 63–62. 
  • The Holy Cross women knocked off Boston College, 64–54. Rough start for BC after the Eagles went 5–26 last year. 
  • The UCF men escaped in overtime against FGCU, 96–95. Dior Johnson had 41 points on 13-for-15 shooting for the Knights. 
  • The North Carolina men narrowly avoided an upset against Western Carolina, 80–72. Not a great start to the Michael Malone era. 

The best of Sports Illustrated

Caleb Williams walks off the field
Caleb Williams and the Bears are 6–2 after a road win over the Seahawks. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The top five…

Louisville’s Tajianna Roberts shoots the ball
Louisville cruised to an easy win over local opponent Bellarmine. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

… college hoops things I saw last night: 
5. USF forward Kendall Puryear’s indescribable free throw form. 
4. Some slick passing by the Louisville women’s team for an easy basket. 
3. The reactions of these Oklahoma fans as their team tried and failed to tie the game against East Texas A&M. 
2. Kevon Vanderhorst’s coast-to-coast layup with 0.6 seconds left to win it for Iona against Vermont. 
1. Jaden Matingou’s fadeaway game-winner for Hawai‘i against Seattle. 

📺 What we’re watching today …

The NBA pauses tonight for Election Day. Go vote!

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Dan Gartland
DAN GARTLAND

Dan Gartland writes Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, and is the host of the “Stadium Wonders” video series. He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).

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