College Basketball

Nov 4, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard RJ Davis (4) reacts after hitting a three point shot in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images The North Carolina Tar Heels hit the court for the first time this season, hosting Elon in the Dean Dome on Monday night. …

FAYETTEVILLE — One question rings in my head as we approach a new Arkansas basketball season, headlined by the arrival of head coach John Calipari. What would the expectations be for this Razorbacks team if it wore blue and white jerseys that said “Kentucky” on the front? Calipari has preached patience since he took the Arkansas job. He says that …

Pat Kelsey on Monday night passed another test his predecessor couldn’t, winning his first official game as head coach of the Louisville men’s basketball team. An even bigger one is on the horizon for the Cardinals, against No. 12 Tennessee at noon Saturday inside the KFC Yum! Center. Any questions? The Courier Journal is ringing in the start of the …

Nov 4, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama guard Mark Sears (1) talks with a referee as he goes to the line to shoot free throws against UNC Asheville at Coleman Coliseum. After carrying a preseason ranking of No. 2 nationally entering the game, the Alabama Crimson Tide certainly showed why they had that lofty status prior to beginning the year …

For the second time since Friday, a ranked Texas A&M Aggies team suffered a disappointing defeat then watched as opposing fans swarmed the playing surface. On Saturday, it was the football team; Monday night, the Aggies men’s basketball team watched jubilant Central Florida supporters storm the court after a 64-61 upset. No. 16 Texas A&M held a lead as large …

Michigan State’s Jaden Akins, right, moves the ball as Monmouth’s Madison Durr defends during the first half on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Michigan State basketball has already started their 2024-25 campaign better than last season. Last year, the Spartans dropped the opening night game against a scrappy James Madison team. This year, the …

Notebook: Jaquan Carlos, Jyare Davis enjoy standout Syracuse debuts Nov 4, 2024; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange guard Jaquan Carlos (5) drives the ball past Le Moyne Dolphins guard Will Amica (22) in the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images (Photo by Mark Konezny-Imagn Images) Syracuse squeaked by Le Moyne winning 86-82 in …

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — Cedric Coward scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, Isaiah Watts came off the bench to score 20, and Washington State beat Portland State 100-92 on Monday night, earning David Riley a victory in his debut as the Cougars’ head coach. Coward made 7 of 12 shots from the floor with three 3-pointers and 6 of …

Columbia Lions (1-0) at Villanova Wildcats (1-0) Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Villanova faces Columbia after Wooga Poplar scored 20 points in Villanova’s 75-63 victory against the Lafayette Leopards. Villanova finished 10-6 at home a season ago while going 18-16 overall. The Wildcats gave up 65.6 points per game while committing 15.5 fouls last season. Columbia …

GREELEY, Colo. (AP) — Langston Reynolds’ 21 points helped Northern Colorado defeat Colorado College 75-55 on Monday night in a season opener. Reynolds added seven rebounds and four steals for the Bears (1-0). Brock Wisne added 15 points while going 7 of 9 from the field while they also had nine rebounds. Marcell McCreary had 12 points and shot 4 …

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jeremiah Cherry scored 24 points as UNLV beat Alabama State 93-79 on Monday. Cherry also added 11 rebounds for the Rebels. Dedan Thomas Jr. added 17 points while shooting 3 for 9 (1 for 3 from 3-point range) and 10 of 11 from the free-throw line while they also had seven assists. Julian Rishwain had 13 …

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Andrej Stojakovic scored 16 points, Jovan Blacksher Jr. added 15 for California on Monday night and the new-look Golden Bears beat Cal State Bakersfield 86-73 in the season opener for both teams. BJ Omot had 13 points, DJ Campbell scored 12 and Mady Sissoko 10 for Cal. Jemel Jones led Cal State Bakersfield with 22 points, …

ORLANDO — It’s a mostly new group, and one that was shorthanded due to a combination of injuries and foulouts, but UCF basketball coach Johnny Dawkins saw his “type of team” emerge in the final minutes of Monday’s season-opening stunner. The Knights clamped down on No. 15 Texas A&M with persistence, intensity and grit on the defensive end, holding the …

Khalif Battle couldn’t believe how open he was. He’d just hit step-back and catch-and-shoot 3-pointers on Gonzaga’s previous two possessions, yet here he was alone in the corner with no defender within 15 feet of him after Baylor lost him in transition. The 3-pointer that Battle celebrated with a smile and a shoulder shimmy epitomized a Gonzaga victory that turned …

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Nolan Hickman scored 17 points, Graham Ike had 15 points and eight rebounds, and No. 6 Gonzaga beat No. 8 Baylor 101-63 at Spokane Arena on Friday night in the teams’ season-opener. Braden Huff added 14 points for the Bulldogs, who got their 19th consecutive season-opening victory. Gonzaga beat an opponent it lost to in the …

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Damarco Minor scored 23 points and Oregon State pulled away in the second half to post an 80-57 win over Utah Tech in the season opener Monday night. The Beavers have won each of their 11 season openers under coach Wayne Tinkle, who is now one win shy of 300. Oregon State’s roster features nine newcomers …

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Kwame Evans Jr. scored 23 points and Nate Bittle added 16 points and 11 rebounds Monday night to help Oregon beat UC Riverside 91-76 in the season opener for both teams. Stanford transfer Brandon Angel had 17 points and TJ Bamba, who started at Washington State before playing last season at Villanova, scored 12 and grabbed …

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Kobe Sanders scored 27 points as Nevada beat Sam Houston 91-75 on Monday. Sanders added six rebounds for the Wolf Pack. Nick Davidson scored 26 points while going 8 of 10 from the floor, including 3 for 5 from 3-point range, and 7 for 9 from the line and added 10 rebounds. Tre Coleman shot 3 …

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama found another freshman sensation from the Mobile area. This one does his damage on the hardwood instead of the gridiron. While receiver Ryan Williams has filled up the stat sheet for Kalen DeBoer this fall, guard Labaron Philon appears poised to do the same for Nate Oats. Making his first start during Alabama basketball’s season opener …

Tre Johnson set a school record for most points by a Texas basketball freshman in his debut with 29 points, but red-hot Ohio State held on for a 80-72 win in the season opener for both teams Monday at the T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas. Johnson, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, led Texas in scoring while shooting 10-of-20 from the floor …

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Hunter Dickinson was back on the court for No. 1 Kansas on Monday night. His next game is going to be a more difficult challenge. Dickinson missed two exhibition games because of a minor injury. But the 7-foot-2 center returned to the Jayhawks’ lineup for their opener, scoring 16 points in an 87-57 victory over Howard. …

Nov 4, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard RJ Davis (4) reacts after hitting a three point shot in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images North Carolina takes down Elon in the team’s first game of the season, but it was anything but easy as North Carolina was …

If you’re a scrub, you “can’t get no love” from Alabama basketball. The lyrics from 1990s girl group TLC appeared wound up being the consensus of the Crimson Tide’s fanbase as it reacted to the men’s 110-54 season opening win over UNC-Asheville on Monday in Coleman Coliseum. Coach Nate Oats and company were celebrated up and down the timeline on …

6 takeaways from Syracuse’s 86-82 win over Le Moyne Nov 4, 2024; Syracuse, New York, USA; Le Moyne Dolphins guard Jakob Blakely (10) is closely defended by Syracuse Orange guard Jaquan Carlos (5) in the second half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images (Photo by Mark Konezny-Imagn Images) Syracuse won its first game of the 2024-25 …

Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor reacts to Cooper Flagg’s Duke debut and if the hype surrounding the projected #1 NBA draft pick is warranted. View more Video Transcript Is the Cooper flag hype justified. I’d say so following his Duke debut though, he wasn’t amazing by any means. He shot only six of 15 from the floor. He missed all four …