TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Thomas Haugh had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the No. 1 Florida Gators to a 77-67 win over the No. 14 Miami Hurricanes in the season-opener for both programs. Rueben Chinyelu added six points and 14 rebounds for the Gators, who this time left Benchmark International Arena with a win. In the same building on March 22, Iowa ended Florida’s season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Acaden Lewis had 24 for the Hurricanes in his first game since transferring from Villanova.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina won its debut under Michael Malone with a tougher-than-expected tussle with Western Carolina on Monday night. Malone led the NBA's Denver Nuggets to an NBA championship in 2023. Now he's leading a blueblood program with six NCAA championships and a record 21 trips to the Final Four. After this one, retired Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams and North Carolina athletic director Steve Newmark presented Malone with a game ball for his first win with the Tar Heels.
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Dame Sarr scored 16 points and freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje had 15 points in his collegiate debut as No. 2 Duke had big scoring runs to begin each half in an 84-50 season-opening win over Army on Monday night. Patrick Ngongba II added 10 points for the Blue Devils, who started their 19th straight season with a top-10 ranking. It was the team’s 27th consecutive season-opening victory and this one came with a flurry of fastbreak points and dominance in the lane. Kevin McCarthy scored 17 points for Army, which committed 24 turnovers.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Flory Bidunga scored 16 points in his debut for No. 11 Louisville, which jumped out early but struggled late in an 84-70 victory over Chattanooga. Adrian Wooley added 15 points for the Cardinals, who won their fourth straight season opener and third under coach Pat Kelsey. Seth Trimble and Jackson Shelstad finished with 13 each, while Alvaro Folgueiras scored 10 as Louisville shot 44.1%. The second half was a different story as Louisville shot just 29% and missed its first 12 3-point attempts after halftime en route to a 1-for-16 second half from long range. Chattanooga shot 43.9% and committed 18 turnovers. Zach Bleshoy and Yonatan Levy led Chattanooga with 14 points each.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Julius Price scored 17 points, and Stanford rallied late to beat Eastern Washington 74-65 in a season opener. Eastern Washington trailed 34-30 at halftime, but Jalen Griffith had a three-point play, and Alton Hamilton IV followed with a jumper to give the Eagles a 65-64 lead with 2:45 remaining. Nick Townsend hit a go-ahead layup, and Aziz Olajuwon stole the ball and scored to give Stanford a 68-65 lead with two minutes remaining. The Eagles turned it over, and Price turned it into a layup to help the Cardinal pull away.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Freshman Gavin Placide scored 20 points, Kevair Kennedy just missed a triple-double and Wake Forest never trailed in an 83-62 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore in a season opener. Placide sank 8 of 11 shots and grabbed seven rebounds for the Demon Deacons. Kennedy finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals. Bobby Gardner scored 30 points to lead the Hawks. He made 11 of 19 shots with four 3-pointers.
DALLAS (AP) — Freshman Jakub Szumert scores 24 points to lead SMU over Southern 85-72 in their season opener. Szumert, a 6-foot-9 forward from Poland, shines with impressive shooting. Jermaine O’Neal Jr. adds 15 points for SMU. Jaden Toombs contributes nine points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks. SMU secures the lead late in the first half and maintains it throughout. R’Chaun King and Karez Demory lead Southern with 12 and 10 points off the bench. Coach Andy Enfield starts his third season with SMU, following their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017.
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Michael Cooper scored 24 points off the bench, Sammie Yeanay had 21, and Nojus Indrusaitis added 20 as California defeated Adams State 115-86 on Monday night in a season opener for the Golden Bears. Cooper, who joined the Golden Bears from Wright State, came one point shy of his career high in his Cal debut. He played 22 minutes and shot 8-of-13 (6-for-8 from deep). The Golden Bears feature nine returning players and nine newcomers, with five transfers and four freshmen. Jordan Ross and Jake Wilkins each chipped in with 12 points. Defensively, Wilkins hauled in seven rebounds, and Yeanay had six rebounds and five steals. Cal scored 69 first-half points and led by 29 at the break. Emilek Jallow paced Adams State, a Division II program, with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting.
