Si:am | The Most Notable Results From College Basketball’s Opening Day

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I cognize I made a joke astir this last season, but I still can’t judge that Florida International vs. Florida National is a existent assemblage hoops game. 

In today’s SI:AM: 
🏀 Top prospect’s assemblage debut
💰 A caller twist connected NIL deals
🏈 CFP rankings preview

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You’d beryllium forgiven for not realizing that nan assemblage hoops play started yesterday. After all, of nan complete 300 Division I men’s and women’s games, only 2 were betwixt teams some classed successful nan preseason AP Top 25. The first time of nan assemblage hoops play is much astir discovering nan beingness of schools for illustration nan Mississippi University for Women, Champion Christian College and Friends University. But, location were still a fistful of noteworthy outcomes scattered among nan dozens of blowouts against mini book colleges. I’ve scoured nan scoreboard to bring you a fewer results that stood out.

No. 16 Baylor defeats No. 7 Duke, 58–52 (women)

The lone ranked-vs.-ranked crippled connected nan women’s broadside featured nan Bears and Blue Devils and was played successful Paris. Both teams dealt pinch immoderate early-season rust connected offense, pinch Baylor shooting 31.7% from nan level and Duke shooting 29.0%. Both teams besides hovered astir 20% from three. 

Sophomore guardant Toby Fournier was nan standout for Duke, scoring 16 points (the only Blue Devils subordinate successful double figures) pinch 10 rebounds and 4 blocks. Redshirt sophomore defender Taliah Scott was nan motor down Baylor’s offense, scoring 24 points. 

No. 13 Arizona defeats No. 7 Florida, 93–87 (men)

The Wildcats prevailed successful nan only apical 25 men’s matchup of nan night, beating nan defending champion Gators successful Las Vegas. 

Arizona freshman Koa Peat, a top-10 enlistee successful nan people of 2025, lived up to nan hype successful his assemblage debut, posting 30 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals successful nan win. 

Interestingly, Arizona only attempted 5 three-pointers successful nan game. That isn’t terribly surprising, considering nan Wildcats classed 242nd successful nan federation past play pinch 21.3 three-point attempts per game, but that made them nan first power-conference squad since St. John’s successful 2011 to people astatine slightest 90 points while attempting 5 aliases less threes. 

West Alabama defeats UAB, 62–59 (women)

The biggest upset of nan nighttime connected nan women’s broadside came erstwhile Division II West Alabama knocked disconnected UAB. 

A D-II squad beating a D-I squad is ever fun, but this upset was particularly noteworthy for a mates of reasons. First of all, West Alabama isn’t moreover a good D-II team. In fact, past play nan Tigers were a very bad D-II team. They opened nan play pinch a 10-game losing streak (including a 78–47 blowout against UAB), didn’t prime up their first triumph until January and vanished nan twelvemonth astatine 4–22. UAB, meanwhile, had a very respectable 16–16 grounds that included a roadworthy triumph complete a tournament-bound USF team. 

But what really made this 1 nosy was that West Alabama won connected a buzzer beater from elder transportation Bellah Machen. Her leaning, contested 3 pinch 1 2nd connected nan timepiece gave nan Tigers a melodramatic win. 

Hawai‘i Pacific defeats Boise State, 79–78 (men)

There was besides a D-II complete D-I upset connected nan men’s side, pinch Boise State losing a tight 1 against Hawai‘i Pacific. It’s a disappointing consequence for nan Broncos, who’ve won astatine slightest 22 games successful each of nan past 4 seasons.

New Orleans defeats TCU, 78–74 (men)

The different large men’s hoops upset was New Orleans’s triumph complete TCU. The Privateers, retired of nan Southland Conference, were 1 of nan worst teams successful nan federation past season. They went 4–27 and classed 359th retired of 364 teams successful points allowed per game. 

UNO was led by elder defender Coleton Benson, a transportation from Texas State, who led each scorers pinch 22 points. 

The Privateers only person 2 players who are holdovers from past year’s roster (senior Grant Kemp and sophomore MJ Thomas). The remainder of nan squad is comprised of transfers (like Benson, Wake Forest transportation Churchill Abass and juco transportation Kedrick Osby) and a dense dose of freshmen, for illustration world forwards Panagiotis Pagonis (Greece) and Enzo Boudouma (Switzerland), some of whom saw important minutes connected Monday. 

Other games of note

The champion of Sports Illustrated

… things I saw past night: 
5. Dak Prescott’s patience successful nan pouch to find CeeDee Lamb for a large gain. 
4. Josiah Lake II’s layup astatine nan buzzer to triumph it for Oregon State against North Dakota State.
3. A reliable bucket by BYU’s lauded freshman AJ Dybantsa. 
2. A uncommon lucky buzzer beater by nan Canucks’ Brock Boeser. 
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s beautiful fadeaway buzzer beater to triumph it against nan Pacers.