By Aidan Joly
College basketball is back underway. Here are the biggest takeaways from night one of the season on Monday night.
Florida, Thomas Haugh look the part
Florida certainly looked every bit of its preseason No. 1 ranking with a 77-67 win against No. 14 Miami in Tampa.
Thomas Haugh looked the part of the preseason All-American, scoring 19 points on 6-13 from the field and grabbing 10 rebounds. He also had four assists and did not have a turnover.
On the Miami side, there were some rotation concerns with Jai Lucas’ team. Still, Acaden Lewis looked like the best player on the team, scoring 24 points on 9-20 from the field.
Overall, this Miami team may not be as good as the preseason darling as some were hoping they would end up being, but the Hurricanes should still be fine.
Gonzaga wins, but Daniel Jacobsen was the story
No. 15 Gonzaga beat Purdue 78-72 in Las Vegas.
Zags sophomore Davis Fogle had a career-high 22 points, although 6-18 from the field was not the most efficient night. Florida transfer Xaivian Lee had 18 points.
Fogle was a player who started out slow as a freshman last season but picked it up as the season went on. If he can be a player who sees an improvement jump higher than the projections he is just another great weapon for Mark Few’s team.
The story of the game, though, was Purdue’s Daniel Jacobsen. He had 22 points on 9-11 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds, a fantastic performance despite the loss. He was a mere role player the past two seasons with the Boilermakers. He can have a breakout season and become a household name if he keeps it up.
Memphis gets a key win
It’s interesting to call a win in the first game of the season a key one, but Memphis’ 80-76 win against Iowa State in Sioux Falls, S.D. was about as important as you could get.
Penny Hardaway is entering this season squarely on the hot seat after a disappointing 13-19 (8-10 AAC) last season. To get a win like this to start the season is important as he and the Tigers cannot afford to have a bad start. This was a good way to do it.
Most importantly, Memphis looked well-coached, moreso than years past. Can the Tigers keep it going? We’ll see. Hardaway was ambitious with the non-conference schedule as now Memphis will play VCU on Saturday, Vanderbilt on Nov. 10 and Louisville on Nov. 15. A couple more wins and the Tigers will have a strong tournament resume early.
Well-rounded BYU
BYU picked up a 94-83 win against Ohio State in Salt Lake City to start the season.
The biggest takeaway with this game was how well-rounded the Cougars looked. All five starters finished in double figures, led by 33 points from Robert Wright III. Syracuse transfer Tyler Betsey and Kentucky transfer Collin Chandler had 15 points each.
Last season eventual NBA first overall pick AJ Dybantsa led the nation with 25.5 points per game while Wright and Richie Saunders were both in the 18-point range, but the Cougars heavily relied on those three for its scoring output. If Kevin Young’s team can end up having more options, it will make them even more dangerous in the Big 12.
UCLA looks strong
No. 22 UCLA beat No. 5 Arizona 84-75 in the second half of the Las Vegas doubleheader.
It was a good win for Mick Cronin’s team to start the year.
The Bruins seem to have five players who can really ball-handle, a group led by Trent Perry, who had 21 points in the win, although 11 of them came from the free throw line.
UCLA had 16 assists on 27 field goal makes, a very efficient number. Averaging about 16 assists per game would easily put the Bruins in the top quarter of teams in the nation when it comes to that stat, and that is something that will create success.
Murray State dominates
Murray State is expected to be one of the best mid-major teams in the country this season. The Racers showed it in the first game of the season.
Ryan Miller’s team blew out Ohio Valley Conference favorite Tennessee State 94-64 at the Field of 68 Tipoff Marathon in Sioux Falls.
Sophomore Roman Domon had 22 points on 8-16 from the field, and fellow sophomore Brayden Shorter and freshman Talis Soulhac had 13 points each.
Murray State has among the best NIL situations at the mid-major ranks, and that should show this season. The Racers were picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference.
Oklahoma takes worst loss
Oklahoma took the worst loss of the night, losing 68-64 to East Texas A&M – the team picked to finish last place in the 12-team Southland Conference and came into the game ranked No. 299 in KenPom.
An ugly Quad 4 loss, it is one that will be a stain on the Sooners’ resume for the rest of the season. Oklahoma has made the NCAA tournament just once in five tries under Porter Moser and has not won a game. Moser is another coach on the hot seat entering this season and a loss like this to start the year does him no favors.
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