Snap judgments from opening night of men’s college basketball

After an offseason of high-profile coaching changes, record-setting NIL deals and endless eligibility chaos, college basketball is, at last, back. Twenty of the teams in the men’s AP Top 25 were in action on Monday night, including a pair of marquee games pitting ranked opponents against one-another. 

Which teams pulled off opening night surprises? Which suffered ominous losses? Here are some season-opening snap judgments after a loaded night of hoops.

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Snap judgment: UCLA is poised for a big season

On opening night last season, Arizona upset reigning national champion Florida to signal that the Wildcats had gone overlooked as a potential conference and national title contender. 

A year later, 22nd-ranked UCLA pulled off a similar opening-night statement victory at Arizona’s expense. 

An 84-75 UCLA win silenced a pro-Arizona crowd in Las Vegas and underscored that the Bruins should not be discounted as a potential Big Ten or Final Four contender. This is, at minimum, the most talented roster that Mick Cronin has assembled at UCLA since the Bruins won 31 games in 2023. 

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The backcourt duo of returnee Trent Perry and Texas Tech transfer Jaylen Petty combined for 34 points and 12 assists and showcased the ability to shoot, drive or dish. Power forward Eric Dailey bullied his way to 13 points. Veteran center Xavier Booker was effective at both ends of the floor, while 17-year-old phenom Nikola Kusturica and fellow freshman Joe Philon III both displayed flashes of upside. 

To beat its old Pac-12 nemesis, UCLA had to weather game-long foul trouble and overcome Arizona’s three projected first-round picks. Promising wing Ivan Kharchenkov erupted for a career-high 38 points against the Bruins, but center Motiejus Krivas had a quiet eight points on four shots and heralded freshman Caleb Holt tallied just seven. 

Krivas had the game’s costliest turnover with Arizona within two in the final minute, thinking he had a teammate open for a 3-pointer and instead…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mens-college-basketball/article/snap-judgments-from-opening-night-of-mens-college-basketball-095458734.html

Author : Jeff Eisenberg

Publish date : 2026-11-03 09:54:00

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