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A busy opening night across college basketball saw upsets, milestones, and dominant debuts. From Las Vegas to Chapel Hill, ranked teams delivered early statements while bettors tracked tempo and scoring pace via the Odds & Scores feed.
No. 13 Arizona 93, No. 3 Florida 87
Freshman Koa Peat scored 30 points in his debut as Arizona upset defending champion Florida in Las Vegas. Jaden Bradley added 27, and Ivan Kharchenkov recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Arizona erased a 12-point first-half deficit behind Peat’s aggressive midrange attack. Florida’s Thomas Haugh had 27, but the Gators shot under 37 percent in the second half.
Capper Insight: Keylor Santos projected Arizona as a live underdog, citing “fresh legs and matchup depth” after strong exhibition metrics. His early spread call proved one of the sharper hits on the Picks Leaderboard.
No. 2 Houston 75, Lehigh 57
Kelvin Sampson earned his 800th career win as Houston overpowered Lehigh. Emanuel Sharp scored 24 and the Cougars won the rebounding battle 43-30 while holding Lehigh below 40 percent from the floor.
Capper Insight: Ross Walker highlighted Houston’s interior rebounding margin as an early-season advantage, reinforcing the Cougars’ reliable first-half trends tracked in the Bettors Handbook.
No. 4 UConn 79, New Haven 55
Alex Karaban had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Solo Ball added 18 as UConn opened with a comfortable home win despite missing three key players. The Huskies’ rotation dominated the glass and shot 100 percent at the line.
No. 5 St. John’s 108, Quinnipiac 74
Zuby Ejiofor led five double-figure scorers with 17 points in a wire-to-wire Red Storm win. Dillon Mitchell impressed with 18 in his debut, showing the offensive balance coach Rick Pitino promised entering his third season.
No. 7 Michigan 121, Oakland 78
Michigan scored a school-record 69 first-half points and cruised past Oakland. Morez Johnson posted 24 on 10-of-12 shooting, while Trey McKenney added 21 off the bench.
Capper Insight: Diego Garcia flagged the over early Monday, noting “elite pace teams with freshman-led depth often inflate totals early.” Bettors who tailed saw an easy cover as Michigan pushed tempo throughout.
No. 8 BYU 71, Villanova 66
Freshman AJ Dybantsa scored 21 points in his college debut, including 13 after halftime, to lead BYU over Villanova. The Cougars closed on a 12-4 run while holding the Wildcats to two field goals over the final six minutes.
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No. 11 Louisville 104, South Carolina State 45
Louisville opened the Pat Kelsey era with a 59-point blowout as Khani Rooths scored a career-high 20 off the bench. The Bulldogs made their first field goal more than nine minutes into the game.
No. 12 UCLA 80, Eastern Washington 74
Donovan Dent tallied 21 points and nine assists as UCLA held off Eastern Washington. The Bruins maintained control most of the way, though the Eagles trimmed the lead to single digits in the closing minute.
No. 14 Arkansas 109, Southern 77
Trevon Brazile had 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Darius Acuff Jr. scored 20 of his 22 before halftime. The Razorbacks extended their streak to 52 straight home-opening wins.
No. 15 Alabama 91, North Dakota 62
Labaron Philon scored a career-best 22 points, adding eight assists as Alabama coasted. The Crimson Tide never trailed and outshot the Fighting Hawks 47 to 31 percent.
No. 16 Iowa State 88, Fairleigh Dickinson 50
Milan Momcilovic hit seven threes and scored 29 points to lead the Cyclones. Tamin Lipsey added 18 with five steals as Iowa State built on last year’s 25-win form.
No. 17 Illinois 113, Jackson State 55
Illinois jumped out 24-3 and never looked back. Six players scored in double figures, led by Ben Humrichous and Tomislav Ivisic with 21 apiece.
No. 18 Tennessee 76, Mercer 61
Nate Ament debuted with 18 points and nine rebounds as Tennessee controlled Mercer throughout. Jaylen Carey grabbed 10 boards in his first game since transferring from Vanderbilt.
No. 19 Kansas 94, Green Bay 51
Freshman Darryn Peterson scored 21, and Flory Bidunga added 23 as Kansas rolled. The Jayhawks held the Phoenix to under 29 percent shooting.
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No. 20 Auburn 95, Bethune-Cookman 90 (OT)
Auburn survived overtime in Steven Pearl’s coaching debut. Keyshawn Hall led with 28, while Arterio Morris forced OT by hitting three free throws with less than a second left.
No. 21 Gonzaga 98, Texas Southern 43
Gonzaga dominated with balanced scoring as Tyon Grant-Foster, Braden Huff, and Graham Ike combined for 42 points. The Bulldogs held Texas Southern to 23 percent from the field.
No. 22 Michigan State 80, Colgate 69
Jaxon Kohler’s 16-point, 15-rebound double-double led the Spartans. Jeremy Fears Jr. added 14 points and 10 assists as Michigan State controlled the boards.
No. 24 Wisconsin 96, Campbell 64
John Blackwell scored 31 and Nick Boyd had 21 as Wisconsin closed with a 15-0 run. The Badgers hit 17 of 19 free throws and flashed improved pace after last year’s tight contests.
No. 25 North Carolina 95, Central Arkansas 54
Caleb Wilson scored 22 in his debut and the Tar Heels extended their streaks to 21 straight season-opening wins and 24 straight home openers.
Handicappers Roundup
SAS Insider remains red hot, earning $1,496 yesterday, $6,560 over seven days, and $9,233 across two weeks. Keylor Santos follows with $4,292 weekly profit, while Computer Picks holds third with $3,570.
All three have leaned heavily into early-season basketball totals and first-half plays, reflecting sharp discipline outlined in the Handicappers section.
Access today’s verified college basketball picks and full cross-sport lineup in the Free Service Plays area.
