Florida, East Texas A&M Lead College Basketball’s Opening Night
Florida and South Carolina opened their seasons with ranked wins, while East Texas A&M stunned Oklahoma on November 2. USC also won JuJu Watkins’ return from injury.
Florida began its defense of the men’s national title with a 77-67 victory over No. 14 Miami on November 2. Forward Thomas Haugh led the top-ranked Gators with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Four of Florida’s five starters from last season are back, as the team seeks a third straight season earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
East Texas A&M, which moved to Division I in 2022 and was formerly known as Texas A&M-Commerce, beat Oklahoma 68-64. The Lions had gone 11-45 against Division I opponents in nonconference games before the win. Oklahoma had lost only once in its previous 23 season openers.
In women’s basketball, top-ranked South Carolina defeated No. 20 Maryland 101-93. Joyce Edwards scored 23 points for the Gamecocks, while Maryland sophomore Addi Mack had 35 points on 14-for-20 shooting and six assists. This was the first season-opening women’s game featuring ranked opponents, with each scoring at least 90 points.
No. 3 USC beat UNLV 100-68 as JuJu Watkins returned after missing last season with a torn ACL. Watkins scored 21 points; Saniyah Hall added 22 and Jazzy Davidson had 23. USC finished 18-14 last season and exited the NCAA tournament in the second round.
Other notable results included Cleveland State’s 62-61 upset of Penn State in women’s basketball and Holy Cross’s 64-54 win over Boston College. The UCF men beat Florida Gulf Coast 96-95 in overtime, with Dior Johnson scoring 41 points. North Carolina defeated Western Carolina 80-72.