7 College Basketball Opening Day Takeaways: What the Numbers Tell Us
Updated November 3, 2026
.webp%3F2026-11-03T13%253A59%253A12.815Z&w=3840&q=75&dpl=c574c6347b9f5d8826f396c7751b90b2d31b27f1)
Updated November 3, 2026
College basketball's opening day has come and gone (sorry, Notre Dame and Villanova, who technically got things started a day early in Rome).
Monday featured 183 games involving Division I teams, starting with Liberty and High Point at midnight Monday morning and ending with Seattle and Hawaii tipping off nearly 24 hours later, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
From shocking upsets to record-breaking performances, we've already gotten an early look at what some of these teams might have in store this season. And with plenty more college basketball ahead, there's a lot to look forward to.
Below, I've picked out seven of the most interesting stats from opening day, breaking down what happened, why the numbers stand out, and what they could mean going forward.
Perhaps the biggest loser of college basketball's opening day was Oklahoma, which suffered a stunning 68-64 home loss to East Texas A&M.
The Sooners closed as 28.5-point favorites at DraftKings, making it the second-largest Division I upset by point spread in the last 30 years, according to Jeff Borzello and ESPN Research.
East Texas A&M, picked to finish last in the Southland Conference, earned its first-ever win over a power-conference opponent. The Lions also snapped Oklahoma's 30-game home winning streak against nonconference opponents.
For head coach Porter Moser, it's a disastrous start to an important season. Oklahoma was the first team left out of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, and the Sooners have reached the tournament just once in Moser's first five seasons.
This loss will likely count as a Quad 4 defeat, leaving a major blemish on Oklahoma's résumé as it tries to get back to the NCAA Tournament. There's plenty of basketball left, but this is the kind of loss that could come back to haunt Oklahoma on Selection Sunday.
Another major result from opening day came in Las Vegas, where No. 22 UCLA knocked off No. 5 Arizona, 84-75, in a matchup between two former Pac-12 rivals.
Arizona's Ivan Kharchenkov was outstanding, finishing with a career-high 38 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 12-for-20 (60%) from the field. He nearly carried the Wildcats to a comeback victory after they trailed by as many as 16 points, cutting UCLA's lead to just one with a little over three minutes remaining.
However, the bigger concern for Arizona may be its lack of production off the bench. The Wildcats' reserves combined for just four points, compared to 20 for UCLA. JJ Mandaquit scored three of those four points, and Arizona's bench shot a combined 1-for-9 from the field.
The Wildcats also shot just 7-for-30 (23.3%) from three, while Kharchenkov and Derek Dixon accounted for 56 of their 75 points.
It's only one game, but Arizona's supporting cast will need to contribute more consistently if the Wildcats hope to make another deep NCAA Tournament run.
While Arizona struggled in its opener, another team coming off a 2026 Final Four appearance had a much better night. No. 3 Illinois absolutely dominated Fairleigh Dickinson, winning 120-45 in the largest victory in program history.
The Fighting Illini knocked down a school-record 19 three-pointers on 51 attempts (37.3%), with the 51 attempts also setting a new Big Ten record. Illinois hit 12 threes in the first half alone, went on a 24-0 run, and led 67-20 at halftime.
Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks led Illinois with 20 points on 7-for-9 shooting, including five threes. Andrej Stojakovic also scored 20, while freshmen Quentin Coleman and Ethan Brown combined for 25 points, 19 rebounds, and 13 assists in their college debuts.
Perhaps the most impressive part? Illinois did all this without preseason All-American David Mirkovic, who is recovering from an emergency appendectomy.
With all due respect to Fairleigh Dickinson, this win won't exactly move the needle on Illinois' NCAA Tournament résumé. However, 19 made threes, 30 assists, and a 75-point victory are impressive regardless of the opponent. And with Mirkovic still waiting to return, Illini fans have plenty to be excited about heading into the rest of the season.
Oklahoma wasn't the only team on the wrong end of an opening-day upset. Memphis, which entered its matchup against No. 18 Iowa State as a 15.5-point underdog, pulled off an impressive 80-76 victory at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
And despite what the point spread suggested, this wasn't a game where Memphis got lucky in the final seconds. The Tigers led for 82% of the game (more than 32 minutes), including a 40-39 advantage at halftime. They also outshot Iowa State from three-point range, going 9-for-20 (45%) compared to the Cyclones' 4-for-20 (20%).
Northwestern transfer Jayden Reid led Memphis with 26 points, including a clutch three-pointer with 38 seconds remaining after Iowa State had cut the deficit to two. Luke Almodovar added 18 points and eight rebounds, while Rihards Vavers chipped in 15 points.
Iowa State got 19 points from Ryan Prather Jr. off the bench and won the battle in the paint, 38-26, but couldn't overcome its struggles from beyond the arc.
For head coach Penny Hardaway, the victory improved his record to 9-0 in season openers at Memphis. Perhaps even more encouraging is that 10 players made their Tigers debut, suggesting this rebuilt roster might be ready to compete sooner than expected.
Upcoming College Basketball Games & Odds
No. 15 Gonzaga also picked up an impressive opening-day win, defeating Purdue 78-72 in Las Vegas. It was the Bulldogs' first-ever victory over the Boilermakers after losing the previous five meetings, including three straight between 2022 and 2024.
Gonzaga entered the season with plenty of new faces, but its backcourt looked promising right away. Sophomore Davis Fogle scored a career-high 22 points, while Florida transfer Xaivian Lee added 18 points on 4-for-7 shooting, including three triples. The duo combined for 40 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
Purdue actually shot better from the field (47.3% to 43.4%), led by 7-foot-4 center Daniel Jacobsen's 22 points on 9-for-11 shooting. However, foul trouble limited Jacobsen's impact, and Gonzaga took advantage at the free-throw line, making 25 of its 30 attempts in the second half alone.
The Boilermakers rallied from an 11-point deficit to get within two late, but Gonzaga held on for its 23rd consecutive season-opening victory.
For Mark Few, the biggest takeaway may be how quickly this retooled roster competed against a quality opponent. And for a program still chasing its first national championship, a win like this is an encouraging way to start the season.
BYU lost the nation's leading scorer and No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick, AJ Dybantsa, this offseason. But if opening night was any indication, the Cougars' offense might be just fine without him.
No. 25 BYU overcame an 11-point deficit to beat Ohio State 94-83, scoring an incredible 60 points in the second half while shooting 69% from the field and 70% from three.
Even more impressive, BYU averaged 1.8 points per possession after halftime. For perspective, Division I teams averaged roughly 1.09 points per possession last season. That's remarkable efficiency against a Big Ten opponent.
Robert Wright III led the way with 33 points, five assists, and just one turnover, shooting 9-for-15 from the field and 4-for-5 from deep. Tyler Betsey and Collin Chandler added 15 points apiece, while all five BYU starters scored in double figures.
Ohio State led 37-34 at halftime but couldn't keep up with BYU's second-half surge, suffering its first season-opening loss since 2003.
Replacing Dybantsa's production won't be easy, but Wright and the Cougars have already given fans reason to be optimistic about their offense this season.
How often does a team miss 15 free throws and still beat a top-15 opponent by double digits? That's exactly what No. 1 Florida did Monday night, defeating No. 14 Miami 77-67 at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa.
The Gators went just 20-for-35 (57.1%) from the free-throw line, including a rough 11-for-20 in the second half. Those misses nearly came back to bite them, as Miami cut a 12-point deficit to just two with about 15 minutes remaining.
But Florida's defense made up for its struggles at the line. The Gators held Miami to 35% shooting and just six assists, while forcing the Hurricanes into a stretch of only three made field goals over the final 12 minutes. Florida also knocked down 11 threes and outscored Miami 21-7 off turnovers.
Preseason SEC Player of the Year Thomas Haugh led Florida with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists, while Rueben Chinyelu grabbed 14 rebounds. Miami got 24 points from Villanova transfer Acaden Lewis but struggled to generate consistent offense elsewhere.
Free-throw shooting is clearly something Todd Golden's team needs to clean up. Still, beating a ranked rival by 10 points despite leaving 15 points at the line says plenty about Florida's defense and ability to win when its offense isn't clicking.
