College basketball’s opening night wasted no time serving up the usual mix of fireworks, chaos and a few early warning signs.
Illinois looked every bit like a team ready to run teams out of the gym, Memphis walked into Ames and stunned Iowa State, and Thomas Haugh put himself squarely in the national-player conversation for Florida. Elsewhere, UCF survived a scare, High Point and Murray State made loud statements, and Miami learned it still has some frontcourt questions to answer.
Illinois, though, was the headliner.
The Illini are in the middle of a full offensive makeover, trading a slower, pick-and-roll-heavy approach for a faster transition style with far fewer set plays. One game in, the change already looks dangerous.
Illinois blasted FDU 120-45, a 75-point margin that was the largest in program history at State Farm Center, which opened in 1963. The Illini also came seven points shy of the school scoring record.
The numbers were absurd. Illinois hit a program-record 19 3-pointers, took 51 of them, and finished 26-for-31 on layups or dunks.
Thirty of its 46 field goals were assisted. Seven different players made multiple 3s.
Andrej Stojakovic led the way with 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Quentin Coleman posted 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Ethan Brown added 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Stefan Vaaks chipped in 20 points, four assists and no turnovers.
And Illinois did all of that without CBS Sports First Team All-American David Mirkovic, who is recovering from early August foot surgery, had an appendectomy Saturday and is out indefinitely. Brad Underwood’s willingness to change is looking like a major strength, and the offensive evolution already has Illinois operating at a different speed.
Florida had its own standout performance, and Thomas Haugh made sure the Gators’ opener came with a national spotlight. Haugh buried four 3-pointers against Miami, matching the only other game in his Florida career when he reached that mark - the Elite Eight against Texas Tech in 2025. He finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal, a full stat line that showed exactly why he’s being talked about as a top NPOTY contender.
That night, though, was a rough one for Miami’s Malik Reneau. The fifth-year big man, who led the Hurricanes in scoring last season at nearly 18 points per game, never found a rhythm against Florida’s frontcourt.
He fouled out in 24 minutes and finished with five points, including 0-for-5 on 2-pointers. Reneau is now shooting just 50% on 2-pointers in his last 25 games against top-50 opponents, and Miami is going to need more from him if it wants to make a serious run.
Memphis delivered the biggest upset of the night, taking down No. 18 Iowa State 80-76 behind 26 points from Jayden Reid and 18 points plus eight rebounds from SEMO transfer Luke Almodovar.
Iowa State entered the night ranked No. 6 on KenPom.com, but the first look at this roster raised questions. The Cyclones are missing injured defensive stopper Killyan Toure, Jamarion Batemon was scoreless, and Tamin Lipsey managed just 12 points on 13 shots while looking rusty.
T.J. Otzelberger’s team has plenty to clean up after a rough opener.
UCF, meanwhile, was very much UCF. Dior Johnson poured in 41 points, because Dior Johnson does that kind of thing, and the Knights still had to sweat all the way through a 96-95 overtime win over FGCU. It was the sort of game that made the result feel a lot stranger than the box score.
High Point also made a strong early impression with a 72-57 win over Liberty. Flynn Clayman’s team showed off a defense that looks like it could be the backbone of a very good season.
South Florida transfer CJ Brown and top-150 freshman Trey Pearson hounded Liberty’s guards all night, and the Panthers’ point-of-attack pressure stood out. High Point may not be a great shooting team, but it can win with defense and transition chances.
Pearson and ex-Arizona walk-on Conrad Martinez combined for 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists and just one turnover off the bench.
Murray State turned in another eye-catching performance, too, rolling past Tennessee State 94-64. The Racers have changed their defensive approach from passive to aggressive, and the first test went exactly as planned.
Tennessee State, which had several former high-major names on the roster, turned it over 26 times. Sophomore wing Roman Domon was the star, finishing with 22 points, five rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal.
Murray State looks deep, talented and still capable of more growth, but the opening statement was loud enough to suggest something bigger may be building.
In Other News...
Illinois Faces A Big Friday Test In Nebraska Rematch
Friday night brings a familiar Big Ten measuring stick for Illinois, with Nebraska heading to Champaign for a 7 p.m. kickoff on FOX and FOX ONE. It is the kind of matchup that tends to reveal a lot about where a team really stands, and the Illini will have the benefit of home field as they try to back up the progress they have made since these two teams last met.
That September 20 meeting in 2024 was a tight one, with Illinois edging Nebraska 31-24 in overtime after a game that featured strong showings from Luke Altmyer and Dylan Raiola. This rematch comes with the same kind of stakes and a little extra edge, because both programs know how thin the margin was the first time around and how quickly a Friday night can turn into a season-shaping result. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Gets Nebraska At The Perfect Time After Another Collapse
Nebraska arrives on Illinois schedule at a moment when the Cornhuskers are still trying to shake off a brutal stretch of late-game losses. They have dropped three straight after carrying fourth-quarter leads against Indiana, Oregon and Washington, a run that has left them 5-3 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten. For Illinois, coming off a win over Maryland, it is the kind of matchup that can feel especially inviting when a league opponent is still sorting through the fallout of repeated collapses.
The Big Ten landscape around them has been just as uneven, with Rutgers falling narrowly to Michigan and Iowa handling Wisconsin in the latest round of conference play. Nebraska still has more chances ahead to steady itself, but the timing of this one gives Illinois a chance to catch a vulnerable team before it finds its footing. In a league where momentum can turn quickly, the Illini may have drawn the Cornhuskers at exactly the right moment. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois May Have Found Another Intriguing Long Term Wing
Illinois may have added another long-term piece on the wing with the commitment of Zavier Zens, a 6-foot-7 forward who is set to join the program for the 2026-27 basketball season. His profile fits the modern mold Illinois keeps chasing: a player who can stretch the floor, handle the ball well enough to be useful in different spots, and bring a high basketball IQ to the table. Add in a high school rsum that includes three state championships and individual honors, and it is easy to see why the Illini staff is intrigued.
Zens still has work ahead of him before he gets to Champaign, and the path to minutes will not be easy once he arrives. Even so, he already gave a glimpse of what he can bring in a preseason exhibition game, where he turned in a promising performance that only added to the buzz around his future fit. For Illinois, it is the kind of commitment that does not just fill a roster spot, but hints at another versatile wing option down the line. [Read more 🡒]