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...
Mike Norvells Name Is Suddenly Tied To An Unexpected Job
Oregons decision to move on from offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer seven games into the 2026 season has already sent the search cycle into overdrive, and one of the more surprising names floating around is Mike Norvell. Dan Lanning turned to Jay Johnson as the interim play-caller, but the long-term opening has quickly become a topic of speculation because the Ducks are expected to explore a wide range of options as they reshape the offense.
Norvells sudden availability after being dismissed at Florida State has only added to the chatter, especially with his professional ties to Lanning from their time working together at multiple programs. Chip Kelly has also been mentioned in the same breath, which speaks to the kind of profile Oregon could be targeting as it weighs its next move and tries to settle the offensive staff before the season drifts any further. [Read more 🡒]
Memphis Believes Its Power Four Case Is Stronger Than Ever
Memphis has spent a long stretch trying to make itself impossible to ignore, and athletic director Ed Scott thinks the schools case is getting stronger by the year. In a recent interview, Scott pointed to the Tigers broad athletic success, their footprint in the community and the steady relevance of both football and basketball as reasons Memphis is positioning itself well for whatever comes next in conference realignment.
Scott also emphasized the way the football program has chosen to challenge itself with scheduling, a detail that matters when schools are trying to sell more than wins and losses. For Memphis, the pitch is about being ready when the next round of expansion opens up, and Scotts message was clear enough: the Tigers believe they have built a profile that belongs in the Power Four conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Memphis Opens With A Huge Test And One Major Roster Cloud
Memphis will waste no time finding out where it stands in the 2026-27 season, opening with a neutral-site matchup against No. 18 Iowa State at Sanford Pentagon. The Tigers also enter the year with some preseason respect in hand, picked to finish second in the American Conference preseason coaches' poll, while senior Jayden Reid and Tylik Weeks earned spots on the league's preseason all-conference teams.
The bigger question, though, is how the roster will look when the games begin. Senior Nemanja Popovic was cleared by the NCAA for two years of eligibility, but he still has to serve a six-game withholding period because of previous international competition, and Memphis is appealing that ruling. For a team with high expectations and an immediate test on deck, his status is one more wrinkle in a season that already starts with plenty of attention. [Read more 🡒]