Standouts, key wins, more reactions from men's hoops opening day

The first slate of 2026-27 college hoops games offered everything and more after a tumultuous offseason.

Things officially tipped Sunday in Rome, where Notre Dame got the first win of the campaign over Villanova.

The bigger upsets came Monday night, particularly with two ranked matchups on the schedule: No. 1 Florida reminded everyone why it is at the top as it dismantled No. 14 Miami. Meanwhile, No. 22 UCLA took down No. 5 Arizona, marking the third time in four years that an AP top-five team lost its season opener.

Elsewhere around the league, the reigning national champion pulled out a win with its new roster, the second-biggest Division I upset in 30 years happened in Oklahoma and some coaches on the hot seat notched statement wins. The mid-majors showed out, too.

ESPN's Jeff Borzello, Myron Medcalf and Joe Lunardi monitored the action all day and night, and had some thoughts on the most noteworthy results and performances.

Does Florida look like a legitimate No. 1 team?

Yes. Most of the positives from Florida's season-opening win over Miami on Monday night didn't come as a surprise. Thomas Haugh began his Player of the Year bid with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, while Alex Condon (11 points, 7 boards, 3 assists) and Boogie Fland (12 points, 4 assists, 4 steals) contributed. Rueben Chinyelu's 14 rebounds helped Florida win the battle on the glass.

But Todd Golden might come away most impressed by the production from his bench, after Florida ranked in the bottom 30 nationally in bench minutes last season. Urban Klavzar was still the only bench player to see more than 15 minutes Monday night, but the Gators received a noticeable boost from him, as well as Isaiah Brown and Domen Petrovic. Klavzar hit a couple of 3s, Brown was plus-16 in 13 minutes, and Petrovic posted six points and three boards in just 11 minutes.

It wasn't a perfect performance -- Florida shot just 44% inside the arc and 57% at the free throw line, and it really struggled offensively in the second half. But the Gators got their usual production from their stars, made shots from the perimeter and took Miami out of its game. Nothing about their national championship credentials has changed after Monday night. -- Borzello

What does this top-five upset tell us about UCLA (winner) and Arizona (loser)?

Arizona was on the right side of last season's opening-night statement win, beating reigning national champion Florida behind a breakout performance from Koa Peat. The preseason No. 5 Wildcats still had the standout performance of this season's opening night -- more on that in a second -- but this time, they were on the losing end, falling to former Pac-12 rival No. 22 UCLA 84-75.

First, an appreciation for the winners: Mick Cronin already seems to have a strong handle on this season's roster, and this is a group that looks far more dynamic than we've seen from recent UCLA teams. The Bruins' backcourt of returnee Trent Perry and Texas Tech transfer Jaylen Petty works well, as both players can score on their own or create for others; they combined for 34 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Eric Dailey still gives the Bruins a bully-ball element in the half court, but touted international arrival Nikola Kusturica and athletic freshman Joe Philon III provide dimensions Cronin hasn't had in recent years. Throw in Xavier Booker looking like a real factor at both ends of the floor, and there's enough here to achieve the seasonlong consistency Cronin's teams have been lacking.

The story on the other side was Ivan Kharchenkov. The buzz out of Arizona all offseason was that the sophomore forward was poised for a breakout campaign -- but nobody could have seen Monday night's performance coming: 38 points on 12-for-20 shooting, along with 10 rebounds. The Germany native looked like a true All-American.

Still, that wasn't enough. Tommy Lloyd will need much more from projected lottery picks Caleb Holt and Motiejus Krivas. Holt, a top-three freshman, struggled to get anything going offensively, finishing with seven points while dealing with foul trouble. Krivas, meanwhile, was far too passive down low. He passed up multiple shots at the rim against smaller defenders and ultimately attempted only four shots from the field. Krivas still had nine rebounds and six blocks, but Arizona has been at its best when it can dominate the paint -- and Krivas needs to be at the heart of it. -- Borzello

Does Michigan look capable of defending its national title?

It's a fair question, and one new coach Mike Boynton will face the entire season. But it's also not the right question for a group that looks nothing like the team that cut down the nets seven months ago. That Michigan team looked like a juggernaut from day one. This Michigan team isn't on that level, at least on paper. Last season, the Wolverines' best player was Yaxel Lendeborg -- who just finished with 37 points and 6 assists against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday -- and two more lottery picks.

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Oakland Golden Grizzlies vs. Michigan Wolverines: Game Highlights

Boynton doesn't have the same caliber of talent, especially after five-star recruit Brandon McCoy Jr.'s season-ending knee injury suffered during the team's overseas summer trip. But Monday's game against Oakland may have demonstrated its most reliable tool with which to defend its title: balance. Roddy Gayle Jr., cleared to play a fifth season through the legal system, was one of four players to finish with at least 13 points.

This wasn't a dominant win over Oakland; it might take some time for this group to blend, especially with Moustapha Thiam (12.8 PPG, 1.6 BPG at Cincinnati last season) missing Monday's opener because of illness. And, even a complete Michigan team will struggle to battle the likes of Florida, Duke and Illinois in March.

One game isn't a verdict, though. The Wolverines still have most of the shooters who helped this squad earn a top-35 mark from the 3-point line last season. They just don't have the leaders who orchestrated the greatest season in school history. -- Medcalf

Best offense of the night: Illinois

On the way to their first Final Four in over two decades, last season's Fighting Illini posted the nation's second most efficient offense. But they were deliberate about it, barely eclipsing 65 possessions per game, with an average possession length among the 30 slowest in college basketball.

Most of the talk out of Champaign this fall has been about the foot injury -- and now emergency appendectomy -- of star forward David Mirkovic. A little more chatter suggested coach Brad Underwood might speed up the offense a bit. One radio interview jokingly referenced the legendary Loyola Marymount team of the early 1990s.

And while no one would mistake Fairleigh Dickinson for the New York Knicks, the Illini, without Mirkovic, put up 120 points on the Knights in Monday's season opener. What stands out even more are the Illini's 72 possessions, a figure that would have been in the nation's top 20 a year ago. No Illinois player logged more than 24 minutes, the Illini were just 9-for-16 from the foul line and they forced only 12 turnovers. Then again, it's easy to pile up possessions and a lopsided victory when you outrebound the other guys 65-21 and shoot a ridiculous 84.4% on 2-point field goals.

Most teams couldn't do that in an empty gym. It may be that Illinois' opponents this season wish they were playing in one. -- Lunardi

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Fairleigh Dickinson Knights vs. Illinois Fighting Illini: Game Highlights

Coaches on the hot seat with statement wins

Penny Hardaway, Memphis

No, this isn't a post from 2021 or 2024. Hardaway enters this season -- as he did those years -- on one of the hottest seats in America after a 13-win campaign. The Memphis legend could use any good fortune he could muster, which is why Monday's 80-76 victory over No. 18 Iowa State was significant. It was the program's best season-opening win, according to AP top-25 rankings.

It was also a quality win at a neutral site -- despite the building being packed with Iowa State fans -- for the Tigers, who avoided one of their worst traits: poor second halves. The most important takeaway from the game was the effort of Northwestern transfer Jayden Reid, who finished with 26 points. He rattled off Memphis' final 11 points after the score was tied 69-69 with 3:15 to play. Hardaway didn't have a closer who could do that consistently last season. Perhaps Reid is ready to take on that role -- and help his head coach convince the fanbase that he deserves more time.

» Read more: The 2026-27 coaching hot seat guide

Micah Shrewsberry, Notre Dame

At ACC media day, the fourth-year Fighting Irish coach said he'd had an epiphany: He hadn't enjoyed the moments he thought he should have been enjoying at Notre Dame, even though he was coaching his son, Braeden Shrewsberry. He said this as he enters this season squarely on the hot seat following a 13-win campaign and a third straight without an NCAA tournament appearance. This season, he said, his attitude is different.

Against Villanova, Notre Dame had more rhythm and cohesiveness than ever under Shrewsberry. Four players registered double figures, and the team made 38% of its 3-point attempts. The most important part of the win was the finish when the Irish battled back from six points down to take the lead and keep it through the final two minutes. Shrewsberry's team lost multiple games just like that a season ago, but the ending worked in his favor this time. -- Medcalf

Upset of the night: Oklahoma

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East Texas A&M Lions vs. Oklahoma Sooners: Game Highlights

Porter Moser didn't share the same season-opening success as Shrewsberry or Hardaway -- instead suffering one of the biggest upset losses of the past 30 years. The Sooners lost at home to East Texas A&M 68-64 in a game that wasn't even that close most of the way. Oklahoma trailed by as much as 16 points in the second half, its final lead coming just seven minutes into the game.

Per ESPN Research, this was the second-largest Division I upset by spread in the past 30 years, as Oklahoma closed as a 28.5-point favorite. The only bigger upset came when Eastern Illinois beat Iowa in 2022 as a 30.5-point underdog.

Moser was able to save his job the past two years with strong late-season performances, including an NCAA tournament appearance in 2024-25. But the Sooners have still been to the tournament only once since he arrived in 2021, and Monday's loss makes a second tournament trip seem a long way away. -- Borzello

High Point has the pieces to win another NCAA tournament game

High Point was a Cinderella of last season, winning 31 games and knocking off 5-seed Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA tournament before falling to Arkansas in the second round. Coach Flynn Clayman lost a couple of key players in the offseason, including star guard Rob Martin, but has since completely reloaded. The Panthers once again have a roster that can win in March. In fact, they might be even deeper than a season ago.

They opened the Field of 68 marathon early Monday morning with a dominant win over Liberty, and their second five looked like it could legitimately compete for a Big South championship. Cam'Ron Fletcher was the 2026 Big South Preseason Player of the Year, and while he had a solid eight points and seven boards against Liberty, he was arguably overshadowed by South Florida transfer CJ Brown, Tulane transfer Curtis Williams Jr., freshman Trey Pearson and returnee Conrad Martinez. Even more impressive, the 72-57 win came without Monmouth transfer Jason Rivera-Torres, a preseason All-Big South selection.

This team has high-major depth and physical skills, and enough playmakers on the offensive end to strike fear into a power-conference opponent come Selection Sunday. -- Borzello

Two more mid-majors to monitor come March

The first stretch of college basketball's full opening-day schedule centered on mid-major programs, and two in particular look ahead of the pace because of retention.

Murray State

Ryan Miller was able to keep star sophomore Roman Domon out of the transfer portal in the offseason, and he stood out in a 30-point win over Tennessee State, finishing with 22 points and five rebounds.

Though Domon gets most of the recognition, Miller also has high-level backcourt talent in France native Talis Soulhac and Auburn transfer Kaden Magwood. Soulhac is active at both ends of the floor, while Magwood is a bucket-getter. Miller also brought in Pavle Nikolic and Mark Padjen from the international ranks. As the international trio gets more accustomed to NCAA basketball, this team is going to get more dangerous.

Queens University

Meanwhile, Grant Leonard and Queens had fairly uncommon continuity for a mid-major NCAA tournament team, bringing back three double-figure scorers: Nasir Mann, Avantae Parker and Jordan Watford, who was terrific in a 103-98 win over Winthrop with 26 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.

Plus, the Royals are incredibly fun to watch. They push the pace, have historically shot 3-pointers at a high rate and love to play in attack mode. Watford, especially, has the ability to become an elite mid-major player. He's a 6-foot-5 point guard -- reminding me a bit of former St. John's guard Kadary Richmond -- and is nearly impossible to keep out of the lane when he gets going downhill. He had 19 points and six assists in the 2026 Atlantic Sun championship game and could be even better this year. -- Borzello

The performances that affected bracket projections

The biggest bracket winner of opening night actually occurred more than 24 hours before and 4,000 miles away from every other game. (Of course, the very notion of a bracket winner with Selection Sunday over four months away is a little preposterous. But that doesn't make it less true.)

Notre Dame was picked 16th in the ACC preseason poll. The Irish were not considered serious contenders for what would be just their second NCAA bid in a decade. They were at least a touchdown underdog against a Villanova team picked third in the Big East.

They found a way, regardless, and the resulting Quadrant 1 win was the best résumé moment of the new season's first act. The Irish have a long way to go, and their first job is rooting for the Wildcats to be a whole lot better than they were down the stretch in Rome.

For now, Villanova loses a seed line and Notre Dame moves into consideration. All in all, a very impactful journey for both participants.

Honorable mention: Memphis taking out No. 18 Iowa State in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, provided an even more unexpected quadrant 1 win for a Tigers team hoping to enter the NCAA tournament conversation. Penny Hardaway's team still has to face VCU, Vanderbilt and Louisville before November is half over, but it has taken the possibility of a season-killing 0-4 start off the table.

Dishonorable mention: Oklahoma had better not find itself on the bubble after that head-scratcher of a loss. Good thing it's only November. -- Lunardi