Male’s hoops Day 1 takeaways: Flagg, Kansas, court-storming and more
And easily, we’re back. The 2024-25 males’s college basketball season started Monday, as some of the top teams in America, impactful transfers and brand-new faces made their debuts. We could have called this Cooper Flagg Day, too.The 6-foot-9 freshman phenom and first-class hire for Duke, whom LeBron James just recently called the future of the NBA, has actually officially shown up. But those enjoying Flagg’s first collegiate matchup against Maine didn’t see the fireworks they had expected until 3:20 remained in the very first half, when Flagg took flight and rose above the rim for the very first time. The genuine takeaway from Duke’s win, however, was that it will not be a one-man program in Durham, North Carolina, this season.Elsewhere, Purdue
left to a slow start in the post-Zach Edey age. Kentucky looked smooth under first-year head coach Mark Pope. Among college basketball’s most cherished players suffered an ankle injury. A top-15 Texas A&M team had to combat on the road versus UCF.Just hours into the first day of the season, the drama had actually already begun. And that’s why we like this sport. ESPN’s Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello and Joe Lunardi go over the opening slate of guys’s college basketball.< img src=" https://a.espncdn.com/i/infographics/20170710_nfl_fpr/charts/_end_rule.png"width="100
%”/ > play 0:29 Cooper Flagg sends Duke crowd into frenzy with one-handed jam Cooper Flagg flexes his muscles after tossing down a one-handed slam to pad Duke’s
lead over Maine.How did Cooper Flagg perform in his main college debut?Editor’s Picks 2 Associated Jeff Borzello
: Flagg showed
the versatile, two-way ability that has made him such a highly promoted player. He ended up with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals, doing the majority of his playmaking in the first half, then getting his own shots to fall in the second. He had 2 assists on Duke’s very first 3 baskets and didn’t make his very first shot from the field until simply over 6 minutes were left in the first half. After the break, he was able to start downhill a little bit more, finishing at the rim or in shift or getting to the totally free throw line.Flagg didn’t make any 3-pointers, missing all 4 efforts, however his 3-for-6 second-half effort from the field is more indicative of the performance we expect from him moving on. Another positive is the constant effort he showed at the protective end of the flooring, a staple of the competitiveness that drew in coaches and scouts at the high school level.How did Duke look overall with its elite freshman class?Myron Medcalf: While Flagg dazzled with a
handful of high-flying dunks, Kon Knueppel, the luxury hire from Milwaukee, most likely provided the night’s most surprising efficiency. He was aggressive on both ends of the flooring, and he was efficient, going 8-for-14 with a game-high 22 points while connecting on 38%of his 3-point attempts. At 6-7, he’s a great counter to Flagg. He also postures issues for any team that tries to focus its protective efforts entirely on the projected No. 1 draft pick.Duke’s 7-2 freshman center Khaman Maluach completed with 3 blocks, his presence forcing Maine into shots it may not have actually otherwise taken. He was likewise 3-for-3 from the field.
The rest of Duke’s freshman class didn’t get a ton of minutes, so it’s hard to judge, but Knueppel and Maluach look like risks along with Flagg. play
0:30
UCF faithful storm court after upset win over Texas A&M on opening night
UCF fans storm the court after the Knights’ 64-61 comeback win over No. 12 Texas A&M.
What stuck out from other top-25 teams’ games?Borzello: The first game of the post-Zach Edey period at Purdue wasn’t overly remarkable. The No. 14 Boilermakers led Texas A&M -Corpus Christi by simply three points with 6:20 left in the game before retreating for a 17-point win. However Braden Smith didn’t miss a beat without the two-time Wooden Award winner. Smith finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 15 assists, his third profession game with 15 or more helps Medcalf: With the return of Wade Taylor IV, an All-SEC first team honoree last
season, Texas A&M got in the season with conference title aspirations and imagine making a deep run in the NCAA competition. It could still take place, but the Aggies ended their first game swarmed by a sea of fans in the first court storm of the season after they lost to UCF in Orlando. Taylor ended up 4-for-15, and the team made just 31 %of its 3-point efforts and 37%of its basket attempts. Here’s the number to enjoy going forward: Texas A&M shot simply 40 %from inside the arc. Under Buzz Williams, the Aggies have never ever made more than 50 %of their 2-point efforts in a season. That trend might affect the Aggies this season, too.Borzello: Kansas’win over Howard was notable for a couple of rotation observations. Expense Self regularly spoke about South Dakota State transfer
Zeke Mayo as the group’s most consistent player in the offseason, while Wisconsin transfer AJ Storr was one of the leading five players in the website this previous spring. Neither began on Monday; Northern Illinois transfer David Coit, an under-the-radar pickup, did. Mayo eventually came off the bench to score 19 points and bury 5 3-pointers. Self could fine-tune his lineup moving on, however it was an intriguing start nonetheless.Borzello: In 6 games without Tyler Kolek last season, Marquette guard Kam Jones averaged 20.8 points and 4.5 assists. If Monday night is any indication, that may be his floor this season.
In the Golden Eagles’ 102-62 win over Stony Brook, Jones ended up with 32 points, shooting 14-for-16 from the field and 4-for-6 from 3-point variety. He likewise made 3 helps. Shaka Smart is giving him the freedom to run the offense, whether that’s trying to find his own shot or producing for others. He’s going to have the ball in his hands, and Monday certainly will not be the last time we see him struck 30-plus this season. Which teams outside the leading 25 shocked you?Top stories of the week from Get special access to thousands of premium short articles
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rumors, buzz, intel”- Updated CFB bowl forecasts”More ESPN +material” Medcalf: In a battle of prospective future Cinderellas, South Dakota State upset Will Wade’s McNeese Cowboys squad
on Monday 80-73. McNeese returned several key players from the previous 30-win season. South Dakota State, led by head coach Eric Henderson, won the Top League title last season however lost Zeke Mayo, the Summit League Gamer of the Year, to the transfer website. In his location, redshirt freshman Joe Sayler( 18 points)led the Jackrabbits, who had 4 players record at least 12 points in the win in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.Borzello: We’ve seen what Rick Pitino can do when his team has a multitude of huge, experienced border players– which’s precisely what this season’s St. John’s team has on its lineup. The Red Storm beat Fordham by 32 points on Monday night, getting 17 points
from potential breakout candidate Simeon Wilcher and 16 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists from No. 1 transfer Kadary Richmond in his St. John’s launching. Maybe more importantly for Pitino, the Johnnies turned 19 Fordham turnovers into 20 points. This is a team I may be sorry for not having in my preseason leading 25. play 0:20 Asa Newell skies for big flush Asa Newell skies for big flush Which players left an impression on you?Borzello: Cooper Flagg wasn’t the only McDonald’s All-American last season at Montverde Academy(Florida)– Maryland huge male Derik Queen was another. And
Queen revealed Monday why he was such a crucial hire for Kevin Willard and the Terrapins. He ended up with 22 points and 20 rebounds– including 6 on the offending end– in a win over Manhattan. According to ESPN Research Study, Queen is the very first Maryland player to go 20-20 considering that Joe Smith in the 1995 NCAA competition; the just other player in the previous 25 years to reach those marks in his launching was Michael Beasley in 2007. Not to lean too heavily into the previous Montverde player trend, but Asa Newell also had a wonderful debut in the Georgia Bulldogs’ win over Tennessee Tech: 26 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, shooting 13-for-22 from the field. Newell put up ostentatious numbers in Georgia’s preseason exhibition games, and it’s rollovering to the regular season.Harvard coach Tommy Amaker might have another freshman star this season to follow Malik Mack– among last season’s surprise first-year players who balanced 17. 2 points and 4.8 helps before moving to Georgetown. Robert Hinton produced some favorable buzz in the preseason after playing well against UConn in a skirmish, and he opened his career with 27 points in a win over Marist.
What other stories will you be watching this season?Borzello: Robbie Avila’s injury is something to keep an eye on. Saint Louis ‘star huge guy twisted an ankle late in the Billikens ‘loss to Santa Clara; he needed to be assisted to the locker room and didn’t go back to the game. He was seen on the bench in the final minutes, with his shoe off and ice on his
ankle. Avila missed out on much of the preseason with a sprained ankle, and this might be another injury that keeps him out a couple of weeks. Avila was the fulcrum of one of the best offenses in the country last season on Josh Schertz’s Indiana State squad, and he was terrific against Santa Clara prior to the injury, ending up with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. If Avila is out for an extended duration, Saint Louis may not strike its stride up until conference play. play 1:34 Robbie Avila forced off with ankle injury in St. Louis debut Take a look at the very best of Robbie Avila’s St. Louis launching before he was required to leave the game due to an ankle injury.There was a surprising quantity of workers news on opening day, headlined by the redshirt of Illinois guard Ty Rodgers, who started all 38 games last season for the Combating Illini. Rodgers balanced 6.2 points and 5.3 boards a season back, however a variety of perimeter arrivals– freshmen Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley, transfers Kylan
Boswell and Tre White– has actually pressed Rodgers down the pecking order. Clemson freshman Dallas Thomas, a former ESPN 100 recruit, is likewise redshirting, while Memphis forward Tyreek Smith, who arrived this season after a year at SMU, has decided to transfer.Lamont Paris presented a National Coach of the Year-caliber project last season, leading South Carolina to a 15-win enhancement in his 2nd season at the helm. Through one game in 2024-25, that magic has not carried over. The Gamecocks suffered a stunning 74-71 home loss to North Florida. For context, North Florida hasn’t completed above.500 because 2020 and was picked seventh in the preseason Atlantic Sun poll. Carolina was anticipated to take an action back, picked 11th in the SEC in the preseason. However Paris and the Gamecocks have some work to do to even get to that point. Which new head coach impressed or dissatisfied most? play 1:35 Pope speaks about taking in his first win at UK Mark Pope talks about how unique Kentucky nation is to him as the Wildcats make a declaration versus Wright State in Rupp Arena.Medcalf: Mark Pope began his first year at Kentucky impressively. In the first half of his team’s matchup against Wright State, the Wildcats made 58 %of their shots, 44% of their threes. 5 players had at least 8
points before the break. Kentucky finished with 103 points. Jaxson Robinson is a potential future pro, but the program does not have a clear star yet. Which is OK, as long as
UK continues to play selflessly in the previous
BYU coach’s offensive scheme that spreads out the flooring– 50 %of BYU’s shots last season were 3s– and encourages players to push the speed and attack the rim. It’s an enjoyable style.Borzello: In a vacuum, Louisville beating Morehead State by 48 points in Pat Kelsey’s first game at the helm isn’t factor to get excessively thrilled. However keep in mind how bad the Cardinals have actually been the past two seasons. This is a program that suffered nonconference home losses to the likes of Chattanooga, Arkansas State, Appalachian State, Wright State and Bellarmine during Kenny Payne’s short tenure. On Monday, Louisville turned 21 turnovers into 29 points and was led by South Florida transfer Kasean Pryor’s 18 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Tennessee pertains to town on Saturday. Which teams’NCAA competition possibilities were impacted most?Lunardi: Among the very first games of the day was a likely bubble fight in between Santa Clara of the WCC and Saint Louis of the Atlantic 10. High expectations surround both Jesuit schools, with each doing everything possible to craft a schedule worthwhile of NCAA at-large consideration. On Monday, that implied a neutral-site meeting in Sioux Falls, with the Broncos making an 85-78 success. The Billikens were obstructed by another injury to Robbie Avila but were chasing the game regardless. It’s very early, but chalk up one declaration