Braylon Mullins scored a game-high 23 points and Silas Demary Jr. netted 17 of his 21 points in the first half to lead No. 4 UConn to an 85-77 win over No. 16 Michigan in a rematch of last season’s national title game on Friday in Boston.
Demary added seven rebounds and four assists as UConn (2-0) nearly posted a wire-to-wire win, with Michigan’s only lead coming at 2-0. Mullins had 14 in the second half, including 10 at the foul line.
Freshman Colben Landrew had 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds for the Huskies, who were 41.8% from the floor and cruised despite going the final 5:38 without a field goal.
Following a scoreless first half, Trey McKenney scored 22 to lead Michigan (1-1), sinking four 3-pointers. J.P. Estrella (19 points, nine rebounds) and Roddy Gayle Jr. (18 points) were also double-figure scorers.
No. 9 Virginia 97, Northeastern 72
Chance Mallory and Sam Lewis each scored 20 as the Cavaliers pulled away against the Huskies in Charlottesville, Va.
It was a career high in scoring for Mallory, who added five assists, four steals and three 3-pointers for Virginia. Thijs De Ridder had 16 points, Johann Grunloh scored 13 and Elijah Gertrude added 10 off the bench.
Rashad King scored a game-high 26 and Louis Bond had a career-high 23 to lead Northeastern, which got just four points from its bench.
No. 14 Miami 83, Wagner 57
Shelton Henderson scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half as the Hurricanes routed visiting Seahawks in Coral Gables, Fla.
Henderson, who cleared concussion protocol after a physical loss to top-ranked Florida on Monday, also tied for game highs with five assists and three steals. The Hurricanes (1-1) also got 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting from Malik Reneau. Caleb Gaskins added 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
The Seahawks (0-2), who have no returning players and 14 newcomers, were led by Tajae Jones, who had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Cam Estevez added 10 points. Youssouf Singare had six points, two blocks and two offensive rebounds.
No. 17 Kansas 89, Middle Tennessee State 45
Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting and the host Jayhawks played strong defense throughout in rolling over the Blue Raiders in Lawrence, Kan.
Christian Reeves added 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting off the bench for the Jayhawks, who made 21 of 27 field goals in the second half after holding a 22-point lead at the break. The Jayhawks (2-0) face No. 23 Kentucky at the United Center in Chicago on Tuesday night. The Wildcats beat James Madison 89-80 at Rupp Arena on Friday.
Thirteen players scored for Kansas, including Tre White and Luke Barnett with nine points apiece. Tyran Stokes and Keanu Dawes each added eight points. Middle Tennessee (1-1) shot just 25% from the field, making 17 of 68 attempts. Jarred Hall led the Blue Raiders with 11 points
No. 18 Iowa State 83, Southern Mississippi 57
Tre Singleton scored 19 of his career-high 28 points in the first half as the Cyclones rolled to a nonconference victory over the Golden Eagles in Ames, Iowa.
Jaquan Johnson posted 10 points and a game-high four assists while Ryan Prather Jr. scored nine points as Iowa State recovered from a neutral-court loss to Memphis on Monday.
Anthony Igiede scored 13 points and Brandon Weston added nine for Southern Miss, which shot 36.5% from the floor and was forced into 18 turnovers that the Cyclones turned into 23 points. Sun Belt Conference preseason Player of the Year Isaac Taveras was held to three shots and five points before fouling out with 6:55 remaining.
No. 20 Alabama 101, Arkansas State 86
Amari Allen recorded the fifth triple-double in program history with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists to help the Crimson Tide win 101-86 over the Red Wolves in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Qayden Samuels scored a team-high 17 and Drew Fielder added 16 for Alabama (2-0). Brandon Garrison added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Tarris Bouie registered 12 points.
Layne Taylor recorded 20 points, six assists and five rebounds, and Chaz Watson scored 15 for the Red Wolves (1-1). Jordan Pyke had 12 points, Amadou Doumbia added 11 points and 10 rebounds and Aaron McGee tallied 10 points for Arkansas State.
No. 22 UCLA 114, North Florida 63
The Bruins erupted for a 35-0 run and cruised to a rout of the Ospreys in their home opener in Los Angeles.
With the Bruins (2-0) trailing 18-17 midway through the first half, Nikola Kusturica connected on three consecutive 3-pointers to spark the decisive run. Kusturica led all scorers with 29 points on 10-for-12 shooting. Jaylen Petty finished with 22 points, shooting 3-for-6 from 3-point range.
The Bruins held the Ospreys to 20-for-63 shooting from the floor. Kent Jackson, who scored a team-high 11 points, made 3 of 6 attempts from long range for North Florida.
No. 23 Kentucky 89, James Madison 80
Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins scored 16 points apiece for the Wildcats, who had their hands full against the Dukes before eventually pulling out a victory in Lexington, Ky.
A 3-pointer by Ousmane Ndiaye capped an 11-0 Kentucky run over 1:52, giving the Wildcats a 65-56 lead with 11:38 left. Before that decisive stretch, they exchanged the lead 18 times with the Dukes (0-2), ranked No. 162 by KenPom.com. Justin McBride had 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds for Kentucky (2-0).
Brandon Lee, who transferred to James Madison from Illinois, scored a career-high 26 points. Garrett Sundra got 10 of his 15 points in the first half, and the former Notre Dame player went 5-for-7 from the floor, including 4-for-6 shooting from distance.
No. 25 BYU 108, Omaha 67
Rob Wright III scored 19 points to pace the Cougars past the visiting Mavericks in Provo, Utah.
Collin Chandler and Tyler Betsey each netted 18 points and Bruce Branch III chipped in with 17 points as the Cougars (2-0) cruised in their home opener. Deke Thompson led the Mavericks (1-1) with 17 points.
Betsey hit the first of his six 3-pointers on the Cougars’ opening possession to give them the lead for good. Jaxon Kohler followed that trey with a bucket for a quick 5-0 lead to set the tone. Betsey ended up hitting 6 of 8 behind the arc for BYU, which shot 45.7% from 3-point territory.