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Khalif Battle couldn’t believe how open he was.
He had just stepped back and caught and shot 3-pointers on Gonzaga’s previous two possessions, but here he was alone in the corner with no defender within 15 feet of him after Baylor lost him in transition.
The 3-pointer that Battle celebrated with a smile and a shrug epitomized a Gonzaga victory that turned out to be much easier than expected. The Zags notched their biggest win to date over a top-10 opponent, a season-opening 101-63 beatdown of eighth-ranked Baylor on Monday night at Spokane Arena.
Gonzaga’s lead was already double digits midway through the first half and 19 at halftime. The gap continued to grow throughout the second half, as the sixth-ranked Zags defended with maximum effort, willingly shared the ball and generated open look after open look.
The top-10 clash between Gonzaga and Baylor was a rematch of the 2021 national title game won convincingly by the Bears. This win doesn’t do much to avenge that bitter loss for the Zags, but it does raise the question of whether 2024-25 could finally be Gonzaga’s year.
With six rotation players returning and high-scoring transfers Battle and Michael Ajayi and Khalif Battle now on board, Gonzaga should rack up points even more easily than it did a year ago. Guard Nolan Hickman (17 points) and forward Graham Ike (15 points) were two of five Gonzaga players in double figures Monday night. The Zags shot 57.1% from the field and over 40% from behind the arc.
For Gonzaga, the biggest question is whether its defense will improve. Gonzaga’s defensive efficiency fell outside the top 50 nationally the past two seasons, but the way the Zags stayed in front of the ball against Baylor was a big step forward.
Gonzaga’s dominant victory makes the Zags the big winner of men’s college basketball’s opening night. Here’s a look at some of the other winners and losers from a night in which 19 of the AP Top 25 teams were in action:
Loser: SEC
For a conference hailed as one of the best in college basketball entering the season, the SEC had a rough opening night. Four of the league’s teams suffered losses, each against unranked opponents.
It was bad enough when South Carolina suffered a stunning home loss to North Florida and Missouri blew a 10-point halftime lead against Memphis. Then Texas A&M went cold late at UCF and Texas wasted a record 29-point performance from freshman Tre Johnson in a loss to Ohio State.
To make matters worse for the SEC, college basketball’s other four power conferences largely avoided disaster. ACC, Big East, Big Ten and Big 12 teams went a combined 48-1 on Monday, the only loss being Baylor’s absence against Gonzaga.
Better days are likely ahead for the SEC this season, so the Big 12’s social media team was quick to take advantage of the opportunity.
Winner: Montverde Academy
It’s easy to see why Montverde Academy went 33-0 last season and captured its eighth national championship. Three of Florida’s best high school players made statements Monday night in their college debuts.
As always, the headliner was Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in next year’s NBA Draft and the most hyped prospect to enter college basketball in more than a decade. The 6-foot-9 Duke freshman showed off his trademark stat sheet-filling versatility in his long-awaited college debut, a 96-62 rout of Maine.
Early in the first half, Flagg was Duke’s best playmaker, drawing defenders before delivering precise passes to his open teammates. Later in the game, Flagg became more aggressive looking for his own shot and constantly went downhill. He finished with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals, this dunk being his most memorable moment.
Of course, Flagg wasn’t the only five-star recruit in Montverde last season. Maryland center Derik Queen debuted with a masterpiece of 22 points and 20 rebounds in a suffocating Manhattan. And Georgia big man Asa Newell tied Dominique Wilkins’ program record for most points by a player in his first game, tallying 26 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks in a narrow win over Tennessee Tech.
The most impressive part? There is another former Montverde star yet to arrive. As soon as he recovers from a calf strain, five-star recruit Liam McNeeley will make his UConn debut.
Loser: The tires at the Breslin Center
Thoughts and prayers are with those hoops after Michigan State’s Coen Carr did this.
And this.
And almost this.
Carr is the best dunker in college basketball. Tires, you have been warned.
Winner: Louisville
In two miserable seasons under Kenny Payne, Louisville was a laughingstock. One of the most traditional programs in college basketball reached a record of 12-52. Fans who bothered to attend the KFC Yum! The center saw the Cardinals lose to teams like Bellarmine, Wright State, Appalachian State and Chattanooga.
The revamped and retooled Louisville team that new coach Pat Kelsey unveiled Monday night looked nothing like the Payne-era Cardinals. Kelsey brought joy back to the Louisville program, demolishing overmatched Morehead State 93-45.
Yes, it was just a game. Yes, an opponent was projected to finish fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference. Still, this had to be cathartic for Louisville fans given the program’s recent bleak history.
Loser: Saint Louis
The opening game of Josh Schertz’s tenure in Saint Louis couldn’t have gone much worse. Not only did the Billikens suffer an 85-78 loss to underrated Santa Clara on Monday afternoon at the Field of 68 Showcase. They could also be without star Robbie Avila for a few weeks after the Indiana State transfer suffered a right ankle injury late in the second half.
Ávila fell to the ground under the basket with Saint Louis down four and needed help limping to the locker room. He later returned to the Billikens bench, with his ankle wrapped in ice. The injury is similar to the sprained right ankle that sidelined Avila for much of the preseason, Schertz told reporters after the game.
Schertz told the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch: “It doesn’t look very good.” He later added: “There is a possibility that we will be without him for a period of time.”
Winner: DePaul
Jacob Meyer made Southern Indiana pay for not making three errors. The DePaul guard hit a game-tying right-footed 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left in regulation, allowing the Blue Demons to escape with an 80-78 overtime victory.
Loser: DePaul
This was Southern Indiana, KenPom’s preseason No. 336 team, a third-year Division I program that went 8-24 a year ago. It’s not an encouraging omen for Chris Holtmann’s debut season that DePaul needed a long shot to survive this game.
