Category: NCAA Basketball

Here's a look at how the top freshmen in the 2025-26 recruiting class fared in their college basketball debuts:

Duke coach Jon Scheyer offered a challenge to star recruit Cameron Boozer at halftime of the Blue Devils' season opener Tuesday night against Texas, bluntly telling the 6-foot-9 freshman forward phenom that he was “playing soft.” Boozer got the message — and then proceeded to take over the game. After failing to score in the first half, Boozer rallied to finish with 15 points and 13 rebounds — 10 of those after halftime — as the sixth-ranked Blue Devils overcame a 33-32 halftime deficit to beat Texas 75-60 in the Dick Vitale Invitational at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.

Boozer, the son of former Duke star Carlos Boozer, made his presence felt in the second half getting to the foul line 12 times and converting nine free throws.

Purdue has won 33 consecutive non-conference home games — this one despite playing without preseason all-conference forward Trey Kaufman-Renn.

Fletcher Loyer opened his final college season by scoring a career high 30 points and preseason All-American Braden Smith added 11 assists as Purdue protected its first preseason No. 1 ranking with a rousing 82-51 season-opening rout over Evansville on Tuesday night. Smith scored just six points but passed former Illinois star Bruce Douglas for third on the Big Ten’s career assists list. Smith increased his total to 769, four more than Douglas.

Cameron Boozer was scoreless in the first half but took the game over in the second half as Duke avoided the upset from Texas.

Christian Anderson had career highs with 34 points and 11 assists, leading No. 10 Texas Tech to a 98-60 victory over Lindenwood on Tuesday night as the Red Raiders extended their nonconference home winning streak to 39 games. Texas Tech, which has the highest preseason ranking in school history coming off the program's third Elite Eight appearance, was without preseason Big 12 player of the year JT Toppin and LeJuan Watts, a Washington State transfer who is the preseason newcomer of the year. Toppin and Watts were listed with lower-body injuries, as were two more transfers in Josiah Moseley (Villanova) and Luke Bamgboye (Virginia Commonwealth).

Dick Vitale got the all clear from doctors last month to return to ESPN after numerous cancer battles.

Dick Vitale had a heartfelt moment on Nov. 4, choking up as ESPN played a tribute video for the legendary broadcaster:

Collin Chandler scored a career-high 15 points to lead No. 9 Kentucky to a 77-51 win over Nicholls on Tuesday night in a season opener for both teams. Otega Oweh, the preseason Southeastern Conference player of the year, scored nine of his 13 points in the second half for Kentucky. Freshman Jasper Johnson added 11 points and Florida transfer Denzel Aberdeen scored 10.

He was the Boilermakers’ leading scorer and rebounder last season with averages of 20.1 points and 6.5 rebounds.

Dent, a heralded transfer from New Mexico, had a memorable performance in his Southern California homecoming.

Many NBA analysts have one of these two young stars pegged as the No. 1 prospect for next year’s draft.

Purdue is ranked No. 1 in the AP preseason poll for the first time.

Darryn Peterson and A.J. Dybantsa sat behind tables about 20 feet apart inside the T-Mobile Center, the site of the Big 12 men's basketball tournament, a couple of weeks ago, dutifully answering questions about their upcoming freshman seasons. Peterson and Dybantsa had been ranked Nos. 1A and 1B among prep basketball players for years, their paths seemingly always intertwined.