Welcome back, college basketball. We've missed you dearly.
The season kicked off yesterday with a banger of a game between Notre Dame and Villanova.
It was back-and-forth for most of the first half, with Villanova taking a 4-point lead into the break despite turning the ball over 15 times.
In the second half, Notre Dame closed the gap with a Brady Koehler dunk over Tyler Perkins and several late free throws from Braeden Smith. Logan Duncomb hit a three with 1:08 to go to take the lead, and the Irish held on to win, 74-72.
It's a major win for Micah Shrewsberry, who comes into the season needing a big year to stave off hot-seat chatter. Villanova leaves Rome with more questions than answers, especially if they can't get the frontcourt production they need from Kwame Evans Jr. and Luigo Suigo.
The midnight tip between High Point and Liberty was sold out with a great environment. High Point jumped out to an early 10-point lead, but Liberty battled back to cut the deficit to 3 at the half.
Another quick 10-0 run from High Point proved to be the difference, as Liberty couldn't get within 5 points the rest of the way.
Curtis Williams Jr. led High Point with 12 points as the Panthers had 6 different players with at least 8 points. High Point dominated the boards (39-31) and the paint (42-32). Zander Carter had 21 points for the Flames.
Finally, the sicko special: a 3:00 AM tip between Grambling and Northern Illinois.
Grambling managed to hit the first shot of the game and never trailed. They led by as many as 12 points in the second half and held off a furious Huskies run to win, 89-87.
Isaiah Miranda was the difference for Grambling, scoring 29 points on an extremely efficient 10-for-12 shooting. He also grabbed 8 rebounds and blocked 3 shots in just 21 minutes. Dwayne Pierce added 19 points for the Tigers.
Northern Illinois had five players in double figures and shot 45% (14-31) from three as a team, but it wasn't enough to get Matt Majkrzak his first Division I win.
As of posting, there's a game on right now! Tune in to Appalachian State vs. Merrimack, part of the Field of 68's 24-hour marathon on YouTube.
Demarcus Henry, the No. 2 prospect in the class of 2027, committed to North Carolina.
Four-star forward Zion Green committed to Alabama.
Class of 2028 five-star center Xavier Young reclassified to the class of 2027 and committed to LSU.
Four-star center Nick Welch Jr. committed to TCU.
Oklahoma's BJ Edwards was granted a temporary restraining order and is currently eligible to play.
UC Santa Barbara head coach Joe Pasternack signed a contract extension through the 2030-2031 season.
On a new episode of The Basket Under Review Podcast, Eamonn Brennan and Tate Frazier welcome back college hoops with a recap of Notre Dame's win and a preview of Monday night's games.
Western Michigan head coach Kahil Fennell spoke to Joey Dwyer about the coaching journey that's led him to Kalamazoo.
Check out breakdowns of today's top matchups in our daily watchlist (Monday early & full day).
Skim Milkey previews the week to come in women's hoops.
The Basket Under Review app is available for download on the Google Play Store!
If you are an Apple/iOS user, you can download the TestFlight version of the app here: https://testflight.apple.com/join/sTwECNxQ
The app will be available on the Apple App Store soon.
If you notice any glitches or mistakes, or have any feedback on the games, please email us at administrator@basketunderreview.com.
Will Warren
Joe Jackson
Joey Dwyer
Basket Under Review
Follow Basket Under Review on: Twitter | Instagram | TikTok
Thanks for reading the Basket Under Review Newsletter. This newsletter is evolving daily, so please feel free to send us some feedback by email at administrator@basketunderreview.com.
