Ex-Hokie Blackshear Jr. helps Gators win in debut
No. 6 Florida 74,
North Florida 59
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Kerry Blackshear Jr. had 20 points and 10 rebounds in his Gators debut, and Florida opened its most anticipated season in more than a decade with a win over the Ospreys.
Blackshear was every bit as good as advertised. The 6-foot-10 graduate transfer, who came to Gainesville after four years at Virginia Tech, added three assists and two steals. JT Escobar led North Florida with 15 points. Garrett Sams added 14.
Blackshear and Florida should get a better test against rival Florida State on Sunday.
No. 7 Maryland 95,
Holy Cross 71
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Jalen Smith had 16 points and 11 rebounds, Darryl Morsell scored 15 and the Terrapins launched a season of high hopes by defeating the Crusaders.
Taking full advantage of their height and depth, the Terrapins placed four players in double figures, finished with a 47-33 rebounding advantage and scored 64 points in the paint.
Freshman guard Drew Lowder scored 24 for Holy Cross, playing its first game under coach Brett Nelson.
No. 8 Gonzaga 95,
Alabama State 64
SPOKANE, Wash. — Corey
Kispert scored a career-high 28 points as the Bulldogs used a second-half surge to beat the Hornets to open the season.
Filip Petrusev added 15, Admon Gilder scored 12 and Ryan Woolridge had 11 for depleted Gonzaga, which is down to nine scholarship players. The Bulldogs have won 16 consecutive season openers dating to 2003.
Jacoby Ross scored 16 points and Brandon Battle had 10 for Alabama State in the first meeting between the teams.
No. 12 Seton Hall 105,
Wagner 71
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. — Myles Powell scored 27 points to lead the Pirates, without coach Kevin Willard on the sidelines, to a commanding win over the Seahawks.
Seton Hall announced a week ago that the NCAA is investigating the program and Willard would be sitting out two games. The school didn’t say what the NCAA enforcement staff was investigating, but said it was working with the ruling body for college sports.
Quincy McKnight added 10 points and seven assists for Seton Hall.
Patrick Szpir led Wagner with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Alex Morales finished with 13 points.
No. 13 Texas Tech 85, Eastern Illinois 60
LUBBOCK, Texas — Newcomer
Jahmi’us Ramsey led the Red Raiders with 19 points as the much-changed Texas Tech program opened the season with a comfortable win over the Panthers, seven months after losing to Virginia in the national championship game.
TJ Holyfield scored 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting for Tech, and fellow newcomer Terrance Shannon Jr. scored 11 points.
George Dixon had 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead Eastern Illinois, a team from the Ohio Valley Conference that was 14-18 last season.
No. 14 Memphis 97,
S.C. State 64
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Center James Wiseman scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help the Tigers past the Bulldogs.
Precious Achiuwa added 14 points as Memphis shot 54.5% and forced 18 turnovers.
Ian Kinard netted 13 points and Jahmari Etienne added 11 for South Carolina State, which shot only 36.2% on field goals.
No. 16 Baylor 105,
Central Arkansas 61
WACO, Texas — Jared Butler scored 30 points with a careerhigh eight 3-pointers to lead four Baylor players in double figures, and the Bears opened coach Scott Drew’s 17th season with a win.
The hometown Bears scored the first 19 points in the game that began at 11 a.m. and was played before a crowd filled mostly with elementary school students.
MaCio Teague, a transfer guard from UNC Asheville who had to sit out last season, had 18 points and 10 rebounds in his Baylor debut.
Devonte Bandoo scored 15 points and Freddie Gillespie had 14.
Rylan Bergersen, a transfer from BYU, had 17 points in his Central Arkansas debut.
No. 19 Xavier 76,
Jacksonville 57
CINCINNATI — Tyrique Jones had 17 points and 11 rebounds, Naji Marshall also scored 17 and the Musketeers beat the Dolphins in the season debut for both teams.
Paul Scruggs scored all 12 of his points in the first half, including a pair of 3-pointers, to help the Musketeers build a 21-point lead at the break.
Defense is expected to be a strength for the Musketeers, picked to finish third in the Big East Conference preseason coaches’ poll. Xavier forced 13 turnovers in the first half and 18 overall while limiting the Dolphins to 5-of-21 shooting from 3-point range.
Xavier freshman Zach Freemantle scored 11 points in his debut, including a two-handed dunk for his first points.
Aamahne Santos and Bryce Workman each had 15 points for Jacksonville.