Top 25 roundup: No. 22 UCLA takes down No. 5 Arizona to open season

Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Trent Perry scored 21 points and No. 22 UCLA prevailed in an opening-night showdown by topping No. 5 Arizona 84-75 in a Hall of Fame Series contest on Monday night in Las Vegas. Jaylen Petty had 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and Eric Dailey Jr. added 13 points and eight rebounds as the Bruins outplayed their former Pac-12 compatriot. Ivan Kharchenkov scored a career-best 38 points and collected 10 rebounds for the Wildcats. Derek Dixon added 18 points for Arizona. The Wildcats trailed by 11 with just over five minutes remaining before ripping off 10 straight points. UCLA built its lead back to six points before Dixon scored the next five Arizona points to pull the Wildcats within 78-75 with 1:06 remaining. But a dunk by Dailey and two free throws apiece by Nikola Kusturica and Perry allowed UCLA to close it out. No. 1 Florida 77, No. 14 Miami 67 All-American Thomas Haugh produced 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Gators defeated the rival Hurricanes on a neutral court Monday night in the Orion180 Tipoff Classic in Tampa, Fla. Boogie Fland added 12 points, four assists and a game-high four steals for Florida. Villanova transfer Acaden Lewis scored a game-high 24 points to lead Miami in the season opener for both teams. Florida has won four straight games against its in-state rival, and this contest got heated several times, including a technical foul on each coaching staff and three flagrant fouls. No. 2 Duke 84, Army 50 Dame Sarr scored 16 points and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje added 15 to lead the Blue Devils to a romp over the Black Knights in Durham, N.C. Patrick Ngongba II had 10 points and seven rebounds to help Duke win its season opener for the 27th consecutive year. Kevin McCarthy hit four 3-point shots on his way to 17 points for Army, which was charged with 24 turnovers. No. 3 Illinois 120, Fairleigh Dickinson 45 The Fighting Illini set a program record with 19 made 3-pointers in a dominating win over the Knights in Champaign, Ill. It was the biggest margin of victory ever for Illinois (the previous record was 69 points over Chicago State in 1993), and just seven points off the program record for most points scored. Andrej Stojakovic led the Illini with 20 points, and freshman Quentin Coleman had 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. The lone bright spot for Fairleigh Dickinson was David Jevtic, who had 13 points, six rebounds and two 3-pointers while playing with a mask over a broken nose. No. 4 UConn 86, Gardner-Webb 46 Preseason All-Big East star Braylon Mullins scored a game-high 20 points as the Huskies rolled to a win over the Runnin' Bulldogs in Hartford, Conn. Mullins knocked down four 3-pointers to lead UConn, which shot 51.7% from the field and had a 21-3 advantage in fastbreak points and a 46-28 rebounding edge. Duke transfer Nik Khamenia had 14 points and six rebounds, Na'jai Hines recorded 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks and freshman Colben Landrew added 11 points. Jacob Hudson led Gardner-Webb with nine points. Jackson Skipper had eight points and five rebounds, and Seth Brown also logged eight points. No. 6 Michigan State 96, Quinnipiac 59 Jeremy Fears Jr. scored 13 points and added 11 assists and Coen Carr added 12 points and eight rebounds as the Spartans opened their season with a victory over the Bobcats in East Lansing, Mich. Six players scored in double figures for Michigan State, which improved to 24-8 in season openers under coach Tom Izzo. Anton Bonke, Jordan Scott, Kur Teng and Kaleb Glenn each scored 11 points for the Spartans. Tayeshawn Cunningham-Pemberton scored 11 points and Nate Guerengomba added 10 for Quinnipiac, which lost four starters to transfers while a fifth awaits a decision on an additional year of eligibility. No. 7 Texas 109, Chicago State 59 Matas Vokietaitis scored 22 points, Isaiah Johnson added 18 as the Longhorns trounced the Cougars in Austin, Texas. Highly regarded freshman Marcus Spears Jr. had 11 points, five rebounds and four blocked shots off the bench for Texas, which never trailed while winning its 25th straight home opener. Will Lovings-Watts scored 13 points and Mike Price had 12 for Chicago State, which was picked to finish eighth in the nine-team Northeast Conference. No. 10 Houston 94, La Salle 55 Dedan Thomas Jr. led the way with 16 points and five assists, Delrecco Gillespie contributed 13 points and seven rebounds, and the host Cougars overpowered the Explorers. Thomas (LSU) and Gillespie (Kent State) led a new-look Houston roster that had seven players score at least nine points. Houston forward Chase McCarty (10 points, six rebounds) was injured in the second half when La Salle's Bowyn Beatty fell into the back of McCarty's leg, but Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson said postgame the injury did not appear to be serious. Kam Burton scored 15 points and Devin Booker had 12 for La Salle. No. 11 Louisville 84, Chattanooga 70 Flory Bidunga posted 16 points in his Cardinals debut to lead the Louisville past the visiting Mocs. Bidunga, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year last season at Kansas, made 6 of 9 shots and added nine rebounds as well as three steals. He was one of five Cardinals to finish in double figures, with Adrian Wooley scoring 15 points, Seth Trimble and Jackson Shelstad chipping in 13 apiece, and Alvaro Folgueiras adding 10. Yonatan Levy and Zach Bleshoy led Chattanooga's effort with 14 points each, and Lenny Anigbata put up 12. No. 13 St. John's 78, Monmouth 63 Keyshawn Hall totaled 26 points and nine rebounds in a stellar debut for the Red Storm, who used a strong start to dispose of the Hawks in New York. An Auburn transfer, Hall began his tenure at his fifth school by hitting his first six shots and making 9 of 16 shots overall. The forward also went 7-for-7 from the foul line and played 33 minutes. Ian Jackson contributed 13 of his 15 points after halftime while making 6 of 12 shots for St. John's, which led 45-29 at halftime. Jakai Sanders scored 17 for Monmouth. Madison Durr added 15 and Ashton Walker chipped in 11 as the Hawks shot 42.9% from the floor but committed 18 turnovers. No. 15 Gonzaga 78, Purdue 72 Davis Fogle scored a career-high 22 points and the Bulldogs escaped Las Vegas with a victory against the Boilermakers. Xaivian Lee put up 18 points for Gonzaga. Izan Almansa added 11 points, while Braden Huff scored 10 and led the Bulldogs with seven rebounds. Daniel Jacobsen was the driving force for Purdue, tallying 22 points on an impressive 9-of-11 from the field and grabbing seven boards. CJ Cox added 11 points, while Antione West Jr. chipped in 10 points. No. 16 Michigan 84, Oakland 68 Roddy Gayle Jr. and Trey McKenney each scored 17 points to begin the Wolverines' title defense with a win over the Golden Grizzlies in Ann Arbor, Mich. J.P. Estrella, a transfer from Tennessee, had 15 points and 12 rebounds and Quinn Costello added 13 points off of the bench for Michigan, which overcame a 7-of-34 shooting performance from 3-point range by making 24 of 37 2-pointers. Chris Fields Jr. had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Nassim Mashhour added 16 points and Ryder Bradley came off the bench to score 12 points for Oakland, which held a 44-42 rebounding advantage on the strength of 21 offensive rebounds but went 6-of-26 from 3-point range. No. 17 Kansas 95, Fordham 65 Tre White scored 22 points and Tyran Stokes added 15 points and seven rebounds in his much-anticipated debut as the Jayhawks extended their winning streak in home openers to 54 seasons with a victory over the Rams in Lawrence, Kan. Leroy Blyden Jr. also scored 15 points and Melvin Council Jr. added 10 for Kansas, which shot 58.3% from the floor and had a 50-33 rebounding advantage while overcoming 17 turnovers. Purdue transfer Trey Kaufman-Renn scored nine points over 23 minutes in his Kansas debut. He was a second-round draft pick by the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves but did not sign with the team and joined the Jayhawks' program after filing a lawsuit seeking a sixth college season. Hawaii transfer Akira Jacobs scored 20 points and Stephen F. Austin transfer Lateef Patrick Jr. added 13 for Fordham. Memphis 80, No. 18 Iowa State 76 Jayden Reid dominated with 26 points, including a 3-pointer with 38 seconds left to put the game away, as the Tigers upset the Cyclones in Sioux Falls, S.D. Luke Almodovar poured in 18 points, including nine from beyond the arc, and grabbed eight rebounds as Memphis opened the season with a win over a ranked foe for the first time since Nov. 25, 1995, when the Tigers beat then-No. 24 Purdue 91-76. Rihards Vavers chipped in 15 to go along with five rebounds. Ryan Prather Jr. led Iowa State with 19 points off the bench while fellow reserve Dominykas Pleta finished with 15 points. Tamin Lipsey, on the Naismith Player of the Year Watch List, scored 12 points. No. 19 Texas Tech 76, Jackson State 42 Wyoming transfer Damarion Dennis excelled in his debut for the Red Raiders, scoring 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting in a comfortable win over the Tigers in Lubbock, Texas. Dennis drilled four 3-pointers and Cruz Davis added 15 points, six rebounds and five assists for Texas Tech. Josiah Moseley chipped in 13 points and eight boards for the Red Raiders, who outscored Jackson State 16-2 over the final 6:31 of the first half to build a 38-18 halftime lead. Reigning SWAC Player of the Year Daeshun Ruffin averaged 23.3 points per game last season but was held to only five against Texas Tech. Mike Williams scored 11 points to lead the Tigers, while Dorian McMillian added 10. No. 21 Southern California 95, Milwaukee 63 Freshman Adonis Ratliff led all players with 25 points in his debut for the Trojans, who cruised past the Panthers in Los Angeles. Ratliff and his twin brother Darius were among five scorers in double figures for USC, which never trailed. Darius Ratliff finished with 14 points and was one of the five Trojans to connect on at least one 3-point attempt. Adonis Ratliff's 5-of-7 mark from deep paced USC to a blistering 12-of-22 as a team from behind the arc. The Panthers struggled to muster much offensively, shooting 23-of-62 (37%) from the floor. Amare Hereford came off the bench to lead the Panthers with 14 points and Tre Norman added 13 on 5-of-13 shooting. No. 24 Vanderbilt 93, Bellarmine 47 Tyler Tanner scored 20 points and totaled six assists to lead the Commodores to a comfortable win over the Knights in Nashville, Tenn. Tanner, who finished fourth in the SEC in scoring last season, shot 7 of 10 in his first action since choosing to return to Vanderbilt and forego the NBA draft. The Commodores had four players score in double figures and closed the first half on a 30-3 run after the game was tied at 14. Demarcus Surratt was one of the few bright spots for Bellarmine, shooting 4 of 4 from the field and finishing with nine points off the bench. No. 25 BYU 94, Ohio State 83 Robert Wright III scored 33 points to lead five Cougars in double figures in a victory over the Buckeyes in Salt Lake City. Collin Chandler and Tyler Betsey each had 15 points, Bruce Branch III scored 12 and Jaxon Kohler 11 to help BYU overcome a three-point halftime deficit. Amare Bynum totaled 20 points for Ohio State, which lost its opening game for the first time since 2003. John Mobley Jr. scored 14, Andrija Jelavic tallied 13 and Justin Pippen added 12. --Field Level Media