NCAA Basketball: Early overreactions from Day 1 of 2021-22 season

The mid-majors are thriving: Hofstra, Akron & Eastern Michigan push the envelope!

Hofstra, Akron, and Eastern Michigan basketball didn’t get the outcome they were hoping for but they certainly put opposing teams with them on their schedule on notice that things won’t be easy when they step on the floor.

Hofstra basketball will certainly be kicking themselves in their upcoming film session as they review their 83-75 overtime loss to No. 15 Houston.

The Pride led 62-49 with 8:30 remaining before the Cougars came storming back and tied things up at 69 with 24 seconds remaining on a Taze Moore 3-pointer. Hofstra basketball ran out of gas after that as Houston basketball outscored them 14-6 in overtime.

Ohio State basketball needed a buzzer-beater from Zed Key to gain the upper hand in the end with a 67-66 victory over Akron basketball at home. The Zips gave the Buckeyes all they could handle as they outscored them 38-31 in the second half and looked to have things won before magic happened and the Buckeyes escaped with a victory.

Eastern Michigan basketball gave first-year head coach Mike Woodson and the Indiana Hoosiers all they could handle as they escaped with a 68-62 victory after leading by 17 points at the half.

Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with a double-double (21 points and 14 rebounds) along with three blocks but it was his supporting cast that struggled slightly. Newcomer Xavier Johnson was his usual self with 14 points and three assists but as a team, they shot 4-of-24 (16.7 percent) from behind the arc.

This will be an interesting season for Power 5 conferences squaring off against smaller conference schools as NCAA basketball is back in full swing. Stay tuned for more overreactions!