Busting Brackets
Fansided

NCAA Basketball: 7 biggest takeaways on opening day of 2023-24 season

By Joey Loose

Nov 6, 2023; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Tyson Walker (2) walks back to the bench and the James Madison Dukes bench erupts as the final buzzer sounds at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2023; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Tyson Walker (2) walks back to the bench and the James Madison Dukes bench erupts as the final buzzer sounds at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
8 of 8
Next
USC Trojans guard Boogie Ellis (5) steals the ball from Kansas State Wildcats forward Will McNair Jr.  Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
USC Trojans guard Boogie Ellis (5) steals the ball from Kansas State Wildcats forward Will McNair Jr.  Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /

7. Big winners at Las Vegas

There were a pair of games on opening night in Las Vegas as part of the Hall of Fame Series and this was the closest thing we got to even matchups, though both contests ended up as double-digit decisions. Faces both old and new shined for these four teams as well.

Oregon took care of business in the first game, securing an 82-71 win over Georgia, who made just 33% of their field goals. The Ducks significantly outrebounded the Bulldogs, led by N’Faly Dante, who had 16 points and 21 rebounds in the season-opening win. Brennan Rigsby added 16 for Oregon off the bench.

Later on it was USC earning a win over Kansas State 82-69, taking care of business in what was possibly the toughest opening night matchup for a ranked team. New Wildcat Tylor Perry looked solid with 22 points but Kansas State was outworked by the Trojans’ backcourt. Boogie Ellis had 24 points and 8 rebounds while Isaiah Collier added 18 points and 6 assists in his debut.

Each top-25 team's toughest test in November. dark. Next

Those two Pac-12 teams will have plenty of opportunities to show their strengths, but so will all of these teams. No matter what happened tonight, it’s still only the opening act of a long college basketball season. No dreams have been destroyed and no bubbles have been popped, but we certainly overestimated or underestimated a few teams and players after one day.

Home/NCAA Basketball News