NCAA Basketball: Breaking down 10 biggest winners, losers from first week of 2024-25 season

The first week of college hoops is officially in the books. And it delivered. Even if college football may steal the headlines (for now, that is), there was no shortage of action on the hardwood. That said, here are the 10 biggest winners and losers during college basketball’s first full week of action.

Honorable mention winner: North Florida Ospreys

Perhaps no mid-major had as strong of a week as Matthew Driscoll’s North Florida Ospreys, knocking off South Carolina and then Georgia Tech (in convincing fashion) on the road. The Ospreys are now 3-0 and still have to travel to Georgia, Nebraska and Florida. Can North Florida be NCAA basketball’s surprising mid-major? Or was it just a week that they caught fire? Early returns show UNF -- who were picked to finish seventh in the ASUN preseason poll -- may be the real deal.

Winner: The freshman class

Safe to say it was a strong opening week for the youngsters. Illinois’ Will Riley scored 31 points and seven boards on 10/13 FG on opening night. Kasparas Jakucionis went for 12 points, 13 assists and eight boards the next game. Maryland’s big man Derik Queen went for 22 points and 20 rebounds. Tre Johnson looks to be the focal point for the Texas Longhorns, scoring 29 points in its loss versus Ohio State. 

Georgia’s Asa Newell knotted a double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg continue to stuff the stat sheet in Durham. Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford was completely unfazed against Houston’s stout defense, scoring 21 points on 5-8 from three. Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber has averaged 22.5 points and 11 rebounds in the Hoya’s first two games. 

The freshmen have made an impact fast and will be a key story in the 2024-25 NCAA basketball season.

Loser: The Big East (and Kyle Neptune)

After only sending three teams to the 2024 NCAA Tournament last year, I admittedly was overly optimistic that the Big East could double that number in 2025. The early returns? Not so good. Butler squeaked by Missouri State on opening night, only to fall to Austin Peay in its next game. The same goes for Seton Hall, who slipped by Saint Peter’s on opening night, only to fall to Fordham the next game. Xavier struggled to separate itself from Texas Southern and IU Indianapolis (formerly IUPUI). Providence needed a 10-2 run in the final four minutes to escape Central Connecticut.

And now the hot seat talk begins to ramp up for Villanova’s Kyle Neptune, among the 10 coaches facing the most pressure this season. The Wildcats allowed an offensive barrage from Columbia, falling 90-80 despite 33 points from Eric Dixon. Neptune’s ill-fated non-conference woes continue to be a worrisome trend for Villanova who are still searching for its first NCAA Tournament appearance under Neptune -- and now they have put themselves into an early hole, once again.

Winner: Gonzaga, Ohio State’s opening night masterclass

The Gonzaga Bulldogs -- who return over 80% of their minutes from last year’s team -- look to be in mid-season form after dismantling Baylor 101-63 in the 2021 national title game rematch in Spokane. The Zags completely overwhelmed Baylor’s guards physically by setting the tone early -- and they never looked back. Mark Few has his eyes set forth toward Monday night, even after surviving a scare versus Arizona State on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, Ohio State had an impressive opening night, leading wire-to-wire in its victory over Texas in Las Vegas. The Buckeyes shot 14-28 from three and got excellent contributions from freshman John Mobley Jr. and Devin Royal off the bench. If the Buckeyes can be this consistent from the perimeter and get its high-upside frontcourt rolling, it may work out even better than anticipated in its first full season under Jake Diebler.

Loser: Todd Golden 

On Friday, harrowing details surfaced from the Independent Florida Alligator from a pair of student journalists, Jack Meyer and Max Tucker, detailing Todd Golden’s Title IX probe, who is accused of sexual harassment and stalking. On Saturday, Todd Golden released a statement. 

Florida's next game is Monday against Grambling State. As of Sunday night (11/10), Todd Golden’s status as Florida’s basketball coach has not changed, according to a Florida spokesperson via Jeff Goodman, Field of 68.

Winner: Auburn Tigers

On opening night, the Auburn Tigers delivered a walloping over Vermont. The Catamounts have been a staple of consistency under John Becker, averaging 22 wins per season during Becker’s 14-year tenure, yet the Tigers jumped all over them in its 51-point lopsided win.

To follow up its impressive performance on opening night, the Tigers scored 46 second-half points against Houston’s aggressive defense after dealing with a flight issue when it was reported that its plane was diverted after a fight between players. 

Bruce Pearl has a first-team all-American in Johni Broome and has a star awaiting in freshman Tahaad Pettiford. As a result? The Auburn Tigers sit atop the rankings in KenPom.

Loser: Arkansas’ zone issues

In its top-25 tilt versus Baylor on Saturday night, Scott Drew went zone and the Arkansas Razorbacks couldn't find ways to solve it, shooting just 5-20 from behind the arc. Adou Thiero was a bright spot for the Hogs, tallying 24 points on the night, but Arkansas couldn’t find consistency with its guards. Thankfully, it's only November, meaning Arkansas has lots of time to right the ship offensively against a variety of defenses. But for now, the new-look Razorbacks have work to do.

Winner: Penny Hardaway, PJ Haggerty and the Memphis Tigers

For all the continuous drama surrounding the Memphis Tigers basketball program, Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Tigers -- led by PJ Haggerty -- have gotten off to a stellar start. The Tigers used a second-half rally to race past Missouri on opening night followed by a comeback victory over UNLV on the road behind 29 points from PJ Haggerty. 

With two quality wins in the first week, the Tigers have cemented themselves as the AAC favorites. Its non-conference schedule won’t get any easier but Memphis has looked the part so far, making Penny Hardaway’s group a clear-cut winner in week one of college basketball.

Loser: Texas A&M’s second-half lead

Give credit to Buzz Williams. Taking your team on the road in the first game of the college basketball season is never easy. It proved the Aggies' demise in its 64-61 loss to UCF on opening night. After taking an 11-point lead with under seven minutes to go, Texas A&M’s offense went cold, scoring just five points the rest of the way. 

It may be only one game, but it looked as if Texas A&M’s biggest Achilles heel last season, inconsistency, bled over in its loss. Its resounding win over East Texas A&M was a positive, now the Aggies have to prove it versus top competition. 

Winner: Phog Allen Fieldhouse

Many, if not most, of college basketball marquee matchups this week took place on a neutral court. That wasn’t the case for Kansas and North Carolina, who scheduled a true home-and-home last offseason, bringing the Phog Allen to life in one of college basketball’s most raucous atmospheres. 

North Carolina found itself facing a 20-point deficit but meticulously clawed its way back, even taking a narrow lead late in the second half. Yet Hunter Dickinson and Zeke Mayo delivered down the stretch, halting the Heels’ comeback bid just short in the closing minutes. 

The bottom line? This was a phenomenal atmosphere -- an atmosphere that was exactly what college basketball needed on opening week. Here’s to hoping other premier programs hop on this trend.

Loser: Texas Longhorns

In hindsight, losing to Ohio State on a neutral site isn’t a resume-damaging loss. But if you look deeper into the makeup of Texas’ non-conference schedule, there aren’t many opportunities to string together several statement victories before it enters SEC play. Sure, Texas has Syracuse, St. Joe’s/Texas Tech, NC State and UConn still on the docket, but the Horns will need to bank on at least two victories (minimum) in those matchups because the rest of its non-conference schedule is filled with KenPom sub-300-caliber games. 

There’s no question the Longhorns have the talent and scoring capabilities to be dangerous come March but they will need to collect two (or more) quality wins in non-conference if it wants to put itself in a strong position come SEC play.