"Recap of the Top 25: No. 6 Gonzaga Dominates No. 8 Baylor in Season Opener"

Nolan Hickman spearheaded a well-rounded offense with 17 points as the sixth-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs dominated the eighth-ranked Baylor Bears 101-63 on Monday in Spokane, Washington. It was the most significant game of the opening night of the men's college basketball season.

This was the Bulldogs' largest margin of victory against a Top 10 team, surpassing their previous record of 20 points.

Graham Ike contributed 15 points and eight rebounds for Gonzaga in a rematch of the 2021 NCAA title game, which the Bears won 86-70. Braden Huff scored 14 points, Khalif Battle added 12, and Dusty Stromer had 11 for the Bulldogs. Ryan Nembhard led the game with 11 assists.

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Miami transfer Norchad Omier led Baylor with 15 points and nine rebounds. Highly-touted freshman VJ Edgecombe only scored four points on 2-for-11 shooting from the field.

No. 1 Kansas 87, Howard 57

Zeke Mayo scored 19 points in his team debut to lead the Jayhawks to an easy victory over the Bison in Lawrence, Kansas.

Mayo transferred to Kansas from South Dakota State and helped the Jayhawks win their 52nd consecutive home opener. Kansas also had Hunter Dickinson (16 points) and Flory Bidunga (13) score in double figures.

Blake Harper led Howard with 16 points. Anwar Gill and Marcus Dockery each tallied seven points for the Bison.

No. 2 Alabama 110, UNC Asheville 54

Mark Sears scored 20 points in 24 minutes to help the Crimson Tide rout the Bulldogs at Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

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Clifford Omoruyi, a transfer from Rutgers, hit all six of his shots while recording 16 points and eight rebounds for Alabama. Latrell Wrightsell Jr. added 13 points, Mouhamed Dioubate and Aden Holloway tallied 11 apiece, and Jarin Stevenson and Labaron Philon each had 10.

Jordan Marsh scored 13 points, Toyaz Solomon added 11, and Kameron Taylor had 10 for UNC Asheville.

No. 4 Houston 97, Jackson State 40

LJ Cryer scored 16 points and J'Wan Roberts added 14 points and six rebounds as the Cougars kicked off their season in style with a victory over the visiting Tigers.

Mylik Wilson turned a late scoring burst into 15 points, and Milos Uzan had eight points, 10 assists, seven rebounds, and four steals as the Cougars won their season opener for the 16th consecutive season.

Jalen Tatum scored 14 points, and Romelle Mansel added seven points and six rebounds for the Tigers. Jackson State went 15-17 overall last season and was picked to finish fourth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

No. 5 Iowa State 83, Mississippi Valley State 44

Keshon Gilbert scored 17 points, and Tamin Lipsey added 16 as the Cyclones cruised to an easy win in Ames, Iowa, over the Delta Devils in both teams' season opener.

Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic each finished with 10 points for Iowa State, which led by double digits for most of the game. Dishon Jackson had nine points and six rebounds.

Donovan Sanders scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Mississippi Valley State. Greg Moore tallied 10 points, and Antonio Sisk had nine.

No. 7 Duke 96, Maine 62

Freshman Kon Knueppel scored 15 of his 22 points in the first half, and Cooper Flagg poured in 18 points in his highly anticipated college debut as the Blue Devils opened the season by defeating the Black Bears in Durham, North Carolina.

Duke began the 2024-25 season with high expectations as it started its third season under coach Jon Scheyer. Flagg, a Maine native who was the top-rated recruit among this year's college freshmen, was 6-for-15 from the field and had a team-high seven rebounds to go along with five assists and three steals.

Quion Burns had 15 points, and Keelan Steele finished with 11 for Maine.

No. 9 North