Tuesday, November 9th, marked the beginning of what may be a historic season of college basketball. Many top teams had their debuts tonight, and there is a lot to take away from the first night of the 2021-2022 college basketball season.
This article will cover the top headlines of the night, the top games, and an analysis of the chaotic night that just took place.
Coach K begins farewell tour with domimant win
Mike Krzyzewski’s final season began today, but it seems as though this Duke roster has a lot of promise. Trevor Keels had an impressive performance with 25 points, backed up by Paolo Banchero who had 22 points and 7 rebounds, which helped 9th ranked Duke cruise to a victory over 10th ranked Kentucky.
On the opposing side of the matchup, it was Oscar Tshibwe who had a big night for Kentucky. However, his 17 points and 19 rebounds were simply not enough to keep Kentucky in the game during the second half, which led to the eventual loss.
Ochai Agbaji and Kansas take down Michigan State
Ochai Agbaji and the rest of Kansas came prepared and handily defeated Michigan State by a score of 87-74. Agbaji had an impressive performance, with 29 points on 9-17 from the field and 8-8 from the free-throw line. Remy Martin also came up big for #7 Kansas, with 15 points on 5-9 from the field.
In the loss, Michigan State had impressive performances off the bench from both Julius Marble II and A.J. Hoggard. Hoggard’s 17 points off the bench and Marble’s 13 points each were the teams highest scorers for the unranked Michigan State. Michigan State shot 56.3% from the free throw line in the game.
Holmgren Shines in College Baksetball Debut
Chet Holmgren has played in his first basketball game on the NCAA level, and it was as domminemnt as expected. Holmgren showed his offensive prowess with 14 points on just six shots, and shot 6-9 from the free throw line. He also provided a huge defensive impact with a whoping 13 rebounds and 7 blocks.
Gonzaga also got a big game from Julian Strawther to lead them to victory. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds, which helped lead #3 Gonzaga to a win over the Dixie State Trailblazers by a score of 97-63.