Razorbacks

After five grueling days of intense, do-or-die games, four teams have emerged as winners of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament and booked a trip to the Olympics.&nbsp;
Among the teams making their way to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games are Brazil, Greece, Puerto Rico, and Spain after winning their respective tournaments in 4 various locations around the world. Brazil won in Riga, Latvia while Greece, Puerto Rico, and Spain each defended their home courts in Piraeus, San Juan, and Valencia respectively.&nbsp;
<a href="https://fiba.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7033084a6897e1c399b667eb5&amp;id=89fd1b8297&amp;e=2fb0566584">Brazil is celebrating being crowned winners of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 in Latvia</a> and securing a coveted place in Paris 2024. They will line up at the Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament for the 16th time after they spoiled the party in Riga for the home fans. A stunning opening quarter, which included 8 of 8 from downtown and a half-court buzzer beater, gave Brazil a commanding 34-11 advantage over Latvia, and they never looked back.
Sailing to a memorable 94-69 success, they were powered by forward Leo Meindl with a near double-double of 21 points and 9 rebounds. His teammate Bruno Caboclo also impressed with 21 points, which sealed the deal for him to be deservedly <a href="https://fiba.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7033084a6897e1c399b667eb5&amp;id=6024459c3d&amp;e=2fb0566584">crowned the TISSOT MVP of the competition</a>. When Brazil line up at Paris 2024, they will do so in Group B, where they will face host nation France, reigning FIBA Basketball World Cup champions Germany, and Japan.
Greece will compete in the Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament for the first time since 2008, after their victory at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 Greece. <a href="https://fiba.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7033084a6897e1c399b667eb5&amp;id=6f9cccd2c1&amp;e=2fb0566584">They clinched their fourth win, 80-69 over Croatia</a>, on Sunday in front of 11,810 fans at home in the final of the event.
Greece jumped into the lead soon after the start and led for most of the encounter, although they were only able to truly shake off the resilient Croatia late in the final frame, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nick Calathes, and Giorgos Papagiannis.
<a href="https://fiba.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7033084a6897e1c399b667eb5&amp;id=8d44cbbee0&amp;e=2fb0566584">Antetokounmpo, the Greek superstar of the Milwaukee Bucks, was named TISSOT MVP</a> of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 in Greece. He led the way for his team in the final with 23 points and 8 rebounds, while averaging 22.5 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in the tournament. Greece will be placed in Group A and will face Australia, Canada, and Spain.
<a href="https://fiba.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7033084a6897e1c399b667eb5&amp;id=8f7204be13&amp;e=2fb0566584">Puerto Rico triumphed at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 at home</a> in San Juan to clinch a spot in the Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament for the first time since 2004.&nbsp;
Nelson Colon's men were helped by 13,504 passionate supporters who showed up in numbers to will the home side to a 79-68 victory against Lithuania in Sunday's Final. The one-two punch of Jose Alvarado and Tremont Waters proved unstoppable for the Europeans, as Alvarado led the way with a game-high 23 points and Waters chipped in with 18.
<a href="https://fiba.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7033084a6897e1c399b667eb5&amp;id=fe2ec4cb22&amp;e=2fb0566584">Alvarado was named the TISSOT MVP</a> of the tournament after averaging 16.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.3 steals, as the hosts went a perfect four-of-four in San Juan.
In the Olympics, Puerto Rico will slot into Group C alongside defending Olympic champions USA, Nikola Jokic-led Serbia, and South Sudan, who will be making their first-ever appearance at the Games.
Spain ensured they were victorious in front of their home crowd to celebrate booking their spot at another Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament. Spain, who were Olympic medalists in 1984, 2008, 2012, and 2016, <a href="https://fiba.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7033084a6897e1c399b667eb5&amp;id=fb071af6ca&amp;e=2fb0566584">defeated the Bahamas 86-78</a> in Sunday's final in Valencia in front of over 7,000 supporters.
Lorenzo Brown played an important role in the victory with 18 points, including four three-pointers, helping to spark a pivotal run late in the first half. Deandre Ayton posted 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Buddy Hield contributed 19 points and 6 rebounds to lead the Bahamas. However, their efforts were not enough to overcome Spain's experience in such elimination games.
<a href="https://fiba.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7033084a6897e1c399b667eb5&amp;id=e6ad446b5f&amp;e=2fb0566584">Santi Aldama collected TISSOT MVP honors</a> with 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 in Spain as the hosts won all four games for a perfect week. Rudy Fernandez, 39, is set to become the first male basketball player to compete in six Olympic basketball tournaments.
Spain's return to another Olympics sees them land in Group A alongside Australia, Canada, and Greece.
---
The Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament will commence on July 27 in Lille, concluding with the Final and Third-Place Game at the Bercy Arena in Paris on August 10.

After five grueling days of do-or-die games, four teams have won the FIBA OQT and booked a trip to the Olympics.

2024 FIBA OQT: Brazil, Greece, Puerto Rico, Spain book a ticket to Paris

LAS VEGAS (AP) &mdash; Every day he wasn&rsquo;t out recruiting or away at a game, Bill Musselman wrote a message on his son&rsquo;s school lunch bag.
Effort, energy, enthusiasm.
The message and the relentless pursuit of perfection it implored served as the substratum of Eric Musselman&rsquo;s life.
&ldquo;Everything that happened with my dad and I, whenever I was around him, being a competitor was kind of beyond belief,&rdquo; the Arkansas coach said Wednesday.
UConn coach Dan Hurley knows the feeling.
Like Musselman, he spent his childhood being told just good enough might as well be failure.
The two coaches&rsquo; sons have come together in the desert, preparing for a Sweet 16 game Thursday night that will push one a step closer to college basketball&rsquo;s ultimate goal.
&ldquo;I think being coaches&rsquo; kids just gives you such a unique perspective and it makes basketball such a huge part of your life,&rdquo; Hurley said. &ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s why we both coach with so much passion and we live and die with every possession.&rdquo;
Hurley&rsquo;s father, Bob, is one of the few high school coaches to be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame, a hoops firebrand who led St. Anthony High School to 26 New Jersey state titles.
Dan and his brother Bobby played for their father and watched as he demanded excellence from his players on and off the court.
Bobby won two national championships as a player at Duke and is currently Arizona State&rsquo;s head coach.
Dan played at Seton Hall and, after stints at Wagner and Rhode Island, was tasked with rebuilding UConn back into national prominence when he was hired five years ago. The Huskies have gone to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons and are one win from the program&rsquo;s first Elite Eight since winning the 2014 national title.
&ldquo;I want to be the college version of my dad,&rdquo; Hurley said. &ldquo;I want to coach with integrity, be a man of my word and have the holistic type of approach that my dad had, be a coach&rsquo;s coach like my dad, not a phony or a fraud or a liar or a cheater.&rdquo;
How important has his dad been? Hurley had to compose himself for several seconds after being asked about him Wednesday in Las Vegas.
&ldquo;That was a brutal last question, buddy,&rdquo; he said before pausing. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just glad my dad&rsquo;s at the games.&rdquo;
Musselman&rsquo;s dad, who died at 59 in 2000 after suffering a stroke, zigzagged his way across the country coaching in the NBA, American Basketball Association, Western Basketball Association and college over four decades.
His father&rsquo;s travels gave the younger Musselman a unique view into the world of basketball and beyond.
Musselman went on road trips with his father, served as a ball boy for opposing teams and got to know people most kids at the time only dreamed of meeting. He absorbed his father&rsquo;s intensity and attention to detail, and served as an assistant under him with the NBA&rsquo;s Minnesota Timberwolves.
&ldquo;To be able to work with him with the Timberwolves and watch his preparation, watch how he conducted practice, his attention to detail,&rdquo; Musselman said. &ldquo;And I was lucky to watch him meet with so many other coaches in different sports. I was just exposed to a whole different lifestyle than everybody else that I grew up with.&rdquo;
Musselman followed his father&rsquo;s coaching footsteps after playing at the University of San Diego. He became head coach of the Continental Basketball Association&rsquo;s Rapid City Thrillers at age 24 and later coached the NBA&rsquo;s Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors.
Intrigued by the prospect of coaching in college, Musselman wanted to learn from the ground level, so he took jobs as an assistant at Arizona State and LSU. He was clearly ready once he become a head coach, leading Nevada to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a run to the 2018 Sweet 16.
Musselman has had even sweeter success in Fayetteville. He led the Razorbacks to the Elite Eight in his second season and returned there last year. He is seeking a third straight appearance in a regional final.
That run seemed to be headed toward an end this season when Trevon Brazile tore his ACL and five-star freshman Nick Smith Jr. was limited by knee injuries. The Razorbacks rallied like their tenacious coach, pulling off a win over No. 1 seed Kansas that Musselman&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-kansas-arkansas-upset-dfbf9716af7de6e346e47c6edeb87277" target="_blank" rel="noopener">celebrating with his shirt off.</a>
&ldquo;We just kept kind of grinding and looking at the next game on our schedule and trying to have belief,&rdquo; Musselman said. &ldquo;And here we are again. It&rsquo;s a resilient team that&rsquo;s overcome a lot for sure.&rdquo;
Just like its coach &mdash; and UConn&rsquo;s.

UConn coach Dan Hurley and Arkansas coach Eric Musselman are the sons of successful coaches. Now, they'll face off in the Sweet 16.

Coaches’ sons Dan Hurley and Eric Musselman to meet in Sweet 16

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) &mdash; J&rsquo;Wan Roberts scored 15 points, Marcus Sasser added 13 and top-ranked Houston held on to beat Saint Mary&rsquo;s 53-48 on Saturday night.
The Cougars (8-0) won twice in their first week as the No. 1 team since the final poll of the 1982-83 regular season, when Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon led high-flying Phi Slama Jama.
Logan Johnson scored 17 points and Aidan Mahaney had 14 for the Gaels (6-3), who lost their third in a row following a 6-0 start.
Houston was the favorite to win it all in the second of three consecutive trips to the Final Four nearly 40 years ago, but lost to Jim Valvano and North Carolina State in one of the iconic championship games.
Coach Kelvin Sampson&rsquo;s first top-ranked team is coming off trips to the Final Four and Elite Eight the past two seasons.
For the third straight year, the postseason path will start at Dickie&rsquo;s Arena, where Sampson likes to bring his team during the regular season as prep for the American Athletic Conference tourney.
NO. 3 VIRGINIA 62, FLORIDA STATE 57
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Kihei Clark scored 18 points and Virginia overcame poor shooting to beat Florida State and win its 15th straight Atlantic Coast Conference opener.
Virginia (7-0) trailed 22-21 after both teams shot under 30% in the first half. The Cavaliers started the second half with a 22-9 run to lead 43-31 midway through the half.
Florida State (1-9) scored the next six points, then didn&rsquo;t score again for five minutes as the Cavaliers rebuilt their advantage.
Darin Green Jr. scored 17 points in the Seminoles&rsquo; fifth straight loss.
RUTGERS 63, NO. 10 INDIANA 48
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) &mdash; Freshman guard Derek Simpson scored 10 straight points in a game-deciding run and Rutgers beat Indiana for the sixth time in a row.
Caleb McConnell had 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Scarlet Knights (6-2, 1-0 Big Ten). Simpson finished with 14, all in the second half.
Miller Kopp scored a season-high 21 points for Indiana (7-1, 0-1) . Star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis was held to 13 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out late. The rest of the team had 14 points.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
NO. 11 ARKANSAS 99, SAN JOSE STATE 58
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) &mdash; Trevon Brazile scored 23 points and Arkansas broke away in the second half to beat San Jose State.
The Razorbacks (7-1) led 40-35 at the break before erupting. It was the first men&rsquo;s basketball matchup between the schools.
Ricky Council IV had 17 points for Arkansas. Heralded freshman guard Nick Smith, Jr. contributed 16 points and five assists in his first career start in only his second game as a collegian.
Omari Moore scored 21 for the Spartans (6-3).
NO. 11 ALABAMA 78, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 65
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Freshman Noah Clowney&rsquo;s breakout game &mdash; 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists and a steal &mdash; helped Alabama recover from blowing a 20-point lead and beat South Dakota State.
Clowney shot 8 of 17, including 5 of 12 on 3s, in his highest-scoring game of the season.
Alabama (7-1) led 37-17 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the first half. South Dakota State (3-6) rallied to go ahead 51-50 on Alex Arians&rsquo; 3-pointer with 11 1/2 minutes remaining.
Charlie Easley and Arians each scored 17 points for the Jackrabbits.
NO. 17 DUKE 75, BOSTON COLLEGE 59
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Mark Mitchell scored 15 points and Kyle Filipowski posted 13 points and 10 rebounds for the freshman&rsquo;s fifth double-double as Duke beat Boston College in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.
The Blue Devils (8-2), who shot 52.8% from the field, are unbeaten in six home games under first-year coach Jon Scheyer.
CJ Penha scored 16 points and Jaeden Zackery had 14 for Boston College (5-4), which has lost eight straight to Duke.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
NO. 25 OHIO STATE 96, ST. FRANCIS (Pa.) 59
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) &mdash; Brice Sensabaugh led the Buckeyes with 15 points and Bruce Thornton added 13 as Ohio State surged in the second half to be St. Francis.
The Red Flash trimmed a 16-point deficit to eight in the first half, with Josh Cohen getting the first points after the break. But Ohio State (6-2) went on a 13-5 run, held St. Francis (2-7) scoreless for about five minutes in the second half and at one point went up 39 points.
Roddy Gayle Jr. had 12 points, Zed Key had 11 and Sean McNeil and Felix Okpara scored 10 apiece for Ohio State, which shot 50.7% from the field.
Cohen finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Cam Gregory added 15 points and Maxwell Land scored 14 for the Red Flash.

J’Wan Roberts scored 15 points, Marcus Sasser added 13 and top-ranked Houston held on to beat Saint Mary’s 53-48 on Saturday.

No. 1 ranked Houston Cougars hold on to beat Saint Mary’s 53-48

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) &mdash; Ryan Nembhard drove the lane for an authoritative dunk in the closing minutes and scored a career-high 25 points for No. 10 Creighton, which survived a tense second half to beat No. 9 Arkansas 90-87 on Tuesday and advance to the championship game of the Maui Invitational.
Trey Alexander made two free throws with 1.9 seconds left for Creighton, which will play for the title Wednesday against either No. 14 Arizona or No. 17 San Diego State.
The Bluejays (6-0) and Razorbacks (4-1) played an electrifying second half worthy of a March Madness matchup. Arkansas has reached the Elite Eight in consecutive seasons and Creighton got to the second round last year after advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2021.
Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 21 points, Baylor Scheierman 20 and Alexander 12 for the Bluejays, who had a 12-point lead late in the first half.
Anthony Black scored 26 points, Ricky Council IV 24 and Trevon Brazile 17 for the Razorbacks.
There were 10 lead changes and the game was tied 10 times in the second half.
Nembhard made two free throws after the Arkansas bench was whistled for a technical foul with 13:57 to go for a 53-53 tie. Creighton was in the double bonus for the final 13 minutes.
Nembhard, the shortest player on the floor at 6 feet, drove for a dunk and a 79-76 lead with 2:34 to go. Brazile answered with a 3-pointer the next time down the floor to tie it at 79.
Kalkbrenner made a reverse jam with 1:20 left to give the Bluejays the lead for good at 83-81.
After Scheierman made two free throws for an 87-84 lead with 16 seconds left, Council missed a corner 3 and Nembhard rebounded and was fouled. He made one of two free throws and Black came down the floor and drained a straight-on 3 to pull Arkansas within one. Alexander then made his two insurance free throws.
Creighton ran to a 12-point lead with 1:43 to go in the first half before the Razorbacks closed with a 6-0 run, capped by Trevon Brazile&rsquo;s thunderous dunk on an alley-oop pass from Anthony Black.
BIG PICTURE
Creighton: The Bluejays&rsquo; free-flowing offense produced three players in double digits by halftime: Nembhard with 13 points, Scheierman 11 and Kalkbrenner 10.
Arkansas: This was a big step up in competition for the Razorbacks. They opened the season with easy home wins against North Dakota State, Fordham and South Dakota State, and then beat winless Louisville by 26 points in their Maui opener.
UP NEXT
Creighton will face either the Wildcats or Aztecs in what should be another March Madness-worthy game for the title.
Arkansas will face the SDSU-Arizona loser for third place.&nbsp;

Creighton survived a tense second half to beat No. 9 Arkansas 90-87 and advance to the championship game of the Maui Invitational.

Nembhard’s 25 carry Creighton past Arkansas in Maui thriller

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Jeremy Roach scored 16 first-half points to help seventh-ranked Duke open Jon Scheyer&rsquo;s coaching tenure with a 71-44 win over Jacksonville on Monday night.
Freshman Mark Mitchell had a team-high 18 points for the Blue Devils, who used a 25-4 run spanning halftime to blow the game open.
It was a quality start to a season of massive change for the Blue Devils, starting with Scheyer taking over for retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. Duke has 11 new players, including the nation&rsquo;s No. 1-ranked recruiting class and two power-conference transfers. The Blue Devils didn&rsquo;t have top freshmen Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead for this one as they recover from preseason injuries.
Mike Marsh scored 15 points to lead the Dolphins, who shot 34% and missed 18 of 19 3-pointers before making two meaningless 3s late.
NO. 1 NORTH CAROLINA 69, UNC WILMINGTON 56
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Caleb Love and RJ Davis scored 17 points apiece and North Carolina began a season of grand expectations by pulling away from UNC Wilmington.
Armando Bacot added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Tar Heels, who were perhaps most impressive at the defensive end. UNCW shot 29.8% from the field.
The Tar Heels, who were the NCAA Tournament runner-up in April, began the new season with the top ranking for the first time in seven years. It&rsquo;s a record 10th time that North Carolina has been ranked No. 1 to start a season &mdash; one more than rival Duke.
Trazarien White scored 19 points for UNCW, which faced a top-ranked team for the first time in program history.
NO. 2 GONZAGA 104, NORTH FLORIDA 63
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 22 points, Julian Strawther added 16 and No. 2 Gonzaga used a big first-half run to beat North Florida in both teams&rsquo; opener.
Anton Watson had 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals for Gonzaga, which won its 68th consecutive home game, the nation&rsquo;s longest such streak.
Carter Hendricksen scored 16 points, Jadyn Parker 13 and Jose Placer 12 for North Florida, a veteran-laden team from the Atlantic Sun Conference that returned its top four scorers from last season.
NO. 3 HOUSTON 83, NORTHERN COLORADO 36
HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Marcus Sasser scored 21 points, J&rsquo;Wan Roberts added 12 points and six rebounds, and Houston opened the season by beating Northern Colorado.
Sasser, a preseason All-American, scored 11 points in the first half. He finished 7 of 14 from the field and made 4 of 8 3-pointers. The senior guard missed the second half of last season and all of Houston&rsquo;s run to the Elite Eight with a toe injury.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson won his 700th career game and 200th with the Cougars.
Matt Johnson II, Riley Abercrombie and Caleb Shaw each scored eight points for the Bears.
NO. 4 KENTUCKY 95, HOWARD 63
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Antonio Reeves scored 22 points, CJ Fredrick had 20 and Kentucky beat Howard with All-American Oscar Tshiebwe and two other players sidelined.
Tshiebwe had a procedure last month on his right knee. Point guard Sahvir Wheeler (right leg) and sophomore forward Daimion Collins (personal reasons) were also out, but the Wildcats still shot 55% against the overmatched Bison.
Jacob Toppin and freshman Cason Wallace each added 15 points for Kentucky.
Kobe Dickson scored 17 points and Elijah Hawkins had 14 for Howard, which shot 34%.
NO. 5 KANSAS 89, OMAHA 64
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Wilson had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Gradey Dick added 23 points in his debut, and Kansas began defense of its national championship without suspended coach Bill Self by routing Omaha.
Bobby Pettiford Jr. added 13 points, Dajuan Harris had 11 points and eight assists, and Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar Jr. scored 10 for the Jayhawks, who broke open a close game in the second half with two big runs.
Self served the first of a four-game punishment along with assistant Kurtis Townsend as part of the fallout from a 2017 federal investigation into college basketball corruption.
Jaeden Marshall scored 13 points and Luke Jungers had 12 for the Mavericks.
NO. 5 BAYLOR 117, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 53
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Adam Flagler scored 21 points to lead six players in double figures as Baylor won the opener of its 20th season with coach Scott Drew.
Flagler, a preseason All-Big 12 pick who also was the Bears&rsquo; leading scorer last season, also had eight assists and one of his four 3-pointers started a 24-0 run midway through the first half.
LJ Cryer had 16 points and Dale Bonner, another returning guard, had 14.
Alvin Stredic scored 14 points and Terry Collins 10 for Mississippi Valley State in its first game for new coach George Ivory.
NO. 9 CREIGHTON 72, ST. THOMAS 60
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) &mdash; Baylor Scheierman made back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the second half to give Creighton the lead for good.
Arthur Kaluma scored 17 points, Trey Alexander had 12 and Scheierman added 11 as the Bluejays won their 25th opener in 26 years.
St. Thomas, a Summit League member beginning its second season in Division I, gave the Bluejays all they could handle until the last few minutes. Andrew Rohde had 15 points to lead the Tommies.
NO. 10 ARKANSAS 76, NORTH DAKOTA STATE 58
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) &mdash; Trevon Brazile had 21 points and 12 rebounds in his debut as Arkansas won its season opener.
Brazile, a sophomore transfer from Missouri, scored six straight points during an 11-0 run early in the second half that gave Arkansas a 16-point lead with 15 minutes left.
Wichita State transfer Ricky Council led the Razorbacks with 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
Grant Nelson and Boden Skunberg had 17 points apiece to lead North Dakota State.
NO. 11 TENNESSEE 75, TENNESSEE TECH 43
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Tyreke Key came off the bench to score 17 points and Tennessee beat Tennessee Tech in both teams&rsquo; opener.
Key, an Indiana State transfer, connected on 4 of 8 3-pointers to ignite a sluggish Volunteer offense. Zakai Zeigler scored all but two of his 12 points in the second half.
Brett Thompson led the Golden Eagles with 15 points.
NO. 12 TEXAS 72, UTEP 57
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Tyrese Hunter scored 18 points to lead Texas past UTEP in the debut of its new arena.
Hunter, a transfer from Iowa State, was 6-of-8 shooting and added five rebounds. Ze&rsquo;Ri Onyema led UTEP with 10 points.
Texas this season moved to the $375 million Moody Center on the edge of campus, leaving behind the old Frank Erwin Center after 45 years.
NO. 13 INDIANA 88, MOREHEAD STATE 53
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Preseason All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis and freshman Malik Reneau each scored 15 points, helping Indiana beat Morehead State in the season opener for both teams.
The Hoosiers have won all six matchups in the series and are 26-0 all-time against Ohio Valley Conference foes.
Mark Freeman led the Eagles with 14 points, and Drew Thelwell had 11 for the OVC favorites.
NO. 14 TCU 73, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 72
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Mike Miles hit a 3-pointer with 51 seconds remaining to finally put TCU ahead to stay against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which built an early 20-point lead in the season opener for both teams.
Miles, the preseason Big 12 player of the year, hit from deep beyond the top of the key for a 71-68 lead.
Emanuel Miller had 15 of his 19 points in the second half, and Miles finished with 15 points for the Horned Frogs. They returned all five starters and five other scholarship players after winning their first NCAA Tournament game since 1987.
Shaun Doss had 25 points with four of Arkansas-Pine Bluff&rsquo;s 13 3-pointers.
NO. 15 AUBURN 70, GEORGE MASON 52
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Wendell Green Jr. scored 16 points while K.D. Johnson and Johni Broome each had 12 to lead Auburn to a season-opening win over George Mason.
The Tigers weren&rsquo;t really challenged much in their first game since losing NBA first-round draft picks Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler.
Ronald Polite III led George Mason with 10 points, and Victor Bailey Jr. had nine.
NO. 16 VILLANOVA 81, LA SALLE 68
VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) &mdash; Caleb Daniels scored 24 points to make coach Kyle Neptune a winner in his Villanova debut.
Neptune replaced Hall of Famer Jay Wright, who retired in the offseason. The Wildcats returned three starters (a fourth, Justin Moore, was injured) from the team that lost a national semifinal game to Kansas. Eric Dixon added 20 points for Villanova.
Daniels made his first five 3-pointers and the Wildcats used an early 10-0 run to put away their city rival and spoiled 74-year-old coach Fran Dunphy&rsquo;s return to the bench.
Josh Nickelberry scored 22 points to lead the Explorers.
NO. 17 ARIZONA 117, NICHOLLS STATE 75
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Azuolas Tubelis scored 23 points and Arizona went on a massive opening run to begin its second season under coach Tommy Lloyd with a rout.
Ballo scored 18 points, helping Arizona set a school record with 71.7% shooting from the floor against the reigning Southland Conference regular-season champions. The Wildcats opened the game with a 30-4 run.
Micah Thomas led Nicholls State with 20 points.
NO. 18 VIRGINIA 73, NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 61
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Kihei Clark and Reece Beekman sparked a 15-2 second-half run, and Virginia beat North Carolina Central after blowing a 16-point first-half lead.
Armaan Franklin led Virginia with 21 points in the season opener for both teams, and Francisco Caffaro had 10.
Justin Wright scored 20 and Eric Boone had 18 for the Eagles, who used a 12-0 run just after halftime to go ahead. But Clark hit a 3 and Beekman followed with a steal and a breakaway.
NO. 19 SAN DIEGO STATE 80, CAL STATE FULLERTON 57
SAN DIEGO (AP) &mdash; Darrion Trammell hit three 3-pointers during a 29-10 run to open the second half and finished with 18 points as San Diego State beat Cal State Fullerton.
Fellow newcomer Jaedon LeDee and Lamont Butler scored 11 points apiece and Nathan Mensah had 10 for the Aztecs, who won their 10th straight season opener and their 17th in 18 seasons.
Vincent Lee scored 11 and Jalen Harris 10 for the Titans, the defending Big West Conference champions.
NO. 20 ALABAMA 75, LONGWOOD 54
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Freshman Brandon Miller had 14 points and 13 rebounds in his debut as Alabama beat Longwood.
Fellow freshman Rylan Griffen also scored 14 for the Crimson Tide, and point guard Mark Sears had 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Freshman guard Jaden Bradley added 11 points and six boards.
Alabama held Longwood to 27% shooting and blocked nine shots. Michael Christmas led Longwood with 12 points.
NO. 21 OREGON 80, FLORIDA A&amp;M 45
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) &mdash; N&rsquo;Faly Dante had 16 points and 10 rebounds as Oregon opened with an easy win over Florida A&amp;M.
Keeshawn Barthelemy added 13 points for the Ducks, ranked to start the season for the ninth straight year. Will Richardson scored 11.
Jordan Tillmon and Jordan Chatman had eight points apiece for the Rattlers, who have 11 new players. Florida A&amp;M coach Robert McCullum was on Oregon coach Dana Altman&rsquo;s staff from 2014-17.
NO. 22 MICHIGAN 75, PURDUE FORT WAYNE 56
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) &mdash; Hunter Dickinson had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and freshman Jett Howard added 21 points in Michigan&rsquo;s season-opening win.
After Purdue Fort Wayne opened an 8-4 lead, Michigan went on a 20-0 run to take control.
Quinton Morton-Robertson scored 15 points and Bobby Planutis added 13 for the Mastodons.
NO. 23 ILLINOIS 87, EASTERN ILLINOIS 57
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) &mdash; Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 24 points and Coleman Hawkins had 23 points and 12 rebounds as Illinois cruised past Eastern Illinois.
Dain Dainja added 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Illini, who outrebounded the Panthers 53-30 in the opener for both teams.
Kinyon Hodges scored 14 points and Yaakema Rose added 10 for Eastern Illinois.
NO. 24 DAYTON 73, LINDENWOOD 46
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) &mdash; Mustapha Amzil scored 14 points, DaRon Holmes II and R.J. Blakney each had 13 and Dayton beat Lindenwood in a sluggish opener for both teams.
Dayton was without injured point guard Malachi Smith and didn&rsquo;t play particularly well until late, but it had a large margin for error against Lindenwood, which was playing its first game after moving up to Division I.
Chris Childs had 15 points for the Lions, who shot 33% from the field.
NO. 25 TEXAS TECH 73, NORTHWESTERN STATE 49
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) &mdash; Daniel Batcho had 12 points and 10 rebounds as Texas Tech rolled past Northwestern State in both teams&rsquo; opener.
Texas Tech broke it open late in the first half and led 42-23 at halftime.
Isaac Haney led Northwestern State with 16 points.

It was a quality start to a season of massive change for the Blue Devils, starting with Jon Scheyer taking over Duke's program.

Roach leads No. 7 Duke past Jacksonville in Scheyer’s debut

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) &mdash; With two consecutive Elite Eight appearances in tow, Arkansas&rsquo; hopes for the Final Four aren&rsquo;t just a pipe dream.
Coach Eric Musselman, heading into his fourth season in charge of the Razorbacks, has two returning players from last year&rsquo;s rotation, only one of which is a starter in guard Devo Davis.
But he pulled in the No. 2 class in the nation, headlined by projected lottery pick and first-team preseason All-SEC guard Nick Smith Jr. He also picked up five players via the transfer portal to complete the reload.
Expectations aren&rsquo;t just high locally, either. Arkansas was tabbed No. 10 in the AP Top 25. Musselman knew he would have to have that conversation with his team about being the hunted.
&ldquo;We already have a target on our back,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I would love to say that whatever the polls say, making two Elite Eights back to back, that&rsquo;s something we haven&rsquo;t talked to our team much about, but it&rsquo;s something we will start to.&rdquo;
Musselman&rsquo;s biggest project, at least early, is determining how best to distribute minutes among a roster filled with talented youngsters and experienced veterans. He had to do something similar last year, too, as Arkansas dropped five of six games at one point from mid-December to early January before the team won 14 of its next 15 and earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
HITTING THE LOTTERY
Arkansas isn&rsquo;t short on next-level talent. Smith is a projected top-10 pick in nearly every 2023 NBA Draft board. Freshman guard Anthony Black is predicted to be a first-rounder. And swingman Jordan Walsh is currently listed as a borderline first-round choice next spring.
NEW-LOOK VETS
The Arkansas strength during the preseason was at guard and wing as the frontcourt remained a work in progress.
Forward Jalen Graham transferred from Arizona State where he was an All-Pac-12 selection. He&rsquo;s joined by former Missouri forward Trevon Brazile, twin centers Makhi and Makhel Mitchell from Rhode Island and reigning American Athletic Conference Sixth Man of the Year Ricky Council IV from Wichita State on the wing.
BEST SINCE
An NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022-23 would be the third in four years for Musselman. The Razorbacks were on the bubble in the 2019-20 season, Musselman&rsquo;s first year at the helm, before the postseason was canceled because of COVID-19. Arkansas hasn&rsquo;t made three straight NCAA tournaments since 2005-08.
OLD GUYS
Davis and forward Kamani Johnson are the only two regulars returning for Arkansas. Davis, a junior, has spent much of his career as the team&rsquo;s starting point guard. He averaged 8.3 points and was second on the team with 104 assists last year, starting about half the team&rsquo;s games.
Johnson is in his second year with the Razorbacks after transferring from Little Rock two seasons ago. He averaged just eight minutes ago in 26 games, but Musselman is expecting Johnson&rsquo;s aggression to carry over in likely more minutes.
&ldquo;His offensive rebound rate is incredible,&rdquo; Musselman said. &ldquo;His free throws attempted per touch and offensive rebounding rate are at a really, really high level.&rdquo;
SCHEDULE
Arkansas opens the regular season Nov. 7 at home against North Dakota State while nonconference foes include Oklahoma, Baylor, Louisville and either Texas Tech or Creighton. SEC play begins Dec. 28 at LSU.

With two consecutive Elite Eight appearances in tow, Arkansas’ hopes for the Final Four aren’t just a pipe dream.

Arkansas aiming for Final Four in Musselman’s fourth year

RECIFE, Brazil (AP) &mdash; Norris Cole made sure that USA Basketball will play for a medal at AmeriCup.
Cole &mdash; a two-time NBA champion with the Miami Heat &mdash; scored a game-high 20 points, capping it off by making the game-winning runner with 1.4 seconds remaining, and the U.S. rallied past Puerto Rico 85-84 in an AmeriCup quarterfinal game Thursday.
It was the game&rsquo;s seventh and final lead change, the last two of those coming in the final 6.1 seconds.
&ldquo;I just wanted to make a play for the team,&rdquo; said Cole, who had the final eight points for the U.S. &ldquo;The team trusted me, drew up a play for me to catch it and I was able to make a play. Moments like that, everybody dreams about, but I work hard at my individual game along with the team game, I was able to show my individual talent within the team concept, and it worked out.&rdquo;
Jeremy Pargo scored 15 points for the U.S., which got 11 from Zylan Cheatham and 10 from Stephen Zimmerman.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re fortunate to win,&rdquo; U.S. coach Alex Jensen said. &ldquo;They did a good job preparing for us. We got lucky. But hopefully it&rsquo;s a good lesson for us moving forward.&rdquo;
Tremont Waters and Ethan Thompson each scored 16 for Puerto Rico. Waters had a layup with 6.1 seconds left to put his team up by one, and that set the stage for the last U.S. possession.
Cole got the inbounds pass, drove with a left-hand dribble, took off from near the corner of the lane, changed hands and got the shot to fall to put the Americans back on top.
He punched the air in celebration &mdash; but the Americans needed one more stop.
They got it, in part because Puerto Rico didn&rsquo;t get a great look. All Waters could do was take a desperation heave from the deep right corner, it missed, and the U.S. escaped.
&ldquo;We were 1 second from winning this game,&rdquo; said Puerto Rico coach Nelson Colon, whose team led by 10 midway through the second quarter. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t say anything more than &lsquo;thank you&rsquo; to all my players, all my staff, all my managers, who helped us and supported us in this tournament.&rdquo;
The Americans will face Argentina in Saturday&rsquo;s semifinals, with the medal-round games &mdash; either for gold or bronze &mdash; coming Sunday.
Argentina is 4-0 in the tournament, rolling past Venezuela 76-53 in another quarterfinal Thursday. All four wins for Argentina have come by double figures, an average of 20.3 points.
&ldquo;It only gets harder after this,&rdquo; Jensen said.
In the first quarterfinal Thursday, Canada eliminated Mexico 82-77. Next up for Canada is a semifinal matchup with Brazil, which held off the Dominican Republic in the fourth and final quarterfinal game on Thursday night.
FRIDAY&rsquo;S SCHEDULE
There are no games Friday. The semifinals are Saturday, with the third-place and championship games Sunday.

Norris Cole made at game-winning runner with 1.4 seconds remaining, and the U.S. rallied past Puerto Rico 85-84.

Norris Cole lifts US by Puerto Rico in AmeriCup quarters, 85-84

Here is a team-by-team breakdown of the players each team ended up with in the 2022 NBA Draft (includes proposed trades):
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Atlanta Hawks</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (16) AJ Griffin, f, Duke.
2 (44) Ryan Rollins, g, Toledo.
2 (51) Tyrese Martin, f, UConn. (from Golden State)
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Boston Celtics</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
2 (53) JD Davison, g, Alabama.
<table style="height: 23px; width: 18.1462%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<th style="height: 23px; width: 89.2446%;">Brooklyn Nets</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
No Picks.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Charlotte Hornets</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (15) Mark Williams, C, Duke.
2 (40) Bryce McGowens, g, Nebraska. (from Minnesota)
2 (45) Josh Minott, f, Memphis.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Chicago Bulls</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (18) Dalen Terry, g, Arizona.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Cleveland Cavaliers</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (14) Ochai Agbaji, g, Kansas.
2 (39) Khalifa Diop, c, Gran Canaria (Spain).
2 (49) Isaiah Mobley, f, USC. (from Chicago via Memphis, Detroit and Sacramento)
2 (56) Luke Travers, g, Perth (Australia).
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Dallas Mavericks</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (26) Wendell Moore Jr., f, Duke. (from Houston)
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Denver Nuggets</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (21) Christian Braun, g, Kansas.
2 (46) Ismael Kamagate, Paris (France). (from Detroit)
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Detroit Pistons</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (5) Jaden Ivey, g, Purdue.
1 (13) Jalen Duren, C, Memphis. (from Charlotte)
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Golden State Warriors</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (28) Patrick Baldwin Jr., f, Milwaukee.
2 (55) Gui Santos, f, Minas (Brazil).
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Houston Rockets</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (3) Jabari Smith Jr., f, Auburn.
1 (17) Tari Eason, f, LSU.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Indiana Pacers</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (6) Bennedict Mathurin, f, Arizona.
2 (31) Andrew Nembhard, g, Gonzaga.
2 (58) Hugo Besson, g, New Zealand (Australia).
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>L.A. Clippers</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
2 (43) Moussa Diabate, f, Michigan.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>L.A. Lakers</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
2 (35) Max Christie, g, Michigan State. (from Orlando via Indiana and Milwaukee)
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Memphis Grizzlies</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (19) Jake LaRavia, f, Wake Forest. (from Minnesota)
1 (23) David Roddy, f, Colorado State. (from Philadelphia)
1 (29) TyTy Washington Jr., g, Kentucky.
2 (47) Vince Williams Jr., VCU.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Miami Heat</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (27) Nikola Jovic, f, Mega (Serbia)
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Milwaukee Bucks</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (24) MarJon Beauchamp, g, G-League Ignite.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Minnesota Timberwolves</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (22) Walker Kessler, c, Auburn. (from Memphis)
2 (48) Kendall Brown, f, Baylor.
2 (50) Matteo Spagnolo, g, Cremona (Italy).
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>New Orleans Pelicans</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (8) Dyson Daniels, g-league Ignite.
2 (41) E.J. Liddell, f, Ohio State.
2 (52) Karlo Matkovic, Mega
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>New York Knicks</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
2 (42) Trevor Keels, f, Duke.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Oklahoma City Thunder</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (2) Chet Holmgren, c, Gonzaga.
1 (11) Ousemane Dieng, f, New Zealand (Australia). (from New York)
1 (12) Jalen Williams, g, Santa Clara.
1 (30) Peyton Watson, f, UCLA.
2 (34) Jaylin Williams, f, Arkansas.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Orlando Magic</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (1) Paolo Banchero, f, Duke.
2 (32) Caleb Houstan, f, Michigan.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Philadelphia 76ers</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
No Picks.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Phoenix Suns</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
No Picks.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Portland Trail Blazers</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (7) Shaedon Sharpe, g, Kentucky.
2 (36) Gabriele Procida, g, Fortitudo Bologna (Italy).
2 (57) Jabari Walker, f, Colorado.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Sacramento Kings</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (4) Keegan Murray, f, Iowa.
2 (37) Jaden Hardy, g, G-League Ignite.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>San Antonio Spurs</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (9) Jeremy Sochan, f, Baylor.
1 (20) Malaki Branham, g, Ohio State.
1 (25) Blake Wesley, g, Notre Dame.
2 (38) Kennedy Chandler, g, Tennessee.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Toronto Raptors</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
2 (33) Christian Koloko, f, Arizona.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Utah Jazz</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
No Picks.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Washington Wizards</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
1 (10) Johnny Davis, g, Wisconsin.
2 (54) Yannick Nzosa, c, Unicaja (Spain). &lt;

A team-by-team breakdown of the players each team ended up with in the 2022 NBA Draft (includes proposed trades).