Feb 14, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (0) dribbles against the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Wait Is Over: College Basketball Is Back
The most wonderful time of the year is here. The college basketball season began last Monday with 182 games on the schedule, and it’s safe to say that fans will be talking about this opening week for a long time.
No. 22 UCLA beat No. 5 Arizona 84-75, using an early 14-0 run to build a 27-13 lead it never gave up. It was the first time in 26 years UCLA opened its season against a ranked opponent, and the idea worked.
Arizona made it tense. The Wildcats trimmed the deficit to 71-70, then 78-75, before UCLA closed it out with a gutsy inbounds play from Mick Cronin that ended in an Eric Dailey Jr. dunk, plus a Xavier Booker block. Trent Perry led the Bruins with 21 points.
The most surprising part was how little Ivan Kharchenkov’s performance mattered. He went for 38 points and 10 rebounds, a stat line no Arizona player had put up since 1976, and the Wildcats still lost. The loss exposed a roster problem. UCLA’s bench outscored Arizona’s 17-4 in the first half, and Arizona looked thin up front and short on shooting after losing forward R.J. Godfrey to an unfavorable court ruling. UCLA jumped 13 spots in the AP poll, landing at No. 9, while Arizona dropped to No. 12.
Memphis Opens With a Statement
UCLA wasn’t the only team to open with a ranked win. Memphis got the season’s first unranked-over-ranked upset, an 80-76 win over No. 18 Iowa State in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Jayden Reid scored 26 points, 17 of them in the second half, including 11 in the final three minutes and the go-ahead 3-pointer. The Tigers controlled the game for 82 percent of the night despite never leading by more than seven points.
It was Memphis’ first opening-day win over a ranked opponent since 1995, when the Tigers beat No. 24 Purdue, and it extended Penny Hardaway’s perfect record in season openers to nine straight.
Valparaiso Delivers the Week’s Wildest Finish
If Monday was about statements, Friday night in West Lafayette was about chaos. Justus McNair hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer in double overtime to give Valparaiso an 83-80 win at Purdue. The game included two buzzer-beaters from Valparaiso, and McNair hit the second after Purdue’s Chaney fouled out in the second overtime.
The result hurt Purdue in two ways. The Boilermakers fell to their first 0-2 start since 1976. They had also started the year ranked 28th in the preseason poll, ending a streak of 79 straight weeks in the Top 25.
Oklahoma Stunned by East Texas A&M
The week’s biggest shock happened in Norman. East Texas A&M, picked last in the Southland Conference preseason poll, beat Oklahoma 68-64 at Lloyd Noble Center. The Sooners were 28.5-point favorites, making it the second-largest point-spread upset in Division I in the last 30 years, behind only Eastern Illinois’ win over Iowa in 2022.
Bo Aldridge scored 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting, and the Lions never trailed after taking a 13-12 lead in the first half. They made 11 of 27 three-pointers while Oklahoma hit 5 of 20. The game was tied at 60 with 2:51 left before East Texas A&M went on a 6-0 run. Head Coach Porter Moser apologized to fans, pointing to 15 turnovers and 15 missed free throws. It was the Lions’ first win over a high-major program.
Offense Without Brakes
Illinois had many people wondering, “Are we watching the greatest college basketball offense ever?” Illinois scored 232 points in wins over Fairleigh Dickinson and Penn, the most ever by a Big Ten team through two games. UCLA also followed its statement win over Arizona by beating North Florida 114-63.
