TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Reserve Anthony Johnson scored 17 points and Mor Massamba Diop scored 14 points and Arizona State beat Southern Utah 81-64 in a season opener for both teams. Elijah Duval scored 17 points and Isaiah Cottrell 11 for the Thunderbirds who managed to outrebound Arizona State 40-39. Southern Utah struggled from behind the 3-point line shooting just 16% (4 of 25). Arizona State built a 20-10 lead midway through the first half and never trailed. Southern Utah got within 27-22 with 5:11 before halftime before the Sun Devils outscored it 13-6 before intermission and led 40-28 at halftime.
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Vyctorius Miller scored a game-high 21 points and reserve Christian Coleman scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Oklahoma State used the second half to break open a close game and beat Oral Roberts 95-71. Ty Harper scored 18 points for the Golden Eagles and Jack Turner 14. After intermission, Oklahoma State increased its defensive pressure and quickly pulled away. After forcing Oral Roberts into just four first-half turnovers, the Cowboys forced 11 in the second.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — P.J. Haggerty scores 27 points as Kansas State dominates UNC Greensboro 93-64 in their season opener. On Tuesday night, Nate Johnson adds 22 points and nearly achieves a triple-double with nine rebounds and nine assists. Abdi Bashir Jr. contributes 16 points in the second half for K-State, which shoots 51% from the floor and 52% from long range. Justin Neely leads UNC Greensboro with 15 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. The Spartans lead 34-33 at halftime, but K-State pulls away with a 25-5 run early in the second half, securing the victory.
UNDATED (AP) — Ohio State received top billing in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season, followed by Indiana, Texas A&M and Alabama. The top three head into the final four weeks of the regular season undefeated. Another team with no losses, BYU of the Big 12, was ranked seventh. At No. 5 was Georgia, followed by Mississippi. All of the top six came from either the Big Ten or Southeastern Conference — a dose of business as usual despite a season that has been anything but predictable.
UNDATED (AP) — BYU and Texas Tech are leading the Big 12’s charge for multiple berths in the College Football Playoff for the first time. The first CFP rankings are being released Tuesday night. Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire says he hopes the league gets the respect it deserves. Ninth-ranked Texas Tech hosts No. 8 BYU on Saturday. It’s the first matchup of AP top 10 teams from the league since 2021. Unbeaten BYU is alone in first place at 5-0. Texas Tech (8-1) and No. 25 Cincinnati (7-2) are 5-1. BYU also has a showdown at Cincinnati later this month. The Bearcats don't play Texas Tech during the regular season.
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Christian Anderson had career highs with 34 points and 11 assists, leading No. 10 Texas Tech to a 98-60 victory over Lindenwood. The Red Raiders extended their nonconference home winning streak to 39 games. Texas Tech has the highest preseason ranking in school history coming off the program’s third Elite Eight appearance. The Red Raiders were without preseason Big 12 player of the year JT Toppin and LeJuan Watts. The Washington State transfer is the conference preseason newcomer of the year. Both were listed with lower-body injuries. Donovan Atwell scored 22 points. Mekhi Cooper scored 15 points for Lindenwood.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Jasper Floyd scored 25 points shooting 9 of 13 and West Virginia pulled away from Mount St. Mary’s for a 70-54 win to usher in the Ross Hodge era in a season-opening win for both teams. Trey Deveaux scored 15 points for Mount St. Mary’s which owned a 38-29 rebounding advantage. Starting the second half with a 35-29 lead, West Virginia outscored Mount St. Mary's 12-6 over the first six-and-a-half minutes for a 52-39 advantage. Mount St. Mary's went on a 7-0 run to get within 52-46 but never got closer.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders is turning to freshman quarterback Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis to try and salvage the Colorado Buffaloes' season. Sanders says starting Lewis on Saturday at West Virginia is "common sense." The Buffaloes have been outscored 105-24 in their last two losses. Lewis replaces transfer Kaidon Salter. Lewis, who turned 18 in September, entered Saturday’s 52-17 loss to Arizona in the third quarter and finished with 121 yards passing along with his first touchdown toss. It was the second appearance of Lewis this season. Sanders hints there may be — or may have been — possible tweaks to the roles and responsibilities on his coaching staff.
