No. 9 Creighton admittedly didn’t put its best foot forward in a lackluster season-opening victory before sprinting to a resounding win in its second game of the campaign.

The Bluejays (2-0) will bid for a repeat performance of their more recent contest on Monday when they host Holy Cross (1-1) in Omaha, Neb.

Creighton woke up midway through the second half before posting a 72-60 victory over St. Thomas-Minnesota on Nov. 7. The Bluejays answered the bell three days later by benefiting from a 27-3 run to coast to a 96-61 romp over North Dakota.

Ryan Kalkbrenner made 10 of 11 shots from the floor and finished with a career-high 24 points against the Fighting Hawks.

“We weren’t necessarily overlooking anybody, but I think there was just a little bit of wake-up call (in the opener),” said Kalkbrenner, who admittedly was under the weather for that contest.

“It was like, ‘Let’s just be locked in for this one to have a good game,’ because I don’t think any of us were really too happy with how we played.”

Trey Alexander made four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points for Creighton, which bounced back from an 8-for-34 performance from beyond the arc in the season opener. The Bluejays made 7 of 14 attempts from 3-point range in the first half on Thursday and finished at 44.4 percent (12 for 27) in the game.

“I knew we were a better shooting team than what we showed the other night, and I think you saw some snapshots of that (on Thursday),” Bluejays coach Greg McDermott said.

South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman recorded 10 rebounds and Fredrick King had eight to help Creighton dominate on the boards. The Bluejays held a distinct 49-20 advantage in rebounds, including 21-2 in the offensive end.

The Bluejays’ up-tempo pace also paid dividends on Thursday.

“That’s why we play the way we play,” McDermott said. “Most games, TV timeout to TV timeout, one team wins by two, the other team wins by two, you tie. But who can put on that 12-2 run? Or the 10-0 run that can change the complexion of the game. We hope our pace will eventually wear into people.”

Like Creighton, Holy Cross also shook off the effects of a sluggish season opener to provide a more complete effort in its second game.

Freshman Will Batchelder drilled six 3-pointers and finished with 24 points in the Crusaders’ 85-71 win over Division III representative Dean on Thursday. Batchelder was limited to seven points on 3-of-10 shooting from the floor in Holy Cross’ 75-68 setback to Siena in the season opener.

Gerrale Gates followed up 25 points, eight rebounds and three blocks versus the Saints with 18, eight and three, respectively, on Thursday.

“A win’s a win, we’ll take them all,” Crusaders coach Brett Nelson said. “I thought the first half obviously started off a little slow and Will was able to make some shots to kind of break it open in the second half. We had to grind it out, sometimes you have to do that.”

–Field Level Media

No. 25 Texas Tech will look to continue its impressive home winning streak on Monday when Louisiana Tech comes to Lubbock, Texas.

The Red Raiders (2-0) have won 23 consecutive games at home, most recently a 78-54 victory over Texas Southern on Thursday.

Kevin Obanor, Texas Tech’s lone returning starter and one of three players back from last year’s Sweet 16 team, led the Red Raiders with 13 points and seven rebounds. Obanor now has 90 career games in double-figure scoring and hit 900 career rebounds in the Thursday’s win.

Jaylon Tyson added a career-high 13 points in the victory while De’Vion Harmon had 12 points in a contest the Red Raiders trailed for only 42 seconds.

“It’s only the second game of the season, and we’ve got much basketball left,” Obanor said. “We didn’t do anything special. I was playing the right way. That’s the right goal. I’m not trying to do too much out of force, getting buckets. We just have to let everything happen naturally.”

Texas Tech had 11 players score for the second straight game. It jumped out to a 44-28 lead at halftime after shooting 58.6 percent from the field in the first half. Through two contests, opponents have been limited to 51.5 points per game and 31.5 percent shooting.

“We talk before the game about culture and about defending our culture,” said coach Mark Adams, who is in his second season with the Red Raiders. “You know culture is a lot of things. It’s our bench morale, how we huddle, sharing the ball, a point to a teammate that gives you the assist and then you know getting on the floor. But you know taking charge is a big part of it, being physical.”

Monday’s contest will close out a three-game homestand to open the season for Texas Tech.

The Bulldogs (1-0) have had a week off after beating Division II Mississippi College 78-61 at home on Nov. 7 in their opener. Louisiana Tech was at its best over the final 10 minutes of the first half and the first 10 of the second half, building a 24-point lead and cruising to its 15th straight victory in a home opener.

Four Bulldogs finished the game in double-figure scoring, led by Keaston Willis’ 20 points. Cobe Williams added 16 while Jordan Crawford had 15 and Isaiah Crawford, seeing his first action almost a year after suffering a season-ending injury, racked up 12 points.

Louisiana Tech forced 22 turnovers, scoring 21 points off those miscues, as the Bulldogs started the Talvin Hester coaching regime in Ruston in fine fashion. Hester spent the 2021-22 season as an assistant at Texas Tech.

“It was a tale of two halves for us,” Hester said afterward. “In the first half, we played really mature and really hard. In the second, we got a little immature. If we could repeat the first half more, I think we will be fine. During the good stretches, it was our defense that was working. That always translates to your offense being more comfortable.”

–Field Level Media

No. 14 TCU still has plenty of things to sharpen as it prepares to host Northwestern State on Monday night in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Big 12’s Horned Frogs (2-0) are coming off a 77-66 home victory against Lamar on Friday night, when they shot 43.5 percent overall and just 8 of 32 (25 percent) from 3-point territory.

“We’ve become pretty reliant on 3-point shooting right now and not shooting it well,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. “We’re not clicking offensively, no question about it.”

TCU’s offense likely would be boosted by the return of Damion Baugh, who’s serving an undisclosed NCAA suspension for signing with an uncertified agent during the offseason.

“We’re getting closer,” Dixon said of Baugh’s return. “The news has gotten better as we’ve gone, but he’s still not playing, so it ain’t that good.”

Baugh’s absence has given other Horned Frogs players opportunities to perform and grow. The results have been mixed.

“We’re not converting in transition. Obviously, Damion is a part of that, but we should be better,” said Dixon, who also expects his team to rebound better.

“I just don’t know why we haven’t rebounded at the numbers we should be.”

TCU has outrebounded opponents 41.5-35.5 through the first two games and averaged just 1.5 fewer turnovers (13.0-14.5) than it forced.

Mike Miles Jr. leads the way, averaging 20.5 points after scoring 26 against Lamar.

Emanuel Miller, averaging 15.5 points and 6.0 rebounds, said one particular word summed up what he and his teammates needed to focus on.

“Discipline in execution. Discipline the way we communicate. Discipline, just overall,” Miller said. “I think we’re still far away from where we want to be and the goals we want to reach.”

The Southland Conference’s Demons (1-2) suffered a 69-67 home loss against Illinois State on Saturday night.

Demarcus Sharp, who scored a total of six points through the Demons’ first two games, sank all three shots from behind the arc and finished with a team-high 15 points against the Redbirds.

Isaac Haney was held to seven points on Saturday night but still leads Northwestern State with a 14.0 scoring average.

“Haney is the glue. The same way Haney plays in the game, he plays the same way in practice,” first-year coach Corey Gipson said recently. “You never have to worry about what you’re going to get from Isaac Haney.

“We got to have more guys that look to Haney and take the same approach and that will help expedite the growth of our team going forward.”

Offensively, the Demons are shooting just 38.1 percent overall. They’re also being outrebounded by an average of 37.0 to 29.3.

Northwestern State’s defense, though, is forcing 21.3 turnovers per game while committing 13.3. That’s helping the Demons score 20.3 points per game off turnovers.

TCU has won all five previous meetings, including the most recent game in December 2020.

–Field Level Media

No. 3 Houston will look to continue its dominating play on both ends of the court when it hosts Oral Roberts on Monday.

The Cougars (2-0) are coming off an 81-55 win over St. Joseph’s on Friday in the Veterans Classic at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., after opening the season with an 83-36 victory over Northern Colorado last Monday.

Oral Roberts (1-1) knocked off visiting John Brown University, an NAIA school, 95-62 on Friday, rebounding from its season-opening 78-70 loss at Saint Mary’s.

For Houston, five-star freshman forward Jarace Walker had 23 points and eight rebounds, and J’Wan Roberts added 19 points and 12 rebounds. Tramon Mark contributed 12 points and six boards while preseason All-America pick Marcus Sasser had seven points on 2-of-9 shooting.

“(Jarace) had 23 points tonight,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “That’s great. I don’t think anybody in our program is going to ask for his autograph because of that. He had eight rebounds, but how about getting 18 rebounds? Because he’s capable. We’re just going to keep challenging our guys. I don’t want them to ever be satisfied.”

Houston led by 20 points at halftime and by as many as 26 in the second half.

The Cougars shot 33 for 65 (50.8 percent) from the field, including 5 for 26 (19.2 percent) from deep. Houston outscored the Hawks 50-18 in the paint and converted 16 turnovers into 17 points.

Through two games in which the Cougars have yet to trail, Walker is averaging 15.5 points and 10.0 rebounds, while Roberts is averaging 15.5 points and 9.0 rebounds. Sasser is averaging 14.0 points and 4.0 assists, with Mark chipping in 9.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Jamal Shead is averaging 8.5 assists and 6.5 points.

Houston has its highest ranking since also being slotted at No. 2 in the Associated Press during the 1983-84 season, which ended with the Cougars losing to Georgetown in the national championship game.

Oral Roberts led 39-35 at halftime before outscoring John Brown 56-27 in the second half.

All five Golden Eagles starters scored in double figures, led by Connor Vanover with 19 points, eight rebounds and eight blocks, and Issac McBride with 19 points, three rebounds and three assists. Max Abmas had 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while Carlos Jurgens had 13 points and five assists and Kareem Thompson had 11 points and five rebounds.

Oral Roberts shot 35 for 74 (47.3 percent) from the field, including 15 for 40 (37.5 percent) from beyond the arc. Oral Roberts also blocked 12 shots and forced 16 turnovers.

Oral Roberts, which tied for third in the Summit League last year, was picked to win it this season in the preseason poll.

“These guys have a lot of years, so there’s a continuity involved and an expectation involved that makes it exciting,” Oral Roberts coach Paul Mills said.

–Field Level Media

C-Ville has been Three-Ville so far for No. 18 Virginia, which looks to continues its hot 3-point shooting Monday night when Northern Iowa visits Charlottesville, Va.

After finishing last season ranked 350th in the nation with an average of 5.0 3-point field goals per game, the Cavaliers (2-0) drained 11 triples in their opener against North Carolina Central and 13 more in a lopsided win against Monmouth.

Virginia is shooting 48 percent from behind the arc. Seven players have already made at least one trey and five have connected on three or more, led by Armaan Franklin (6 of 11) and Isaac McKneely (5 of 10).

“Does that guarantee you’re going to be banging shots and shooting at a high percentage (every game)? No, but it opens the floor and the threat is there,” Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett said following Friday night’s 89-42 rout of Monmouth.

McKneely scored a game-high 15 points off the bench and hit four 3-pointers against the Hawks. Fellow freshman Ryan Dunn added 13 points and graduate transfer Ben Vander Plas scored 10.

“He’s got very good vision,” Bennett said of Vander Plas, who made 209 3-pointers in four seasons at Ohio. “He just sees things and boy that makes the game easier for other guys. He creates.”

Virginia is seeking its first 3-0 start since 2019-20 and looking to build momentum for its next game against No. 5 Baylor on Friday in Las Vegas, a clash between the 2019 national champion Cavaliers and 2021 national champion Bears.

Virginia of the Atlantic Coast Conference and Northern Iowa of the Missouri Valley Conference have played once before, with the Cavaliers winning 57-43 at home on Dec. 21, 2013.

The Panthers (1-1) followed up a season-opening 105-49 win against Division III Wartburg with a 68-55 setback on Friday night at Richmond.

The Panthers shot just 32.8 percent from the field and 13.6 percent (3 of 22) from 3-point territory against the Spiders. They trailed by only one point early in the second half before Richmond pulled away with a 23-6 run.

Bowen Born paced UNI with 17 points but missed six of his seven 3-point attempts. Tytan Anderson posted his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Nate Heise added 10 points.

Head coach Ben Jacobson, in his 17th season with the Panthers, has stressed to his young and inexperienced squad that these non-conference games are a time to learn.

“As you go through the year and your guys gain some more experience and you see some different situations, you say, ‘OK, now we’re going to do this,'” Jacobson said, per The Gazette. “There’s a lot of things you learn as you play games.”

Northern Iowa is still playing without senior forward Austin Phyfe, who underwent emergency surgery in June for blood clots in his lungs. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound Phyfe has played in 121 games for the Panthers with 71 starts.

“Without him, (we) don’t have the same size and ability to defend the low block one-on-one,” Jacobson said.

After missing the opener with an ankle injury, Cole Henry played seven minutes off the bench against the Spiders and contributed five rebounds.

–Field Level Media

The areas for improvement were pretty obvious for No. 16 Villanova during its first loss of the Kyle Neptune era.

Rebounding and defense.

Neptune, who took over for retired Hall of Fame head coach Jay Wright, suffered his first setback with a 68-64 decision to Temple on Friday in Philadelphia.

The Wildcats (1-1) will look to respond with a home game against Delaware State (1-1) on Monday.

“I thought they were really physical to start the game,” Neptune said of Temple. “I thought they imposed their will on the offensive glass. I know they had like five or six offensive rebounds to start the game. Neither team could score. I thought that was the difference early. They made it tough for us all night. It was never easy.”

Caleb Daniels led the Wildcats with 19 points on Friday after collecting 24 points and 10 rebounds in Villanova’s 81-68 win over La Salle in the season opener for both teams.

Eric Dixon added 18 against Temple after he poured in 20 in the season opener. Jordan Longino had 11 on Friday and guard Chris Arcidiacono pulled down 10 rebounds.

But the Wildcats clearly appeared to be missing injured standouts Justin Moore (Achilles) and preseason Big East freshman of the year Cam Whitmore (right thumb).

“Hats off to Temple,” Neptune said. “They just played really well tonight. They are very well-coached and executed their game plan.”

Villanova will be facing Delaware State for just the second time in program history, with the one win coming in 2001.

The Hornets were throttled 95-57 in their season opener Nov. 7 at Virginia Tech before rallying to defeat Immaculata 104-67 on Thursday.

Delaware State shot 61 percent in the second half and 55.4 percent for the game against the Mighty Macs.

The Hornets were led by Robert Morris transfer Brandon Stone, who had 25 points and nine rebounds. Khyrie Staten added a career-high 21 points to go along with six assists and four steals.

Corey Perkins also contributed 10 assists and five steals in the balanced effort.

The task will become much tougher against Villanova in the first of five straight road games.

Especially for a team which won only two games all of last season. Keep in mind that Immaculata competes in Division III.

“We have some new guys we hope will have an impact, we expect will have an impact in the MEAC and on our team,” Delaware State head coach Stan Waterman said in a preseason interview. “We’ve got some size and we’ve got some length.”

Waterman cited Stone’s presence, which was evident against the Mighty Macs.

“We hope he’ll make an immediate impact,” Waterman said.

Delaware State was picked to finish in a tie for seventh place with South Carolina State in the eight team Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference preseason poll.

“Right now, on paper, it looks really good,” Waterman said. “It’ll be interesting to see how it all comes together.”

–Field Level Media

Keyonte George is billed as the top recruit in Baylor history, and he is wasting no time making an impact.

The 6-foot-4 guard looks to deliver his second straight strong performance when the No. 5 Bears face Northern Colorado on Monday at Waco, Texas.

The fifth McDonald’s All-American in program history did it all with 23 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals in Friday night’s 87-70 victory over Norfolk State. George also drained six 3-pointers for Baylor (2-0).

“That was the shot that was open,” George said after the victory. “We were getting to the paint and finding each other open, and they were 3-balls. Luckily, they were falling for us. It’s no coincidence. We’re making shots, the ball’s going to keep going in the rim.”

George had a shaky shooting night in his college debut when Baylor rolled to a 117-53 victory over Mississippi Valley State.

He was a bit nervous early in the contest and never found a shooting flow. He had 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds but was just 4 of 13 from the field, including 2 of 8 from 3-point range.

“I wasn’t feeling it last game, but I was getting my teammates involved,” said George, who is averaging 18.0 points, 7.0 assists and 5.5 rebounds.

“The shots are going to fall, you just have to control what you can control. My shot was falling, and I was doing every little thing I could do. We came out with the win, and that’s the most important thing.”

Adam Flagler is averaging a team-best 19.5 points for Baylor. He has made 13 of 20 field-goal attempts, including 8 of 12 from 3-point range.

Jalen Bridges (16.5) and LJ Cryer (11.5) are also averaging double digits. Bridges, a transfer from West Virginia, scored 20 points against Norfolk State.

“You get guys who can create shots for him and get good looks, he can definitely put up numbers,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said of Bridges.

Drew will see a familiar face on the court for Northern Colorado in freshman guard Caleb Shaw.

Shaw is Drew’s nephew and he excelled with 18 points and seven rebounds off the bench as Northern Colorado (1-1) defeated Texas A&M Commerce 80-77 on Friday night.

Shaw made 6 of 8 field-goal attempts, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range.

“He had some great shots, he did some great things right,” Northern Colorado coach Steve Smiley said of Shaw. “But at the same point in time, he made a huge winning play to help us seal that game with a rebound.”

Dalton Knecht is averaging a team-high 13.5 points while Shaw and Daylen Kountz are averaging 13.0.

Kountz led the Big Sky in scoring (21.2) last season but got off to a dreadful start by missing all nine field-goal attempts and scoring just three points in a season-opening 83-36 loss at Houston. He scored 23 points in Friday’s game.

Smiley, who is in his third season as coach, agreed to a contract extension through the 2026-27 season on Thursday.

Baylor won the lone previous meeting, 64-44 on Dec. 26, 1941 in Oklahoma City.

–Field Level Media