Top 25 roundup: Opening title defense, No. 3 UConn rolls

Alex Karaban scored a game-high 20 points and had a career-high seven blocked shots to help No. 3 UConn open its season with a 92-56 victory over Sacred Heart on Wednesday in Storrs, Conn.

Karaban made 7 of 9 field-goal attempts, including 5 of 7 from behind the 3-point arc for the two-time defending national champions. He also had six rebounds and seven assists.

UConn received 18 points and 10 rebounds from freshman forward Liam McNeeley. Solo Ball made 4 of 7 3-point attempts and added 16 points, and Michigan transfer Tarris Reed Jr. finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

The Huskies blocked 13 shots and made 13 of 31 3-point attempts, 41.9 percent, in the win. The Pioneers (0-2) shot 33.9 percent from the field (19 of 56) and were 6 of 15 (40 percent) from 3-point range. Amiri Stewart led the Sacred Heart offense with 13 points, while Bryce Johnson added 10 points.

No. 11 Auburn 94, Vermont 43

Miles Kelly hit seven 3-pointers for all 21 of his points as the Tigers throttled the visiting Catamounts in Auburn, Ala..

Kelly, a Georgia Tech transfer, missed just two of his 3-point attempts and led a cast of five scorers who finished in double figures for Auburn in its season opener. Denver Jones added 16 points, Chaney Johnson had 13, Johni Broome dropped 12 and Chad Baker-Mazara tallied 11. Johnson grabbed nine rebounds and Broome had seven.

TJ Long finished with three points, while Seth Joba led the Catamounts (1-1) with eight.

No. 15 Creighton 99, UT Rio Grande Valley 86

Ryan Kalkbrenner erupted for a career-high 49 points to go along with 11 rebounds, lifting the Bluejays to a season-opening victory over the Vaqueros in Omaha, Neb.

Kalkbrenner, the Big East Conference preseason player of the year, made 20 of 22 shots from the floor and also sank both of his attempts from 3-point range. He fell just shy of the single-game school record set by Bob Portman, who scored 51 points against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Dec. 16, 1967.

With 1,820 career points, Kalkbrenner moved past Kyle Korver (1,801) into sixth place all-time in school history. Steven Ashworth drained all 17 of his free-throw attempts to highlight his 25-point performance. Hasan Abdul Hakim recorded a career-high 26 points to go along with 11 rebounds for UT Rio Grande Valley (0-2).

No. 16 Arkansas 76, Lipscomb 60

Freshman Boogie Fland scored 17 points in his collegiate debut and the Razorbacks’ defense down the stretch was the difference in a win over the Bisons in Fayetteville, Ark.

It was the first game for Arkansas under coach John Calipari. Johnell Davis added 15 points for Arkansas, while Ivisic had 12. The Razorbacks shot 56.7 percent from the floor despite going just 4-for-19 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Jacob Ognacevic led the Bisons (1-1) with 16 points, with Gyasi Powell and Will Pruitt scoring 12 each. Lipscomb made just 38.7 percent of its field-goal attempts.

No. 17 Indiana 80, SIU Edwardsville 61

Mackenzie Mgbako poured in a game-high 31 points and added nine rebounds as the Hoosiers opened their season with a win over the Cougars in Bloomington, Ind.

Mgbako hit 13 of 17 shots from the field, including 4 of 5 from the 3-point arc. Malik Reneau and Oumar Ballo each added 15 points for Indiana.

Ray’Sean Taylor scored 17 points for SIU Edwardsville (1-1) but made only 7 of 22 shots, including 3 of 10 from the 3-point arc.

No. 25 Rutgers 75, Wagner 52

Dylan Harper put up 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting in his college debut and the Scarlet Knights sailed past the visiting Seahawks in Piscataway, N.J., in both teams’ season opener.

Harper added four assists, three rebounds and three steals, and he was supported by another freshman, Lathan Sommerville, who recorded 11 points and eight rebounds. Rutgers used a 20-0 run in the first half to quickly take over.

Keyontae Lewis led Wagner with 12 points, and RJ Greene had eight points and seven boards.

–Field Level Media