3 surprises that made the first full night of college basketball season unforgettable

East Texas A&M stuns Oklahoma

East Texas A&M entered its game against Oklahoma as a 28.5-point underdog. Picked last in the Southland Conference, the school was beginning only its fifth Division I season.

The Lions won 68-64 on Monday night. ESPN Research ranked it the second-biggest upset by point spread in 30 years, behind Eastern Illinois’ win over Iowa as a 30.5-point underdog in 2022.

The loss put pressure on Oklahoma coach Porter Moser, whose team has reached one NCAA Tournament during his tenure. After “Fire Moser” chants, Moser apologized to everyone who attended, according to the account.

Memphis opens with a win

Memphis beat No. 18 Iowa State 80-76, giving coach Penny Hardaway a positive start to a crucial ninth season. The former Orlando Magic point guard had faced criticism after the Tigers went 13-19 last season.

Jayden Reid scored 26 points in the win. Hardaway had led Memphis to three NCAA Tournaments in a four-year span before last season’s decline, and the victory quieted critics for the moment.

North Carolina shows a weakness

North Carolina began the Michael Malone era with an 80-72 victory over Western Carolina. But the Tar Heels were outrebounded 41-32 by the Catamounts. Inside Carolina noted that it was the first time a mid-major team had held such a rebounding advantage at the Smith Center since Winthrop did so on Nov. 10, 2000. That was Matt Doherty’s first game as head coach. Malone described the experience afterward as “the roller coaster.”