CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina newcomer Luka Bogavac had his school eligibility issue resolved and was cleared to play for the No. 25 Tar Heels in their 94-54 victory against Central Arkansas in the teams' opener. Bogavac had 10 points and five assists in just over 20 minutes off the bench. The 22-year-old Bogavac, a 6-goot-6 guard from Montenegro, had been cleared by the NCAA and was still sorting through a school-level eligibility issue that was resolved and announced less than an hour before tipoff. Bogavac was the game’s first substitute, entering with 16:12 remaining in the first half. He was greeted by a large ovation.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Khani Rooths scored 20 points to lead No. 11 Louisville to a 104-45 rout of South Carolina State in the season opener for both teams. Rooths, a sophomore and one of the few returning players for the Cardinals in coach Pat Kelsey’s second season, posted a career-high in points on 8-of-12 shooting and tied his personal best with seven rebounds. Isaac McKneely, a senior guard who transferred from Virginia, scored a dozen of his 17 points in the first half. Rayniel Wright finished with 11 points, making 9 of 10 free throws for the Bulldogs, who shot just 22.8% and committed 25 turnovers.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Caleb Wilson scored 22 points and Luka Bogavac added 10 points and five assists in their North Carolina debuts as the No. 25 Tar Heels beat Central Arkansas 94-54 in the teams’ season opener on Monday night. Kyan Evans hit four 3-pointers and scored 15 points, Henri Veesaar added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Seth Trimble scored 12 points as the Tar Heels won their opener for the 21st consecutive season. Cole McCormick led Central Arkansas with nine points, though he went to the bench with his fourth foul early in the second half and fouled out with 4:56 left.
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — John Camden scored 22 points and California opened the season with an 87-60 victory over Cal State Bakersfield. Camden made 7 of 11 shots with three 3-pointers and hit all five of his free throws for the Golden Bears. Dai Dai Ames had 18 points on 9-for-15 shooting for Cal and Justin Pippen and Lee Dort both scored 15. Camden scored nine points in the first half to help the Golden Bears take a 37-26 lead. Camden made 2 of 6 from 3-point range before the break while his teammates were 0 for 10. Dailin Smith had 10 first-half points and four of the Roadrunners’ nine baskets.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Malik Reneau scored 20 points, Ernest Udeh Jr., had a double-double and Miami won its season-opener for new coach Jai Lucas 86-69. The Hurricanes had a 12-2 surge early in the second half to get the lead into double figures then slowly pulled away from the Dolphins. Reneau, a transfer from Indiana, was 10 of 12 from the foul line, where the Hurricanes went 29 of 37 to 7 of 14 for Jacksonville. Udeh, who came from TCU, had 14 points and 14 rebounds. Miami shot 55% but only went 3 of 14 on 3-pointers. Jaylen Jones scored 14 points to lead the Dolphins.  Jacksonville shot 47% with eight 3s but committed 27 fouls.
ATLANTA (AP) — Mouhammed Sylla scored 14 points, Kowacie Reeves Jr.’s 3-pointer with 37 seconds left in overtime broke a tie score and Georgia Tech dodged an upset beating Maryland Eastern Shore 56-52 in a season opener. Trey Brown missed a two-point attempt for the Hawks with seven seconds left in the extra session. Sylla grabbed the rebound, got fouled and made 1 of 2 foul shots to secure the win. Reserves Joseph Locandro and Justin Monden led the Hawks, scoring 17 points and 10 points respectively.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Darrion Williams led seven NC State players in double-digit scoring with 19 points and the Wolpack beat NC Central 114-66 in a season-opening contest. Paul McNeil scored 16 points, Quadir Copeland and Tre Holloman each scored 15, reserves Matt Able and Jerry Deng 14 and 12 respectively and Ven-Allen Lubin 10 for NC State. Greg Lattimore scored 20 points and Khouri Carvey 19 for the Eagles. The game marked the debut of first-year coach Will Wade who was hired March 23 after leading McNeese to a combined 58-11 record and back-to-back Southland regular season and tournament titles in his two seasons with the Cowboys.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Markus Burton scored 24 points, Cole Certa added a career-high 22 off the bench, and Notre Dame opened the season with an 89-67 victory over Long Island University. Certa, a sophomore, had only one double-digit game last season, scoring 12 points in a game against Pittsburgh. The Fighting Irish led 74-60 with five minutes remaining in the game before Burton and Ryder Frost scored 13 of their team’s final 15 points. Frost, a freshman, finished with 15 points off the bench. Northern Arizona transfer Carson Towt had 19 rebounds, tying his career high. LIU got 12 points each from Mason Porter-Brown and Jamal Fuller.
