North Carolina wins Michael Malone's first game, KenPom puts Houston third, and a judge grants a sixth season

The exhibition season opened this week, and it produced the first real box scores of 2026-27.

LSU beat McNeese 63-60 in Lake Charles on Oct. 8, in Will Wade's return to the program he coached for two seasons. 1 North Carolina beat USC 88-70 in Greensboro on Oct. 9, in Michael Malone's first game as the Tar Heels' head coach. 2

The regular season opens Nov. 1, and exhibition results stay off the record. What October does carry is a deep exhibition calendar, and Sunday alone put Michigan, Maryland, Indiana, Villanova, Rutgers and New Mexico on the floor. 3

The same seven days produced the projection boards the preseason had been waiting on. ESPN published its top 25 on Oct. 7, Ken Pomeroy published his preseason ratings on Oct. 11, and the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 and SEC all released preseason ballots. 4

North Carolina's win turned on defense. The Tar Heels held USC to 26.5 percent shooting after halftime and outscored the Trojans 51-31 over the second half. 2 Stevenson, a 6-foot-11 forward, finished with game highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Carolina's bench outscored USC's 35-5. 2

Malone called the game his first public appearance since taking the job in April. "When you haven't coached a game in over a year, the college game is different," he said. 2 Carolina plays Indiana in Indianapolis on Oct. 18. 2

New Mexico's result at Oklahoma State was the week's loudest. Jake Hall scored 20 points in the first ten minutes and finished with 31, including six 3-pointers. 5 The loss ended Oklahoma State's 57-game home exhibition winning streak, the Cowboys' first such defeat in Gallagher-Iba Arena since Nov. 22, 1988. 5

Oklahoma State was missing three frontcourt players to injury, and starting point guard Kanye Clary left at halftime. Freshman Anthony Felesi led the Cowboys with 18 points. 5

At Michigan, Trey McKenney scored 21 points and Quinn Costello added 16 off the bench as the defending champions opened with a 25-point win. 6 Jalen Reed played for the first time in 317 days, after an Achilles injury suffered at LSU in November 2025. 6

Rutgers came back from 11 down inside the last three minutes against Villanova and had the ball with 13 seconds left. Lino Mark's go-ahead layup rimmed out at the horn. 8 Steve Pikiell was absent from the bench while undergoing treatment for cancer, and associate head coach Brandin Knight ran the team. 8

Maryland's frontcourt set the tone in Baltimore, out-rebounding Georgia Tech 44-33 and building a lead of 27 points. 7 Eleven Terrapins scored. 7

Indiana's 96-68 win at Hinkle Fieldhouse was the Hoosiers' first game in the building since 1993. 10 Markus Burton, a Notre Dame transfer, made his first five shots and scored 13 points in ten minutes before foul trouble set in. 9

LSU's roster remains the story in Baton Rouge. The official roster lists four players, and seven took the floor at McNeese. 3 Five of them played at least 34 minutes, and Michael Ruzic, cleared that afternoon, added 11 points and 16 rebounds. 1 LSU hosts UCF in its second exhibition on Wednesday. 1

ESPN's preseason top 25, published Oct. 7, carries two rankings per team: one for the roster as assembled, and one with fifth-year players removed. 4 The distance between the two columns measures how much of a team's projection rests on players still in court. Texas Tech is No. 9 with its fifth-years and outside the top 25 without them; Gonzaga falls from No. 14 to No. 22. 4

Ken Pomeroy published his preseason ratings on Oct. 11. Houston is No. 3 nationally, Arizona No. 5, Iowa State No. 6 and Kansas No. 8, which gives the Big 12 four of the top eight teams and five of the top twelve. 11 Texas Tech is No. 12, and all 16 Big 12 programs rank in the top 100. 1112

KenPom projects Arizona to finish 23-7 overall and 13-5 in the Big 12, in a three-way tie for first with Houston and Iowa State. 11 Those ratings assume every listed player is eligible, including Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey, who is still pursuing a fifth season. 11

Hmm, the ACC CBS panel claim — I don't have the ACC CBS article opened. Let me drop that last row.

Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. is the Big Ten's preseason Player of the Year, and the preseason all-conference team includes Illinois teammates David Mirkovic and Andrej Stojakovic, Maryland's Pharrel Payne, and Michigan's Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney. 13

Florida's Thomas Haugh is the SEC's preseason Player of the Year in the USA TODAY Sports Network's poll of 15 writers, with eight first-place votes. Vanderbilt's Tyler Tanner took five, and the two were the only unanimous first-team selections. 17 Texas coach Sean Miller is the preseason Coach of the Year, Arkansas freshman Jordan Smith Jr. the Newcomer of the Year, and Florida's Rueben Chinyelu the Defensive Player of the Year. 17

Duke swept the ACC's individual honors in that network's poll. Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell is Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, and 7-foot-2 freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje is Freshman of the Year. 14

The Big 12's CBS Sports panel put Kansas freshman Tyran Stokes first for both Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. 15

The NCAA's two basketball oversight committees introduced a legislative package on Oct. 6 that would allow up to three dates of summer competition, at home or on a foreign tour, with the format left to each school. The committees vote in December. 18

Trey Kaufman-Renn won a preliminary injunction in Clark County Circuit Court in Indiana on Oct. 9, which extends his eligibility for a sixth season while his case proceeds. 19 Minnesota drafted him in the second round in June, and he remains unsigned. 19

The NCAA is expected to appeal, as it has in other eligibility cases. The four power conferences bar players who declared for the NBA draft and stayed in it, so a college return would likely require more litigation. 19

Louisville's Seth Trimble and LJ Wells remain ineligible. An injunction hearing is set for Oct. 14 before Jefferson Circuit Judge Brian Edwards, the case that also covers Louisville football players Jabari Mack and Kalib Perry. 20

Kentucky got one ruling in its favor. The NCAA declared 7-foot forward Ousmane N'Diaye eligible on Oct. 7 and listed him as a junior, with two seasons of eligibility available. 21

Wisconsin will be without freshman guard Josh Manchester for the whole season after shoulder surgery on an injury he sustained in practice. The Badgers list 13 active and available players. 22

UConn coach Dan Hurley said Braylon Mullins is ramping back up after an undisclosed injury kept him out of practice for a week, with Solo Ball the one player still unavailable. 23 UConn plays Syracuse at Mohegan Sun Arena on Oct. 13. 24

Kansas State lost a second player before the season began. The school announced Oct. 7 that junior center Ramiya White will miss all of 2026-27 after a scooter accident on Oct. 4 caused lower-leg injuries that required surgery. 25

"Ramiya White was involved in a scooter accident on Sunday," coach Jeff Mittie said. "She sustained injuries to her lower leg that required surgery." 25

The Big 12's coaches made Oklahoma State the preseason favorite, with seven of 16 first-place votes. TCU received six, Baylor two and West Virginia one. 26 Oklahoma State's Audi Crooks is the preseason Player of the Year, teammate Liv McGill the Newcomer of the Year, and TCU's Jessie-May Hall the Freshman of the Year. 26 Conference play opens Dec. 19. 26

The SEC's writers picked South Carolina to win unanimously and made Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes the preseason Player of the Year. Blakes averaged 27.1 points last season and 30.5 in conference games. 27 Kentucky center Clara Strack is the Defensive Player of the Year, LSU guard Jada Williams the Newcomer of the Year, and South Carolina's Dawn Staley the Coach of the Year. 27

UConn plays its first exhibition Monday night against Syracuse at Mohegan Sun Arena. 24 The Huskies return national player of the year Sarah Strong and add Olivia Vukosa, the No. 2 recruit in the 2026 class; the men's teams meet in the same building Tuesday. 24

Basketball continues on the exhibition calendar for another two weeks. Michigan hosts Oregon State on Oct. 16, and Kansas opens against Pittsburg State the same night at Late Night in the Phog. 612

North Carolina plays Indiana in Indianapolis on Oct. 18 and Charlotte on Oct. 27. 2 Maryland hosts West Virginia on Oct. 18, and Rutgers meets St. John's at Madison Square Garden the same afternoon. 78

Oklahoma State plays Tulsa on Oct. 23 and visits Wisconsin on Oct. 27. 5 The Big 12 holds its media days in Kansas City on Oct. 20-21. 26 Kansas State opens Nov. 2 against Wichita State. 25

The AP preseason poll follows later this month. 3 Every ranking in this issue is a projection, and regular-season results, conference standings and weekly statistical leaders all arrive with the Nov. 1 openers.