Men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball – there’s no shortage of college ball, every night.Don’t worry, we’re here to help you figure out what you missed but shouldn’t have. Florida bounces back in a big way with a blowout win. The Gators started the 2025-2026 season on a different note as they lost to the No. Arizona shocked No. 13 Arizona, 93 – 87. The team faced North Florida Thursday, and easily avoided a losing spree: Florida dominated with 104-64 to even their record. Junior forward Alex Condon, who played off the bench for 19 minutes, had his second double-double in a row, thanks to 17 points and 13 rebounds. He also had logged 4 assists and blocked 3 shots. The Australian big didn’t have the only double-double of the game, either, as teammate Micah Handlogten, playing off of the bench for 19 minutes, picked up his second in a row thanks to 17 points and 13 rebounds – he had a single assist, block and steal to go with those, too.Oh, and Florida had some real big news, too.The tallest player in college basketball history debuted The college basketball world has been waiting for 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux. The 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux made his court debut on Thursday. He played only two minutes for Florida in their win over North Florida. It’s good to know that he is available, especially after wearing a red shirt for the past year. The fans will definitely call him on in games that are a blowout, like this. McGill scores 38 points in big gameThe Gators’ men’s team wasn’t alone in being in action Thursday. They weren’t even the only Gators who had success. The women’s team took on Chattanooga, and actually won by 42 points, compared to the men’s 40-point W. Sophomore guard Liv McGill played 40 minutes for the Gators and made the most of them, scoring 38 points – Thursday’s high across all Division I games – while just missing a triple-double: McGill also had 10 assists and 8 rebounds, while also logging 7 steals. She took more than half the shots for the entire starting lineup – 26 compared to 23 for the rest of the fivesome – but also shot 50% on the evening, so, you know, it worked for everyone involved.McGill is currently leading the SEC in both points and assists per game through two, and is shooting far more often than she did as a freshman for Florida, when she averaged 14.5 shots per game. Maybe she is breaking out, after a strong freshman season. LSU thrashed Southeastern LouisianaYou won’t find an attack more balanced than the one LSU used on Thursday. The No. Southeastern Louisiana, the No. LSU had a 61-6 lead at halftime and continued to play a game in which this clip was repeated over and over. The aim of this isn’t to pick on Southeastern Louisiana, though – LSU is ranked where they are for a reason, and that’s going to be a problem for the vast majority of their opponents all season long – but to take a look at how the Tigers used this blowout as an opportunity to spread the ball around and show off their depth. Flau’Jae, a senior guard from the University of Florida, was the top scorer in this 115-26 victory. She scored 17 points while also grabbing 5 rebounds and dishing just as many assist. She only played 19 minutes and one of the starters, junior guard Mikaylah Willams, got as far as 20. LSU’s bench was able to shine and contributed 58 points as well as 26 rebounds, 25 assists, and 12 steals. Kate Koval, a sophomore forward, is the star of this game. She scored 16 points, one less than Johnson. But she had a game-high 9 rebounds, ten assists, and 12 steals. Though she scored 16 points – one fewer than Johnson – she had a game-high 9 rebounds and a block, and went 7-for-8 shooting.Serving it upNo. 20 Auburn took on Merrimack at home, and that resulted in not just a convincing 95-57 victory, but also this pair of quick passes that ended with a dunk.The dunk was delivered by 7-foot center Emeka Opurum, in his debut – he would score 11 on the night in 19 minutes while collecting 4 rebounds. Keyshawn hall, a senior guard who transferred from another school, had the best game of anyone in this game. He scored 25 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and played 26 minutes. UCLA’s starters do the jobIf LSU won as a team effort and Florida won largely due to Liv McGill’s unstoppable play, UCLA’s 87-50 drubbing of UC Santa Barbara came somewhere in between. There wasn’t a single player that stole the show. Instead, the starters were the ones who did the heavy lifting. Lauren Betts, who scored 12 points, also had a low scoring average, but she grabbed 7 rebounds, dropped 6 dimes, and blocked two shots. Gianna Kniepkens had 20 points with 3 rebounds each, Kiki rice also scored 20, and she added 8 rebounds to her total. Gabriela Jaquez, the Bruins’ leading scorer, finished with 21 points with 6 rebounds. She also recorded a single assist, block and steal. It doesn’t matter if you were a college basketball player or coach. You can expect no mercy from your old school. Follow leagues, players, and teams to receive a daily personalized newsletter! FOLLOW FOLLOW your favorites to customize your FOX Sports experience
2025-11-07 15:59:46
Last Night in College Basketball: A Big Night For Florida in More Ways Than One
