Welcome to “The Daily Scoop”, an article to bring you up to date with the latest news from college basketball and a preview of the day ahead.

Daily Headlines

Alex Condon and Alijah Martin shine as #21 Florida knocks off Jacksonville

The Florida Gators are among the first handful of teams to reach 2-0 in 2024-25, taking down in-state rivals USF 98-83 on Monday in Jacksonville and following that up with a win last night over Jacksonville. The standout in the Gators’ home opener was sophomore forward Alex Condon, a common breakout pick in the SEC. Condon went a perfect 7-7 from the field, including two threes, and finished with 23 points. The two other standouts in last night’s win were among the team’s incoming talent, with FAU transfer Alijah Martin posting 15 points and six steals and Chattanooga transfer Sam Alexis pitching in 10 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks. My concern for this Gators squad in the preseason was the lack of a point guard, but last year’s leading scorer, Walter Clayton Jr., showed his unselfishness against the Dolphins, scoring just nine points while dishing out seven assists.

Utah ties school record for made threes in a game in blowout win over Central Arkansas

After hitting 19 threes in the season opener against Alcorn State on Monday, Utah matched the effort last night, going 19-50 from behind the arc in a 98-63 win over Central Arkansas. One of the two games, I got to watch last night, I was mildly surprised with the way this Utah team looked, albeit a low competition level. I had questions going into the year about Gabe Madsen’s ability to be a true number one option, but the way he can get his shot off at basically any moment and the efficiency in which he shoots the three has changed my mind. Madsen finished with 25 points last night while going 6-13 from behind the arc, followed in scoring by his brother Mason Madsen, who hit five threes and finished with 15 points. San Francisco transfer Mike Sharavjamts was another bright spot in the Utes’ lineup, filling the stat sheet with 13 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and two blocks. It will be an uphill climb to compete in the Big 12 this season, but I think the upside is there for this Utes’ team to get hot from behind the arc and steal a game or two against the conference’s elite.

All eyes will be on Allen Fieldhouse as #9 UNC visits #1 Kansas in top 10 clash (7:00 ET, ESPN2)

The second marquee matchup of the college basketball season comes to us tonight from inside one of the sport’s most iconic arenas. The top ranked Jayhawks took down Howard with ease on opening night while the Tar Heels struggled to pull away from in-state rivals Elon, but you can probably throw those two games away with how different this matchup will be for each squad. The biggest storyline headed into the game should be the questions surrounding UNC’s frontcourt and if any of its bigs can hang with potential NPOY Hunter Dickinson. I’m not too overzealous on Dickinson myself, but individually it will be hard for the Tar Heels to really matchup with one of the country’s premier bigs. If the Tar Heels can throw enough different looks at Dickinson to keep him guessing, it’ll come down to whose talented guards and wings have the best nights shooting the ball. With RJ Davis and Seth Trimble on one side, and Zeke Mayo, AJ Storr, and Rylan Griffen on the other, there should be plenty of scoring in this one. Being played in Allen Fieldhouse, I have to go with Kansas to get the job done, but I do think North Carolina makes things surprisingly interesting down low and covers the +7.5-point spread.

Other Things to Note:

• Max Klesmit goes for 26 in Wisconsin’s 79-67 win over Montana State
• Boopie Miller nears triple-double with 20-9-9 stat line in SMU’s win over Florida A&M
• USC holds off pesky Idaho State team in closing minutes, winning 75-69
• Cooper Flagg and #7 Duke back in action hosting Army inside Cameron Indoor (6:00 ET, ACCN)
• #2 Alabama hosts Sun Belt favorite Arkansas State in Coleman Coliseum (8:00 ET, ESPN+)
• New Mexico and #22 UCLA meet in Henderson, Nevada for an underrated opening week tilt (11:00 ET, CBSSN)