College hoops is finally here! After a tumultuous offseason, the focus is back on the hardwood. Things officially tipped Sunday in Rome, where Notre Dame got the first win of the 2026-27 season over Villanova. With nearly 200 games on the first Monday, there's a lot to take in -- and a lot of early insights to take away. That's where ESPN's Jeff Borzello, Myron Medcalf and Joe Lunardi come in. They'll be reacting to the best, most surprising, noteworthy results and performances all day, so bookmark this page.
Micah Shrewsberry starts the season on a high note. At ACC media day last month, fourth-year Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry said he'd had an epiphany: He realized he hadn't enjoyed the moments he thought he should have been enjoying at Notre Dame even though he was coaching his son Braeden Shrewsberry. He said this as he enters this season squarely on the hot seat following a 13-win campaign and a third straight without an NCAA tournament appearance. This season, he said, his attitude is different. Against Villanova, Notre Dame had more rhythm and cohesiveness than ever under Shrewsberry. Four players registered double figures, and the team made 38% of its 3-point attempts. The most important part of the win was the finish when the Irish battled back from six points down to take the lead and keep it through the final two minutes. Shrewsberry's team lost multiple games just like that a season ago, but the ending worked in his favor this time.
High Point has the pieces to win another NCAA tournament game. High Point was a Cinderella of last season, winning 31 games and knocking off 5-seed Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA tournament before falling to Arkansas in the second round. Coach Flynn Clayman lost a couple of key players in the offseason, including star guard Rob Martin, but has since completely reloaded. The Panthers once again have a roster that can win in March. In fact, they might be even deeper than a season ago. They opened the Field of 68 marathon early Monday morning with a dominant win over Liberty, and their second five looked like it could legitimately compete for a Big South championship. Cam'Ron Fletcher was the 2026 Big South Preseason Player of the Year, and while he had a solid eight points and seven boards against Liberty, he was arguably overshadowed by South Florida transfer CJ Brown, Tulane transfer Curtis Williams Jr., freshman Trey Pearson and returnee Conrad Martinez. Even more impressive, the 72-57 win came without Monmouth transfer Jason Rivera-Torres, a preseason All-Big South selection. This team has high-major depth and physical skills, and enough playmakers on the offensive end to strike fear into a power-conference opponent come Selection Sunday.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing