Opening Week Heat Check: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not!

🏀 OPENING WEEK HEAT CHECK: WHO’S HOT AND WHO’S NOT!
College basketball is BACK, and opening week delivered pure November madness. From Saint Mary’s dominance to Liberty’s shocking wins over FAU and Charleston, we’re breaking down the hottest teams, biggest surprises, and early red flags across the country.

🔥 TOP STORYLINES:
✅ Saint Mary’s looks like a mid-major powerhouse again with Mikey Lewis and Paulius Murauskas are lighting it up
✅ Akron’s offense is elite and the defense has leveled up too
✅ Utah State survives VCU as Vanderbilt transfer MJ Collins Jr. breaks out
✅ Liberty torches Charleston and FAU while emerging as a legit NCAA Tournament contender
✅ Loyola Chicago’s slow start as a result of buzzer-beaters, cold shooting, and growing pains
✅ SIUE & UT Martin are climbing fast in the OVC race

📊 TEAM HEAT CHECKS:

🔥 Saint Mary’s Gaels
The Gaels opened with blowout wins over Chattanooga and St. Thomas. Mikey Lewis (28 & 23 points) and Paulius Murauskas are starring, while Joshua Dent has seamlessly filled the point guard role by averaging 6 assists to just 1 turnover. Saint Mary’s shot nearly 58% from the field through the first week and looks like a top non-power conference team in America.

🔥 Akron Zips
Akron is rolling with wins over James Madison and Princeton. John Groce’s squad ranks top-60 nationally in offensive rating, led by Amani Lyles (19 PPG, 7 RPG) and Tavari Johnson (17.5 PPG, 4.5 APG). What’s new? Their defense is actually clicking, so the Zips might be built for a March Madness run.

🔥 Utah State Aggies
Utah State held off a furious VCU rally to win 80-77. MJ Collins Jr. (22.5 PPG) looks like one of the best transfers in the Mountain West. Drake Allen and Mason Falslev add balance on both ends, combining for elite assist and steal numbers. The Aggies face Weber State and UTEP next, key must-wins for Mountain West fans.

🔥 Liberty Flames
Liberty went 3-0 and might be the hottest team in college basketball. They crushed Charleston (90-75) and FAU (88-68), shooting a ridiculous 55% from the field and 47% from deep. Kaden Metheny (28 vs FAU) and Brett Decker Jr. (23 PPG) are turning the Flames into an offensive powerhouse.

🥶 Loyola Chicago Ramblers
After an opening buzzer-beater win, things went downhill. The Ramblers lost to Mercyhurst and North Texas, struggling to shoot over 38%. Justin Moore (25 points vs Mercyhurst) has been the lone bright spot, but Loyola has to fix its offense before facing Wichita State and Colorado State.

💥 SHOUTOUTS:
UT Martin went 2-0 with a win at UNLV; Andrija Bukumirovic & Dragos Lungu both scored 23.
SIUE jumped big in KenPom after wins over East West & UTSA; Ring Malith averaging 18 PPG & 7.5 RPG.
Morgan Safford (Kent State) had 34 points vs Cornell.
Jadin Booth (Samford) had 34 points vs Tulane, 26 vs South Carolina State.

📅 LOOKING AHEAD:
Murray State vs SMU, a potential statement win for the MVC
Dayton vs Cincinnati, A-10 needs this one for multiple bids
Yale vs Quinnipiac, Nick Townsend vs Amarri Monroe
UT Martin vs Bradley, Skyhawks can make noise again
North Texas vs Oregon State & Saint Mary’s, a real North Texas measuring stick

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