Conference Play Heats Up in 2026

Conference play is officially in full swing, and the first weekend of 2026 didn’t disappoint. From upsets to outrage, here are this weekend’s winners and losers in college hoops.

Winner: SMU Mustangs

SMU’s offense has been on a heater this season, averaging an ACC-leading 91 points per game, and it showed no sign of cooling off against No. 12 North Carolina. Seniors Boopie Miller and Corey Washington combined for 50 points in the 97-83 victory. Not to be outdone, SMU’s defense held freshman phenom Caleb Wilson to just 13 points, tied for his lowest total this year.

The Mustangs proved they’re legitimate contenders in the ACC and will have an opportunity to further state their case as showdowns against No. 6 Duke and No. 21 Virginia await.

Loser: Louisville Cardinals

Louisville’s season got off to a promising start with wins over Kentucky and Indiana, but the Cardinals have since dropped three of their last four road games, the latest coming at the hands of Stanford. Louisville played from behind for most of Friday night’s contest and saw little production from its bench. Senior Ryan Conwell has stepped up at times but shot a lackluster 6-for-21 from the field.

Sure, star Mikel Brown Jr. has been sidelined for a few weeks due to injury, but one player can’t carry the load. If Louisville wants to become a serious tournament contender, it’ll need better consistency across the roster, and the Cardinals can’t afford losses to teams that are worse on paper.

Winner: UCF Knights

Central Florida has been one of the more surprising squads so far with its 12-1 record. While the Knights’ nonconference schedule was relatively weak, they proved to be legit after upsetting No. 17 Kansas 81-75. Senior Riley Kugel led the way with 19 points as UCF took the lead with 42 seconds remaining and never looked back. Although Jayhawks stud Darryn Peterson failed to return after the 10:55 mark in the second half, it’s clear the Knights are a formidable team. Four players average more than 12.5 points, and UCF appears to be a sleeper in a loaded Big 12.

Loser: Gonzaga Bulldogs

Is this the first time a winning team is being considered a loser? Possibly. No. 7 Gonzaga needed overtime to defeat Seattle, a team that previously lost to Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara. The Bulldogs were fortunate to escape with the win, getting outrebounded and only shooting 27% from 3-point range. Gonzaga was down by as much as 13 in the second half, and three starters failed to score.

The result leaves questions about whether the Bulldogs can really vie for a Final Four spot or if they’re simply benefiting from a weak conference.

Winner: Ohio guard Jackson Paveletzke

The matchup between Ohio and Eastern Michigan was overshadowed by other action on Saturday. However, it produced one of the crazier finishes. After scoring a measly 15 points in the first half, the Bobcats rallied to cut the deficit to two with five seconds left. Senior Jackson Paveletzke received the ball after a missed free throw and somehow got the wacky game-winning shot to fall.

Loser: Temper tantrums

Something must’ve been in the air Friday night as coaches across the country showed visible frustration. In the Quinnipiac-Manhattan game, both head coaches were ejected following a heated exchange after a hard foul. Later in the evening, Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry was upset after a controversial foul call and charged toward an official as the final buzzer sounded.

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• Arkansas freshmen grew up fast in win over No. 19 Tennessee
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