Men's hoops Day 1 takeaways: Flagg, Kansas, court-storming and more - ESPN

And just like that, we're back. The 2024-25 men's college basketball season began Monday, as some of the top teams in America, impactful transfers and new faces made their debuts. We could have called this Cooper Flagg Day, too.

The 6-foot-9 freshman phenom and five-star recruit for Duke, whom LeBron James recently called the future of the NBA, has officially arrived. But those watching Flagg's first collegiate matchup against Maine didn't see the fireworks they had anticipated until 3:20 remained in the first half, when Flagg took flight and rose above the rim for the first time. The real takeaway from Duke's win, though, was that it won't be a one-man show in Durham, North Carolina, this season.

Elsewhere, Purdue got off to a slow start in the post-Zach Edey era. Kentucky looked smooth under first-year head coach Mark Pope. One of college basketball's most beloved players suffered an ankle injury. A top-15 Texas A&M squad had to fight on the road against UCF.

The night was capped with the first matchup of the season between ranked teams — though you wouldn't have guessed it, from the lopsided 38-point win Gonzaga posted over Baylor.

Just hours into the first day of the season, the drama had already started. And that's why we love this sport. ESPN's Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello and Joe Lunardi discuss the opening slate of men's college basketball.

Cooper Flagg flexes his muscles after throwing down a one-handed slam to pad Duke's lead over Maine.

Jeff Borzello: Flagg showed the versatile, two-way ability that has made him such a highly touted player. He finished with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals, doing most of his playmaking in the first half, then getting his own shots to fall in the second. He had 2