Great start to college basketball season for Mark Few and others Gonzaga Bulldogs.

While programs across the country were still trying to find their identity, the Zags appeared to be in midseason form. Season-opening victory over No. 8 Baylor at Spokane Arena earlier this week. From start to finish, the Bulldogs thoroughly outplayed a talented Bears team that had star-studded freshmen and experienced transfers but lacked continuity compared to their rivals.

“It’s fair to say Gonzaga coming back with eight or nine players looks like this,” Baylor head coach Scott Drew said after the game. “And we looked like that with a returning starter.”

Continuity was Drew’s first takeaway. 101-63 final on Monday. In the history of the Associated Press Top 25 poll, the 38-point margin was the largest margin of victory by any team against a top-10 opponent to begin the season.

“I think we realized it was just game one,” Huff said. “So there is a long way to go. We’re not where we need to be yet. But it was a good first match. “I think everyone who played made a big impact and we’re really, really happy with the way we played tonight, but we also know it’s November right now and we’re playing for March.”

Although it was just one game, according to Huff, Gonzaga’s impressive victory on opening night gave it a solid hold on the No. 1 seed in our first tournament. West Coast Conference power rankings.

Final result: 101-63 W over Baylor (11/4)
Gonzaga’s depth justifies its national championship aspirations. While five players finished the game against Baylor with double-digit scores, senior guard Nolan Hickman took the lead with 17 points and three three-pointers. Senior forward Graham Ike scored 11 points in the second half to finish the night with 15 points, while redshirt sophomore Braden Huff (14 points) and sophomore wing Dusty Stromer (11 points) led the bench with 25 points combined. Khalif Battle came on fire from deep in the second half and finished his first game as a Zag with 12 points. Next: Sunday – Arizona State (2 p.m., ESPN)

Final result: 76-69 W vs Towson (11/4)
The Gaels are still searching for their goal scorer this season, but that worry meant nothing in their season-opening win against the Tigers. Six players finished the game with double-digit points for Randy Bennett, while Arizona transfer player Paulius Murauskas (14 points, 13 rebounds) and 1.80-meter redshirt senior Luke Barrett (14 points, 11 rebounds) led the team with a double-double. Sophomore guard Jordan Ross had 14 points and five rebounds in his first career start. Next: Thursday vs. Chattanooga (7 p.m., ESPN+)

Final result: 85-78 W vs. Saint Louis (11/4)
The Broncos held on for an impressive victory over the Billikens on opening day at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Continuing its leadership with Adama Bal’s 24 points, Santa Clara shot 12/35 (34.3%) from three-point range and 17/20 from charity field goals. Camaron Tongue, a 5-foot-10 senior, scored a career-high 18 points. Nine players played at least 15 minutes for Herb Sendek. Next: Friday – Arizona State (Las Vegas, 5 p.m. FloSports)

Final result: 86-78 W vs. Cal Poly (11/5)
The road to a 1-0 lead wasn’t always the smoothest for Chris Gerlufsen’s team, but the Dons ultimately took care of business against a spirited Cal Poly team. It looked as if San Francisco was ready to pull away early in the second half after a 6-0 scoring outburst, but the Mustangs responded decisively with a 20-5 run of their own to take a 62-56 lead at the 8th minute. :51 sign. Freshman wing Tyrone Riley IV helped the Dons climb out of the hole by scoring six consecutive goals, sparking a 21-4 run. The former four-star player finished the game with 26 points, 24 of which came after halftime. Next: Saturday – Boise State (7:30 p.m., ESPN+)

Final result: 80-57 W vs. Utah Tech (11/4)
Damarco Minor had 23 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals in his Beavers debut. The SIU-Edwardsville transfer also knocked down three of his team’s six 3-pointers, while junior forward Michael Rataj had 15 points and seven rebounds. Oregon State dominated the paint and defeated Utah Tech 46-20. Next: Friday – Weber State (7 p.m., ESPN+)

Final result: 100-92 W vs. Portland State (11/4)
The Cougars stumbled against the Vikings, finding themselves down 21-5 against a team picked sixth in the Big Sky conference by the league’s coaches. David Riley’s squad quickly found its rhythm with a transition 3-pointer from Isaiah Watts that sparked a 29-7 run for WSU. Cedric Coward recorded the 10th double-double of his career with 23 points and 12 rebounds, while Watts finished the game with 20 points. Next: Friday vs. Bradley (8 p.m., ESPN+)

Final result: 99-55 W vs. Life Pacific (non-DI; 11/4)
The Lions were one of three WCC teams to begin the season with a game against a non-Division-I school. Alex Merkviladze played with 22 points and 9 rebounds. MJ Amey Jr., a 6-foot-10 San Jose State transfer, scored 20 points in his first game at LMU. Next: Friday vs. UC Irvine (7 p.m., ESPN+)

Final result: 77-64 W vs. Western Illinois (11/6)
The Ed Schilling era at Pepperdine got off to a 1-0 start after San Francisco transfer Stefan Todorovic led the Leathernecks with 25 points, highlighted by his personal 11-0 run in the first half. While Moe Odum helped extend the lead in the second half, the Pacific transfer finished with 18 points and made three three-pointers. Next: Saturday at UC Irvine (7 p.m., ESPN+)

Final result: 92-65 K vs. Jessup (non-DI; 11/4)
Dave Smart’s decision to put 6-foot-10 junior Lamar Washington at the point of attack paid off well in the season opener, as the Texas Tech transfer broke the school record with 15 assists against Jessup. Canadian transfer Elias Ralph scored a career-best 30 points in his debut as the Tigers shot 58.5% from the field and made 10 3-pointers on offense in Stockton, Calif. Time will soon tell if the Pacific can hold its own against Division-I competition. Next: Friday – San Jose State (Manoa, Hawaii, 6:30 p.m.)

Final result: 83-70 W vs Lewis & Clark (non-DI; 11/6)
The Pilots had to overcome a 9-point deficit in the first half after committing 13 turnovers against the Pioneers, who took a 44-40 lead early in the second half. Portland’s 12-0 run turned the game around. The Pilots shot 10-of-20 from 3-point range and were led by Max Mackinnon’s 20 points. Next: Saturday vs. UC Santa Barbara (3 p.m., ESPN+)

Final result: 68-67 L vs Rider (11/6)
The start of the third year of the Steve Lavin era did not go in the Toreros’ favour, as they led the Broncs at half-time but were unable to secure victory. While Kjay Bradley Jr.’s last-second layup in traffic failed, the San Diego City College transfer finished with 24 points in the loss. Next: Friday – Boston University (7 p.m., ESPN+)

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