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.
