Khalif Battle couldn’t believe how open he was.

He had just stepped back and caught and shot 3-pointers on Gonzaga’s previous two possessions, but here he was alone in the corner without a defender within 15 feet of him after Baylor lost him in transition.

The 3-pointer that Battle celebrated with a smile and a shrug epitomized a Gonzaga victory that turned out to be a lot easier than expected. The Zags stormed to their biggest win ever over a top 10 opponent, a season-opening 101-63 win over eighth-ranked Baylor on Monday night at Spokane Arena.

Gonzaga’s lead was already double digits midway through the first half and 19 by halftime. The gap continued to grow during the second half as the sixth-seeded Zags defended with maximum effort, sharing the ball willingly and generating open look after open look.

The top-10 clash between Gonzaga and Baylor was a rematch of the 2021 national title game that was won convincingly by the Bears. This win does little to avenge the bitter loss to the Zags, but it does raise the question of whether 2024-2025 could finally be Gonzaga’s year.

With six rotation players returning and high-scoring transfers Battle and Michael Ajayi now on board, Gonzaga should rack up points even more effortlessly than a year ago. Guard Nolan Hickman (17 points) and forward Graham Ike (15 points) were two of five Gonzaga players in double figures Monday night. The Zags shot 57.1% from the field and over 40% from behind the arc.

For Gonzaga, the biggest question is whether the defense will improve. Gonzaga’s defensive efficiency has fallen outside the national top 50 over the past two seasons, but the way the Zags stayed in front of the ball against Baylor was a big step forward.

Gonzaga’s dominant win makes the Zags the big winners of men’s basketball opening night. Here’s a look at some other winners and losers from a night that saw 19 of the 25 AP Top 25 teams in action:

Loser: SEC

For a conference that was hailed as one of the best college basketball tournaments of the season, the SEC had a rough opening night. Four teams from the league suffered losses, each against unranked opponents.

It was bad enough when South Carolina suffered a stunning home loss to North Florida and Missouri blew a 10-point halftime lead against Memphis. Then Texas A&M went cold late at UCF and Texas squandered a career-high 29-point performance from freshman Tre Johnson in a loss to Ohio State.

Making matters worse for the SEC, college basketball’s other four power conferences largely avoided disaster. Teams from the ACC, Big East, Big Ten and Big 12 went down a combined 48-1 on Monday, Baylor’s only loss to Gonzaga.

Better days are likely ahead for the SEC this season, so the Big 12’s social media team was quick to act when it had the chance.

Winner: Montverde Academy

It’s easy to see why Montverde Academy went 33-0 last season and captured its eighth national high school championship. Three of Florida’s top prep school players made statements in their college debuts Monday night.

As always, the headliner was Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in next year’s NBA Draft and the most hyped prospect to play college basketball in more than a decade. The 6-foot-2 Duke freshman showed his trademark versatility in filling stats in his highly anticipated college debut, a 96-62 rout at Maine.

Early in the first half, Flagg was Duke’s best playmaker. He drew defenders before making accurate passes to open teammates. Later in the game, Flagg became more aggressive looking for his own shot and consistently went downhill. He finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals, this soaring dunk being his most memorable highlight.

Of course, Flagg wasn’t the only five-star signing at Montverde last season. Maryland center Derik Queen debuted with a 22-point, 20-rebound masterpiece in a bottleneck in Manhattan. And Georgia big man Asa Newell tied Dominique Wilkins’ program record for most points per player in his first game, with 26 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in a close win over Tennessee Tech.

The most impressive part? Another former Montverde star is yet to come. Once he recovers from a calf injury, five-star recruit Liam McNeeley will make his UConn debut.

Loser: The rims at the Breslin Center

Thoughts and prayers are with those rims after Michigan State’s Coen Carr did this.

And this.

And almost this.

Carr is the best dunker in college basketball. Rims, you have been warned.

Winner: Louisville

In two miserable seasons under Kenny Payne, Louisville was a joke. One of college basketball’s most tradition-rich programs achieved a 12-52 record. The fans who took the time to go to the KFC Yum! Center saw the Cardinals lose to Bellarmine, Wright State, Appalachian State and Chattanooga, among others.

The new, revamped Louisville team that new coach Pat Kelsey unveiled Monday night looked nothing like the Cardinals of the Payne era. Kelsey restored joy to the Louisville program, destroying overmatched Morehead State 93-45.

Yes, it was only one match. Yes, it was an opponent projected to finish fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference. Still, this had to be cathartic for Louisville fans, given the program’s dismal recent history.

Loser: Saint Louis

The opening game of Josh Schertz’ tenure with Saint Louis couldn’t have gone much worse. The Billikens not only suffered an 85-78 loss to underrated Santa Clara on Monday afternoon at the Field of 68 Showcase. They may also be without star Robbie Avila for a few weeks after the Indiana State transfer suffered a right ankle injury late in the second half.

Within four hours, Avila collapsed to the ground under the basket with Saint Louis and needed help to limp to the locker room. He later returned to the Billikens bench with his ankle wrapped in ice. The injury is similar to the sprained right ankle that sidelined Avila for much of the preseason, Schertz told reporters after the game.

Said Schertz to the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch: “It doesn’t look great.” He later added, “There’s a chance we’ll be without him for a while.”

Winner: DePaul

Jacob Meyer made Southern Indiana pay for not blowing three. The DePaul guard buried a right-wing 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left in regulation time, allowing the Blue Demons to escape with an 80-78 overtime victory.

Loser: DePaul

This was Southern Indiana, KenPom’s preseason No. 336 team, a third-year Division I program that went 8-24 a year ago. It’s not an encouraging sign for Chris Holtmann’s debut season that DePaul needed an improbable shot to survive this game.