College hoops' exhibition week: four overtimes, two big comebacks, and a couple of upsets
St. John's erased a 20-point deficit in four overtimes, Illinois State toppled a Big Ten visitor, Creighton ambushed Iowa State, Indiana routed UNC, and Maryland rallied from 19 down in overtime.
- St. John's team report: St. John's beat Rutgers 104-99 in a four-overtime exhibition after erasing a 20-point second-half deficit. Self-reported m:…7820
- Illinois State's athletics report: the Redbirds beat Northwestern 70-64 — the first Big Ten school to play at CEFCU Arena since December 7, 1999. Self-reported m:…3587
- Iowa State's team report: Creighton beat Iowa State 83-80 after opening a 19-point second-half lead; Iowa State cut it to three with 2:31 left. Self-reported m:…0235
- Indiana's team report: Indiana beat North Carolina 76-58 behind a 53-31 rebounding edge; Bryce Lindsay scored 26. Self-reported m:…7890
- Maryland's team report: Maryland beat West Virginia 90-81 in overtime after overcoming a 19-point deficit; Andre Mills scored 27. Self-reported m:…4188
St. John's needs four overtimes
Exhibition week is the last round of tune-ups before opening night. Maryland opens its season against Bucknell on November 2, per the school's team report — roughly two weeks after these games — and the weekend's results suggest October basketball is gloriously unreliable. That is the point of exhibitions: testing combinations, not banking wins. m:…4188
The wildest box score of the weekend belonged to St. John's, which outlasted Rutgers 104-99 in a four-overtime exhibition, according to the school's team report. St. John's erased a 20-point deficit early in the second half. Keyshawn Hall went for 24 points and 14 rebounds, Ian Jackson added 24 points, and Quinn Ellis filled the sheet with 13 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and four blocks in 56 minutes of court time. m:…7820
The win moved St. John's to 2-0 in exhibition play, with Texas coming to the Garden on October 25. m:…7820
The underdogs have their night
Illinois State made its own history against Northwestern. The Redbirds won 70-64 at CEFCU Arena — the first time a Big Ten school has played at the building since December 7, 1999, per the school's athletics report. Noah Cleveland posted a 16-point, 15-rebound double-double, Johnny Kinziger added 15 points with two steals and two blocks, and Chase Walker chipped in 11 points and six rebounds. Nine Redbirds scored, six of them wearing an Illinois State uniform for the first time, after Northwestern led 35-32 at halftime. The Redbirds' next exhibition is against the Green Bay Phoenix on October 24, the report says. m:…3587
The sharper upset belonged to Creighton, which beat Iowa State 83-80 in Iowa State's first public exhibition of the 2026-27 season, per the school's team report. Creighton opened a 19-point lead midway through the second half before Iowa State trimmed it to three with 2:31 left. Creighton outshot Iowa State 51% to 43% from the floor and 48% to 21% from three, though Iowa State forced 19 turnovers and converted them into 24 points. Katrell Harmon led all scorers with 16 points and all players with six assists for Creighton. m:…0235
Iowa State's team report lists six of its players in double figures — Jamarion Batemon's 15 led the way, followed by Leon Bond's 14 and Taj Manning's 13 — and has the team playing Northwestern on October 25. m:…0235
Indiana and Maryland keep it moving
Indiana had the calmest night of the group: a 76-58 exhibition win over North Carolina built on a 53-31 rebounding edge. Bryce Lindsay scored 26 points, going 4-for-9 from three and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line; Markus Burton added 11 points, four rebounds and two assists, and Samet Yigitoglu led the team with 11 rebounds. Coach Darian DeVries said rebounding is the team's identity, per the school's report — and North Carolina coach Michael Malone expressed disappointment with his team's rebounding, according to the same report. m:…7890
Indiana committed 15 turnovers in the win and closes its exhibition slate against Western Kentucky next Sunday, the report says. m:…7890
Maryland needed overtime to survive West Virginia, winning 90-81 after erasing a 19-point deficit. Andre Mills scored 27 points with eight rebounds, Pharrel Payne added 26 points and 13 rebounds, and Maryland shot 50% from three-point range. Coach Buzz Williams called the performance encouraging, per the team report; Maryland opens the season against Bucknell on November 2. m:…4188
By the standard exhibitions are actually graded on — finding out which combinations survive contact — the weekend delivered: four overtimes, two erased deficits of 19 points or more, and a Big Ten visitor beaten outright on a mid-major floor. m:…7820 m:…4188 m:…3587
What is still unresolved
- Whether the exhibition close calls — Iowa State's near-comeback, St. John's four overtimes — signal real rotation questions or just October rust.
- How much of the exhibition stat lines carry into the regular season, which starts within two weeks.
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