A showcase in Madison Square Garden raised the curtain on the men’s college basketball season on Tuesday night, with No. 9 Duke beating Kentucky, 79-71, and No. 3 Kansas topping Michigan State, 87-74, in front of a big crowd.
“To be on this stage, be in this moment, lead my team to a win — that’s why I came back,” said Ochai Agbaji of Kansas, who led the Jayhawks with 29 points after spending part of the off-season considering whether to enter the N.B.A. draft.
The games begin a 2021-22 season that will likely look much different than last season because of changes in the game and players switching teams.