Season opens as panel makes bold picks

Men's college basketball tips off with No. 3 Florida versus No. 13 Arizona and the debut of top freshman AJ Dybantsa as No. 8 BYU faces Villanova, with Duke versus Texas on Tuesday and a loaded weekend featuring Kansas at North Carolina and Alabama at St. John's. A 12-person panel issued preseason picks: only five teams drew championship votes, while 14 programs earned at least one Final Four nod. Title choices were split among Houston, UConn, Purdue, Kentucky and Michigan.