College basketball is back, and these players put together some of the best performances in the season’s opening week. Here is NCAA.com’s first starting five of the 2024-25 season.
Destiny Adams, Rutgers
Rutgers senior forward Destiny Adams led the Scarlet Knights to a 3-0 start to the season, totaling 80 points, 45 rebounds, six blocks, five steals and five assists in wins over Manhattan (85-79), Cornell (72-61) and NJIT (94-84).
The Manchester, New Jersey native posted a career-best 36 points and 22-rebound double-double against the NJIT Highlanders on Sunday. She became the first player in program history with 30-plus points and 20-plus rebounds in a regular season game in over 12 seasons. Adams’ 36 points ties a Jersey Mike’s Arena record that was previously set by Arella Guirantes in 2020. She is also tied for eighth for the most points in a single game in program history, along with Guirantes and Caroline DeRoose (1994). The performance marks her 10th career double-double and second in three games.
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Adams also had 30 points and 15 rebounds in the win over Cornell on Nov. 7, making her the first Scarlet Knight since Sue Wicks (1988) to net back-to-back…
