The weekend in college hoops 🏀

If the weekend slate left your head spinning, you're not the only one. From ranked teams squaring off at neutral sites and in on-campus arenas, to in-conference upsets, to the yearly questioning if any team is "good," we got a little bit of everything in college hoops.

But before we get to all that, we’d like to extend our condolences to Grant Wahl’s family and friends. Wahl, 48, died on Friday. The former Sports Illustrated scribe was the preeminent college basketball writer in the 2000s, delivering keen observations and insights whether it was national title games or features. He switched to soccer coverage by 2012, launching SI’s Planet Futbol section in 2013 and serving as one of that sport’s leading voice. He was in Qatar covering the World Cup when he died.

Let's get to the news.

1. Alabama opens the door for a new No. 1

A rising tide lifts all boats, as the saying goes.

But you need a full-on armada to pull off a road upset against No. 1. And yet, that's exactly what Alabama did on Saturday evening, moving to 8-1 for the second time in as many seasons. The game was far from pretty — the Crimson Tide shot just 32.1 percent in the first half, turned the ball over 15 times, and trailed by as many as 15. But they made enough plays in the second half to leave the Fertitta Center with a 71-65 victory.

Freshman forward Noah Clowney — not Brandon Miller — was the story. The rookie has been a revelation for Nate Oats and Co., averaging 9.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. Remarkably, Clowney is producing despite barely ranking in the top 80 of his high school class.

But rest assured, no team will overlook him after Saturday night. The 6-10 Clowney matched Houston's physicality and put his mark on the game with rugged work on the glass. Rarely do opponents out-rebound the Coogs, but Bama did just that on the back of Clowney's 11 boards. And none was more crucial than his offensive rebound with 1:12 remaining. He scored on the put-back, giving his team a lead that it never relinquished.

"Our coaches made [rebounding] a point in practice, telling us we can't miss box-outs," Clowney told me. "So I took that as a challenge. I don't think [Houston] had played against someone who crashes the offensive glass like we do. And I think we're the best rebounding team in the country."

For Houston, it will lose that No. 1 ranking come later today. Naturally, the question of "who's up next?" arises. At this time of the year, pollsters can use various criteria — advanced metrics, résumés, the "eye test," whatever goes through Goodman's mind — to determine which team is the one to beat.

Based on the analytics, the Coogs still have a strong case. The three major predictive metric sites favor Houston as a top-2 team in the country, primarily because of its elite defense. No opponent has averaged a point per possession against Kelvin Sampson's squad — and Oregon and Bama are the only two that have eclipsed .9 points per possession. On the other end of the court, Houston ranks as a top-30 unit with enough firepower on the perimeter and high potential for second-chance points due to its dominant offensive rebounding.

UConn, too, sticks out as analytics darlings. However, it has won with a bit more style than Houston. The Huskies have canned 37.6 percent of their 3-point attempts and also revved up the tempo compared to Dan Hurley's past two teams. In short, UConn imposes its will on its opponents (its average margin of victory is 29.2 points) and plays a fun brand of basketball.

Finally, if you think résumés indicate who the best team is, Purdue has a strong argument. The Boilermakers' lopsided wins against Duke and Gonzaga on a neutral are hard to top — plus they picked off a plucky Marquette squad as well. (And it never hurts to vote for the team with the National Player of the Year frontrunner).

Though, after this weekend, Alabama has plenty to flaunt on its résumé as well.

For my money, I'm rolling with the Huskies (remember, they beat Alabama by 15!). As unbearable as a winning Rob Dauster is, I can't deny what both my eyes and the metrics tell me.

2. Vols move at a tortoise's pace

It must be a requirement for Tennessee to play a disgustingly ugly game every December. This time, it roped Maryland into its latest standoff.

In the basketball equivalent of guerrilla warfare, both teams leaned on their defense, wearing each other down with physical play. Tennessee forced Maryland into missing 18 of its first 20 shots and 10 first-half turnovers to take a 34-17 lead into the break.

But the Terps didn't fold. Their extended pressure provided the jolt they needed to claw back into the game, twice cutting the lead to two in the second half. But despite its stellar defense, it never got any closer, as Tennessee responded to Maryland's two runs with clutch 3s from both Jahmai Mashack and Zakai Zeigler.

The Vols ultimately outlasted the Terrapins, 56-53. And they should feel pretty lucky to pull this one out — history wasn't exactly on their side.

Offensive struggles notwithstanding, Tennessee showed it belongs in the upper tier of the SEC alongside Alabama and Arkansas. Its defense will keep it in every contest, and on most nights, it will be the reason it wins.

The Vols maintain a maniacal energy on that end of the court, using active hands to contest shots and create turnovers. But just as importantly, they move in concert on rotations, preventing easy looks even when they gamble for steals and blocks. Remarkably, they're still playing at this high level without perhaps their best defender in Josiah-Jordan James.

Regarding Maryland, it shouldn't hang its head even amid its two-game skid. Consider where the Terps were a year ago: without a coach, a loss to George Mason on its record, and on the threshold of a losing season in the Big Ten. This year's team has pieces that fit and a resiliency that bodes well for its conference outlook. Hear the AFTER DARK crew break it down below:

3. Other results from the weekend

So many games. Here were the most noteworthy:

Wisconsin 78, Iowa 75 (OT)Interesting week for Iowa (7-3) — it lost to Duke in MSG on Tuesday, annihilated rival Iowa State on Thursday then lost a heartbreaker at home to Wisconsin (8-2) on Sunday. The Hawkeyes erased an eight-point lead in the final minute to force overtime. But the Badgers' Tyler Wahl scored seven of his 21 points in OT to ice Iowa.

Seton Hall 45, Rutgers 43Hope you took the under on this one! The Garden State Hardwood Classic quickly — and expectedly — turned into a rock fight. Between the two teams, only one player scored in double figures (Seton Hall's Dre Davis, 10), and no one scored after KC Ndefo's go-ahead basket with 1:54 left in the game.

BYU 83, Creighton 80You think Ryan Kalkbrenner is important? With the Bluejays' big man out with an illness, BYU (6-5) waltzed to the basket, scoring a whopping 42 points in the paint. Cougars guard Rudi Williams scored 26 points, helping hand Creighton (6-4) its fourth straight loss. The defeat also spoiled a career-high 27 points from Arthur Kaluma.

Arizona 89, Indiana 75Credit to IU (8-2) for fighting after going down by 19 in the first half. Indiana cut the deficit to single digits on a couple of occasions thanks to Race Thompson and Miller Kopp's hot shooting. However, Arizona's blitzkrieg was too much for the Hoosiers, as the 'Cats (8-1) squelched the rally.

Kansas 95, Missouri 67The Border War was never close. Jalen Wilson, KJ Adams and Kevin McCullar combined for 64 points, as Kansas (9-1) handed Missouri its first loss of the season.

Xavier 80, Cincinnati 77Xavier (7-3) escaped with a win after a colossal meltdown. The Musketeers imposed their will on the Bearcats at first, leading by as many as 17. But Cincy (6-4) chipped away throughout the game and used a 12-1 run in the final three minutes to tie the game. Thankfully for Sean Miller, point guard Souley Boum iced the game at the charity stripe in the final seconds.

LSU 72, Wake Forest 70Things didn't look good for Matt McMahon and LSU (8-1) with 5 minutes to go in the first half. The Tigers trailed the Deacs (7-3) 39-19, but they responded with a furious 14-2 run to cut the lead to eight by the intermission. Then, LSU's KJ Williams took over, scoring 23 of his 35 points in the second half. His former Murray State teammate, Justice Hill, then hit the game-winning layup with two seconds left.

Purdue 65, Nebraska 62 (OT)The Huskers (6-4) went toe-to-toe with the Boilers (10-0) for the entire second half, slowing the game down and frustrating Zach Edey. Nebraska guard Keisei Tominaga hit a big 3 to send the game to overtime, but his team couldn't close the deal. The Boilers' win wasn't without on-court controversy, though.

Penn State 74, Illinois 59Penn State (7-3) used 12 made triples to hand the Illini (7-3) a surprising home loss. But one player who didn't participate in the 3-point barrage was Nittany Lions guard Jalen Pickett — who still managed to score 20 points without hitting a shot from long distance. Penn State is for real.

Kentucky 69, Yale 59In a battle of 'Cats and 'Dogs, Yale (8-3) gave Kentucky (7-2) a tough game that was close until the final five minutes. James Jones' offense manufactured points via back cuts and constant movement, and sophomore big man Jack Molloy scored a career-high 14 points. Ultimately, though, Yale couldn't overcome Oscar Tshiebwe's 28 points and Sahvir Wheeler's clutch baskets down the stretch.

Saint Mary's 68, San Diego State 61Freshman Aidan Mahaney contributed 20 points for the Gaels (8-3), giving them their first win over a ranked opponent this season. The rookie guard has proven more than capable of replacing the lost backcourt production form Tommy Kuhse. For San Diego State, it drops to 7-3, as Matt Bradley (13 points, 4-of-14 from the field) continues to struggle.Miami (FL) 80, NC State 73Oh, NC State, will you ever do right by your fans? After starting the season with a promising 7-1 record, the Wolfpack now sit at 0-2 in the conference. Of course, losing starting big man Dusan Mahorcic doesn't help. But NC State led by as many as 15 in this one. However, it simply had no answer for Isaiah Wong (22 points) and Jordan Miller (25 points), as the U moved to 10-1.

Utah State 79, Loyola Marymount 67With its win over LMU, Utah State is now 8-0 for the first time since the 1961-62 season. That's tied for the third-best start in program history, behind 1917-18 and 1938-39's 9-0 marks. Super-duper senior forward Taylor Funk posted his lowest point total of the season against the Lions (6), but Utah State still walloped the Lions inside.

New Mexico 94, UTSA 76New Mexico also remained among the unbeaten ranks, moving to 9-0 for the first time since 2012-13. Guards Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn hit four trifectas a piece, while big man Morris Udeze feasted in the paint (24 points), running the Roadrunners off the court.

Iona 72, St. Bonaventure 57The Gaels (6-2) have won four straight, including two over A10 teams. Nelly Junior Joseph (24 points, 10 rebounds) led the way. Could they be the ones to KO New Mexico from the unbeaten ranks on Sunday?

Ohio 81, Youngstown State 79Brandon Rush scored 26 for the Penguins (7-4), but it wasn't enough to hold off the Bobcats (5-4) whose buzzer-beater from Dwight Wilson hit nearly every part of the rim.

Grambling State 64, Vanderbilt 62The Grambling State Tigers (6-3) notched their second Power 5 win of the season, defeating Vanderbilt (5-5) on Friday night. Despite its home-court advantage, Vandy got down 10-0 early and fought back, but it couldn't finish the deal. The Commodores seemed to struggle with Grambling's length — not exactly a harbinger of success for SEC play.

4. Remembering Paul Silas

Longtime NBA coach, three-time NBA Champion and Creighton basketball legend Paul Silas died on Saturday at the age of 79.

Creighton Sports and Information Director Rob Anderson wrote a tremendous obituary for Silas, complete with his on-court achievements, off-court accolades and a collection of tweets paying respect. Some of the most interesting notes:

But make no mistake about it, he had plenty of athletic feats to be proud of.

I mainly remember Silas coaching my hometown Charlotte Hornets during my childhood. That's why I (and would assume others who weren't following college hoops in the 60s) was shocked to see his eye-popping stats at Creighton. He averaged 20.5 points and 21.6 rebounds for his career, the latter number ranking third all-time in NCAA history.

Bluejays head coach Greg McDermott also shared his tribute via Twitter.

5. André Antoine 3000

Weeks after after breaking the Horizon League scoring record, and nearly a year after surpassing Detroit Mercy's all-time scoring record, Antoine Davis hit his biggest milestone yet.

The accomplishment came on Saturday in an overtime loss at UNC Charlotte — the 6-1 guard canned a school-record 10 triples, the last of which put him at 3,000.

The prolific scorer has led the Horizon in points per game in all four of his collegiate seasons. And guess what: he's on track to do that for a final time. Though, despite the fanfare, Davis still has the NCAA Tournament on his mind. The fifth-year senior spoke with The Field of 68's Mike Miller back in October and shared his thoughts heading into what would be a historic season.

"Obviously, I’m gonna move up the scoring ladder. But it’s not my focus. I’m putting all my individual stuff on the side for this team. Knowing that I have the possibility is in my mind, but it’s not the main goal," he told Miller. "The goal has always been to get to the NCAA tournament and win there.”

The route to the Big Dance is always littered with potholes for teams in one-bid leagues. And the Titans will probably need some luck to break their way to win the unpredictable Horizon tourney. But maybe just this once, luck will yield to Mercy.

Team of the week: Alabama Crimson Tide

What more can we say about the Tide? They notched one of the best wins we'll see all season and did so without Brandon Miller making a shot from the field. In addition to Clowney's brilliance, Jaden Bradley matched a career-high with 12 points, and Nimari Burnett held Houston's Marcus Sasser to 9 points on 2-of-11 from the field.

Player of the week: Isaiah Wong, Miami

Wong staved off Cornell's upset bid earlier in the week, pouring in 36 points in Miami's home win. Then, he followed that up by scoring 22 and dishing eight assists in the U's comeback against NC State. The fourth-year guard has built off of his excellent NCAA Tournament and has Miami in the thick of ACC contention.

Weekend warrior: KJ Williams, LSU

Big men shouldn't be able to shoot like this! Williams made seven 3s in his career performance — but don't mistake him for a paint-averse big man. The senior also controlled the glass and made slight work of Wake Forest in the paint. His final 35-point, 10-rebound, 1-block, 1-steal state line was a marvel.

Devilish defense in Sin City

We knew Creighton's defense would be top-notch heading into the season. Returning the reigning Big East Defensive Player of the Year will earn you the benefit of the doubt. (And hopefully, Ryan Kalkbrenner will return to action tonight). However, Bobby Hurley's stalwart in Tempe was a little more unexpected. The Sun Devils (9-1) enter this contest with the 17th-best defense in the country (KenPom) thanks to a dominant shot-blocker in Warren Washington and two perimeter pests in Frankie Collins and Devan Cambridge. Creighton (6-4) will need its offense to re-ignite to break its four-game losing streak. (9 pm ET, FS1)

Also worth watching:

• New Mexico (9-0), vs San Francisco (8-2), 11:30 pm ET

Winning in Memphis

Penny Hardaway's Tigers are 8-2 and have won six in a row, including an impressive win over Auburn on Saturday. Their reward? A trip to Tuscaloosa against Alabama on Tuesday.

Can the nation's most experienced team pull off a win? The AFTER DARK crew explains why Memphis has been so good this season.

Subscribe to The Field of 68 AFTER DARK on YouTube and click here subscribe to the AFTER DARK podcast.

Links as you wonder what's ahead for Lionel Messi in possible World Cup finale.

• The Big Ten said Ohio State's game-winning shot against Rutgers shouldn't have counted.

• Hansel Enmanuel, a 1-armed freshman for Northwestern State, scored his first basket.

• Auburn got a huge commit: 7-foot, 300-pound center Peyton Marshall.

• Pitt freshman Dior Johnson pled guilty to two misdemeanors and got 1 year of probation. He'll ask to be reinstated by Pitt.

• Larry Brown, 82, steps down as a Memphis assistant due to health reasons.

• D-III Grinnell set a record with 111 attempted 3-point shots in one game. All 3s. Nothing else. They were 40-of-111.

All aboard the Muss bus

Arkansas fans! Get ready for SEC conference play (and Christmas) with something that describes all the good vibes happening in Fayetteville. Get even more good vibes by saving 20% with promo code "DAILY" at the Field of 68 shop.

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