Rocky at the top

Being No. 1 is not for the faint of heart. Alabama lost its first game as the top team in the AP Poll, while (unsurprising?) news came out of Texas.

Let's get to the news.

1. Bama's blues

Maybe Alabama, ranked No. 1 for the first time in 20 years, should've seen this coming.

Tennessee entered Wednesday night's home game off back-to-back buzzer-beater losses to Missouri and Vandy. Responding with a 68-59 win over Bama not only eased fears in Knoxville but also confirmed that Tennessee — a 3-point favorite — could live up to expectations.

The Vols (20-6, 9-4 in SEC) jumped out to an early lead, but in typical Alabama fashion, it responded and tied it at halftime. It couldn't find any offensive rhythm in the second half, a credit to the Vols' nasty defense (Bama was 6-of-20 at the rim) and defensive rebounding.

“After those tough losses, we stayed with it,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “We didn't splinter.”

It was the eighth loss by an AP No. 1 team this season, tying the most since 1993-94. As a road underdog, it was a rare sight for a No. 1 team to lose. It was just the second time since 2010 that it happened. It also handed the Tide (22-4, 12-1) its first loss in conference play.

Tennessee absolutely suffocated one of the country's most explosive offensive teams, limiting Alabama to .85 points per possession, its worst of the season. It also forced 19 turnovers on 69 possessions, Bama's worst turnover percentage since its Nov. 25 loss to UConn.

Zakai Zeigler was terrific on both ends of the floor, with 15 points and eight assists and zero turnovers. He also repeatedly created something out of nothing for Tennessee's offense. Special defensive shout out to Jahmai Mashack, who made life miserable for Alabama freshman sensation Brandon Miller. Miller scored 15 points on 11 shots and fouled out.

The biggest individual takeaway? The emergence of Vols sophomore forward Jonas Aidoo. The 6-11 Aidoo scored 12 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and swatted three shots in 27 minutes as the Vols adjusted without Julian Phillips and Josiah-Jordan James. It's a promising sign for Tennessee going forward.

2. Marquette holds serve

No. 11 Marquette separated itself from the rest of the Big East with Wednesday’s 69-68 win over No. 16 Xavier.

The Musketeers (19-7, 11-4 in Big East) played without Zach Freemantle and Desmond Claude, but it didn't bother them early on, as they jumped out to a 19-8 lead. Marquette (21-6, 13-3) stayed patient, cutting the lead to four at halftime, then vying back and forth throughout the second half.

The lead changed hands SEVEN times in the final five minutes, including three times in the final sixty seconds. After Oso Ighodaro's two made free throws, Xavier's Jack Nunge scored with eight seconds left. But when Kam Jones missed a driving layup, O-Max Prosper grabbed the rebound and grabbed the win.

Both teams should leave the game with reasons to be optimistic.

Xavier nearly pulled off a road win without one of its best players and a key reserve. Its remaining schedule isn't overwhelming (it'll be favored in all but one of its five games), so it can continue to work on defense.

From Marquette's perspective, Stevie Mitchell showed off the ability that earned him the label of a top-100 recruit in the 2021 class. He scored 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting while adding six steals. Having Mitchell as another offensive option is key with four other starters capable of scoring 15-plus every game.

Now we'll see if the Golden Eagles can clinch the Big East title. They're two games up on three teams (Creighton, Xavier and Providence).

3. Other notable Wednesday results

Some upsets, some buzzer-beaters and a little more.

Northwestern 64, Indiana 62Boo Buie’s game-winner gave Northwestern (19-7, 10-5) a gap in the Big Ten standings over Indiana (18-8, 9-6). They were rolling early and had to buckle down to hold off the Hoosiers. Trayce Jackson-Davis scored 23 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and tossed eight assists, but it wasn't enough for Indiana to finish the comeback.

Iowa State 70, TCU 59The Cyclones (17-8, 8-5 in Big 12) got 22 points from Aljaz Kunc and are just one game behind the Baylor-Kansas-Texas trio for first place in the conference. TCU (17-9, 6-7) lost its fourth straight game, all of which have come without guard Mike Miles. He practiced this week, but still couldn't play on Wednesday.

Florida 79, Ole Miss 64Four Gators scored in double-digits, led by Myreon Jones's 15 points. But the bigger news for Florida (14-12, 7-6 in SEC) is that star center Colin Castleton broke his hand and will miss the remainder of the season, ending his college career. The Gators are a long shot to make the NCAA Tournament.

Texas A&M 62, Arkansas 56The Aggies (19-7, 11-2 in SEC) were sluggish and trailed by nine at halftime. The second half was a completely different story. They scored 12 points before the first media timeout. Arkansas (17-9, 6-7) grabbed a lead, but Texas A&M's defense won the game in the final five minutes, limiting Arkansas to one made shot. Wade Taylor scored 18 points to lead Texas A&M. Nick Smith Jr. played just four minutes for Arkansas as he continues to work his way back from injury.

Kentucky 71, Mississippi State 68The Wildcats (17-9, 8-5 in SEC) had to beat Mississippi State (17-9, 5-8) to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Cason Wallace was 1-of-13 from the field and 0-for-8 from deep but still carried Kentucky's offense with his 11 assists. The Wildcats pick up a needed win and hope to keep the momentum trending in the right direction for Saturday's game against Tennessee.

Virginia 61, Louisville 58Louisville (3-23, 1-13 in ACC) didn’t go down easy against Virginia (20-4, 12-3). The Cards stayed close throughout — and had a chance to force OT. But their fumbling attempts at a final shot underline why the Cards have three wins. Virginia kept pace with Pittsburgh for first place in the ACC.

Georgia Tech 77, Virginia Tech 70The only way Virginia Tech (15-11, 5-10 in ACC) is going to the NCAA Tournament is by winning the auto bid after a loss to Georgia Tech (10-16, 3-13). The Hokies are 4-10 since Dec. 21.

Clemson 94, Florida State 54The Tigers (19-7, 11-4 in ACC) went on the prowl! Clemson absolutely dominated Florida State (8-19, 6-10) and will get a nice NET ranking boost as a result of the pummeling of the Noles. PJ Hall scored 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting to lead the Tigers' scoring efforts.

VCU 55, Rhode Island 54Zeb Jackson's buzzer-beater kept the Rams (19-7, 10-3 in A-10) atop the league and capped a thrilling rally at Rhode Island (8-17, 4-9). Brandon Johns Jr. scored a team-high 17 points.

Fordham 78, St Bonaventure 63Darius Quisenberry led the way with 15 points and six dimes. Fordham is 21-4 and 9-4 in conference play and has won eight of their past nine. Keith Urgo has brought a typically underwhelming Fordham program to near the top of the A10 in one season.

Samford 83, UNCG 71First place in the SoCon belongs to Bucky Ball and Samford (19-9, 13-2). The Bulldogs got a strong second half against UNC Greensboro (18-10, 12-3) thanks to the guard duo of Ques Glover (17 points) and Bubba Parham (21). Watch out for a dangerous Samford squad if Parham continues to score like this.

The Citadel 69, Furman 65Stephen Clark scored 21 important points in the Citadel’s (10-18, 5-10 Southern) upset win over Furman (21-7, 12-3). The Bulldogs win created a major domino effect in the conference standings — and it could become an even bigger deal once the conference tournament rolls around.

San Diego State 45, Fresno State 43Man... this game was UGLY. SDSU shot 28 percent from the field and Fresno State somehow went 2-of-25 from beyond the arc. San Diego State (21-5, 12-2 in MWC) managed to win a road conference game when their offense had its worst showing of the season. That's impressive in its own right, but the Aztecs need to right the ship offensively.

Colgate 93, Army 86The Raiders (20-8, 14-1 in Patriot) clinched the outright league title over the weekend, and followed it with another solid offensive game. Oliver Lynch-Daniels scored 23 points.

Bradley 64, Missouri State, Drake 82, Northern Iowa 74The race for the Mo Valley stayed tight as both the Braves (20-8, 13-4) and Bulldogs (22-6, 13-4) handled business on Thursday.

Vermont 80, New Hampshire 51That's eight wins in a row for John Becker's Catamounts (16-10, 10-2 in America East), which has a two-game lead with four games remaining. Dylan Penn led Vermont with 19 points.

4. Chris Beard charges dropped. Will he coach again?

Austin officials announced Wednesday that domestic violence charges against former Texas coach Chris Beard were dropped. Beard was formally charged and booked on a third-degree domestic violence charge on December 12, 2022, and was subsequently placed on leave by Texas and later fired for cause on January 26.

Now there's a simple question: Will anyone hire him?

It's a cynical part of the business. Even with the charges dropped, any subsequent hiring would be scrutinized. However, if we’ve learned one thing about college athletic departments, if you’re winning games, you can find a job. Beard is one of the best at winning games, churning out an impressive 237-98 record during his years at the D1 level.

Not that everyone is sold on that idea.

5. How does the portal affect mid-majors?

We've heard countless debates about college basketball's transfer portal. But if there's a takeaway that might not be repeated enough, it's that small schools often benefit. Take UNC Ahseville's Drew Pember, for example.

• Drew Pember at Tennessee: 32 games in two seasons, 31 total points, less than one made shot per game

• Drew Pember at UNC Asheville: 1,036 points in just shy of two full seasons, 155 blocks, 313 made shots and leads the Big South with 20.2 points per game.

Pember is one of the best examples of high-major transfers going down a level and becoming an absolute stud in a smaller league. A non-factor in the SEC, Pember is a matchup nightmare for Big South opponents and has the Bulldogs atop the Big South.

Another similar example is Dwayne Cohill, who played a small role in Dayton's dream season in 2019-20 but has a chance to win Horizon League player of the year in his second season at Youngstown State. Cohill averaged less than five points in his two seasons at Dayton. Now, he leads the Penguins with 18.1 points on 52.7 percent shooting and 48 percent from deep in his senior season.

Pember and Cohill are just two of the bigger examples of mid-majors benefitting from the transfer portal, but they aren't the only two examples. Just remember, many of the best mid-major players are retreads from high-major programs, many of which struggled to find consistent minutes in power conferences. That's no small thing. Read more about it here.

Rematch in LA

Gonzaga (21-5, 10-2 in WCC) saw its 75-game home win streak end last month at the hands of Loyola Marymount (17-10, 7-6). What happens in round 2 tonight? Gonzaga scored just 67 points in that loss. It's found a little more offensive consistency in the past few weeks. The matchup to watch is Cam Shelton against Nolan Hickman. Shelton hit the game-winning layup in January and is coming off a 36-point performance against Santa Clara. The guard has the scoring ability to carry Loyola Marymount's offense to a sweep of the mighty Gonzaga Bulldogs. (11 pm ET, CBS Sports Network)

Other games to watch (All time ET)

• Purdue (23-3, 12-3) at Maryland (17-8, 8-6), 6:30 pm (Big Ten Network)

• Liberty (21-6, 12-2) at Kennesaw State (20-7, 12-2), 7 pm (ESPN+)

Best March bets for the Big Ten

Set aside Purdue. If you had to take one Big Ten team that could make an NCAA Tournament run, who would it be? Rob Dauster, Terrence Oglesby and John Fanta debate the possible teams on the latest DTF podcast.

Subscribe to The Field of 68 on YouTube here and subscribe here to the DTF podcast.

Links as you peruse Elon's tweets at the top of your TL

• Federal judges didn't take kindly to the NCAA's amateurism model.

• NCAA allows more opportunities for travel teams to display their talent to coaches.

• Five star 2024 forward Naas Cunningham takes an unofficial visit to Memphis.

• New Mexico State plans to retain AD Mario Moccia (for now).

Thanks for reading The Field of 68 Daily! If you have a news tip or feedback, email us at [email protected].

Sign up for The Field of 68 Premium.

And don't forget to listen to The Field of 68 AFTER DARK every night at 11 pm ET on Sirius XM radio, or watch it on YouTube and Twitter.