Rising Tide

First, it was podcasts. Then, a newsletter. Now, the Field of 68 is moving into live streaming. And it's quite the showdown between mid-major powers Furman and Stephen F. Austin. Cue the hype video.

There are more details here about what's coming this Saturday as part of the Greenville Winter Invitational, but the important details are as follows: It's at 4:30 pm ET, and it'll stream on our YouTube channel. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy.

In the meantime, let's dive into everything that mattered on Tuesday in college hoops.

1. Tigers can't cage the elephants

Fresh off a win at Houston, No. 4 Alabama got a taste of what it's like to fend off a physical upstart in its own building. It's just that this time, another freshman led the way.

Brandon Miller, perhaps the best freshman in college hoops, scored 21 of his team-high 24 points in the second half as the Crimson Tide beat Memphis, 91-88, on Tuesday night.

"We had various points we could have pulled away, and I thought we should have pulled away, and just couldn't get the stops we needed to," Alabama coach Nate Oats said afterward. "You have to give Memphis a ton of credit for hanging in there. They could have gone away when we were up nine and trying to push it to 10, but we just could never put them away."

Maybe Memphis deserves extra credit for keeping close. (Is that a thing?) It made just 1 of its 12 attempts from beyond the arc (it didn't hit a 3 until .6 remained in the game). Throw in DeAndre Williams fouling out with more than six minutes remaining, Malcolm Dandridge leaving with an injury and Kendric Davis being unable to play in the final minute because of a sprained ankle, and it's a game that could've turned at any point.

Not that Alabama took them lightly.

It face-guarded Davis throughout the first half, refusing to let the Memphis point guard initiate offense. It showed, too. The Tigers endured a rough start, even suffering an 0-for-11 drought midway through the first half. As a result, Bama (9-1) grabbed the lead with an 8-2 run and never relinquished it for the rest of the game.

It got good scoring balance beyond Miller as well; three other players hit double digits, led by Mark Sears with 18.

Davis shed that Bama defense and did his best to keep Memphis in the game, though. He scored a game-high 30 points, many of them on shifty, spinning tough finishes in the lane over the taller Tide defenders.

Part of that was due to the absence of Alabama sophomore guard Nimari Burnett, who's out indefinitely after wrist surgery on Tuesday. He'd started nine games this season, leaving freshman Jaden Bradley with most of the defensive duties.

"I thought Jaden Bradley did a pretty good job defensively at times," Oats said. "This was not one of our better performances tonight, but it’s still good to come out with a win. You’ve got to give the guys a lot of credit, they got stops and scored when we needed to."

They'll need those stops again this weekend. The Tide play Gonzaga in Birmingham. Will Miller and the team be ready? He spoke to the AFTER DARK crew after last night's win.

2. More notable results from Tuesday

It wasn't a dynamic slate last night, so we'll do a quick rundown below.

Houston 74, North Carolina A&T 46In their first game since losing to Bama on Saturday, the Cougars (10-1) displayed their usual ferocious energy on the glass (46 rebounds) and on defense (the Aggies shot just 28.8 percent from the field). Houston now travels to Virginia on Saturday.

NC State 92, Furman 73The Wolfpack (9-3) had no issues with the Paladins (7-4), as their two stars, Jalen Slawson and Mike Bothwell combined to go just 6-of-19 from the field. Terq Smith had little trouble scoring for NC State, finishing with 24 points.

North Carolina 100, The Citadel 67Here's a stat: The Tar Heels had 24 assists on 32 made baskets. That's good! Here's another: The Bulldogs (5-5) hit four consecutive 3-pointers in the first half and were only down 26-25 at one point. Not so good. But UNC (7-4) kicked it in overdrive, as Hubert Davis played his bench for the final 10 minutes and still hit triple digits.

Texas Tech 77, Eastern Washington 70The Red Raiders (7-2) were without starting center Daniel Batcho (out with an ankle injury) and struggled to put away the Eagles (4-7), who got 26 points from Steele Venters. But turnovers doomed them late as De'Vion Harmon picked off two passes in the final minutes.

Washington 74, Cal Poly 68Keion Brooks scored a career-high 30 points to help the Huskies (8-3) rally for a win with a 50-point second half.

Iona 70, Princeton 64The Gaels (7-2) beat the Tigers (8-3) for the first time in eight games, though it had to overcome a double-digit deficit in the second half. Walter Clayton Jr. and Daniss Jenkins each had 20 for Iona.

Rhode Island 77, UMass Lowell 75The River Hawks (11-2) had won nine straight. Yet the Rams (4-7) were feisty throughout — and then Brayon Freeman sent it to OT. He finished with 17, while Ishmael Leggett (19) hit the decisive free throws in OT.

UNC Greensboro 75, Marshall 67The Spartans (5-6) had four players in double figures as the pulled away late to snap the Thundering Herd's win streak at nine. Taevion Kinsey led Marshall (9-2) with 24.

3. There's D in SEC

There are usually 2-3 standout SEC defenses each season. That's what happens when schools routinely recruit 5-star prospects and turn 'em loose on teams.

But this season, the top of the SEC is on another level. Example A:

Throw in Arkansas and Alabama (teams with perhaps the longest, most athletically gifted players) and Kentucky's individually superb freshman Cason Wallace, and you've got six teams that give opposing coaches nightmares. Per KenPom, the SEC boasts the Nos. 1, 5, 8, 9, 10 and 15th-rated teams in adjusted efficiency: Tennessee, Miss State, Kentucky, Auburn, Arkansas and Bama. (Missouri gets steals, but not much else on defense.)

But while the numbers are impressive, how the teams play defense varies wildly. So with a little help from Terrence Oglesby, let's dive into those differences.

Start with Auburn. The Tigers lose the defensive player of the year in Walker Kessler and 6-10 Jabari Smith. So how have they continued to be a defensive threat?

"Johni Broome and Yohan Traore aren't Kessler and Smith, but they're still pretty good," Ogelsby said. "But what makes them so good, is when their two guards, Wendell Green and KD Johnson are pressuring the ball, they keep pressure. Even if they get beat, they're still pressuring you. They're willing to get beat, and they play hard enough to catch up."

That relentless ball pressure creates a fair amount of turnovers, but mostly funnels offensive players into rushed shots (opponents have an effective field goal percentage of 42.5, 13th in D-I) or blocks. As long as Auburn speeds up the other team, it has an advantage.

Contrast that with Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs play slow (331st in pace) and are an extremely physical, aggressive team. There's no such thing as a good shot against Miss State (39.7 effective field goal percentage). Teams come away exhausted because they get beaten up, which is coach Chris Jans' goal. As TO says, Jans likes "rugged, kinda mean guys." That personnel plus the scheme has pushed them to a historic start.

The Hogs and the Tide might not exert the same effort on every play as the other elite defenses, but that's because they're playing with more future pros than just about any other team. When your roster features a bevy of guys who range from 6-5 to 6-10, they can gamble for steals because they know they can recover.

Same with Kentucky, though the Cats haven't flashed the same defensive excellence as their SEC cohorts quite yet. Most of their values derive from the 6-4 Wallace disrupting passing lanes and Savhir Wheeler hounding point guards. As their younger, long players (Chris Livington, Daimion Collins, Ugonna Kingsley) develop, we'll see the Cats emerge as a more familiar defense. (Kingsley already blocks shots at an absurd rate.)

Then there's Tennessee. Glorious, disgusting Tennessee.

Anyone who's watched the Vols stymie Maryland and Kansas this season knows they might be the nastiest team to play. They're allowing 81.3 points per 100 possessions (adjusted), five points lower than Rutgers, which boasts the No. 3 defense on Kenpom. How do they do it?

"Every cut is bumped. Every pass is met," Oglesby says. "Some guys can play that style and some guys can't. And [Rick] Barnes has a group that can do it across the board. Almost. Take Zakai Ziegler. He's small, but he's built like a brick. He's able to constantly keep guys off balance because he's so strong."

It's fascinating to contrast the styles that deliver similar results. And it's also a relief to know that the whole league doesn't feature the same level of defense. Otherwise, fans might not be able to watch any of it.

4. Volunteering for a superb home-and-home

College basketball's nonconference schedule added a delightful December addition for next season.

Tennessee and Illinois announced a home-and-home series starting in 2023 on Dec. 9 at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Illini will then host the Vols on Dec. 14 in 2024.

It's the kind of series that delights fans, interests media, and is a good opportunity for both teams to play a Top 25-caliber opponent without any real NCAA Tournament seeding repercussions. The winner gets a (probable) Quad 1 win and the loser won't get punished because of the quality of opponent. A win-win, as they say.

"In addition to benefiting our team, it is great for college basketball – and especially the fans – to have high-level games like this played on college campuses," said Illinois coach Brad Underwood.

Also cool? The teams haven't played since Jan. 17, 1988, and only three times overall. Tennessee won the first two meetings; Illinois took that 1988 matchup.

Another note for 2023 scheduling: The field for the 2023 ESPN Invitational in Orlando is nearly finalized. Thus far, it includes Virginia Tech, Iowa State, Butler, Texas A&M, Penn State, VCU, Boise State, and a to-be-determined MAAC team.

All seven of those teams will feature NCAA Tournament-worthy rosters next season, barring any significant portal moves.

5. UCLA's trip could turn frosty

How does a Southern California team fare during a mid-December trek to the East Coast? We're about to find out

UCLA (8-2) heads east for a 9 pm ET game tonight (FS1) against Maryland, then heads to NYC for a Saturday showdown against Kentucky (5:30 pm ET, CBS). The forecast? Cold and wet, with a healthy dose of defense. When the Bruins last left the state, they went 0-2 in Las Vegas.

This time, at least David Singleton knows he needs to bring a coat. From the LA Times:

Silly writer stuff aside (after all, basketball is played indoors), the two games will indicate UCLA's improvement since its losses to Illinois and Baylor last month. Its offense is no longer sluggish and the defense has forced turnovers — ideal options for Mick Cronin's team.

But it'll need to be ready for a Maryland team that's coming off its first two losses of the season and will be primed in front of its home crowd. And how do the Bruins handle Kentucky's size with freshman Adem Bona still adjusting to the college game? It might be more pleasant outside.

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Catching fire

If UAB isn't college hoops' best mid-major team, it's certainly its most entertaining. When you've got Jelly Walker leading D-I in scoring (24.9 ppg) and Eric Gaines doing stuff like this, it's easy to buy the Blazers (7-2) as an NCAA Tournament-caliber team. Or at least one that could play in the SEC. UAB already beat Georgia this season. When it welcomes South Carolina to Birmingham this evening (7 pm ET, CBS Sports Network), it'll almost certainly be 2-0 vs. the SEC by the end of the night.

Other games to watch (All times ET)

• UCLA (8-2) at Maryland (8-2), 9 pm (FS1)

• UCF (7-2) at Ole Miss (7-2), 7:30 pm (ESPN+)

• Western Kentucky (8-1) at Louisville (0-9), 9 pm (ESPN2)

And for those looking to betting insights for tonight's games, don't miss The Field of 68's Best Bets show today at 1 pm ET.

Superb sequel

Tommy Lloyd's first season in Arizona — 33-4, swept the Pac-12 titles and snagged a 1-seed in the Big Dance — was one for the ages. Season 2 is just as good.

Despite losing three players to the NBA, the Wildcats are 8-1 and once again boast the country's most efficient offense. That beautiful ball movement that opens up great looks for big men Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo? That's a credit to Lloyd, who Rob Dauster says is the best coach in the nation.

Do Randolph Childress and John Henson agree? Watch for their takes in this AFTER DARK segment.

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

Links as you watch yet another hilarious Mike Leach (RIP, coach) interview.

• The legal process to resolve charges against Texas coach Chris Beard reportedly could take a year.

• Bryant junior Kvonn Cramer is home after an extended stay at a Cincinnati hospital, the school announced.

• Sounds like the Pit will be sold out for New Mexico's game against Iona.

• The UC Regents will announce today if it will allow UCLA to move to the Big Ten.

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