No doubt about No. 1

It was a PACKED weekend of college hoops games and news, so we’re making this version of the Daily free. Consider it an early Christmas present. Of course, if you want to give the Daily as a gift, that’s easy to do. Just click the button below.

Let's dive in.

1. It’s all sunshine in the Arizona desert

Arizona hadn’t played a game as the nation’s top team in nearly a decade. It was more than ready.

Not only did No. 1 Arizona put up a rarely seen number on No. 23 Wisconsin, it did it efficiently (1.29 points per possession), and in waves during its 98-73 victory. Over a 20-minute span, the Wildcats had scoring runs of 12-2, 9-0, 13-4, which were the result of just about everything you’d want. Three-point shooting, fast-break points, balanced scoring, and nasty, nasty defense.

“The snowball happened, it kept getting bigger and bigger, and it was hard for us to get it under control,” said Wisconsin coach Greg Gard.

Was it a game where seemingly everything went Arizona’s way? Sure.

But plays like that came only after the defense did its job. Arizona (8-0) held the Badgers to .96 ppp and 41% from the field. And this was a Wisconsin team coning off wins over Marquette and Michigan State. The result was Arizona’s largest margin of victory against a ranked team since 2002.

“I just love this group,” coach Tommy Lloyd said afterward. “I love the force we play with, I love the depth we have. Obviously, I love the physicality. It’s been one of the best groups I’ve ever been around at executing a game plan, and that’s been really cool. And that’s really cool as a coach, because you and your staff spend so much time scheming and how do you want to do certain things. When you’ve got players that walk in and take it serious and go out and make it happen? I mean, that makes us look good. And it’s all about them.”

As long as Lloyd’s around, Arizona’s going to have a stellar offense. It ranked 7th and 10th in his first two seasons at Tucson, and its fifth this season. No matter who’s playing (only Pelle Larrson and Oumar Ballo have been there all three seasons), the Wildcats hit the offensive glass (38.9 OR% this season), pass the ball (their 63.4 A% this season is their lowest under Lloyd), and hit shots.

However, the difference this season, as noted, is the defense.

Its kenpom.com adjusted defensive efficiency (89.8) only trails Houston, while it jumped two spots to second overall Saturday. The only larger jump was the 4.26 EM after beating Duke last month.

Few teams are deeper — Arizona’s bench plays 37% of its minutes, 57nd in D-I — and can turn to athleticism (KJ Lewis), size (Motiejus Krivas) and experience (Jaden Bradley) if a starter struggles. But there’s also nothing wrong with the starters.

Transfer Keshad Johnson offers a defensive upgrade from Azuolas Tubelis, Kylan Boswell’s playing like a Top 10 point guard, and Caleb Love is playing within the system, and producing like a future NBA player. He logged 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists and one turnover in 28 minutes on Saturday.

The best part (at least if you’re a hoops fan trying to understand just how good Arizona can be) is that the Wildcats will keep getting tested this month. They’ll play No. 4 Purdue on Saturday (in Indianapolis), Alabama on Nov. 20 (in Phoenix) and No. 11 FAU on Dec. 23 (in Las Vegas). (Also, the Pac-12 might actually be good this season?)

Run that gauntlet, and Arizona’s headed for an all-time season.

2. Saturday* sorted some of the unbeatens

*OK, it wasn’t just Saturday.

Princeton suffered its first setback of the season on Sunday, but it wasn’t anything like Saturday when BYU, Colorado State, TCU, Cincinnati and Nevada all lost, leaving just seven unbeaten teams in men’s D-I hoops: Houston, Arizona (see above), Baylor, Oklahoma, Clemson, James Madison and Ole Miss.

I’ll breakdown those seven in Tuesday’s Daily — who loses last? — so I can detail the weekend results here.

There’s no shame in TCU’s 74-66 loss to Clemson (the 9-0 Tigers might be the best team in ACC), and Xavier’s 84-79 win over Cincinnati (7-1) was a rivalry game. Records usually don’t apply there.

Princeton (9-1) was a slight underdog at St. Joe’s, which took Kentucky to OT last month and had won four in a row, including over Villanova. The Tigers weren’t bad (47% from the field, 42% from deep), and if they’d made some free throws down the stretch (just 2-of-6 in the final 1:54) they might’ve pulled it out.

Perhaps Colorado State’s 64-61 home loss to Saint Mary’s (5-5) shouldn’t have been a surprise. The No. 13 Rams (9-1) were playing without guards Jalen Lake and Josiah Strong (injuries) and played a Saint Mary’s team that was about as desperate as it gets for a quality win.

They trailed for nearly 30 minutes, and were down by nine just just under 7 to play. CSU didn’t have its usual offensive rhythm (though it had a few sparks), and coach Niko Medved said they end up playing too much one-on-one. A trip to Loyola Marymount on Dec. 22 is sandwiched around two non-D-I games, meaning they have time to adjust before hosting New Mexico on Jan. 2.

Perhaps Utah beating No. 14 BYU also shouldn’t have been a surprise. The Cougars (8-1) were just a 3.5-point favorite on the road and Utah (7-2) boasted more experience (five senior starters) and size (BYU still had 17 offensive rebounds, but was slightly lower than its usual 38% ORrate).

But mostly? I think Utah was just due. It played well in its only two losses (Houston and St. John’s), and was glad to have 7-footer Branden Carlson back after he missed Tuesday’s win against Southern Utah.

By far, the biggest surprise was Nevada.

The Wolf Pack (7-1) were slight favorites against Drake (9-1) in Henderson, Nev., but their 72-53 loss was just about everything coach Steve Alford didn’t want to see. They committed 19 turnovers, were just 37% from the field and were outclassed in just about every area.

3. Take note of these four wins

Memphis hasn’t played at home in nearly a month. And it doesn’t have big man Jordan Brown (sick the last two games). Yet the Tigers (7-2) won at Texas A&M (7-3) on Sunday, something only one team’s done in the last two seasons. David Jones scored 29 points, and they held A&M’s leading scorers, Wade Taylor IV and Henry Coleman III., to just 15 points, half their usual average.

Not bad for a team that looked lost in the Battle 4 Atlantis final just a few weeks ago.

“We’re excited because we know what we just accomplished … but man its our sixth game on the road, we’re kind of exhausted,” coach Penny Hardaway said.

No. 19 Oklahoma (9-0) also logged a nice win over an SEC opponent, taking down Arkansas, 79-70, at home on Saturday.

Javian McCollum stuffed the box score with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists in a game where the Sooners dominated the first half, holding Arkansas (6-4) to just 29.6% from the field and taking a 15-point lead. It got to the point where Razorbacks coached Eric Muselman was ejected just five minutes into the second half for arguing with officials.

Rob Dauster thinks the Sooners can win the Big 12. I’ll just leave that there.

Saturday’s most entertaining game? Probably Purdue’s 92-86 win over Alabama in Toronto.

The Tide (6-3) caught fire in the first half, connecting on 13 3-pointers, the result of terrific ball movement and a fast pace. Yet Purdue (9-1) only trailed by two at half, an indication of the inevitable force coming.

Zach Edey was a monster (yet again), scoring a season-high 35 points in front of his hometown crowd (and delighted mom). Alabama was physical with him, and tried to play one-on-one when it could, but it didn’t work. Big men Mo Wague and Nick Pringle both fouled out in just 29 combined minutes, leaving Bama guard Mark Sears (35 points) to carry most of the scoring load.

Alabama ended up 19-of-46 (41%) from deep, and made more 3s than it even attempted 2s (10-of-18).

Braden Smith (27 points) also delivered on big buckets down the stretch, using Alabama’s attention to Edey to either hit 3s (4-of-7) or jumpers from the elbow.

It wasn’t all bad for SEC teams on Saturday. In fact, Tennessee’s 86-79 win over No. 20 Illinois was a much-needed W for a team with three losses. Sure, those three losses have been to Purdue, Kansas and UNC, but the Vols (6-3) needed this one. So they went out and grabbed it.

Dalton Knecht (21 points) scored eights points over a four-minute stretch in the second half where Tennessee flipped a four-point deficit into a six-point lead by holding Illinois (7-2) scoreless and controlling the paint. You know, Tennessee-type things.

“(Tennessee) whooped our butt on the glass in the second half,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said.

It wasn’t just the glass. Illinois had its worst offensive performance since last February. This is the Vols team we expected to see.

4. Racial slurs mar Norfolk State-Illinois State game

The focus of Norfolk State’s 64-58 win over Illinois State wasn’t the final score. It was about alleged racial slurs that came from fans during the game.

Norfolk State’s Jamarii Thomas — who was awesome, scoring a game-high 31 points — had comments directed at him during the second half. That didn’t sit well with his coach, Robert Jones, who confronted Illinois State coach Ryan Pedon in front of the scorer’s table. Both got technical fouls, and the fans were ejected.

"I’m not letting anybody call my players a racial slur," Jones said on Twitter. "Those are my kids and I will fight for them. We have come too far in society to be called the 'N-word' at a college basketball game."

Pedon posted an apology on Sunday, via the team’s Twitter/X account. The school did the same, and is investigating the incident.

5. USC loses in Bronny’s debut + other results

Bronny James made his college hoops debut on Sunday, scoring 4 points, grabbing three boards, a couple steals and a block that gave folks a little deja vu.

In all, not bad for the freshman guard. But not for the Trojans (5-4), who dropped their second straight in an 84-79 OT loss to Long Beach State. Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier combined for 29 points on 9-of-29 shooting, and USC had just .95 ppp.

More results to know:

UConn 101, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 63
Alex Karaban’s career-high (26 points) helped the Huskies (9-1) blitz the Golden Lions (4-7). No. 5 UConn outscored them 68-32 over the final 22 minutes.

Kansas 73, Missouri 64
After back-to-back games where the Jayhawks (9-1) crushed the Tigers (7-3), this one needed all the little plays to pull it out. Like a chase-down block from KJ Adams, who led KU with 17 points. Even without a rout, Kansas still relished the win.

Washington 78, Gonzaga 73
The Huskies (6-3) got some friendly bounces in their comeback win over Zags (7-2), who led by 11 in the second half, but made just one of their final 12 shots.

Creighton 109, Central Michigan 64
Somehow, this wasn’t even a season best for points, or points per possession (1.5) for the No. 10 Bluejays (8-1), who hit 15-of-31 from deep and got career-highs from Isaac Traudt (18) and Mason Miller (17).

Duke 80, Charlotte 56
The No. 22 Devils (6-3) scored a season-high 45 first-half points on 57% shooting, and Jared McCain (21 points, a career-high) became the fifth Duke player to top 20 points this season.

Kentucky 81, Penn 66
Penn hung tough in front of a Philly crowd, but freshman big and Philly native Aaron Bradshaw (playing in just his second game of the season) delivered on the big stage —17 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in just 29 minutes — as the Wildcats (7-2) won.

Colorado 90, Miami 63
Even without Cody Williams, the Buffs (7-2) handed Miami (7-2) its worst loss of the season. Tristan da Silva just missed a triple-double, finishing with 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

Nebraska 77, Michigan State 70
The Spartans’ 4-5 start is tied for the worst by a preseason AP top 5 team over the last 40 years. Tom Izzo might start playing his bench warmers.

Ole Miss 70, UCF 68
The Rebels (9-0) are the first D-I team with five 1-possession wins in their first nine games since Georgia in 2010-11. It’s also their best start since 2007-08.

Auburn 104, Indiana 76
The Hoosiers (7-2) led 22-10 … then made one shot the rest of the half en route to a game where Auburn (6-2) scored 1.39 ppp, a season-best.

Butler 97, Cal 90, 2 OT
The Bulldogs (8-2) recovered from a slow start and led by as many as 11 in the second half, but looked like it would fall in OT until Jahmyl Telfort’s runner in the lane forced double OT. For the Bears (3-6), they’ve lost five of their last six. Two of which came in OT, the other three by a combined nine points.

San Diego State 63, UC Irvine 62
Micah Parrish played the hero yet again against the Anteaters (6-4), hitting a tough lay-up in the final 11 seconds. Playing without Jaedon LeDee, it erased a 5-point deficit in the final 45 seconds, and gave the Aztecs (8-2) their fourth win this season in OT or on a last-second basket.

Kansas State 75, LSU 60
The Wildcats (8-2) notched their largest win in a road game since 2019 behind Cam Carter’s game-high 21 points. Not bad after the off-court drama for them this week.

Penn State 83, Ohio State 80
The Buckeyes (8-2, 1-1 in Big Ten) were rolling to their 8th-straight win. But Penn State (5-5, 1-1) snapped a five-game skid thanks to a 54-point second half that erased an 18-point deficit. Ace Baldwin scored just nine points, but hit the biggest shot of the game.

Florida 87, Richmond 76
Will Richard hit three 3-pointers in a 90-second span to helped the Gators (6-3) win their second straight. The Spiders (5-5) got 17 each from Isaiah Bigelow and Neal Quinn.

Fordham 60, North Texas 59
Abdou Tsimbila’s buzzer-beating dunk capped a wild comeback for the Rams (5-5), who trailed by 12 at the half. The Mean Green (5-4) got 19 from Jason Edwards.

Akron 77, Northern Kentucky 76
That wasn’t the only game-winning dunk of the weekend! Enrique Freeman skied to give the Zips (6-3) a big win in what was Ali Ali’s first game of the season (and was another awesome video).

St. Bonaventure 89, Siena 56
That’s five straight wins for the Bonnies (7-2), who claimed the Franciscan Cup in convincing fashion. They’ve scored at least 1.37 ppp in three of their last four games. Mika Adams-Woods scored a game-high 23. He’s made his last 19 of 20 shots, including 10 straight 3s.

George Washington 76, Coppin State 45
The Revs (8-2) held Coppin to just 26% from the field and have their best start since 2015-16.

New Mexico 93, Santa Clara 76
Donovan Dent scored 22, his fourth 20+ outing this season as the Lobos (9-1) won their 8th straight. They held Santa Clara (7-3) to .93 ppp, their second-worst showing of the season, and have their most efficient defense in 2015, a rarity for them.

San Diego 89, Arizona State 84
The Toreros were nursing a two-point lead when Kevin Patton Jr. pulled off a move befitting a men’s pick-up league. That was after Deuce Turner and PJ Hayes each scored 23 en route to a 61 (!) points in the second half against the Sun Devils (6-3).

Recovery day

It’s a good night to catch up on Christmas shopping, work on holiday cards, put up more lights, whatever’s waiting. Just one game is on regional/national TV. And I feel bad for what awaits the Delta Devils.

• Mississippi Valley State (0-9) at Gonzaga (7-2), 9 pm ET (ROOT Sports)

Point of order?

Tyrese Proctor might miss the next three weeks for Duke as he recovers from an ankle sprain. Is this a good thing for the Devils? Jeff Goodman, Rob Dauster and Terrence Oglesby debate.

Subscribe to The Field of 68 on YouTube here and subscribe here to AFTER DARK

Links as you decide where you’d stand during Taylor University’s “Silent Night” tradition.

• Rumors swirled over the weekend that Michigan coach Juwan Howard had an altercation with an assistant coach. It appears to be a heated debate, and not physical. The school says Howard remains the coach.

• Former K-State forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin is officially in the portal.

• The NCAA denied Adam Miller’s waiver request at Arizona State. ASU will appeal.

• Add VCU to the schools exploring or taking legal action against the NCAA for waivers. This one’s for Joe Bamisile.

• Belmont-Middle Tennessee State was delayed by a tornado on Saturday night.

• It’s December, and New Mexico’s played two teams with “Santa” in their name? Hmmmm.

• Jordan Brown reportedly is done at Memphis. Coach Penny Hardaway says Brown is just sick.

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