Hoosier hype

As finales go, the ACC/Big Ten Challenge could've used a little more polish. There weren't any outstanding games Wednesday night. Still, Indiana showed its legitimacy, North Carolina's struggles continued, and Purdue showed it can be vulnerable. Plus, there was a late-night shocker for those following the unbeaten teams. 

Here's everything you need to know about the last day of college hoops in November.

1. Indiana leaves UNC feeling blue

When the ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchups were announced, it was a no-brainer to circle North Carolina heading to Assembly Hall to play Indiana. It's unlikely anyone thought North Carolina would be coming off back-to-back losses and falling in the polls, but if March taught us anything, it's that Caleb Love and RJ Davis can catch fire. 

Guess they didn't pack their kindling.

Indiana's 77-65 win wasn't perfect (the Hoosiers remain a sub-par 3-point shooting team), but it was just about everything else Mike Woodson's team could ask for. The Hoosier's defense forced the Heels into bad shots all night, holding them to just 20-of-59 from the floor. Love and Davis? A combined 9-of-27. 

With Armando Bacot a bit hobbled due to an ankle injury (and an apparent should injury from the first half), the only real offense came from Pete Nance, who scored nine of his 15 points in the first half. But he was the only thing keeping UNC (5-3) close.

So let's focus on Indiana (7-0). It is LEGIT! All-American forward, Trayce Jackson-Davis, who's dealt with back issues to start the season, didn't look injured. He went off for 21 points and 10 boards, displaying his usual athleticism and explosiveness, especially on the glass. 

It wasn't just TJD, either. Xavier Johnson (20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists) was able to enter the lane whenever he wanted, Trey Galloway (11 points) brought energy minutes off the bench, and freshmen Jalen Hood-Schifino was the early offensive catalyst and finished with 14. It's time to believe Indiana is a contender if you didn't already (I'm reminding myself right now.) 

2. We're down to a sweet 16 ... unbeatens

Three of the remaining unbeaten teams in college basketball fell short Wednesday, leaving just 16 as we hit December. Let's take a look.

Starting with Kansas State: Outside of Keyontae Johnson, the Wildcats (6-1) looked flat, scoring only 25 first-half points against a stout Butler defense. They put together a bit more offense but ended with a 76-64 loss. How did Butler (5-3) do it? It had 6-foot-11 center Manny Bates set the tempo on both ends, forcing disruptions in the paint, throwing down lobs and even knocking down a couple of jumpers. He finished with 22 points, 10 boards and three blocks. 

Let's stay in Indiana. Terre Haute, Indiana. Indiana State brought its electric offense to start the game, but guard Cooper Neese got hurt in the second half and Drake started settling in. The favored Bulldogs took their first lead with less than five minutes of action remaining -- Roman Penn was fabulous, scoring 32 points on 13-of-18 from the floor -- but the rowdy fans in Terre Haute and the fearlessness of Cam Henry carried Indiana State to a 75-73 win. Drake falls to 6-1 and 0-1 in Mo Valley play. Let me finish with this: Keep an eye on Indiana State freshman Robbie Avila, a 6-foot-11 freshman, who scored 16 points and grabbed eight boards in his first conference game. 

New Mexico shook off the trend by stunning Saint Mary's, 69-65, in Moraga — the Gaels' first non-conference home loss since Winthrop in 2019. The Lobos (7-0) were a 9.5-point underdog, a result of the game's location and their weak slate of opponents thus far. But we'll have to take Richard Pitino's team seriously with the guard duo of Jamal Mashburn, Jr. and Jaelen House, paired with the dominance of Morris Udeze inside. 

3. A challenging ACC/Big Ten challenge, plus more results

Pour one out for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. You had a good 20 years. And in true throwback style, the ACC won the event, 8-6, ending the Big Ten's three-year run.

Duke 81, Ohio State 72: The Blue Devils (7-2) wiped off the stench of Sunday's loss with an impressive win against Ohio State (5-2). It was all Blue Devils, who got 16 points from projected first-rounder Kyle Filipowski. Winning in Cameron Indoor is never an easy task, so Ohio State fans shouldn't feel too down about the team's future. 

Purdue (79), Florida State (69): Florida State played its best game of the season, limiting the unbeaten Boilermakers (7-0) throughout before running out of gas in the final six minutes. National player of the year frontrunner Zach Edey scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds against 7-4 Naheem McLeod. So when you tell Edey to pick on somebody his own size, pull up the Florida State tape. 

Miami 68, Rutgers 61: The Scarlet Knights (5-2) looked like they would pull off an impressive road win, but Miami (7-1) used its defense to turn the tide. Rutgers scored just seven points over the final 11 minutes. Jordan Miller and Norchad Omier both scored 17 points to lead the Canes.

Nebraska 88, Boston College 67: Did anyone actually watch this game? Nevertheless, Nebraska pounded Boston College thanks to 23 points from Keisei Tominaga. 

Notre Dame 70, Michigan State 52: While Notre Dame isn't known for defensive prowess, limiting Michigan State to only 52 points is impressive. The Spartans still are without starters Malik Hall and Jaden Akins, so that's worth noting, but the game was never close. Cormac Ryan channeled his NCAA Tournament form with 23 points in the victory. 

Colorado State 87, Loyola Marymount 71: Isaiah Stevens returned from a foot injury a month ahead of schedule as the Rams (6-2) ran away with this one. John Tonje led them with 23 points. Stevens played just 19 minutes, but displayed his usual explosiveness. Don't discount CSU in the MWC race.

TCU 75, Providence 62: Damion Baugh returned from a six-game suspension and helped the Horned Frogs (6-1) handle the Friars (5-3) in perhaps their best performance thus far. Eddie Lampkin logged a double-double (16 and 12).

Texas Tech 79, Georgetown 65: Don't be deceived by the final score. The Red Raiders (5-2) led by more than 20 points, but the Hoyas (4-4) cut it to one with 5:42 left. Tech had to turn the defensive pressure back on to pull away.

VCU 70, Vanderbilt 65: Ace Baldwin returned after a four-game absence — he had two screws inserted into his right wrist — but didn't miss a beat. He scored a career-high 28 points on 7-of-14 shooting, along with four assists. The Rams (5-2) were in control for much of the second half, but Vanderbilt (3-4) did cut the lead to three with eight minutes left. Then this happened.

VCU hit four free-throws as a result, killing much of the Commodores' momentum. They made one more push, tying it at 61 with four minutes left, but the Rams held on.

St. Louis 80, Tennessee State 63: Yuri Collins dished a school-record 20 assists as the Billikens improved to 6-2.

Dayton 67, Western Michigan 47: The Flyers (4-4) snapped a three-game losing streak, and did it without starting guards Malachi Smith and Kobe Elvis, both of who are out for the foreseeable future with injuries. It didn't matter. The Broncos (2-6) couldn't match Dayton's size inside as DaRon Holmes and Toumani Camara combined for 41 points.

George Mason 81, Hofstra 77, OT: The Patriots (4-4) earned their best win of the season, overcoming a slow start and 31 points from Hofstra's Aaron Estrada. Josh Oduro led Mason with 21 points, while De'Von Cooper added 13, 10 of which came in overtime.

UAB 80, Jacksonville 61: Jelly Walker, D-I's leading scorer, had 26 points as the Blazers (6-1) won their fifth straight.

Western Kentucky 75, Austin Peay 74: Emmanuel Akot had 20 points, and Jamarion Sharp added 18 points and six blocks as the Hilltoppers (7-1) survived a missed 3-pointer with four seconds left.

4. Setting the mood in Austin

Another leg of the Big 12/Big East Battle also gives us the game of the day at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. It'll be a massive test for Creighton's offense.

Let's start with the Longhorns (5-0). It's won all five home games by at least 15 points and dropped 93 on Gonzaga two weeks ago. That's been the only test for Texas — and it's also their best shooting performance this year. The Horns are shooting only 30.5 percent from deep this season, despite hitting 15-of-33 shots against Gonzaga. Is shooting an actual strength for Texas or did the Longhorns use some of MJ's Special Stuff for one night?

Contrast Texas with Creighton, which boasts one of the nation's most efficient offenses and incredible balance among their starting five. In Maui last week, the Blue Jays scored 1.21 points per possession against Texas Tech and 1.15 against the ultra-athletic Arkansas Razorbacks. Texas is statistically better than Tech and Arkansas defensively, but Creighton won't completely melt down facing tough defenses — history suggests it rises to the occasion. The Blue Jays' three backcourt starters, Ryan Nembhard, Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander are a combined 39-for-69 (54 percent) from 3 in seven games. Good luck stopping the Jays if the guards continue to light the net on fire from deep. 

Players to watch:

Tyrese Hunter: The Iowa State transfer is a bonafide star. He dropped 26 against Gonzaga while draining 5-of-8 threes, but he's only 5-of-17 from deep in his other four games. Was the performance against Gonzaga just one of the nights where Hunter could do nothing wrong, or is he a legitimate shooter? That'll get tested today. 

Baylor Scheierman: Some wondered if Scheierman could translate to the high-major level — the answer is a resounding yes. The 6-6 guard isn't running the point in Omaha but can light it up from outside and make pinpoint passes during fast-break opportunities. If the Blue Jays pull off the win, Scheierman needs to make at least three triples. 

The Moody Center will be rocking, but I think Creighton gets the win.

5. Conference games prior to December? 

The Missouri Valley and PAC-12 kicked off their conference slates yesterday, before hitting some more nonconference games. It's not a new thing, but as time goes on, more leagues have adopted the early-season league games instead of waiting until the New Year to fully ramp things up. 

Is this a net positive for the sport? Sure, I don't see the negatives in Arizona State and Colorado playing on Dec. 1st. Would you rather see two more evenly matched teams play or Colorado pay $60,000 to an Ohio Valley school to lose in Boulder by 20? College basketball could use excitement this time of year, as college football playoffs and bowl game season loom. 

Alabama's fabulous freshMAN

Few leagues boast better athletes than the SEC. It's loaded with long, explosive players who'll make a living playing basketball. And perhaps none of them is a better example of this than Alabama's 6-9 freshman forward Brandon Miller.

Projected as a 2023 NBA draft lottery pick, Miller leads the Tide (6-1) in points (19.6), rebounds (8.9), is shooting 48 percent from beyond the arc, and pretty much does it all. Even answer a few questions.

Q: What has surprised you so far?

Brandon Miller: I came into college and the word was his motor or he’s not big enough. I feel like none of those things have come back to me. I guess being able to finish through contact has been my biggest adjustment. I weigh 200 pounds now. I’d like to put on 15 pounds before I get to the next level.

Q: Why did you go to Alabama?

Brandon Miller: I grew up close to Nashville. Alabama is about three hours. What really got me is the coaching staff, how Nate Oats communicated with me and how we still do now. Our bond hasn’t fallen off. We kind of treat each other like we’re best friends. He’ll get on me but I can say something to him, or tell him when I think he’s wrong.

Q: Who do you think you play like? Is there a comparison you like?

Brandon Miller: I don’t try and model my game, but I try and steal some of Paul George’s moves. In and out cross, pull-up, a bunch of stuff he does.

Q: What do you like to do when you aren’t playing?

Brandon Miller: Sleep like a baby. I nap any hour I can get. I can crash right here. I slept on the way here. Chair reclined, head on the window. I watch a lot of Alabama football. I might play video games, some 2K. I never play Madden, I tend to lose at that a lot. I win at 2K.

Dad played football, brother played overseas and at Fisk University in Nashville. My dad played a year and then he got hurt. He was a tight end. I played quarterback in high school, I quit in 11th grade. I didn’t start my sophomore year, I was playing behind a senior. I loved it. I grew up playing three sports — football, baseball and basketball. I thought baseball was going to be the one. I pitched, played center field, short, third.

Miller and the Crimson Tide play host to South Dakota State on Saturday.

Start December off right

Creighton-Texas is the night's biggest game (that's why it got its own headline), but Kansas (7-1) hosting Seton Hall (4-3) ain't bad. The Jayhawks returned from a poor offensive showing at the Battle 4 Atlantis with their best shooting night of the season in Monday's win against Texas Southern. But Seton Hall is built different. It'll also be a team eager for a victory. It's lost two in a row and heads to Allen Fieldhouse in need of a resume win. (9 pm ET, ESPN)

Other games to watch (All times ET)

• UConn (8-0) vs. Oklahoma State (5-2), 6:30 pm (FS1)

• Northern Kentucky (3-4) vs. Youngstown State (5-1), 7 pm (ESPN+)

• Colorado (4-3) vs. Arizona State (6-1), 9:30 pm (FS1)

What can't Illinois do?

The Illini showed off its switchable, long defense in a win against Syracuse. The Orange had more turnovers (17) than made shots (15) and looked dead from the jump. As an offensive bonus, Illinois big man Coleman Hawkins posted a triple-double. Good day.

That kind of defense — not to mention an offense that's rapidly improving — is why Rob Dauster, Terrence Oglesby and Greg Waddell discussed what the upside is for the Illini this season.

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Links as you unscramble World Cup tiebreaker scenarios. 

• Ex-UConn coach Kevin Ollie, now with Overtime Elite, thinks the NCAA isn't the only route to develop players.

• What would outgoing NCAA President Mark Emmert have done differently?

• Marcus Bagley tweets about not playing, then gets suspended, then tweets about getting suspended.

• Devo Davis's absence from the team lasted... two days.

A gift for that special someone

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