'Clone wars

There were only 27 games Tuesday night, but with all the individual performances, dramatic finishes, and busted streaks (take a bow, Georgetown!), we ended up with a packed Field of 68 Daily. So let's dive right in.

1. Cyclones whip up offense, stop K-State

Iowa State's built on its defense — that physical, unyielding, no-middle defense.

But some nights, offense is fun too.

The Cyclones' 80-76 win against No. 5 Kansas State on Tuesday didn't have a ton of flash, just a steady, efficient performance that saw them score 1.2 points per possession. That was Jaren Holmes (8-of-11 from the field, 23 points) hitting mid-range jumpers, or Gabe Kalscheur (7-of-11, 19 points) hitting big 3s, or Osun Osunniyi (4-of-7, 16 points) cleaning things up inside. Even when they missed a shot, they were still efficient.

It all helped No. 12 Iowa State score 49 second-half points for a crucial home win, creating a three-way tie atop the Big 12 with K-State and Texas. It also marked its fifth Top 25 triumph of the season and is one of seven programs with six or more victories against the Top 25 since 2021-22.

OK, I lied. There was a little flash.

But Iowa State needed every bit of that — because Kansas State simply would not go quietly.

The Wildcats (17-3, 7-1) trailed 59-49 with 8:12 remaining when guard Markquis Nowell spurred a 10-1 run that cut it to 60-59 barely two minutes later. Nowell, who finished with 23 points and nine assists, kept making things difficult on the Iowa State defense. But every time they pulled within a basket, Iowa State answered.

“I thought this was just an unbelievable Big 12 game," K-State coach Jerome Tang said afterward. "I'm very proud of our guys for how we responded, how we played with poise at the right time. I always say big-time players make big-time plays at big-time moments. And I thought that the young man (Gabe Kalscheur) that hit that shot coming up out of the timeout was incredible. (Jaren) Holmes was also incredible. And big fella (Osun Osunniyi) down the stretch, we didn't have an answer for one. We will get better, but very proud of my guys.”

2. Skid snapped: Georgetown finally wins a Big East game

It took 682 days, but Georgetown finally won a conference game. Not that it was easy.

The Hoyas (6-15, 1-9 in the Big East) battled with DePaul all night. They traded buckets and kept flirting with small leads, but a 17-5 run late in the second half gave them a 12-point lead with 99 seconds remaining. Time to relax and enjoy the victory, right?

Nah. This is Georgetown, a program that had lost 29 consecutive Big East games. Here's a good summary of how DePaul (9-12, 2-7) nearly pulled off a wild rally.

A Caleb Murphy 3-pointer cut the lead to three with eight seconds remaining, but the Hoyas caught a break and inbounded the ball to Primo Spears with nary a DePaul defender in sight. He ran four seconds off the clock, hit two free throws, and sealed the 81-76 win (and prompted a court storm).

“Coach Ewing kept emphasizing the message just stay in the fight, keep believing," Akok Akok said afterward. "Some of the points that he’s made are pride and having pride in wearing the Georgetown jersey. That’s just a couple things that are important within our program, so just sticking in the fight and keep believing in our teammates and our coaches. I think that’s what led us to a win tonight."

Spears led Georgetown with 21 points, while Umoja Gibson led DePaul with 24.

Whether this impacts Patrick Ewing's coaching future with Georgetown (unlikely) or leads to more wins (maybe Feb. 22 vs. St. John's?) is immaterial. For now, the Hoyas can just enjoy this.

3. The Emoni Bates show, and other results

...

Sorry, been staring at what Emoni Bates did during the first half of Eastern Michigan's 84-79 defeat at Toledo. Kind of at a loss.

What's more impressive: That Bates scored 29 points in a half and only missed four shots, or that his teammates only had six points? Bates did "cool" off in the second half, hitting "just" five of nine shots and finishing with a season-high 43 points (the most by a MAC player since 2018.) It's saying something that the Eagles (4-16, 1-6 in MAC) even had a chance to win against the Rockets (14-6, 5-2), who entered as 20.5-point favorites.

More results to know:

North Carolina 72, Syracuse 68The Orange (13-8, 6-4 in ACC) had a moment where their biggest win of the season was in sight. They erased a 10-point second-half lead and led 68-67 when UNC's Pete Nance missed a free throw with 19 seconds left. Joseph Girard dove for the loose ball, which funneled right to Nance, who hit a layup. And when Judah Mintz got the ensuing pass, he drove for what could have been the game-winning shot but was called for a charge and a flagrant foul with 10.7 seconds left. Credit RJ Davis with a game-saving play for the Heels (15-6, 7-3), who've won four straight.

TCU 79, Oklahoma 52After running away from Kansas on Saturday, the Horned Frogs (16-4, 5-3 in Big 12) kept their foot on the gas for an equally impressive win against Oklahoma (11-9, 2-6). They weren't as hot from deep, hitting 6-of-17, but that's still well above their season average. Mike Miles led No. 11 TCU with 23 points.

Texas 89, Oklahoma State 75Marcus Carr scored 21 points as No. 10 Texas pulled away from Oklahoma State (11-9, 3-5 in Big 12). The Longhorns (17-3, 6-2) are now in a three-way tie atop the Big 12, with games against Baylor and K-State next week — not to mention Saturday's showdown at Tennessee in the Big12/SEC Challenge.

Rutgers 65, Penn State 45Playing at the RAC continues to be a welcome sight for the Scarlet Knights (14-6, 6-3 in Big Ten). They held Penn State (13-7, 4-5) to just 33 percent from the floor, including a miserable 4-of-26 from beyond the arc. Rutgers got 16 points and 10 rebounds from Cliff Omoruyi and maintain sole possession of second place in the conference.

Illinois 69, Ohio State 60The Illini (14-6, 5-4 in Big Ten) are 5-1 and have an average win margin of 9.5 points since making their offensive adjustments. The Buckeyes (11-9, 3-6) didn't have enough offensive firepower to stretch out the Illinois defense, which held the Buckeyes to 36.7 percent from the field.

Kentucky 69, Vanderbilt 53The Wildcats (14-6, 5-3 in SEC) continue to look more and more like the team that was expected in the preseason. They hit 56 percent of their shots, kept Sahvir Wheeler paired with shooters (when he was on the floor), and had the defense cooking. Next up? Kansas on Saturday.

Clemson 72, Georgia Tech 51Let's not overthink this. The Tigers (17-4, 9-1 in ACC) handled one of the conference's bottom dwellers, which is exactly what you'd expect of the No. 24 team, ACC leader and a squad that's won nine of its past 10.

NC State 85, Notre Dame 82Terq Smith played 39 minutes just three days after his scary fall against North Carolina. He couldn't connect — he was 2-of-14 from the field — but still finished with 17 points (thanks to 11 free throws) and had six assists, including this beauty.

Smith didn't need to score when Jarkel Joiner (28 points) could lead the way for NC State (16-5, 6-4).

Missouri 89, Ole Miss 77The Tigers (15-5, 4-4 in SEC) had their most efficient offensive night since Dec. 28, hitting 16-of-30 3-pointers in an easy win. Isiaih Mosley scored a season-high 20, while D'Moi Hodge led all scorers with 24.

Arkansas 60, LSU 40The Hogs (14-6, 3-5 in SEC) won their second straight and did it with defense. The Tigers (12-8, 1-7) were held to just 25 percent from the field, while the 40 points were the fewest ever scored by a Matt McMahon-coached team.

Miami 86, Florida State 63The Seminoles (7-14, 5-5 in ACC) had won two straight and looked to finally be a team that could be a factor in the ACC race. No more. No. 20 Miami (16-4, 7-3) dropped 54 first-half points on the Noles and finished with all five starters in double digits.

Boise State 63, Fresno State 53All five Broncos scored in double figures, led by Marcus Shaver Jr's 16 points as Boise State (16-5. 6-2 in MWC) benefitted from Fresno State's shooting woes from behind the arc (2-of-25) and stayed on SDSU's heels in the Mountain West race.

Northern Illinois 84, Kent State 76The Huskies (8-12, 4-3 in MAC) scored 49 second-half points on the MAC's top defensive team, one of the more impressive results you'll see all week. David Coit led all scorers with 32 points. The loss snapped a 10-game win streak for Kent State (16-4, 6-1).

Akron 73, Miami (Ohio) 68Xavier Castaneda scored 32 points as the Zips (14-6, 6-1) outlasted the Redhawks (7-13, 1-6) and grabbed a share of the MAC lead, thanks to Kent State's loss.

Southern Illinois 68, Murray State 64The Salukis (17-5, 9-2 in MVC) got 19 points from Lance Jones and 17 from Marcus Domask to win their fifth straight and stay atop the Mo Valley. There were a few heated words exchanged after the game, though.

Drake 70, Indiana State 68The Sycamores (13-9, 6-5 in MVC) trailed for nearly the entire game, and were down 44-26 at halftime. Yet Courvoisier McCauley's 3-pointer with 17 seconds left gave them their first lead. Only it didn't last. The Bulldogs (16-6, 7-4) got the W in dramatic fashion.

4. It's just Antoine and Pistol

Antoine Davis knew he'd hit several NCAA milestones this season. But he spent the last month literally shooting up the all-time scoring ranks.

The Detroit Mercy senior is now at 3,288 career points. He's passed eight players since Christmas, including former NPOYs Doug McDermott (3,150) and Lionel Simmons (3,217). The latest was 70s standout Freeman Williams (3,249), who Davis shot past on Saturday during a 42-point outburst against IUPUI.

That only leaves Pistol Pete Maravich (3,667) ahead of him. Not too bad.

"It's just about having fun and relaxing," the fifth-year guard says. "Through everything, I've found a way to have fun throughout this whole experience. I don't think about what's gonna happen after this is over. I just live in the moment with everything."

So. About that last month.

Davis leads D-I in scoring at 26.4 ppg but has averaged 31 points a game since Dec. 31. He topped 30 points four times in that seven games, including back-to-back 40-plus point games on Jan. 14 and over the weekend. Davis is taking shots (160 field goal attempts!) but making them; his 42 percent from beyond the arc boosted his scoring and pushed him to No. 1 for all-time 3-pointers made.

It was the type of scoring run Titans coach Mike Davis watches and wonders how any opponent could slow Antoine down.

"When you watch college basketball, you don't see teams doubling one guy and trapping one guy," Davis says. "They'll box-and-one him and face-guard him all over the court, and he's figured out how to get shots.

"But you know what? He's prepared for it. There's a quote that says 'Preparations plus opportunity equals success.' And that's what he's done. He's been preparing for this since eighth grade."

Mike Davis, as many know, is also a proud dad. He has watched Antoine grow from a toddler at the Final Four (from when Mike coached Indiana) to a 24-year-old who relentlessly works on his shooting and skills.

"We used to do 3,000 1-on-1 drills a month. 600 a week," Mike says. "And then he drilled against every type of player he could face. Little and quick. Strong and quick. Long and athletic. He knew he could get the smaller guys and knew he could get the 6-11 guys."

That's left Davis as a well-rounded, explosive scorer, even though shooting remains his calling card. If he's to catch Maravich — 379 points ahead — he'd need to average about 34 points in his final 11 games to have a chance (pending how far Detroit Mercy goes in the Horizon League tournament).

Antoine knows that total is probably out of reach, but quite honestly, he's more focused on trying to end the season with a few more wins rather than points. He knows those will come.

"I'm going to come close," he says. "He's the No. 1 scorer of all time, and I feel like I'm the No. 1 scorer of my generation. To put it in perspective, I'm going to be No. 2 and No. 2 is something a lot of people can't say."

5. Like father(s), like son(s)

Bronny James got the headlines, but he was far from the only familiar name on the 2023 McDonald's All-American list. At least for older fans.

Bronny (LeBron's son), Andrej Stojakovic (Peja), and DJ Wagner (Dejuan) all earned honors that were announced Tuesday. Even more fun (if you don't mind feeling old) is that LeBron and Dajuan also were McDonald's AA. Even cooler? That's now three generations of Wagners as DJ's grandfather, Milt, was a McDonald's AA in 1981.

The full list of 24 players is below.

There's a full rundown of all the players here, but some other notes:

• The consensus 5-star prospects who didn't make the cut: Rob Dillingham (Kentucky), Caleb Foster (Duke), AJ Johnson (Texas), TJ Power (Duke), Laydon Blocker (Arkansas) and Mikey Williams (Memphis). Dillingham was ineligible.

• Kentucky and Duke both have three on the list, most among all teams (shocker). That's 44 for UK since Calipari was hired.

• Only one (Matas Buzelis) has said he'll skip college hit the G-League.

• Stojakovic is Stanford's third (!) McDonald's AA in the last four years.

• Stephon Castle is UConn's first McDonald's since 2016.

• Colorado (Cody Williams) and Iowa State (Omaha Biliew) both have their highest-rated recruits this century.

• The game is March 28 in Houston.

Now the real fun begins

Xavier got off to a fast start in conference play, but the next three weeks could be a turning point. The Musketeers (16-4, 8-1 in Big East) head to UConn (16-5, 5-5) tonight in the first of two crucial road games (Xavier plays at Creighton on Saturday). Sean Miller's team could still win the Big East even if they drop both games this week, but taking 1 of 2 — or even both! — would go a long way. And UConn? Coach Dan Hurley wants his Huskies focused and ready. And would love it if they'd stay off social media. (6:30 pm ET, FS1)

Other games to watch (All times ET)

• Houston (18-2) at UCF (13-6), 7 pm (ESPN+)

• Samford (14-7) at Furman (15-6), 7 pm

• Wisconsin (12-6) at Maryland (12-7), 7 pm (Big Ten Network)

• West Virginia (11-8) at Texas Tech (10-9), 7 pm (ESPNU)

• Wake Forest (14-6) at Pitt (13-7), 7 pm (ACC Network)

• Utah State (16-4) at San Diego State (15-4), 11 pm (CBS Sports Network)

Road Warriors

The trips in College Hoops To Go — the Field of 68's road odyssey that features Greg Waddell and Carter Elliott driving to all the Big Ten venues — have covered hundreds of miles thus far. But the latest "journey" is gonna drag down that average. Have a watch.

A new episode of College Hoops to go drops every Tuesday at 10 am ET. Subscribe to The Field of 68 on YouTube so you don't miss out.

Links as you check to see how many of the Oscar-nominated movies you've already seen.

• Green Bay fired coach Will Ryan. Assistant Freddie Owens will be the interim coach the rest of the season.

• Tom Izzo on the portal, depth and so much more.

• Could Trayce Jackson-Davis hit heights not seen since Tim Duncan?

• Mississippi State will have four players in attendance Saturday when it commentates the 60th anniversary of the "Game of Change."

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