Game of the Year

In the time it took you to open this newsletter, Jalen Wilson just drove right again and scored for the 950th time since last night. Plus, Oscar Tshiebwe is still dominant, a not-so-warm homecoming for Tyrese Hunter, and a look at any serious threats to Zach Edey's runaway case for NPOY.

When I was a kid, I loved ice cream. My parents would take me to minor league baseball games at our local team's stadium once a week, and I would beg for a trip to the concessions. Not for a hot dog or Gatorade, but just for one of those little miniature helmets filled with soft-serve ice cream. I loved it.

One of the first lessons I ever remember learning as a toddler was "if you eat it every day, it won't be as special anymore!" The classic parenting tale of moderation. In hindsight, my blood pressure is thankful that I didn't adopt a ONE ICE CREAM CONE A DAY diet for the past 29 years. But moderation doesn't really apply to college basketball. Give us all the buzzer beaters, all the time, from November through April. There is, however, one thing in the college basketball world that can only be consumed in moderation for the safety of men, women and children everywhere:

A Greg Waddell-written Field of 68 Daily. Welcome back, readers. I've missed you. Let's get to the ice cream news.

1. Kansas vs. Kansas State: a cinematic masterpiece

Yesterday's Daily referred to Kansas' ridiculous all-time numbers against in-state rival Kansas State, including its 29-5 record at Bramlage Coliseum entering Tuesday night's showdown between the No. 2 Jayhawks and Jerome Tang's No. 13 Wildcats.

*Lee Corso voice*

"Not so fast, my friends"

It was a thrilling contest from start to finish that felt more like an M. Night Shyamalan movie than a basketball game. Every time you thought you knew what would happen next, boom, there's a twist:

• Kansas State is up 12 early? Forget it.

• Kansas storms back to take the lead late, surely they'll win a close one yet again, right? Think again.

• Three Kansas starters fouled out before or in overtime, so Kansas State will just pull away, right? Oh, just wait.

If this was a film, Jalen Wilson played the star. And he was brilliant — playing all 45 minutes, tallying 38 points on 25 shots, adding nine rebounds for good measure, and prompting Shaq Edey-ans around the country to re-consider if the National Player of the Year race is as straightforward as we all thought it was before tonight.

As good as Wilson was all evening, the moment that may have decided the game was a Wilson shot that didn't count. With 40 seconds left in OT, and Kansas leading 82-81, the Jayhawks had the ball with the shot clock winding down. Wilson held the ball at the logo, and Bill Self rushed to call a timeout before Wilson threw up a 40-footer.

The whistle blew. The shot went in. Self and Wilson both laughed. And Kansas State had new life.

The Wildcats got the necessary stop, and Tang drew up a beauty of a set play that saw Markquis Nowell toss a lob pass to a spinning Keyontae Johnson (who would win Best Supporting Actor for his role as Wilson's nemesis in this cinematic masterpiece). Just watch.

Given the atmosphere, the Big 12 conference race implications, and Wilson and Johnson's performances, this 83-82 K-State win absolutely has a case for Game of the Year. Two Final Four contenders and incredible dramatic moments? Whether or not they get their magical moment in March, last night's result is one Kansas State fans won't soon forget.

Some footnotes before we move on because this game truly did have everything:

• Kansas State (16-2, 5-1) is now tied atop the Big 12 with Iowa State and Kansas (16-2, 5-1) and snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Hawks.

• Three different starters fouled out for Kansas, two in regulation (KJ Adams and Kevin McCullar), then Gradey Dick in overtime.

• This wasn't a poorly officiated game by any means, but 49 fouls were called. Down the stretch it seemed as if every possession ended in free throws.

• Nowell had an unusually quiet night. His four points in 42 minutes were his lowest total of the season.

• Gradey Dick stuffed the stat sheet - adding seven rebounds, four steals and two blocks to his 16 points, but he was just 1-for-8 beyond the arc.

• Our own Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster were on-site, documenting everything from the court storm to the pre-game signage.

2. Revenge is a dish best served gold (and red)

In the first four minutes of Texas vs. Iowa State, Cyclones point guard Longhorns point guard Tyrese Hunter notched six points and an assist before the under-16 media timeout. He hit a 3, finished an and-one, and looked ready to dominate in front of a not-so-friendly crowd "welcoming" him back for the first time since his transfer to Austin.

Hunter had nine points in the first eight minutes of the game, and Texas had a 20-11 lead, making the vaunted Iowa State defense look like someone erased the "State" from their school's name before tip-off and replaced TJ Otzelberger with three different men named "McCaffery".

It stopped there. The Cyclones suffocated Texas' offense, and especially Hunter. He scored just one point in the final 32 minutes as Iowa State (14-3, 5-1 in Big 12) stormed back to win, 78-67.

Three different Cyclones guards scored 16-plus points, led by Jaren Holmes (21), Caleb Grill, who would like Texas to call timeout (17), and Gabe Kalscheur (16). No Texas player had more than 12 points.

Iowa State leapfrogged the Longhorns (15-3, 4-2) in the conference standings and enter a three-way tie with Kansas and Kansas State. It also means it's time to take them seriously in the Otzelberger era. The turnaround (from 2-22 in 2020-21 to 22-13 last season, with a Sweet 16 appearance) appears complete. The Cyclones are a factor in the Big 12 race, and potentially even beyond. At the time of publication, Field of 68 private investigators, led by esteemed detective Dob Rauster, are still determining what fit is more snug — Otzelberger and Iowa State, or Otzelberger's biceps and his polo shirt sleeves.

3. There were other games on Tuesday night

Oh really, you don't say! Let's recap them speed-style.

Houston 80, Tulane 60Ho-hum, just your average 20-point road win for the game's No. 1 team. Marcus Sasser led the way for the Cougars (18-1, 6-0 in AAC)) with 23 points on 13 shots (7-of-12 from 3), but Jamal Shead added an efficient 14 points. Tulane's Jaylen Forbes did his best to keep the Green Wave (12-6, 5-2) in it, scoring 23 points and making four 3s, but this one was never really in doubt.

Alabama 78, Vanderbilt 66Enjoy Brandon Miller for the remaining time we have him in college hoops. His double-double (30 points and 10 rebounds) continues his dominant run as an unstoppable offensive force. No. 4 Bama (16-2, 6-0 in SEC) jumped out to a 13-3 lead, led by 10 at the half, and by as many as 23 in the second half. If anyone catches Houston atop the polls again this season, it may just be the Crimson Tide. And that doesn't even take into account what the team's been dealing with the past few days.

Tennessee 70, Mississippi State 59No. 9 Tennessee (15-3, 5-1 in SEC) bounced back nicely from the Kentucky debacle with a road win over Mississippi State (12-6, 1-5). Tied 23-23 at halftime, the Vols actually showed off some offense in the second half — 47 points against one of the nation's most physical and efficient defenses. Zakai Zeigler posted a new career-high 24 points, along with six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Big man Uroš Plavšić appeared to turn his ankle in the second half, which may be something to watch for the Vols going forward.

Wake Forest 87, Clemson 77Wake Forest (14-5, 6-2 in ACC) stormed to a 10-point halftime lead and never really looked back. Point guard Tyree Appleby was fantastic, with 24 points and seven assists in 40 minutes. Andrew Carr (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Cameron Hildreth (17 points, 10 rebounds) provided plenty of support. No. 19 Clemson (15-4, 7-1) was without point guard Chase Hunter, leaving PJ Hall and Hunter Tyson (41 combined points) without much support.

Baylor 81, Texas Tech 74Keyonte George made a run at "Best Keyonte/Keyontae of the Night," scoring 27 points on 15 shots and making five of 11 3s. When George plays well, No. 21 Baylor is incredibly hard to beat, but that holds especially true for a Texas Tech team that has just been OK offensively this season. Baylor (13-5, 3-3 in Big 12) led by as many as 16 points in the second half before Texas Tech chipped away at the deficit in the final four minutes. This marks six straight losses for the Red Raiders (10-8, 0-6), and three straight wins for the Bears.

Kentucky 85, Georgia 71Speaking of Kentucky, the Wildcats gave their fans more panic attacks in the first half against Georgia (13-5, 3-2 in SEC) before rallying behind a monster performance by last year's National Player of the Year, Oscar Tshiebwe. Big O dominated with 37 points and 24 rebounds, and Kentucky (12-6, 3-3) needed every bit of it to separate late. Sahvir Wheeler returned to action and played 11 quiet minutes off the bench.

Creighton 73, Butler 52Creighton (11-8, 5-3 in Big East) has won two straight and five of its last seven. It dominated a Butler squad (11-9, 3-6) that needs some help. The Bluejays were one Arthur Kaluma point from all five starters scoring double digits. A 21-point win for Creighton on a night when they only shot 31 percent from deep is a nice surprise, though that doesn't seem likely again.

Wisconsin 63, Penn State 60College basketball fans outside of the Big Ten may not have noticed Jalen Pickett much this season yet, but even in a losing effort, Pickett was extremely productive tallying 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in 40 minutes. Penn State (12-6, 3-4 in Big Ten) led by six at half, but went cold in the second. Wisconsin's Tyler Wahl returned to the lineup, but Steven Crowl was the star for the Badgers (12-5, 4-3), with 21 points and 11 rebounds of his own.

NC State 78, Georgia Tech 66Terq Smith scored 25 points and the Wolfpack (15-4, 5-3 in ACC) won their fourth straight as one of the few ACC teams exceeding expectations this season. Next up? A trip to Chapel Hill.

Boise State 77, Nevada 62All the Broncos do is win. Boise State (15-4, 5-1 in MWC) held the Wolf Pack (15-5, 5-2) to just 26 second-half points, and got a season-high 29 points from Max Rice. Dad Leon must have been bursting with pride on the sideline.

Utah State 75, UNLV 71The Aggies (15-4, 4-2 in MWC) outscored the Rebels 7-2 in the final 69 seconds. UNLV (12-6, 1-5) got 19 from Keyshawn Hall, but it couldn't match the 20 points from Utah State's Taylor Funk.

Kent State 77, Eastern Michigan 63Five players hit double figures for the Golden Flashes (15-3 5-0 in MAC), who've won nine in a row and has limited opponents to below 1 point per possession in eight of those nine games.

Dayton 68, Davidson 61The Flyers (13-6, 5-1 in A-10) took a minute to warm up, but rebounded from their first A-10 loss with solid defense (what else?) and another surprisingly solid offensive night, hitting 54 percent of their shots against the Wildcats (9-10, 2-5).

VCU 83, UMass 55The Rams (14-5, 5-1 in A-10) kept pace in the A-10 race with a resounding win against the Minutemen (11-7, 2-4). Five players were in double-figures, led by Jalen DeLoach's 19 points. VCU's won nine of its last 10 games.

4. About the National Player of the Year "race" ...

Purdue's Zach Edey has widely been considered a no-brainer favorite to win the National Player of the Year award. That is correct, and fair, and likely to actually happen at the end of the season.

But there's only one problem — that's not fun! We're supposed to have AT LEAST another month of debating all the hottest new commodities that take center stage any given night with a big performance.

Let's stretch our imaginations just a bit and rank the top four names you shouldn't forget about, in the event that aliens return to Earth and beam Zach Edey back up into the spaceship that he came from.

No. 1: Jalen Wilson, Kansas

Season stats: 19.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.6 assistsBest performance: 38 points, nine rebounds vs. Kansas State

The scenario where he wins NPOY: Wilson leads Kansas on a dominant run to a Big 12 title, winning the conference by three-plus games and averaging 25 points per night in the process.

Likelihood that this could happen: As likely as a semi-contested Gradey Dick corner 3. You won't blame him if it doesn't, but you're sort of expecting it to happen somehow.

No. 2: Brandon Miller, Alabama

Season stats: 19.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.9 assistsBest performance: 36 points, six rebounds vs. Gonzaga

The scenario where he wins NPOY: Alabama runs the table (or close to it) the rest of the way, asserting themselves as the obvious top team, the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, and Miller as an unquestionable first team All-American.

Likelihood that this could happen: As likely as it was that Alabama football would lose two games in one regular season. It might happen, but it's pretty unlikely until we see it with out own eyes.

No. 3: Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky

Season stats: 15.9 points, 13.1 rebounds, 1.3 assistsBest performance: 37 points, 24 rebounds vs. Georgia

The scenario where he wins NPOY: Tshiebwe keeps putting up 30 and 20 nights, and Kentucky goes from "they might miss the tournament" to "they might win the SEC" in the next month.

Likelihood that this could happen: As likely as it is that John Calipari is fired while operating under a lifetime contract at Kentucky. It's not going to happen, but goodness, imagine if it did.

No. 4: Drew Timme, Gonzaga

Season stats: 21.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.4 assistsBest performance: 32 points, 11 rebounds, five assists vs. Montana

The scenario where he wins NPOY: Gonzaga doesn't lose again in the regular season, and Timme posts a flurry of 30-plus point games that even people on the east coast have to take notice of.

Likelihood that this could happen: As likely as it is that Gonzaga doesn't win the WCC. Won't happen.

5. College Hoops To Go

Have you ever wished you could get an in-person look at what it's like to attend a game your favorite road college basketball venue? Have you ever dreamed of driving nine hours in a snowstorm to Lincoln, Nebraska? Then we have just the thing for you!

College Hoops To Go, a.k.a. the original college basketball travel show, stars me and my Sleepers Media co-founder Carter Elliott. Catch a new episode, live or on-demand, every Tuesday at 10 am ET on The Field of 68's YouTube channel.

We are headed to 10 different Big Ten road venues, and we go behind the scenes to show you everything: the arenas, the fans, the players and coaches, and even the post-game bar scene. Our first two trips gave us two overtime games, as we headed to Nebraska to see the Cornhuskers nearly beat Purdue in overtime, followed by a trip to Iowa City where Wisconsin got the best of Iowa (with no Kris Murray).

Episodes three and four will showcase Michigan at Michigan State and Michigan State at Illinois.

You can see all new episodes by subscribing to The Field of 68 on YouTube, and following The Field of 68 on Twitter.

You can also slide into my DMs and give me ideas for good roadtrip snacks, because Chunky Chips Ahoy isn't getting it done at the moment.

Providence vs. Marquette: Will the sequel match the first?

When Providence hosted Marquette in late December, the 103-98 double-overtime win for the Friars was a "cant catch your breath" thing of beauty. A month later, and both teams are ranked, with No. 22 Providence clinging to a 0.5-game lead over No. 20 Marquette for 2nd place in the Big East. Both teams need this one badly to keep pace with Xavier atop the conference. These teams have split each of the last two seasons, which could bode well for Marquette to get some revenge. (9 pm ET, CBS Sports Network)

More games to watch (All times ET)

• Arkansas (12-5, 1-4 in SEC) at Missouri (13-4, 2-3), 9 pm ET (SEC Network)

• Virginia Tech (11-6, 1-5 in ACC) at Virginia (13-3m 5-2), 7 pm ET (ESPNU)

• UConn (15-4, 4-4 in Big East) at Seton Hall (11-8, 4-4), 6:30 pm ET (FS1)

• TCU (14-3, 3-2 in Big 12) at West Virginia (10-7, 10-7, 0-5), 7 pm ET (Big 12 Network)

• Xavier (15-3, 7-0 in Big East) at DePaul (8-10, 2-5), 8:30 pm ET (FS1)

• Auburn (14-3, 4-1 in SEC) at LSU (12-5, 1-4), 7 pm ET (ESPN2)

• Bradley (12-7, 5-3 in MVC) at Indiana State (13-6, 6-2), 7 pm

Is it Bama? Or is it Purdue

The Crimson Tide are rolling through the SEC. The Boilermakers might win the Big Ten by 3-4 games. Both are driven by unstoppable scores flanked by ever-improving, reliable supporting casts.

But if you have to pick one — Alabama or Purdue — who would you choose? Rob Dauster, Terrence Oglesby and John Fanta debate.

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

Links while you practice kicking extra points in hopes the Dallas Cowboys will call you.

• The Northwestern-Iowa game for Wednesday has been postponed. About half the Wildcats have COVID.

• Ex-West Virginia assistant coach Larry Harrison says he was blindsided by the decision to let him go.

• In a wide open year, what's the wildest (realistic) Final 4 that you can see happening? Some fun answers in this thread.

• Michigan State's Malik Hall is out of his walking boot and may be back sooner than expected.

• Freshly moved to D-I, St. Thomas received a $75 million donor gift for a new venue, one of the 10 largest collegiate gifts ever received.

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