Statement night

It's nights like Tuesday that make The Field of 68's AFTER DARK show essential viewing. Record-setting performances, teams vying to be No. 1 and an unbeaten team falling from the ranks? If you can't wait for the Daily to land in your inbox, you'll need AFTER DARK, which you can watch on YouTube, or on Twitter.

Let's get to the news.

1. K-State's K.O.

When Kansas State hired Jerome Tang last year, he talked all offseason about the Wildcats making the NCAA Tournament this season, despite losing All-Big 12 guard Nijel Pack. For a team that was 14-17 and ninth in the Big 12, it sounded bold, to say the least.

Maybe it wasn't bold enough.

K-State turned in the most impressive performance of the night — maybe the season — with a 116-103 win at No. 6 Texas. Some stats to chew on:

• The 116 points are the most by an unranked team in a road win against a Top 10 team in the AP poll era (1948-49)

• The Wildcats shot 60 percent from the field, 54 percent from beyond the arc and 94 percent from the FT line, becoming the third team in the last decade to score 115 points with that line. But the previous two were Utah against Mississippi Valley State and Florida State vs. Nicholls State.

• K-State scored 58 points in the first half; it didn't do that in an entire game last season against Texas. Its points per possession (1.41) were also the most Texas has ever surrendered in the KenPom era. 

“They play really fast, right? And they push it at you. And there's this old saying that a pressing team doesn't like to be pressed. Well, a team that plays downhill normally doesn’t like to have it done to them," Tang said afterward. "And so, our whole plan was, let's play with pace. They want to play with pace, we want to play with pace, and I thought at several positions, we were quicker than they were going in. And so, I thought it showed out there tonight.”

It wasn't like Texas (12-2, 1-1 in Big 12) went away. It outscored K-State 63-58 in the second half, led by Marcus Carr's 27 points. But that first half was too much to overcome as the Wildcats (13-1, 2-0) won their seventh straight game and are 2-0 in league play for the first time since 2013-14.

Markquis Nowell led K-State with 36 points, while Keyontae Johnson added 28.

2. Making the case for the new No. 1

Purdue's loss on Monday means we'll have a new No. 1 team in the AP Poll next week. Tuesday night presented a couple of candidates.

The reigning champs might be the obvious choice after a 75-72 win at Texas Tech.

No. 3 Kansas controlled much of the game, leading by 12 early in the second half. The Jayhawks (13-1, 2-0 in Big 12) moved the ball crisply on offense (22 assists on 31 made field goals), got 18 points from Dajaun Harris (5-of-5 from deep) and were able to limit much of what Tech wanted to do offensively. So, as the AFTER DARK crew noted, it's an easy call for No. 1, right?

But there's a reason why the Red Raiders (10-4, 0-2) had won 29 consecutive home games. Lubbock's a rowdy, sometimes nasty place to play (the students chanted "F--- You, Kevin" to Kevin McCullar most of the night), and the players feed off that energy. As a result, a 10-point KU lead dwindled to 1 in the final two minutes. Another Kevin, Kevin Obanor, was impressive throughout, scoring a game-high 26, including a bucket that cut it to 73-72 with 1:03 remaining.

However, Kansas never panicked, even when Gradey Dick missed a late 3-pointer. It forced a Tech turnover, got a bucket and the win. 

As a result, Kansas earned yet another Quad 1 win and won its seventh straight game. It might not have closed out like a No. 1 team, but it certainly could make the move. The Jayhawks have been one of the sport's most consistent and impressive teams most of the season.

So what about Tennessee?

The No. 8 Vols (12-2, 2-0 in SEC) looked the part of a No. 1 team in their 87-53 win against Mississippi State. It was in Knoxville, but the Vols might've felt at home just about anywhere on the planet last night.

They jumped out to a 16-0 lead, and midway through the first half, they were holding the Bulldogs (11-3, 0-2) to just 9 percent shooting. Nine percent.

That's not unusual for Tennessee, which boasts the nation's most efficient defense and now has seven wins by 30+ points this season. It also brought its A game on offense. Five players scored in double figures (Santiago Vescovi was tops with 14), and that didn't include Josiah-Jordan James, who played for the first time since Dec. 4.

If the Vols piece together more consistent offensive nights like that, they're deserving of the top spot in the polls (they are the only team to beat Kansas, too). No. 2 Houston is the most likely candidate to take No. 1, but I wouldn't rule out Tennessee. I'm not the only one, either.

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3. No more unbeaten teams, plus other Tuesday results

It says a lot about Tuesday's slate of 24 games that it took until now to get to D-I's last unbeaten team losing.

Fresno State 71, New Mexico 67And then there were none. The Bulldogs (6-8, 1-2 in MWC) took down the last unbeaten team this season, with four players in double figures. Additionally, they limited the Lobos to a season-low .95 points per possession. Jamal Mashburn Jr. led No. 21 New Mexico (14-1, 2-1) with 22 points, while Jaelen House had 16 and became the fourth member of his family to top 1,000 career points.

Pittsburgh 68, Virginia 65Nike Sibande scored 16 points as Pitt (11-4, 4-0 in ACC) remained tied atop the ACC with an impressive second-half rally against the No. 11 Cavs (10-3, 2-2). Blake Hinson also had 16, Jamarius Burton added 15, and Federiko Federiko grabbed 11 boards and fortified the interior defense. Kihei Clark led Virginia with 17.

Also, love that Pitt did their part to keep alum Damar Hamlin (still in critical condition after his collapse during Monday night's NFL game) in their thoughts, both on their pregame t-shirts and after the game.

Kentucky 74, LSU 71The final seconds tortured Big Blue Nation, but the Wildcats (10-4, 1-1 in SEC) held off the feisty Tigers for a much-needed victory. LSU (12-2, 1-1) trimmed a 10-point second-half deficit to just 1 point with under two minutes left. Kentucky looked to stave off the rally until Chris Livingston fouled LSU's Cam Hayes on a 3-pointer in the final 10 seconds. That opened the door for a series of free throws and would-be 3s, but LSU didn't get off a good look as time expired. Jacob Toppin led the Cats with 21 points.

Wisconsin 63, Minnesota 60The No. 14 Badgers (11-2, 3-0 in Big Ten) survived the Gophers (6-7, 0-3) and a Tyler Wahl second-half absence due to an ankle injury. But Wisconsin got 17 points from Steven Crowl and 16 points, 5 steals and 4 assists from Chucky Hepburn. It is 18-5 in its last 23 games decided by five points or fewer.

Creighton 83, Seton Hall 61That's three consecutive wins for the Bluejays (9-6, 3-1 in Big East), all by at least 15 points. Ryan Kalkbrenner led Creighton with 17 points, while Trey Alexander added 15.

Marquette 96, St. John's 85The Golden Eagles (12-4, 4-1 in Big East) started slowly despite the Johnnies' usual backcourt of Andre Curbelo (out) and Posh Alexander (not starting) not in play. They trailed by seven at halftime before O-Max Prosper keyed a big second half with 25 of his game-high 29 coming then. 

Michigan State 74, Nebraska 56With Malik Hall in the lineup, the Spartans (10-4, 2-1in Big Ten) are 5-1 — the latest win a no-doubter against the Cornhuskers (8-7, 1-3). Tyson Walker led MSU with 21 points and will enter Saturday's game against Michigan on a five-game win streak.

Syracuse 70, Louisville 69The Cardinals (2-13, 0-4 in ACC) had a golden opportunity for their first ACC victory, trading late baskets with the Orange (10-5, 3-1) in the final four minutes. But the final sequence summed up all the struggles Louisville's had this season.

Boise State 67, San Jose State 64The Broncos (11-4, 1-1 in MWC) survived a rally by the Spartans (11-5, 2-1), who trailed by 12 in the second half. But Marcus Shaver's 3-pointer (his only one of the game) proved to be the difference.

Central Michigan 68, Miami (Ohio) 56Perhaps the most deceiving score of the night. The Redhawks (6-8, 0-1) led most of the game and only trailed by four with just under a minute left. But the Chippewas (6-8, 1-0) hit 13 free throws in that span, eight of which came after three technical fouls on Miami.

Kent State 80, Western Michigan 72Jalen Sullinger scored 18 off the bench as the Golden Flashes (11-3, 1-0 in MAC) won their conference opener for the first time in three seasons. Tray Maddox Jr. led the Broncos (4-10, 0-1) with 18 points.

4. NCAA will recommend bigger championship events

Want to cause panic among college basketball writers and die-hard fans? Mention NCAA Tournament expansion. 

The NCAA D-I transformation committee released its final report on Tuesday, which recommended that 25 percent of teams should compete in championship events. That's specific for sports with at least 200 schools — which means the Big Dance could go from 68 teams to potentially 90 teams. Shall we check in on the typical response?

Let's set aside that the NCAA board of directors still has to approve any such move. Or that the current TV deal that runs through 2032 would make any immediate changes incredibly difficult. 

Would an expansion really be awful? 

We've previously covered this in the Daily, including a perspective from Richmond coach Chris Mooney. The tournament has always expanded. It's gone from 8 teams to 16 to 22 to 25 to 32 to 40 to 48 to 52 to 53 to 64 to 65 and to its current 68-team field. That's 12 expansions since 1939 and nothing significant since it went to 64 in 1985. 

Is 64 an ideal number to accommodate 32 automatic bids (for 32 leagues) and 32 at-large bids? Sure. But let's set aside idle fantasies that are never happening. If expansion can produce more basketball, I'm open to that. Put another way, why can't more be better? If it can send more mid-major programs to the Big Dance? Hell yeah. That's not some naïve opinion, either.

John Gasaway wrote an expansive article yesterday on that very topic, explaining that, yes, Virginia, there would be more mid-majors in the NCAA Tournament. That alone makes it worthwhile, IMO. 

Maybe you disagree, and that's fine. But change is the only real constant we have in this world. And if this change brings about a handful of extra basketball games in March, then what's everyone so angry about? 

5. Patrick McCaffery taking some time

Iowa posted this Tuesday evening.

And followed it with a release that included a statement from his dad and coach, Fran.

“Patrick is one of the millions of people who battle through anxiety on a daily basis. It has become more noticeable on and off the court over the past couple weeks. Patrick has the full support of his family, coaches, teammates, and administration as he fights through this. All of us admire his courage and willingness to be open about this struggle and we hope others know that they are not alone. We will be with him every step of the way.”

Take your time, Patrick. Basketball's always secondary to a person's mental health. Anxiety is no joke and affects far more people than we ever know. Here's hoping some time helps him.

Give it up for these true-shooting stars

In case you hadn't noticed, we've tried to regularly spotlight graphs/charts/lists that detail interesting college hoops data. The latest iteration dives into the true shooting (a calculation of FG%, FT% and 3-point%), which frequently favors big men, but can feature guards who hit a high number of 3s or guys who are just good at all three.

The caveat is that it's usually not high-usage players. So it's always interesting to see the exceptions, such as Oumar Ballo (uses 23 percent of Arizona's possessions and takes 22.8 percent of its shots). But scroll to the bottom for the real star.

Missouri forward Kobe Brown is a high-usage, true-shooting king. He's making 66 percent of his 2s, 46 percent of his 3s and is 80.5 percent from the line, all while taking nearly a quarter of Missouri's shots. Is that sustainable over an entire season? Maybe not. But it's worth saluting now.

Lucky, or good? Or both?

There is no shortage of terrific matchups on Wednesday night. (Man, I love conference play.) And it's not just the power conferences. There are great games in the A-10, Mo Valley and a nice late tip in the MWC. But if you only have time for one game on Wednesday night, make it UConn at Providence (8:30 pm ET, FS1). The Friars (12-3, 4-0 in Big East) have won seven straight, three of which came away from the AMP. UConn (14-1, 3-1) is coming off its first loss of the season and hasn't played at the AMP since 2013. To say it'll be a rocking crowd will be an understatement.

Other games to watch (All times ET)

• Duke (11-3, 2-1 in ACC) at NC State (11-4, 1-3), 7 pm (ACC Network)

• Penn State (11-3, 2-1 in Big Ten) at Michigan (8-5, 2-0), 7 pm (Big Ten Network)

• Illinois (9-4, 0-2 in Big Ten) at Northwestern (10-3, 1-1), 9 pm (Big Ten Network)

• TCU (12-1, 1-0 in Big 12) at Baylor (10-3, 0-1), 9 pm (ESPN2)

• Missouri (12-1, 1-0 in SEC) at Arkansas (11-2, 0-1), 8:30 pm (SEC Network)

• Saint Louis (9-5, 1-0 in A-10) at UMass (9-4, 0-1), 7:30 pm

• Drake (11-4, 2-2 in MWC) at Southern Illinois (11-4, 3-1), 8 pm

'That league is nuts, man. That league is nuts.'

Forgive us if we sound like a broken record, but the Big 12 is really, really good. Every team is ranked in the Top 44 on KenPom, and the league could conceivably place nine teams in the NCAA Tournament.

Rob Dauster, Terrence Oglesby and John Fanta discuss the absurdity of the league's depth and what it'll take to win the conference.

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

Links to click as you wonder if Zion Williamson will ever play a full NBA season.

• Georgetown reportedly has the money for a Patrick Ewing buyout, but is unlikely to do so during the season.

• Saint Mary's added Australian wing Rory Hawke for the rest of the 2022-23 season.

• Keon Coleman will stick to football and won't play for Michigan State after all.

• States ranked by the average D-I men's NET ranking.

• Recommendations from the NCAA transformation committee also include stronger health and safety guidelines, and altering how it allocates money from the NCAA Tournament.

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