A season on the brink

Eight ranked teams played Tuesday night, but none of them were 20-point favorites at home and lost. And when that team's Kentucky, well, there's only one place to start.

Let's get to the news.

1. Kentucky's fading, failing season

The cracks in Kentucky's season started showing in November. Things started shaking in December. And in 2023, everything's collapsing.

The Wildcats, coming off a 26-point loss at Alabama, suffered one of the biggest upsets under John Calipari, falling 71-68 at home to South Carolina. The Gamecocks (8-8, 1-2 in SEC) entered as 20-point underdogs — and left as the latest team to derail Kentucky's season.

Kentucky played without forward Jacob Toppin (out with a shoulder injury) and lost freshman Cason Wallace early in the first half due to a back injury.

But that would discount South Carolina, which played with purpose. It led from the jump, opening a 21-8 lead just seven minutes into the game. Freshman GG Jackson was the story early, driving at the Kentucky defense and finishing with 16 points. But Meechie Johnson's career-high 26 points carried the day and gave S.C. its first win at Rupp in 14 years.

The Wildcats are now 10-6 and 1-3 in the SEC, their worst start to conference play since 1986-87. At this point, they're projected to win eight conference games and finish just over .500 overall. To say things have soured would be an understatement. I mean, fans are being ejected at home games for signs intended for Calipari that say, "Please go to Texas."

What's next for Kentucky — besides months of speculation about Calipari's future and NCAA Tournament bubble talk? For starters, a trip to No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday, where things are unlikely to improve.

But after that, UK plays three winnable games (home against Georgia and Texas A&M, then at Vandy) before playing host to Kansas on Jan. 28. This is probably the last gasp to fix that cracking foundation.

2. Kansas, the comeback kings

For the second time in its past four games, Kansas trailed in the second half by double digits at home. And for the second time in its past four games, the Jayhawks pulled off a dramatic win, beating Oklahoma 79-75 on Tuesday night.

No. 2 Kansas (15-1, 4-0 in Big 12) was down 10 points with 5:19 left but closed the game with a 16-4 run behind some defense — Oklahoma missed six of its final seven shots — and some overdue makes of their own. At one point in the second half, the Jayhawks scored three times as many points from the free-throw line (18) as from the field, resulting from nearly 20 missed layups.

“Give OU credit,” coach Bill Self said afterward. “They did everything you’re supposed to do to win a game on the road. They controlled tempo. They played smart. For the most part, they took care of the ball. They did a lot of good things. What else could they have done?

“We’re so happy that we won, but that’s about as poor as we’ve played in a long time.”

Oklahoma (10-6, 1-3) wasn't sharp offensively. Grant Sherfield, who scored a game-high 25 points, was their only consistent threat. But it didn't matter because of the Sooners' defensive pressure on shots — Kansas was just 37 percent from their field, its worst outing since losing to Tennessee — and face-guarding Gradey Dick throughout the game. He was just 1-of-8.

Credit KJ Adams (a career-high 22 points) with initiating the rally. His two-handed jam out of a timeout raised the noise level. Then he grabbed two offensive rebounds on the next possession that ended with a Jalen Wilson 3-pointer and cut the deficit to five points. A Dajuan Harris jumper, two more Adams buckets and a Kevin McCullar Jr. layup gave Kansas the lead it didn't give back.

The other key part of the rally? As CJ Moore points out, it was Kansas leveraging OU's blanket coverage of Dick.

Kansas remains tied with K-State and Iowa State atop the Big 12. In another week, that could change. The Cyclones visit Lawrence on Saturday, and the Jayhawks head to K-State on Tuesday.

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3. More results to know from Tuesday

At one point Tuesday night, four ranked teams either lead or trailed by a basket at halftime. All four pulled out wins. Guess the season is now a little less strange?

Tennessee 77, Vanderbilt 68The No. 5 Vols (13-2, 3-0 in SEC) broke open a 1-point halftime deficit thanks to its defense — what else? They outscored Vandy (8-7, 1-1) 14-2 in the first seven minutes of the second half, holding it to 1-for-10 in that span. Julian Phillips and Santiago Vescovi both led the Vols with 15 points.

Iowa State 84, Texas Tech 50After grinding out a couple of wins, the No. 14 Cyclones (13-2, 4-0 in Big 12) had their best offensive game of the season, scoring 1.23 points per possession against the Red Raiders (10-6, 0-4). Gabe Kalscheur connected on 10-of-14 field goal attempts for a season-high 25 points. Oh, Iowa State also did some work on D (of course), holding Tech to a season-low .73 points per possession.

Kansas State 65, Oklahoma State 57The No. 11 Wildcats (15-1, 4-0 in big 12) won their last two games with their incredible offense. They turned up the defense against the Cowboys, holding them to just 33 percent from the field, including a 3-for-25 night from their guard tandem of Bryce Thompson, Avery Anderson and John-Michael Wright. Markquis Nowell went for 20 points and 7 assists, including this filthy dime to Keyontae Johnson to close things out.

Michigan State 69, Wisconsin 65Quietly, the Spartans (12-4, 4-1 in Big Ten) have won seven in a row and are tied atop the Big Ten. Joey Hauser led Michigan State with 20 points (on just 8 shots), while Steven Crowl led the No. 18 Badgers with 20 points. Wisconsin (11-4, 3-2) has lost two straight, both of which were without forward Tyler Wahl.

Illinois 76, Nebraska 50In the two games since point guard Skyy Clark left the program, the Illini offense has re-emerged. Terrence Shannon scored 25 points, while Illinois (10-5, 1-3 in Big Ten) had four other players hit double figures. Those two games have also resulted in more run for Ty Rodgers, who earned praise from coach Brad Underwood.

Virginia 65, North Carolina 58The one took a turn after just a minute.

Without Bacot inside, the Tar Heels (11-6, 3-3 in ACC) gave Jalen Washington significantly more minutes (season-highs in 27 minutes and 13 points), but offense was a struggle against a physical (UNC fans would say "hacking") Virginia defense. The No. 13 Cavs (12-3, 4-2) held UNC to 39 percent from the field and got 17 points from Ben Vander Plas.

Auburn 82, Ole Miss 73The Tigers (13-3, 3-1) pulled away from the Rebels (8-8, 0-4) behind Wendell Green (23 points), Johni Broome (19 points, 11 boards) for their second straight win.

San Diego State 74, Nevada 65Matt Bradley scored 17 points, Lamont Butler added 15, and the Aztecs held Nevada (14-4, 4-1 in MWC) to just 39 percent from the field. SDSU (13-3, 4-0) is now alone atop the league, with New Mexico coming to town on Saturday.

St. John's 77, Butler 61The Red Storm snapped a five-game skid in a big way, getting an efficient 20 points (10-of-13 shooting) and 10 rebounds from Joel Soriano. We'll see if they can maintain momentum as St. John's (12-6, 2-5 in Big East) visits UConn on Sunday.

DePaul 65, Villanova 65For the first time in 15 years, the Blue Demons (7-9, 1-4 in Big East) beat Villanova, dropping the Wildcats below .500 in January for the first time since 2012. Da'Sean Nelson led DePaul with 24 points and 8 rebounds and forced 14 'Nova turnovers, a TO rate more akin to what UConn and Iowa State did.

Seton Hall 66, Georgetown 51That's 27 consecutive Big East losses for the Hoyas (5-13, 0-7). Seton Hall (10-8, 3-4) got 24 points from Al-Amir Dawes and won its second straight.

Dayton 82, Fordham 58The Flyers (12-5, 4-0 in A-10) might run away with the A-10 at this rate. Dayton won its seventh straight game and has won all four of its conference games by at least 12 points. DaRon Holmes tied his season high with 32 points on 12-of-15 from the field. Hear more about what's working for Holmes here. Also, this was something else.

Kent State 75, Toledo 63Miryne Thomas scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, while Sincere Carry added 21 points as the Golden Flashes (13-3, 3-0 in MAC) took down one of their biggest challengers in the MAC by clamping down at the end of the game. The Rockets (10-6, 1-2) missed 10 of their final 12 shots.

4. Finding joy

Here's a story that's great to see: Saint Louis' Terrence Hargrove Jr. is finding joy amid depression.

And this was no small thing, either. Hargrove Jr. was struggling in the worst way.

“I was in a don’t-care moment. That’s when I wanted to throw in the towel but I couldn’t do it — like suicidal, done,” he said, via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I really had a lot of suicidal thoughts during that time. I was in my room alone a lot. That’s what scares me. That’s why I hate to be alone sometimes. Those are things I didn’t share with many people.”

So when he posted this on Monday, it was a sign of someone who, slowly but surely, is becoming more at peace with himself.

Athletes' mental health is discussed now more than ever before, which is a great thing. Heck, more discussion around mental health, in general, is a great thing. It's good to read that Hargrove Jr. has found ways to help himself. I just hope others can do the same. (There's a reason we have that ad above. We get paid to run it, but it is an imprtant reminder for people to prioritize mental health.)

5. Could the American snag three Big Dance bids?

Bracket season is heating up. You'll see a different projection pretty much every day from one college hoops outlet or another from now until Selection Sunday. The variance among brackets isn't massive, but there's one thing most agree on: Only the power conferences and the Mountain West deserve more than two bids.

That makes the American a fascinating conference to watch.

No. 1 Houston's vying for a 1-seed. That's clear. But where does that leave Memphis and UCF, which play tonight in Orlando?

For now, the Knights (12-4, 3-1) are seemingly in a better position for an at-large bid. They're 36th in the NET and boast slightly higher metrics. That season-opening loss at home to UNC Asheville will be a black mark (it's currently a Quad 4 loss), yet if they hold court against Memphis, that may be enough (barring any other bad losses, of course).

UCF certainly counts as one of the sport's surprising teams this season, rising from 85th to 36th on KenPom, with solid wins against Oklahoma State and at Ole Miss.

And Memphis? The Tigers (12-4, 2-1 in AAC) entered the season as a team that could potentially push Houston for the top spot in the conference thanks to their experience and the addition of Kendric Davis. None of their losses are bad, even if coach Penny Hardaway seems awfully concerned about his defense.

Right now, both teams are projected to finish at 12-6, with at least two more AAC losses. That seems dicey for an at-large bid, but in a strange season (and with a win against Houston) that might be enough.

Scary flight for UC Davis

UC Davis was set for its trip to Northridge for a Wednesday night game when it had to adjust.

That's from Scott Marsh, a broadcaster for SacTownSports 1140.

Bear down

It's fun (for some fans) to think about the possibility of all 10 Big 12 schools getting into the NCAA Tournament. Every school is currently in the Top 41 on KenPom and in the top 60 of the NCAA's NET ratings, meaning every road game is a chance for a Quad 1 win. And that'll be crucial when Baylor (10-5, 0-3 in Big 12) travels to West Virginia (10-5, 0-3) tonight. The Bears haven't had a start like this since Scott Drew's second season in 2005-06. If they drop to 0-4, does that remove any margin for error for an at-large bid? (Same thing applies to West Virginia, but as the home favorite, it's in better shape.) It'll be fascinating to watch. (7 pm, ESPN+)

Other games to watch (All times ET)

• UConn (15-2, 4-2 in Big East) at Marquette (13-4, 5-1), 7 pm (CBS Sports Network)

• Charleston (16-1, 4-0 in CAA) at UNC Wilmington (14-3, 4-0), 7 pm

• Alabama (13-2, 3-0 in SEC) at Arkansas (12-3, 1-2), 7 pm (ESPN2)

• Creighton (9-7, 3-2 in Big East) at Xavier (13-3, 5-0), 7 pm (FS1)

• Indiana (10-5, 1-3 in Big Ten) at Penn State (11-5, 2-3), 7 pm (Big Ten Network)

• Pitt (11-5, 4-1 in ACC) at Duke (12-4, 3-2), 7 pm (ACC Network)

• TCU (13-2, 2-1 in Big 12) at Texas (13-2, 2-1), 9 pm (ESPN2)

• Boise State (12-4, 2-1 in MWC) at UNLV (12-3, 1-2), 11 pm (CBS Sports Network)

Who will the Horns hook?

As Texas moves on from Chris Beard, what's the right move for the basketball program? Is it Bruce Pearl? Jerome Tang? Or perhaps a darkhorse candidate like Pat Kelsey?

Rob Dauster, John Fanta and Terrence Oglesby discuss what might work best for Texas.

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

Links as you wait in line for some Girl Scout cookies:

• Houston sophomore guard Ramon Walker is taking some personal time away from the team.

• Indiana is banged up right now, but freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino is rapidly developing.

• Bob Huggins is not pleased with Jose Perez's waiver process.

• Also unhappy right now? Big Ten coaches about league officiating.

• Watch Northern Illinois' Kaleb Thornton make this basket -- while holding his shoe.

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