Your college hoops weekend recap 🏀

Feast Week may be over, but the weekend still delivered a healthy serving of hoops. It started with Baylor-Gonzaga on a streaming service typically associated with the Premier League and The Office, and it ended with a shocker in the Cornhusker State. Also in between was a fish-and-chips fracas, a cuppa tea combat, a British brouhaha — you get the point.

Let's get to the news.

1. Michigan loses to UK...in the U.K. Now what?

Heading into Sunday, the Michigan-Kentucky matchup in London had lost some of its luster. Instead of a battle between two heavyweights, the contest was characterized by two underwhelming teams hoping to answer some questions, particularly about the supporting casts surrounding their respective All-American big men.

However, as soon as the ball was tipped, fans were treated to a high-quality basketball game where both teams found a rhythm.

Michigan's Kobe Bufkin scored seven straight points in the first six minutes, draining a contested 3 and scoring a pair of baskets off of give-and-goes from Hunter Dickinson. Meanwhile, the junior big man showcased surgical passing out of double teams, using his gravity to find open shots for his teammates. The box score only credited Dickinson with one assist, but his cerebral play opened up Michigan's offense.

Nevertheless, following the season's trend, the Wolverine’s perimeter defense and point guard play kept them from winning. Kentucky guard Cason Wallace gave Michigan fits on both ends, exploiting his opponent's main issues. Wallace effortlessly got defenders on his hip and pushed the ball into the paint throughout the afternoon. He also caught fire from deep, draining all four of his 3-point attempts, including one that iced the game.

Defensively, he kept Michigan's guards out of the lane, particularly in the second half. His 14-point, 8-rebound, 5-assist performance laid the bedrock for Kentucky’s 73-69 win.

For Michigan, though, it’s not all doom and gloom. Despite Kentucky’s lack of big wins, it was (and is) still ranked fifth on KenPom, and the Wolverines went toe-to-toe with the ‘Cats on a neutral court. Dickinson has largely been dominant, while Jett Howard has translated immediately as a bucket-getter. Those two alone can likely will Michigan to the NCAA Tournament.

Still, developing consistency at the point will determine whether the Wolverines (5-3) can contend in the Big Ten. And this burden may fall entirely on freshman Dug McDaniel after Jaelin Llewellyn's apparent knee injury. The 5-11 freshman came to Ann Arbor with a reputation for dogged defense. But he flashed his offensive potential against Kentucky (6-2), hitting a 3 and a floater after Llewellyn went down.

With a higher upside than the veteran, perhaps McDaniel can key a Michigan resurgence.

2. Donta's inferno

From Purdue cracking the AP Top 5 to Ohio State deploying the nation's fifth-ranked offense to Northwestern playing stingy defense, the Big Ten has already defied preseason expectations.

Even considering all of those storylines, though, Maryland's hot start might be the most remarkable. After last season's 15-win debacle, the Terps were picked 10th in the Big Ten preseason poll and 11th in The Almanac. (Also, a certain college basketball writer pegged them at 12th... yikes!). But a month into the season, Maryland sits at a sterling 8-0 in the standings with statement wins over Saint Louis, Miami and, most recently, a 71-66 win against Illinois on Friday night.

So what spurred such a drastic (and quick) turnaround?

For one, coach Kevin Willard has coaxed the maximum efficiency out of both Charlotte transfer Jahmir Young and senior wing Hakim Hart. Additionally, sophomore big man Julian Reese is in the middle of a breakout campaign (12.6 ppg, 7.8 apg, 76.9 percent from the field).

But senior forward Donta Scott has functioned as the linchpin of the Terrapins' early success. His versatile skillset has transformed Maryland's offense — the 6-8 veteran scores just as effectively on the perimeter as he does in the paint.

Now in the middle of a career year, much of his progression can be traced to weight loss this offseason. Thirty pounds to be exact.

"[The body transformation] made me quicker and more explosive on the perimeter. I'm not just going down to the post...there's a lot more explosiveness and speed behind my game," Scott told me. "I move a lot faster on both ends. I'm able to help my teammates more on rotations."

But it's also Scott's passing acumen that has elevated the Terps. He whips crosscourt dimes from the post and squeezes the ball into tight coverage out of ball screens, blessing his teammates with open looks.

"I've been doing this since I was younger," Scott said of his facilitation skills. "My coaches knew I had this ability even when others didn't believe in me."

He continued, crediting "ball handling and hand coordination" drills in his AAU days to his development. But Scott also cited a couple of unorthodox influences on his game.

"I'm not the average basketball player," he divulged. "I didn't watch a lot of NBA or college basketball [growing up]. I watched a lot of streetball videos and And-1 mixtapes and took a lot of stuff from those guys. Because even though they were making fancy passes, they also knew how to read situations."

Just as important as his reads on the court has been his wisdom off of it. In Sunday's press conference, Willard spotlighted Scott's mentorship of his teammates, saying that he has helped them understand the "physicality" and "competitiveness" of Big Ten play. The feelings of respect are mutual between the coach and the player.

"Coach has complete trust in us," Scott said. "When a coach tells you not to worry about the result of the shots you take — just take good shots — that instills that he has complete faith in us. It gives us that extra connection with him."

3. Gonzaga goes down with the sic'ness

Peacock's college basketball debut didn't quite bring the offensive fireworks most anticipated. The 2021 National Championship rematch delivered a much closer contest than the last time the two teams played, but the game wasn't pretty.

Despite the location — the Sanford Pentagon (SD), an arena known as a "shooter's gym" — both squads struggled to score. Gonzaga averaged .84 points per possession, compared to Baylor's .85. But sometimes, the smallest details make the biggest difference. The Bears narrowly triumphed, 64-63.

Early in the game, though, the margin didn't look like it would be that close. Gonzaga likely had deja vu as Baylor raced out to a 16-5 lead in the first eight minutes, thanks to its sharp shooting and ball movement. Most notably, the Bears assisted on six of their first eight field goals.

However, that trend screeched to a halt when Gonzaga adjusted defensively. Malachi Smith provided a defensive spark for the Zags, and they held Baylor to just two assists the rest of the game. Smith's on-ball pressure frustrated both LJ Cryer and Adam Flagler, and on the other side of the ball, he seemed to provide a steadying presence. Gonzaga's offense looked best when he initiated it, as the ball popped and they caught Baylor in rotations:

Additionally, Smith's 11 first-half points — including a big triple in the final two minutes — kept Gonzaga in the game, 38-33. After halftime, the Zags continued to rally, taking the lead by way of dominance on the glass and second-chance points. Anton Watson posed matchup problems for Baylor, as he grabbed six offensive boards and played devastating defense.

At the 1:41 mark, a Smith dunk gave Gonzaga a seven-point lead, and it looked like it would leave South Dakota with a victory. Baylor hadn't scored a point in almost four minutes. Flagler picked the right time to heat up, canning his first two trifectas of the night on back-to-back possessions. The Zags uncharacteristically botched their late-game offense and Bears forward Jalen Bridges won the game at the free-throw line.

For Baylor (6-2), the win marked an impressive bounce-back after Tuesday's embarrassment in Milwaukee. Its defense is not on the same level as Scott Drew's recent teams, but holding the No. 1 offense (per KenPom) under 70 is no small feat.

Gonzaga, on the other hand, is 5-3 and finds itself in unfamiliar territory with three losses in early December. After an 0-of-8 performance (and questionable late-game decision-making), point guard Nolan Hickman took the brunt of the criticism. That leaves Mark Few in a curious predicament: Does he let Hickman learn through the ups and downs even in crunch time? Or does he completely turn the reigns over to Smith?

4. Nebraska puts Creighton in the corn-er

Creighton dropped its third straight game, falling 63-53 to in-state rival Nebraska. Despite entering Sunday as 14.5-point favorites, the Bluejays never got their offense going, scoring a season-low .75 points per possession. Most notably, Creighton's cast of snipers attempted 40 3-pointers but made just 10.

The Huskers (6-3), conversely, got to the rim at will, scoring 46 points in the paint, compared to 16 for Creighton (6-3). Throughout Ryan Kalkbrenner's time in Omaha, the Jays' have rarely shown such puzzling defensive lapses. North Dakota State transfer Sam Griesel engineered the Nebraska attack, throwing lobs to teammates and finishing at the basket. The 6-7 floor general posted his best stat line of the season: 18 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and just two turnovers. Super senior big man Derrick Walker also contributed 22 points.

Other notable results from the weekend:

Virginia Tech 80, North Carolina 72: Creighton isn't the only preseason Top 10 team freefalling. The one-time No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels have now lost four in a row, most recently to Virginia Tech (8-1, 1-0 in ACC) yesterday. The Heels (5-4, 0-1) are entering some historic territory. Without Armando Bacot (shoulder), Hokies forward Justyn Mutts punished UNC to the tune of 27 points, 11 boards and four assists.

Northwestern 70, Michigan State 63: Malik Hall's absence has worn on Sparty (5-4, 0-1 in Big Ten), evidenced by Michigan State's performance at PK85 and its two losses this week. Northwestern (6-2, 1-0) never trailed in the second half behind Boo Buie's 20 points. The game also made history!

Rutgers 63, Indiana 48: Indiana became the latest victim of the RAC’s Jersey Mike's Arena's raucousness. The Scarlet Knights (6-2, 1-0) squashed the Hoosiers (7-1, 0-1) with suffocating defense and used a 17-0 run in the second half to pull away for good. The outcome marked Rutgers' sixth straight victory in the series.

Iowa State 71, St. John's 60: Another unbeaten team falls. The Johnnies (8-1) got a full display of Hilton Magic as the Cyclones (7-1) opened a 17-2 lead and never looked back. Jaren Holmes had 14 points and helped them force 20 St. John's turnovers.

Wisconsin 80, Marquette 77 (OT): The Golden Eagles (6-3) endured a bit of a letdown after Tuesday’s big win over Baylor. They trailed Wisconsin (6-2) by as many as 16 before a late rally forced overtime. But Chucky Hepburn’s heroics were too much. The sophomore point guard hit five 3s just a couple of days after making a career-high 6 against Wake Forest.

Houston 53, Saint Mary's 48: No. 1 improved to 8-0, but got all it could handle from Saint Mary's tough defense and deliberate style of play. The Gaels (6-3) cut Houston's lead to 3 with 6:31 to go in the game, but could never get any closer. Neither team scored in the final 2:23 — talk about a defensive standoff.

Boise State 86, Texas A&M 71: So much for building off of that NIT run. Buzz Williams and the Aggies sit at 5-3 with two blowout losses. Most embarrassingly, they let a Boise State team (6-2) not known for its offense shoot 52 percent from the field.

Syracuse 62, Notre Dame 61: Momentum is a funny concept. Sometimes big wins can propel teams forward, other times they can make teams complacent. The Irish (6-2, 0-1) are the latter. Fresh off of a blowout win over Michigan State, Notre Dame fell to a reeling Syracuse (4-4, 1-0) team at home. Orange big man Jesse Edwards dominated the contest, scoring 22 points and snaring 14 rebounds.

Maryland 71, Illinois 66: The aforementioned Donta Scott turned in a well-rounded performance (12 points, 3 assists), but Jahmir Young was the story in this one. The 6-1 guard scored 24 points to get the Terps (8-0, 1-0) past the Illini (6-2, 0-1) in both teams' league openers.

UNLV 95, San Diego 78: Luis Rodriguez scored 19 points and EJ Harkless added 17 as the Rebels (8-0) remained one of 11 remaining unbeaten teams.

Utah State 82, San Francisco 64: The Aggies capped the hoops weekend by staying perfect (7-0) and looking good doing it on the road against a Dons team (7-2) that should should be a WCC contender.

Saint Louis 85, Southern Illinois 72: Yuri Collins dished 14 assists — just days after a career-high 20 — as the Billikens improved to 7-2.

Northwestern State 84, Southern Miss 82: Jay Ladner's team suffered its first loss of the season when Northwestern State's Demarcus Sharp scored the final 3 of his 32 points with this dagger.

5. Breaking down the Big East-Big 12 Battle

The Big East put together a remarkable showing against the Big 12, splitting the showcase, 5-5. Not too shabby for a league that started the season with a bunch of questions beyond Creighton and UConn.

The Huskies continued to play like national title contenders, dismantling Oklahoma State, 74-64, in a contest that wasn't as close as the final number suggests. UConn fans should feel most encouraged by their team's balance. Several perimeter players can win UConn a game on any given night — and of course, opponents still have to account for the behemoth Adama Sanogo.

The most surprising result came early in the week when Marquette hammered Baylor, 96-70. And even though the Golden Eagles dropped their Saturday contest to Wisconsin, they still look like the Big East's No. 3 team. O-Max Prosper, Kam Jones and David Joplin have all made huge strides, and point guard Tyler Kolek has upped his 3-point percentage from 28.1 to 40.

Villanova ended its slide with a 70-66 win over a solid Oklahoma team, thanks in part to the debut of Cam Whitmore. The freshman power wing only put up seven points, but his presence dramatically raises 'Nova's ceiling.

Finally, Butler got a needed win over a Kansas State team that started the year red hot. Manny Bates controlled the game on both ends of the floor, finishing with 22 points, 10 boards and three blocks. The Bulldogs have the talent to climb into the NCAA Tournament picture — they have already risen 43 spots on KenPom — but developing consistency is the next step. The good news is, they, like the rest of the conference, will have plenty of opportunities for quality wins.

Team of the week: Utah Utes

How do you slow down Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats? Just ask Craig Smith, who has forged the Utes into a top-30 defense in just his second season at the helm. Utah kept 'Zona from finding an offensive rhythm Thursday, capturing a double-digit home win, 81-66. Also impressively, it followed up the victory by maintaining focus on the road, beating Washington State 67-65 in overtime.

Player of the week: Zach Edey, Purdue

Edey scored 31 points and grabbed 22 rebounds against Minnesota on Sunday. 31 and 22!!! The guy is a cheat code. Even KenPom can't make sense of it.

Weekend warrior: Dwayne Cohill, Youngstown State

If you're not plugged into Horizon hoops, it's time to get familiar with Dwayne Cohill. The "Problem Child" scored 43 points (16-of-19 from the field) in Youngstown State's Sunday win at Wright State. Cohill's brilliance has turned the 'Guins into a top-75 offense that's ready to contend for a league title.

All that *flashes* is gold

Gonzaga has no time to hang its head after the tough loss to Baylor. It welcomes MAC favorites Kent State to Spokane tonight. The Golden Flashes rank as a top-75 team on KenPom, led by 2022 conference play of the year Sincere Carry. The 6-1 point guard is as dynamic of a player as you'll find in all of mid-majordom. He scored just nine points in Kent State's near upset of Houston a week and a half ago, but maybe tonight will provide a different tale. (9 pm ET, Root Sports)

Virginia's ultimate upside

There's lots to like about Tony Bennett's latest Hoos squad. They're experienced, back to playing incredible defense, and have shown through their 7-0 star, significant offensive bursts.

So how good can Virginia be? Kevin Sweeney, Rob Dauster and Patric Young debate.

Subscribe to The Field of 68 AFTER DARK on YouTube and click here subscribe to the AFTER DARK podcast.

Links to click as you look at what Anthony Davis did:

• Tom Crean will be ESPN's newest college hoops analyst.

• Colby Rogers won't play for Wichita State this season. The NCAA denied his waiver.

• Lafayette senior Leo O'Boyle entered the transfer portal but will finish this season with the Leopards (however that works).

• The bad news keeps coming for Florida State. Starting wing Cam'Ron Fletcher is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

• First-year Northwestern State coach Corey Gipson has led the Demons to six straight D-I wins, matching their win total from last year.

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