Carr shoots into record books

After a light night of college hoops (with good reason, given travel issues in the U.S.), tonight will deliver a decent slate of games, including openers for the SEC, AAC and Mountain West. If we're lucky, we'll see a performance that comes close to what Marcus Carr did Tuesday night for Texas.

Let's get to it.

1. The Marksman: Marcus Carr

Marcus Carr made it a night to remember in Austin.

The senior guard matched a career-high 41 points and led the Longhorns (11-1) to a 97-72 win against Texas A&M Commerce. He previously scored 41 while playing for Minnesota against Nebraska in 2021.

Per Jared Berson, Carr is the first player with a 40-point game for two different schools.

“Most of the shots that I put up felt really good,” Carr said afterward. “I thought they were going in. My teammates just kept giving me confidence after they'd seen me knock down the first couple. They just said, ‘We’re going to look for you. Keep shooting. Keep knocking them down.’”

He wasn't kidding. Carr scored Texas' first seven points. Then, with Texas leading 16-14, he dropped 26 of its next 33 points en route to a monster first half that tied a school record for points in a half (33) and most 3-pointers in a game (10). He also set the school record with made 3-pointers in a half (8) and was the first Longhorn to top 40 since Reggie Freeman in 1996.

It was an incredibly efficient night, too. Carr was 13-of-19 from the field and 10-of-15 from beyond the arc. He also had four assists. Carr probably could've topped 50; he only attempted four shots after the intermission.

The Longhorns won their first straight game and fourth in a row without coach Chris Beard, who is still indefinitely suspended following his arrest for domestic violence charges. Carr is the first Texas player who has been permitted to speak to the media since the arrest.

“Right now, [Rodney Terry] is our coach. We're focused on being led by him. Obviously, it’s an adjustment, but a good and smooth one,” Carr said.

They open their Big 12 season on Saturday at Oklahoma.

Other results to know:

Marquette 83, Seton Hall 69Oso Ighodaro scored 16 points and had 10 rebounds as the Golden Eagles (10-4, 2-1 in Big East) shook off a double-overtime loss at Providence for their best Big East start since 2018-19. They forced 15 turnovers and frustrated the Pirates (7-7, 0-3) throughout.

Texas A&M 64, Northwestern State 52The Aggies (7-5) trailed at halftime and didn't pull away until about five minutes left in their win. This wasn't the first time the Demons (8-5) pushed a power conference team, though. It beat TCU earlier this season and was coming off a 10-point loss to Baylor.

Notre Dame 59, Jacksonville 43The Irish (8-5) shook off a sluggish first half (21 points) with 22 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half to end their three-game skid. Notre Dame got 15 points from Marcus Hammond and won a game with less than 60 points for the first time since 2018.

Texas Tech 110, South Carolina State 71For the third straight game, the Red Raiders (10-2) topped 100 points. That'll almost certainly end on Saturday when they travel to TCU for their Big 12 opener.

2. No Nick Smith as SEC starts up

We've been waiting for Nick Smith to have a moment this season. And we'll be waiting until at least Jan. 4, when Arkansas hosts Missouri. The freshman guard remains out with a knee injury.

"Nick’s out indefinitely," coach Eric Musselman said in his Monday press conference. "He’s not playing in this game. Otherwise the status would change. So we need somebody to step up, for sure."

The top player in the class of 2022 missed Arkansas' first six games due to a right knee injury. After his minutes-restricted debut against Troy, he played in three games and averaged 19.6 points on 45 percent shooting. Then he left after 20 minutes against Bradley on Dec. 17 and hasn't played since. Missing a pre-Christmas home game against UNC Ashville is no biggie. But the SEC opener against LSU is a bit different.

Is it just the Arkansas staff being cautious? Does he just need one more game? Is it something else? Whatever the case, his unclear status ensures the opponent can't make a specific game plan. And the Hogs (11-1) don't seem too worried.

"We played our first couple games without him," teammate Ricky Council IV said. "When he’s ready he’ll be back. That’s all I can really say on that. I don’t know when he’s going to be back. … We’ll be fine. We’ll be fine. We’ll adjust."

As for the rest of the SEC games on Wednesday, there's plenty to like, including Kentucky heading to Missouri (could the Tigers' defense be the cure for Kentucky's offense?), Bama at Mississippi State (offense vs. defense) and Tennessee at Ole Miss.

Then again, I also like this note from the Georgia media department ahead of its game against Rider: A win would give the Bulldogs a double-digit win total before January for just the fourth time in 118 seasons.

3. Winter wrecking some schedules

The winter storm that disrupted a dozen games last week was nice enough to leave residual effects this week. (Thoughts and prayers to everyone who had a flight over the past five days.)

The biggest impact: Tonight's Vermont-Miami game is canceled, per press releases from both schools. It's not going to be rescheduled this season.

Thursday's New Hampshire-Dartmouth is postponed. Meanwhile, individual players and coaches were among the thousands caught in holiday travel delays. So much for R&R over the break.

Those issues could involve hundreds of miles. UTEP coach Joe Golding and his family were in Dallas, facing a canceled plane flight, and decided to drive the 600 miles to El Paso. They also gave three Pitt football players a ride so they could be there in time for their Friday bowl game against UCLA.

"I see these guys; they have Pitt bags on. They start talking about playing in the Sun Bowl and having to get to El Paso and there wasn't any cars left. And I was like, 'Hey, if we can find a big enough car, I'll take you guys home.' And they were like, 'Who are you?'" Golding told ESPN.com. "[The rental car employees] showed up with a minivan first of all. It was too small, and we couldn't all fit in it. Then they had like a big Ford Explorer. I said, 'Who's using that one?' He said, 'Nobody right now. But you can't afford that one; it's too much money.' I said, 'Just give it to us; we got to get home, man.'"

Kate McCallister knows the feeling.

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Super Nova

After a rough start, Villanova (7-5) has won five straight. It's taking care of the ball (only four D-I teams have a lower turnover rate), and freshman Cam Whitmore is showing why he entered the season as the best Nova recruit in a decade. But now the real test begins with a trip to Storrs, Conn., to face No. 2 UConn. The Huskies (13-0) haven't lost to Nova since returning to the Big East (OK, that's just one game, but it sounds good) and have yet to win a game by less than double digits this season. Can the Cats slow it down and keep it close? (6:30 pm ET, FS1)

Other games to watch (All times ET)

• Kentucky (8-3) at Missouri (11-1), 7 pm (SEC Network)

• Alabama (10-2) at Mississippi State (11-1), 9 pm (SEC Network)

• Xavier (10-3) at St. John's (11-2), 9 pm (FS1)

• Colorado State (8-5) at New Mexico (12-0), 9 pm (CBS Sports Network)

• Davidson (7-5) at Fordham (12-1), 7 pm (CBS Sports Network)

Did Nate Oats get his Christmas wish?

Alabama's got Brandon Miller, a win over Houston, and has exceeded expectations to start the season. But is there anything else the Tide need as SEC play opens?

Yes. And Jeff Goodman knows exactly what to get.

Don't want to miss AFTER DARK? Click here to sign up for stream alerts, and click here to sign up for the AFTER DARK podcast.

Links as you start to think about getting back to work.

• The AAC is Houston's to lose. How the Cougars stay focused.

• Virginia Tech's Hunter Cattoor is questionable for Saturday's game due to an arm injury.

• Can Boise State cement its place as a top 4 MWC team?

• Duquesne is entering A-10 play with a chip on its shoulder.

• Who have been the best players from the 2022 transfer portal?

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