Shaka of a score

On a day when Christian Pulisic delivered for the Stars and Stripes, we saw more than a few players deliver for their programs Tuesday night. And they did it without any abdominal injuries. Let's get to it.

1. Marquette embarrasses Baylor

For about four minutes, Baylor looked like the No. 6 team in the nation. Then Marquette flipped the script and started hitting Baylor over the head with it.

The Golden Eagles (6-2) pulled perhaps the most impressive win of the season, bludgeoning the Bears (5-2) in every facet of the game for a 96-70 win Tuesday night in the opener of the Big 12-Big East Battle. (Here's hoping the rest of these "battles" are more competitive. Scroll down for more.)

It was Marquette's largest margin of victory versus a Top 10 team since 1971, and Baylor's worst loss since 2007.

So what happened? Marquette was incredible scoring at the rim and from deep, which was set up by defense. Lots and lots of defense. Marquette forced 20 turnovers, which led to 26 points. That's no small thing against Baylor, which features an experienced and talented backcourt of LJ Cryer and Adam Flagler, plus freshman Keyonte George. Those three combined for 10 turnovers and saw more than a few plays like this:

"The first half, the way we got our hands on the basketball really set a tone," said coach Shaka Smart, who also praised his team's passing (23 assists) that set up plenty of easy looks for O-Max Prosper (24 points) and Kam Jones (20 points), who combined to go 7-of-11 from deep and 15-of-23 overall.

It's worth noting that Marquette's only losses this season are to unbeaten teams: Purdue and Mississippi State. The rest of the Big East might be taking notice, as the crew on Field of 68 AFTER DARK noted.

2. Kentucky's tale of two halves, plus other games to note

The best way to explain Kentucky's 60-41 win? With two images:

To call that first half surprising would be underselling it. Bellarmine had lost four straight and given up at least 74 points in each. It has one of the least efficient defenses in D-I, and yet, it was tied with the Wildcats.

But Kentucky (4-2) turned up its defensive pressure in the second half, A.J. Reeves (18 points) and C.J. Fredrick (11 points) started hitting from outside and it turned into a blowout. Chris Livingston rebounded well and might get more time at the 4. Next up for UK is a trip to London to play Michigan. Wonder if they'll have any jet lag in that first half?

Other Tuesday results to know:

Houston 100, Norfolk State 52: In its first game at No. 1, the Cougars (7-0) looked fully healthy just a few days after dealing with several ill players against Kent State. Marcus Sasser dropped a season-high 25.

(This starts the ACC/Big Ten Challenge section. The ACC leads 5-3 with six games coming tonight.)

Virginia 70, Michigan 68: The No. 3 Cavaliers remained unbeaten, but as coach Tony Bennett noted, "it got pretty intense" to pull it off in Ann Arbor. Jayden Gardner hit the go-ahead jumper with under 40 seconds left, then blocked Jett Howard's 3-pointer just before the buzzer. In a game that the Wolverines (5-2) controlled for most of the night, it was even more impressive that Virginia (6-0) came away with its first true road win. Is Michigan a pretender?

Illinois 73, Syracuse 44: The Illini (6-1) weren't sharp on offense. They settled for too many 3s and didn't hit many (11-of-39; just 28 percent). But their defense was more than enough, holding 'Cuse to more turnovers (11) than field goals (7) in the second half, limiting Judah Mintz and Joe Girard to a combined 3-of-19 from the floor. Those two will see Illinois defenders in their nightmares for a week. Plus, Coleman Hawkins logged a triple-double (15 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists). If this is what Illinois does when it has an off-night shooting, yeesh.

Maryland 79, Louisville 54: The Terps are 7-0. The Cardinals are 0-7. So what's notable about this? The Big Ten hadn't won a game until this in its ACC Challenge. (Yeah, a bit of a stretch). So, how good are the Terps?

Clemson 101, Penn State 94, 2 OT: PJ Hall scored 22 points, including 7 in the first overtime and a tough shot down low that forced the double OT. From there, Hunter Tyson (24 points) helped seal the win for Clemson (6-2) from the free-throw line. Camren Wynter led Penn State (6-2) with 26.

Wake Forest 78, Wisconsin 75: Tyree Appleby scored a season-high 32 points (20 in the second half) as Wake (7-1) rallied past the Badgers (5-2) for a never-easy win in Madison. Wake didn't take the lead until 1:33 remaining, then needed a Cameron Hildreth jumper, a Wisconsin miss, plus free throws to seal it. Chucky Hepburn, who'd already hit one ridiculous shot, missed a 3-pointer that would've tied it.

Iowa 81, Georgia Tech 65: Kris Murray notched career-highs of 31 points and 20 rebounds as the Hawkeyes (6-1) had little trouble with Tech (4-3).

(OK, onto the rest of D-I)

San Diego State 72, UC Irvine 69: The No. 24 Aztecs (5-2) needed a 3-pointer from Micah Parrish with 2.4 seconds left to rally past the Anteaters (6-2), who might be the best team in the Big West. Still, SDSU doesn't look like itself. It couldn't contain DJ Davis (28 points) and seemed to still be dragging from Maui. Maybe once Nathan Mensah (18 points, 6 boards) switched shoes at halftime it helped?

Missouri 88, Wichita State 84 OT: The Shockers were ready to KO the Tigers (8-0) from the unbeaten ranks, leading by seven with less than three minutes left. But Mizzou outscored them 11-4 over those final minutes, survived a Gus Okafor jumper, then hit their free throws in OT. It faces Southeast Missouri State on Sunday.

Southern Miss 64, Montana 54: Donovan Ivory scored a game-high 20 points off the bench for the still-unbeaten (8-0) Golden Eagles.

St. John's 95, LIU 68: The Johnnies' perfect run continued behind a passing clinic Tuesday night. They tallied a season-high 26 assists, including 15 combined from Posh Alexander and Andre Curbelo. To get to 9-0, they'll need to win at Iowa State on Sunday.

Charlotte 68, Davidson 66: The Wildcats (6-2) led for much of the second half, but the 49ers (6-2) tied it in the final four minutes. Both teams had a chance to win in regulation, but then we wouldn't have gotten this finish in overtime.

Charleston 75, Old Dominion 60: The Cougars (7-1) may very well be the best mid-major team. Ryan Larson (17 points, 7 assists) led the way as they won their sixth consecutive game.

3. No more blowouts (probably). Just games.

The end of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge got you down? Not to worry. There's another one this week!

Technically, the Big 12-Big East Battle began last night with Marquette's resounding win against Baylor (see above), but it really gets going tonight with three games, all of which should be good. Well, almost. If Georgetown tops 50 points at Texas Tech, does that count as half a win?

Anyway, discounting the Hoyas-Raiders, none of the remaining eight games project as blowouts (Baylor probably thought the same thing...). Four (Kansas State at Butler, Oklahoma at Villanova, West Virginia at Xavier, and St. John's at Iowa State) should be one-possession games. There are three unbeaten teams in the mix, and 15 teams are ranked in KenPom's top 60.

Tonight's games are low-key the most interesting of the bunch. K-State is unbeaten under first-year coach Jerome Tang and is coming off a Cayman Islands Classic title. Butler is just 4-3, but few teams have outperformed expectations more than the Bulldogs, who've risen from 110 to 71 on Bart Torvik. Plus, they get home court. (6:30 pm ET, FS1)

TCU (5-1) finally has its full roster intact for the first time this season. Guard Damion Baugh is done with his six-game suspension and preseason Big 12 POY Mike Miles finally looks healthy. Can Providence (5-2) sneak one out on the road? (8 pm ET, ESPN+)

4. Tennessee in no hurry to rush James back

A reminder: The Vols' three wins at the Battle 4 Atlantis didn't include Josiah-Jordan James. Yep, they rolled off wins against Butler, USC and Kansas without the 6-6 senior, a preseason All-SEC player who is dealing with lingering knee soreness from offseason surgery.

"We’re leaving it up to him," Barnes said Tuesday. "Again, it’s been made clear to him, we want him to feel comfortable. Certainly, we’re not going to ask anybody to play when they don’t feel (comfortable). We just want him to feel good about himself. As much as he’s put into the program, he’ll know when he’s ready.”

Adding an experienced wing defender who also leads the Vols in scoring (13.7 ppg) and makes 53 percent of his 3s should only help Tennessee, especially if he's ready in time for Maryland (Dec. 11) and Arizona (Dec. 17).

5. Are big things ahead for Zach Edey?

The season's barely three weeks old, but there's already a certainty: Zach Edey will be in the National Player of the Year conversation.

We always knew Purdue's 7-4 center would be productive. With Jaden Ivey or Trevion Williams both gone, the junior would get more minutes and more touches. But only a few smart people knew he'd be a monster. He's averaging 21.7 points per game, shooting 62 percent from the floor and grabbing every offensive rebound in sight.

Now, he's the front-runner (if there is such a thing) for NPOY.

Perhaps more enticing for coach Matt Painter (and Purdue fans) is that Edey will likely be around next season as well because he's not seen as a sure-fire NBA prospect. Probably.

As Adam Finkelstein breaks down at 247, Edey is a skilled big man with an impressive combination of balance, coordination and immense lower-body strength. He'll always be a handful because of his size and those skills. But ... (and you know where this is going) his mobility will be an issue on defense.

An NBA scout told Finkelstein: “I love his ability to score inside and rebound, but this lack of mobility will probably limit him to a low-minute, situational bench role in the NBA.”

Good for college hoops, great for Purdue, and bad for Big Ten foes.

BONUS PROSPECT TALK: Great podcast from Sam Vecenie about the stars from PK85.

Battle of Blue Bloods

In two days, North Carolina went from unbeaten ranked No. 1 to 5-2 and down to No. 18 in the AP poll. Guards Caleb Love and RJ Davis combined to go 21-of-60 in their 4 OT loss to Alabama. Now the Heels head to Indiana (6-0), trying to solve some of their offensive foibles on the fly.

"I count bad shots as turnovers," coach Hubert Davis said Tuesday. "I also know that some of the shot selections are because they want to make something happen. Sometimes in those situations, the best thing is to create and to wait for a better shot. That's something that I've had discussions with everybody, and especially Caleb and RJ."

Not that any of that matters to Indiana. The Hoosiers will be happy to force bad shots. They're 23rd in effective field goal percentage, and especially lethal inside the arc. Unlike last season, they're also making shots. Only Arizona is a better shooting team. Could the ACC/Big Ten finale be a blowout? (9:15 pm ET, ESPN).

Other games to watch (All time ET):

• Ohio State (5-1) at Duke (6-2), 7:15 pm (ESPN)

• Rutgers (5-1) at Miami, Fla. (5-1), 7:15 pm (ESPNU)

• Michigan State (5-2) at Notre Dame (5-1), 9:15 pm (ESPN2)

• Richmond (3-3) at Toledo (4-2), 7 pm

• Drake (6-0) at Indiana State (6-1), 7 pm

Shooting star

Believe it or not, Kerr Kriisa did miss a few shots in Maui. It just didn't seem like it. That's been the case all season for Arizona's junior point guard. He's made 18-of-35 from beyond the arc, a 51.4 perent clip. What's his secret

"Well, we have played six games," he told Rob Dauster this week. "I'm going to start missing more. Fifty-percent is a little bit surreal."

That's Kriisa. Always candid with his answers. Hear what else he had to say about the Wildcats' torrid offense, what's ahead (including huge games against Indiana and Tennessee) and what's waiting for Jeff Goodman the next time Goodman's in Tucson.

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

Links as you send Christian Pulisic a "get well soon" card.

• Take 45 minutes and watch this SPS (Mongolian National Broadcasting service) documentary on Dayton freshman Mike Sharavjamts.

• New Mexico State coach Greg Heiar talked for the first time after a shooting involved one of his players.

• The NCAA admitted to Portland that Michigan State should have only gotten two free throws, not three, as part of a 7-point play for a flagrant foul.

• How good was Morris Udeze's 33-point, 14-rebound game on Sunday? Good enough for a spot in the Lobo record books.

• Gonzaga will hang the numbers of former stars Dan Dickau and Kelly Olynyk this season.

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