Dog eat Dog

Once holiday break starts, things get weird in college hoops. Just ask the SEC. Or Oregon. Let's dive in.

1. Drake downs Miss State in forgettable SEC evening

If misery loves company, then SEC schools were the best of friends on Tuesday. Well, everyone except Alabama.

No. 15 Mississippi State dropped from the unbeaten ranks with a 58-52 loss to Drake — the first time Drake's beaten an SEC school in 49 years.

The Bulldogs (11-1) displayed their usual stingy defense in the lane, but Drake (9-3) steadily stretched them out through perimeter shooting, which opened up opportunities for Roman Penn inside. He finished with a game-high 19 points, while Sardaar Calhoun (17) and Tucker DeVries (15) combined to make 8-of-21 from beyond the arc.

"They found a way to make it a one-possession game with three or four minutes left in the game, and that’s all you can ask for. That’s what happened," Miss State coach Chris Jans said afterward. "They made the plays down the stretch, and we didn’t.”

Mississippi State, one of four unbeaten D-I teams entering the night, was uncharacteristically average on the offensive boards (it usually grabs 40 percent of its missed shots; it was at 25 percent vs. the Bulldogs) and simply couldn't muster any offense down the stretch, getting outscored 17-6 in the final six minutes.

But again, it wasn't alone.

North Alabama upended Ole Miss (8-4), the first time it has beaten an SEC school. Before Tuesday, it was 0-19 against the league and winless in five tries since becoming a D-I program.

The Lions (7-5) got 22 points from Daniel Ortiz, while KJ Johnson scored the winning basket. Matthew Murrell led the Rebels (8-4) with 16 points.

Then there's Wofford (8-5), which rallied for a win at Texas A&M (6-5). The Terriers are used to this, though. They've beaten a power conference school six times in the last five years and only lost by three to LSU and Vanderbilt earlier this year.

(It's also their third win in four games without coach Jay McAuley, who is on a leave of absence.)

Florida also lost, but at least it was a neutral site defeat to Oklahoma, 62-53. The Sooners (9-3) got 22 points from Grant Sherfield and pulled away in the second half at the Jumpman Invitational.

As for Bama? Well, the Tide didn't have an easy time against Jackson State (1-11). Neither team could hit early, but Alabama (10-2) started to heat up midway through the second half and pulled away for an 84-64 win. Noah Gurley (16 points) and Mark Sears (15) led the way, while freshman star Brandon Miller finished with 10 points on just seven field-goal attempts.

2. Open season in the ACC, plus other game results

Quick, who are the two teams atop the ACC? Here's a hint: It's not Duke or Virginia.

Wake Forest 81, Duke 70Tyree Appleby scored 18 points and had eight assists (and eight turnovers), leading Wake Forest (9-4, 1-1 in ACC) over Duke, its first against the Devils since 2020. It's also the first win against a ranked opponent in Steve Forbes' tenure.

Duke (10-3, 1-1) was playing without Dariq Whitehead and Dereck Lively, both out with an illness, and never looked comfortable. It trailed by as many as 13 in the second half as Appleby consistently broke down the defense, or Cam Hildreth (16 points) followed suit.

“I’m really proud of my team. Here's the thing, you go up to Rutgers and you get your butt kicked, and that's life, right?" Forbes said afterward. "It's how you bounce back, and I thought they did a really good job of coming back and preparing to play Duke."

Other key results from Tuesday

Miami 66, Virginia 64The 'Canes (12-1, 3-0 in ACC) controlled this game from the start, but it got interesting down the stretch. The No. 2 Cavs (8-2, 1-1) scored 11 points in the final 62 seconds behind an offensive rebound on a missed shot and a Miami turnover. But the Canes hit enough free throws to hold them off and forced Reece Beekman into a turnover when he drove for the game-tying layup. Isaiah Wong led all scorers with 24 points and made a little history as a result.

Miami, it should be noted, is the only team that's 3-0 in ACC play.

Pittsburgh 84, Syracuse 82The Panthers (9-4, 2-0 in ACC) were running away with this one, leading by 20 points in the second half. But Cuse (8-5, 1-1) whittled it down to one point with 29 seconds left and had a chance for a game-winning shot. However, Blake Hinson stole a pass, then hit one of two free throws in the final seven seconds to help seal the win. Hinson finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds. It's just the Panthers' third time starting 2-0 in ACC play since joining in 2011. Careful readers also recognize that Pitt is just behind Miami in the ACC standings. (Yes, it's early. Still.)

Providence 103, Marquette 98 2OTBryce Hopkins notched career-highs in points (29) and rebounds (23) as the Friars displayed a little bit of the ol' magic that characterized this team a year ago. Providence (10-3, 2-0 in Big East) overcame a nine-point deficit in the final minutes of regulation, then watched as Hopkins grabbed an offensive rebound late in the second OT to close out the Golden Eagles. No. 24 Marquette (9-4, 1-1) wasn't happy with Providence getting to the free-throw line 49 times.

UConn 84, Georgetown 73Yet another double-digit win for the No. 2 Huskies (13-0, 2-0 in Big East), but it was their second straight game where it took well into the second half to shake the opponent. The Hoyas (5-8, 0-2) actually led in the second period — the first time that's happened to UConn this season — until guard Joey Calcaterra caught fire, scoring all 14 of his points after the intermission.

Georgetown has now lost 22 straight Big East regular-season games.

New Mexico 94, Prairie View A&M 63No hangover from the Pitino Bowl. The Lobos (12-0) kept pace with UConn and Purdue as the only remaining unbeaten teams behind 17 points from Jamal Mashburn Jr. They're off until MWC play starts next week.

Gonzaga 85, Montana 75The Zags (10-3) were running away with this one until late in the second half when Montana (6-6) cut a 17-point lead down to five. But when you've got Drew Timme, it helps stave off surprises. The senior forward scored a season-high 32 points, including 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in those final minutes. It was Gonzaga's 72nd consecutive home victory, the longest such mark since 1984.

Baylor 58, Northwestern State 48The Bears (9-2) shot just 39 percent from the field and 32 percent from beyond the arc but managed to hold off the Demons (8-4). Despite playing without guard Adam Flagler, Baylor's Jalen Bridges said "We were getting great looks from 3, they just weren't really falling." Bridges led the Bears with 13 points.

Xavier 73, Seton Hall 70Zach Freemantle scored 23 points as the Musketeers (10-3, 2-0 in Big East) held off the Pirates (7-6, 0-2) at home.

Arizona 85, Montana State 64On a night when other heavy favorites struggled, Arizona (11-1) was its usual dynamic self, even if it only shot 43.5 percent from the field. Maybe it was having Tennessee flashbacks? It did have six players in double figures, led by Kerr Kriisa's 18.

Indiana 96, Elon 72Coming off a thrashing by Kansas, the Hoosiers (9-3) played without Trayce Jackson-Davis and Xavier Johnson, but still ran away from the Phoenix behind 18 points from Race Thompson and 17 from Jalen Hood-Schifino.

Utah Valley 77, Oregon 72This one should've been a blowout — for the Wolverines. Oregon (7-6) entered as double-digit favorites but trailed by as many as 17 on their home floor to Utah Valley (9-4). Trey Woodbury scored 24 points and had nine rebounds and six assists for the visitors.

Lipscomb 75, Louisville 67Another game where you scoff at the Cardinals (2-10), or you realize that the Bisons (8-5) were coming off a close loss to Michigan and were favored to win. Let's go with the latter. This is just the reality for Louisville.

Toledo 84, Vermont 72The Catamounts (6-8) had been on a roll after their challenging non-conference schedule, winning four straight. But the Rockets (8-4) blasted them from the start, leading by double digits for much of the game. JT Shumate led Toledo with 19 points.

3. Illinois adds yet another new face

Few teams had more offseason roster turnover than Illinois. Meshing all the talent — three returning players, three transfers and four freshmen — has brought both peaks (wins over UCLA and Texas) and pain (a home loss to Penn State, followed by an Airing of Grievances).

Well, let's add one more to the mix.

Perrin, a 6-10, 220-pound forward from France, had always planned to be in Champaign this season, it's just that his arrival got delayed. He played at Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas during the fall.

"We're excited to have Zach arrive on campus," coach Brad Underwood said in a release. "He has remained loyal to us throughout the recruiting process and is eager to officially be an Illini. Joining a team midseason is certainly a unique situation, but Zach is a driven, committed young man who takes school and basketball seriously."

Perrin, who turned 18 in August, earned raves from scouts for his play in Europe over the last year, and at the FIBA U18 European Championships over the summer. He led France in scoring and rebounding at the U18 Euros, averaging 13.9 points and 9.1 boards while shooting 56 percent from the floor.

It's unclear how much time he'll see right away. The Illini play Missouri on Thursday, then Bethune-Cookman next week before getting back to Big Ten play.

4. Weather woes

Winter Storm Elliott is getting ready to freeze most of the Midwest, from Omaha to Chicago. That means several college hoops games over the next few days will either be delayed or canceled.

Here's a look at the latest list

And this doesn't include all of the games that are adjusting start times because of the storm. Iowa shifted its men's and women's doubleheader on Wednesday to 11:01 am and 1:31 pm ET tips. North Dakota at St. Thomas is now a noon ET tip. That's a good outcome considering these other Summit League delays.

5. Is tonight the night for Cal?

When Seth Davis profiled Cal's basketball program before the season, it posed a simple question: Will Cal men's basketball ever be good again?

Twelve games into the season, it seems "good" may be asking too much. A win would be enough.

The Bears are 0-12, the worst start for any team in major conference history. Going winless isn't likely, but this far along in the season, with most of the non-conference schedule past, it is certainly possible. No team's gone winless since Grambling in 2012-13, and only eight have done that in D-I history (though four were before 1956).

“It’s pretty tough, but it can’t rain forever,” junior Devin Askew said after losing to Butler earlier this month. “We’re going to get around the corner and get through this, but it’s just going to take a lot of work and a lot of trust with everybody in our organization.”

Tonight is one of Cal's best chances to avoid infamy. UT Arlington comes to Berkeley, and while the Mavericks aren't a bottom-dweller — they're coming off a surprising win at San Francisco — they're not much different from Cal. Neither team can shoot, and they struggle with turnovers. The Bears are taller, but as an added wrinkle, they may be without Askew, who left Sunday's loss to Santa Clara with an injury. (Seven scholarship players have missed 42 combined games).

If he doesn't play, the Bears lose their best scorer (16.9 ppg), which places their already-challenged offense under even more pressure. If they don't win tonight, their next best chance is a home game against Oregon State on Jan. 22. They'll be double-digit underdogs in every other game this season.

Not that Cal is giving up. As senior guard Joel Brown told Sports Illustrated: "Since my freshman year what I've learned is you can't really dwell on all these losses. It's all about your response going forward.

"We put ourselves in this situation and we've got to control what we can."

Tip off is 7 pm ET on Pac-12 Networks.

Jamie Jaquez doesn't do flash. But everything about UCLA's senior forward game screams star, from the way he scores (a career-high 17.3 points per game this season), rebounds (6 rpg) or plays defense (stellar positioning and help defense).

Those are some of the reasons why he landed on several publications' preseason All-America team. But the numbers don't tell the whole story. Take UCLA's win on Saturday.

When two Bruins big men, Adem Bona and Kenneth Nwuba got into foul trouble against the taller Wildcats, Jaquez had to play big and grab as many boards as possible. The result? A 19-point, 12-rebound, 4-assist, 4-steal showcase of one of the game's best all-around players. So we grabbed him for Four Questions.

Q: A big team like Kentucky, you have to do a lot of work down low. Has that become common place for you given that you're asked to do a little bit of everything for this team?

Jamie Jaquez: Oh yeah. I know if I don't rebound, we're not going to be the team we need to be. That's been a part of my game my whole life, so I need to get rebounds. That's something that coach harps on me about, that's something I harp on myself about. So I try to get 7-10 rebounds every game."

Q: Who do you base your offensive game on? It's a game built on jab-steps, pivots, up-and-under moves.

Jamie Jaquez: I'd be lying if I didn't say Kobe Bryant. I've watched him my entire life. The way he worked the block, the way he worked the mid-post. His footwork was incredible and I just watched his highlights all the time. I don't say our games are completely similar, but I do take quite a few things from him.

Q: Would you have expected to have a week like this? You guys nearly score 90 vs Maryland, then you follow up with a different style and type of win against Kentucky? It'll certainly feel like that once league play starts, where you'll have games that'll be fast like Arizona, and there'll be games where you have to grind it out.

Jamie Jaquez: This is the thing about me. I go in with no expectations at all. Coach tells me one thing in the scouting report, I listen to it, and we go out and adjust as things change. You really just don't know what to expect in these games, you just gotta play, and play hard.

Q: How many winter coats did you have to bring for this trip? I assume you're ready to get back to LA.

Jamie Jaquez: I brought two. My dad bought me a big puffer jacket when we were in Portland. I saved it all year and the first time I wore it was this trip. I was so excited to finally wear my big puffer, I was glad to just stay warm.

TCU's test

After a sluggish first three games, No. 20 TCU has won seven straight. And they've done it with only their full roster in two of those games. Preseason Big 12 POY Mike Miles was out for SMU. Damion Baugh's only played the last four. Center Eddie Lampkin missed Sunday's win because of a back injury. But the Horned Frogs (9-1) are expected to have their full roster for a trip to Utah. The Utes (9-3) have one of the more impressive wins this season, an 81-66 victory against Arizona, but have also lost to Sam Houston State (the NET nods) and to BYU on Saturday. They'll be a slight favorite tonight, but beware of that TCU defense. It's starting to resemble the group that was a preseason Top 20 team. (9 pm ET)

Other games to watch (All times ET)

• St. John's (11-1) at Villanova (6-5), 6:30 pm (FS1)

• Michigan (7-3) at North Carolina (8-4), 7 pm (ESPN)

• Clemson at Georgia Tech, 7:30 pm (ESPN2)

• Auburn (9-2) at Washington (9-3), 9 pm (Pac-12 Networks)

• Arizona State (11-1) at San Francisco (9-4), 10 pm (CBS Sports Network)

• USC (9-3) vs. Colorado State (8-4) in Phoenix, 11 pm (Pac-12 Networks)

Can any Big Ten team top Purdue?

Full disclosure: This is the Goodman and Hummel podcast, which gives Robbie Hummel a chance to tout Purdue. It's not like Rob Dauster and UConn, but setting up a Boilermaker legend to discuss his alma mater... Still, it's worth a listen as the two rank the Big Ten teams and forecast their outlooks.

Subscribe to The Field of 68 on YouTube and click here to subscribe to the Goodman and Hummel podcast.

Links as you stay warm (or just don't go outside).

• What's behind Kansas' recent surge? It had a "players-only meeting" after its loss to Tennessee.

• Two U.S. Senators introduced a bill that would make the NCAA subject to Title IX.

• The WCC will reportedly go to a 16-game, double-round-robin schedule when BYU leaves for the Big 12 after this season.

• Billionaire (and former Michigan State player) Mat Ishbia will reportedly buy the Phoenix Suns. That gives Sparty three NBA owners.

• Mississippi State guard Charles Jones entered the transfer portal.

It's that time of year. Providence is winning games, and doing so in its usual fashion. So show your support with this t-shirt from The Field of 68's shop. Use promo code "DAILY" to save 20% on your entire order.

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