Something to brag about

Missouri gets a marquee win over rival Illinois, while Creighton celebrates the return of Ryan Kalkbrenner. Plus, more results from Thursday, and we look at what some teams really need for Christmas.

Author

Tristan Freeman
December 23, 2022

Good morning! A quick programming note: We're taking a three-day weekend to enjoy the holiday break. There's only one basketball game (DePaul at Creighton on Sunday), so we'll cover that and some other news in Tuesday's Daily. Also, for AFTER DARK streams, there will be a show tonight, then not again until Dec. 28. We gotta get our downtime when we can.

Happy holidays, everyone.

1. Missouri earns "Braggin' Rights"

When Missouri lost by 28 points to Kansas two weeks ago, it marked its first loss of the year. Many assumed the fast start resulted from feasting off sub-par teams, and that it wouldn't be a factor in the SEC.

Turns out those folks were wrong.

The Tigers gave an early Christmas gift to the fans who believed with a blowout win over No. 16 Illinois.

Missouri raced to an early double-digit lead, led by 25 before halftime, and kept its foot on the gas throughout in a 93-71 final. Illinois (8-4) certainly helped. Some questionable shot selection doomed them early, and the Illini offense never really materialized. Terrence Shannon Jr. (22 points) and Matthew Mayer (16) led the team in scoring, but starters Skyy Clark and RJ Melendez put up goose eggs.

There are some questions about Illinois' locker room chemistry and leadership, or lack thereof, but let's focus on the victor. New coach Dennis Gates earned his first signature win, coming in the annual "Braggin' Rights" rivalry, no less. The victory was Missouri's largest win in the series, and the largest margin of victory over a ranked opponent in 12 years.

Kobe Brown (31 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and four steals) was awesome. D'Moi Hodge had 20 points, while Deandre Gholston poured in 15 off the bench.

So let's shelve any concerns about Missouri. It notched a big win for its résumé, has no bad losses, and is exceeding preseason expectations. In an SEC that's been mostly feast or famine, the Tigers could have a nice season just by living in that middle ground.

2. Creighton snaps skid in Kalkbrenner's return, plus other results

Christmas came early for Creighton, too. Its gift? Ryan Kalkbrenner.

The junior center, who missed the last three games due to an illness, returned Thursday night and helped the Bluejays snap a six-game losing streak in a 78-56 win against Butler. He scored a team-high 19 points — missing just one shot — and helped limit Butler big man Manny Bates to just 6 points.

It also helped that Creighton (7-6, 1-1 in Big East) finally hit some shots. It was 56 percent from the field and 8-of-16 from deep. With a game on Sunday against DePaul, the Jays now have a chance to enter the new year on a winning streak.

As for Butler (8-5, 0-2), it's the second straight game where a solid first half has been undone by a lousy second half. Chuck Harris was the lone double-digit scorer with 14 points, with the Bulldogs making just 2-of-12 from 3-point range.

Other notable results:

Kansas 68, Harvard 54: The Jayhawks (11-1) were sleepwalking, as the game was within a couple of possessions with less than four minutes remaining. But Jalen Wilson's 21 points allowed the favorites to hold on against a Harvard (8-5) team that stayed in it for 37 minutes.

Arizona 93, Morgan State 68: No doubts here. Arizona (12-1) blew the Bears (4-8) out of the water as coach Tommy Lloyd became the second-fastest coach in history to reach 50 wins. Two players on each team had 20+ points, with Azuolas Tubelis leading all scorers with 26.

Minnesota 58, Chicago State 55: The Gophers (6-6) have struggled throughout the nonconference, but this was nearly the bottom. Chicago State (3-12) missed a shot at the buzzer to survive. Guess the Gophers got all the bounces.

Penn State 77, Quinnipiac 68: The Big Ten POY campaign continues for Jalen Pickett, as he produced 21 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists in the win for Penn State (9-3). Three others were in double figures, including Mikey Henn with 11 off the bench. The Bobcats (9-4) put up a competitive fight, as Tyrese Williams came off the pine to score 16 points.

NC State 76, Louisville 64: It took a while for the Wolfpack (11-3, 1-2 in ACC) to pull away from the Cardinals (2-11, 0-3), but they did it with balance. All five starters scored at least 13 points. Louisville now gets a week to prepare for its trip to Lexington.

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3. Ready for more holiday hoops?

Thanksgiving week gets all the attention, but we get one more MTE for Christmas: The Diamond Head Classic. The eight-team field may not feature multiple ranked programs, but it delivers some compelling matchups and gives us hoops today, and more games on Sunday, including a title game that night.

Here are the results from Thursday:

SMU 85, Iona 81: In a rare turn of events, a squad coached by Rick Pitino suffered a second-half collapse. SMU (4-7) used a 26-4 run to take a late lead and held on for the win, led by 24 points from Zach Nutall. Iona (7-4) got 40 points combined from Daniss Jenkins and Walter Clayton Jr.

Utah State 84, Seattle U 56: Utah State (10-1) rebounded from its first loss of the season by racing out to a double-digit lead and never looking back. Five Aggies players scored in double figures. Cam Tyson led Seattle U (8-3) with 20 points on 8-of-20 shooting.

Washington State 66, George Washington 64: Arguably the best game of the night. The Cougars (5-6) won in dramatic fashion, thanks to Jabe Mullins.

Big man Mouhamed Gueye was the star of the night, going for 21 points and 10 rebounds, despite dealing with a foot injury midway through the game.

Hawai'i 76, Pepperdine 70: The host program had a big lead throughout but nearly gave it away before hanging on against Pepperdine (6-6). Noel Coleman led the Rainbow Warriors (7-3) with 22 points.

4. Tad Boyle the all-time leader at Colorado

Tad Boyle has been Colorado's coach since 2010. Three others have had longer tenures (Frosty Cox, Russell "Sox" Walseth, and Ricardo Patton), but after Wednesday, none have more wins.

The record-setter, a 86-78 victory over Southern Utah, was No. 262. That's one more than Walseth, who was 261-245 in 20 seasons. The court is named after Cox, but Boyle has 115 more wins and wins at the same rate (62 percent). Colorado isn't the easiest job — and that makes Boyle's results all the more impressive.

He's been the most consistent coach in program history, winning at least 16 games every season and making five trips to the NCAA Tournament. In the 108 years prior, the Buffs had just 10 combined appearances.

Not only has Boyle turned Colorado into a formidable basketball program, but he also gets credit for making them immediately competitive after moving from the Big 12 to the Pac-12. And the team this season is 8-5, including an early win over Tennessee, and has looked solid after losing multiple key pieces. As long as Boyle is around, look for the Buffs to factor into the league picture every season.

5. A Christmas wishes for 4 underachieving programs

It's a wonderful time of year when people (hopefully) get to be around family, friends and other loved ones. But it's also about gifts. The Field of 68 AFTER DARK gave out gifts last night. But I've got a few of my own.

Florida State: Baba Miller makes an immediate impact

The Seminoles are just 4-10, primarily due to depleted frontcourt depth. Losing Jaylan Gainey and Cam'Ron Fletcher has impacted them on both ends of the court. There's help on the way: Baba Miller, a 6-10 versatile freshman forward from Spain, who has just two games left on his NCAA suspension for accepting impermissible benefits. If he can contribute — or even start — right away, the Noles could be a pain during ACC play.

Oregon: Backcourt help for Will Richardson

The fifth-year senior guard is the lone bright spot for the 7-6 Ducks. Richardson (15.1 ppg and 6.1 apg), can't do it all, though. Keeshawn Barthelemy has played the past four games but is shooting just 36 percent, while the other offseason transfer, Jermaine Couisnard, has remained out with an injury. Unless either the JUCO transfers (Brennan Rigsby and Rivaldo Soares) can step up and produce, it's all on Richardson to make Oregon competitive.

Dayton: A point guard

The Flyers have won 5 of 6 games since losing both Malachi Smith and Kobe Elvis to injury. They were the primary ball handlers, as freshman Mike Sharavjamts and sophomore Koby Brea have since handled the duties. Both have been fine against inferior competition, but with A-10 play looming — starting with a 10-3 Duquense squad — things could get dicey for the preseason Top 25 team. The NCAA Tournament will be a long shot without more guard help.

Auburn: At least one consistent perimeter threat

The Tigers enter SEC play with a 10-2 record but have obvious concerns on offense. They rank 322nd nationally in 3-point percentage at 30.2; both lead guards (K.D. Johnson and Wendell Green), are below that number. Only Allen Flanigan is shooting a respectable number (32 percent) and that's not going to cut it in the SEC.

Christmas bash between DePaul and Creighton

Outside of the Diamond Head Classic, we have a Big East matchup between the Blue Demons (6-6, 0-1) and Bluejays (7-6, 1-1). The luster of this game may have fallen off thanks to Creighton's losing streak, while DePaul is coming off back-to-back road blowout losses to Duquesne and Northwestern. The pressure is on the Bluejays to not take another bad loss, while the Demons need to avoid embarrassment on a national stage.

Other games to watch (All times ET)

  • SMU (4-7) vs Utah State (10-1), 7 pm, ESPN2

  • Washington State (5-6) vs Hawai'i (7-3), 12:30 am, ESPN2

  • Indiana (9-3) vs Kennesaw State (8-4), 7 pm Big Ten Network

  • Rutgers (7-4) vs Bucknell (7-5), 5 pm Big Ten Network

Can Michigan make the NCAA Tournament?

There's plenty of season left but should Wolverine fans press the panic button already? Check out what the Field of 68 After Dark crew has to say about their hopes going forward.

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 try to stay warm during this cold wave this weekend.

Correction: We wrote in Thursday's Daily that Indiana's Xavier Johnson has a hand injury. He is out with a foot injury.