Super Saturday

Thanks a lot, North Carolina. The preseason No. 1 team's four-game losing streak not only took them out of the top 25 but also deprived us of yet another matchup of ranked opponents on Saturday. I guess we'll have to deal with only five.

Let's get to the news.

1. Get multiple TVs for Saturday

Friday is a trap day for college hoops fans because we're already looking ahead to Saturday.

For the first time since Jan. 17, 2009, there are five Top 25 matchups on the same day — two of which are Top 10 showdowns (credit to Eli Boettger of Heat Check CBB for the stat). This slate easily makes for the best day of basketball this season. Let's break down the games.

No. 14 Indiana at No. 8 Kansas (Noon pm ET, ESPN2): Kansas' Jalen Wilson (22.1 ppg and 9.4 rpg) vs. Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis (16.8 ppg and 8.4 rpg) will draw the attention, as the two All-American hopefuls square off in the frontcourt. Kansas freshman Gradey Dick (15.4 ppg) provides a much-needed second-scoring option for the Jayhawks. Indiana, losers of two of its past three, is set to get a key piece back to its lineup.

The Hoosiers are unbeaten with Jalen Hood-Schifino in the rotation, and he's another ball-handler who will be needed against the Jayhawks' strong defensive backcourt. If he can't go, it'll all fall upon the enigmatic Xavier Johnson to initiate the offense against Kevin McCullar and Dajuan Harris.

No. 4 Alabama vs No. 15 Gonzaga (1 pm ET, CBS): After wins over Houston and Memphis, the Tide have momentum. But they don't have defensive ace Nimari Burnett, who is out for at least the next month with a wrist injury. They gave up 88 points to Memphis without him and now take on a Bulldogs team capable of a shootout.

The Zags got 42 points off the bench in their 88-67 win over Northern Illinois, with Ben Gregg going for a career-high 18 points and seven rebounds. Malachi Smith and Hunter Sallis were also in double figures — Gonzaga needs Smith, in particular, to produce yet again if it wants to pull off the upset.

No. 5 Houston vs No. 2 Virginia (2 pm ET, ESPN2): After losing their No. 1 ranking in last week's loss at Alabama, the Cougars face another stingy defense.

Their biggest question mark? Marcus Sasser's health after an eye injury. He scored just nine points on 2-of-11 shooting vs. Bama but rebounded with 17 in this week's 74-46 win over North Carolina A&T.

Virginia is one of seven unbeaten D-I teams but has been playing with fire as of late, winning its past three games by five points or fewer. Both teams are comfortable with the game being in the 50s, and there will be a ton of upperclassmen players involved. Can the Hoos cement themselves as national title contenders with a win?

No. 16 UCLA vs No. 13 Kentucky (5:15 pm ET, CBS): After a dominant 87-60 victory at No. 20 Maryland, UCLA re-discovered its mojo. David Singleton played a key part with 18 points off the bench, including 4-of-5 from deep. That bumps his season average to 50 percent from 3.

Kentucky has someone that's actually shooting better. Cason Wallace is shooting 52 percent from deep while averaging 10.7 points and 4.3 assists per contest. He's been big on both ends for the Wildcats, while Antonio Reeves (13.9 ppg, 48.2 percent from 3) has quietly been the team's second-best scorer. Oscar Tshiebwe against UCLA's frontline will be the main storyline, but shooting might determine who leaves with a W.

No. 6 Tennessee vs No. 9 Arizona (10:30 pm ET, ESPN2): Arizona's No. 1 offense faces the nation's top defense. The Cats' frontcourt duo of Oumar Ballo and Ažuolas Tubelis are combining for nearly 40 points and 18 rebounds per game. And with the IARP ruling finally giving the program peace and closure, fans in Tuscon have to feel good.

But the vibes at Tennessee have to be a little better with the expectation that Santiago Vescovi (11.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 3.6 apg) will play. He missed two games last week but was back for the team's 56-53 win over Maryland on Sunday. Versatile wing Josiah-Jordan James, on the other hand, remains out. That hurts — the Vols need all hands on deck here.

Whew! That's five incredible games and doesn't even include Ohio State vs. North Carolina, Missouri vs. UCF, and UConn vs. Butler, among others.

And make sure you don't forget Stephen F. Austin vs. Furman, a game the Field of 68 will stream.

2. The chances of an upset were real-Lehigh

With so many teams playing on Saturday, that means the slate for Thursday was fairly light. Still, we almost saw a big upset last night. Sort of.

Wisconsin was a 23-point favorite vs. Lehigh but fell behind early and trailed at the half by a point.

However, the Badgers (9-2) woke up after the intermission and held the Hawks to just 24 second-half points in a 78-56 win. It was a balanced effort, as four different Wisconsin players scored 13-plus points.

Other results from Thursday:

Chattanooga 84, Middle Tennessee 73Any "Year of the Big" discussion should include Chattanooga center Jake Stephens. He had 24 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in the win for the Mocs (8-3), including this nice shot below. Eli Lawrence scored 21 for the Blue Raiders (7-4).

Santa Clara 86, UC-Irvine 74Despite just seven points from leading scorer Brandin Podziemski, Santa Clara (10-3) got great production from starters Carlos Stewart and Keshawn Justice, who scored 29 and 26 points, respectively. Irvine (7-4) received 14 points each from Dawson Baker and Justin John, but the usually strong defense couldn't stop the Broncos from deep, allowing 14 made 3-pointers.

Oregon State 73, Seattle U 58The Beavers were trailing at the half, but 48 points after the break were more than enough. Jordan Pope led all scorers with 15, while Oregon State (5-6) held the Redhawks to just 34 percent from the field. Seattle's Cameron Tyson, who came into the game averaging 23.7 points per game, scored just four on 1-of-10 from the field.

3. NCAA's new president a politically savvy move

When Mark Emmert announced he'd be stepping down as NCAA president, the possibilities to fill that role seemed endless. Would the NCAA pick another university president? Someone in the business or education field? Or even a famous figure with extensive knowledge of the current landscape?

In the end, the NCAA went the political route on Thursday, hiring outgoing Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. A former basketball player at Harvard, Baker will now be tasked with a body that seems almost ungovernable.

“Governor Baker has shown a remarkable ability to bridge divides and build bipartisan consensus, taking on complex challenges in innovative and effective ways,” the chair of the NCAA board of governors and president of Baylor University, Linda Livingstone, said in a release.

“As a former student-athlete himself, husband to a former college gymnast, and father to two former college football players, Governor Baker is deeply committed to our student-athletes and enhancing their collegiate experience. These skills and perspective will be invaluable as we work with policymakers to build a sustainable model for the future of college athletics.”

Mark Emmert gave spectators plenty to criticize during his 12-year tenure as NCAA President. But don't assume that any new face will make changes to improve college athletics immediately. Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) is still new, and there are no consensus views on how to handle it. Does he wade into the transfer situation? And what about navigating future conference realignment? Will it just be more of the same?

Of course, there is also football to consider. The NCAA doesn't make any revenue from the sport, but as Ralph Russo writes, remains liable for the legal and health costs associated with the sport. That's why a 66-year-old politician (Emmert is 70) was the choice.

Baker's political ties are his obvious strength and probably signal his immediate approach. He's a Republican with a high approval rating who was twice elected in a blue state. The first step for the new president is to minimize enemies; Emmert struggled there. It's the only hope to get something passed in Congress so that there's a uniform standard. But ideological divides surrounding the concepts of labor and amateurism will make it tough to find any agreement.

It takes an elite politician to accomplish what Baker did in Massachusetts, especially in these times. And yet that might have been easier than the upcoming task of bringing credibility to the NCAA when its approval rating is as low as Congress'. We'll see what his first few moves will be when his tenure officially starts on March 1, 2023.

4. Happiness in the Hurley household

Bob Hurley Sr. is a Hall-of-Fame coach from his days at St. Anthony's High School (NJ). His sons, Bobby (Arizona State) and Dan (UConn), eventually followed in his footsteps.

Both have won at multiple schools but entered the season with questions. Could UConn live up to preseason expectations? And would Arizona State win enough to keep Bobby off the hot seat after back-to-back sub-500 seasons?

Guess we've got our answers.

The teams are currently a combined 21-1. Aside from a road loss at Texas Southern, ASU has been great, including a 2-0 start in Pac-12 play. Via David Borges of CTInsider, the elder Hurley credits Bobby for "biting his tongue" when it comes to the offense: "It's amazing what those knuckleheads will do in close game situations [...] but they love playing for him because he gives them freedom — if they play hard."

For the No. 3-ranked Huskies, their unbeaten start includes wins over Alabama, Florida and Iowa State. More impressive is that all 11 wins have been by double-digits. Hurley Sr. gives credit to not only the frontcourt duo of Adama Sanogo and Donovan Clingan (he compares them to Purdue's Zach Edey and Trevion Williams) but to do-it-all Andre Jackson. "Highest level of energy of anybody I've seen in the country... He's as good a leader as you're ever gonna get."

Both teams have so far exceeded expectations and look like the real deal. So while Father Hurley is excited for each of his sons and their respective teams, he'll have a potential headache in March when it comes to travel plans if they each make the NCAA Tournament.

5. How JUCO transfers keyed Duquesne's turnaround

Duquesne is just different this season.

The Dukes are 8-3, surpassing last year's win total, and just one shy of what they hit in 2021. Wednesday's win over DePaul was their first win over a Big East program since 2002. They'll be favored in more than half of their remaining games, placing them right around 20 wins and maybe even 10 in league play. For a team picked to finish last in the Atlantic 10 preseason media poll, that's a helluva accomplishment.

The difference has been the newcomers. Dae Dae Grant (from Miami (OH)) and Tevin Brewer (FIU) have grabbed headlines, but don't discount the junior college transfers Jimmy "Tre" Clark and Quincy McGriff.

McGriff started Wednesday at point guard in place of the injured Brewer, with eight points and eight rebounds. Clark had 13 points and eight rebounds, along with playing a key role in limiting DePaul's Umoja Gibson to three points on 1-of-8 shooting. Clark is second in scoring for Duquesne (10.5 ppg), while McGriff has four starts and has played four different positions on the court thanks to his size and all-around ability.

McGriff and Clark are teammates now but were on opposite sides in last year's National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Tournament, with Clark's Northwest Florida State beating McGriff's Salt Lake Community College, 83-67.

Both players have been huge for coach Keith Dambrot, who hasn't brought in JUCO transfers during his time at Duquesne until this summer.

"When we weren't very good last year, we went everywhere for talent," Dambrot said Wednesday. "We went to Utah to recruit McGriff and attended the JUCO Tournament and met Clark... we hit it off immediately.

"Tre Clark's been an unbelievable player and person for us."

There's plenty of talk about the need for traditional transfers to help teams stay old and contribute right away. Still, the JUCO route doesn't get mentioned much though there are plenty of examples, both in the past and even in this class of newcomers, that have made an immediate impact this season. Here are some more examples besides the Dukes' duo.

Daniss Jenkins, Iona: The 6-3 guard was a double-digit scorer in two years at Pacific. After a year at Odessa College that resulted in 50/40/90 shooting splits, Jenkins went to Iona and has been its best player, leading them with 17.9 points and 4.9 assists, including a 31-point effort against Niagara.

Kam Woods, North Carolina A&T: A teammate of Clark at Northwest Florida State, Woods had a game-high 17 points in the NJCAA title game win and has kept that scoring production up with the Aggies, leading them with 18.1 points per game, including a season-high 26 against Houston this week.

Deshawndre Washington, New Mexico State: Another former player at Northwest Florida State, the 6-7 guard is a triple-double threat most nights. His ability to do it all has been crucial for an Aggies roster that has dealt with some player absences. Washington leads the team in all three main categories (14.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg and 4.9 apg.)

Sean East, Missouri: After averaging over 20 ppg at John A. Logan College, East was considered one of the top players in the 2022 JUCO class. He committed to Missouri, where he's been an effective guard off the bench, averaging 9.2 points and 3.3 assists in 22 minutes.

Big East doubleheader on Friday night

There are two main games tonight, and both open Big East play. Xavier (8-3) will be on the road at Georgetown (5-6), which is looking for its first league win since March 13, 2021. The other matchup is Creighton at Marquette. The Bluejays (6-5) have lost 5 in a row, while the Golden Eagles (8-3) are coming off a 15-point road win at Notre Dame. Lot's of pressure on the road teams to either get back on track or not get what would be an embarrassing defeat.

What to watch the rest of the weekend: (All times ET)

SATURDAY

• Providence (8-3) at Seton Hall (7-4), 12:30 pm FOX

• North Carolina (7-4) at Ohio State (7-2), 3 pm (CBS)

• Utah (9-2) at BYU (7-5), 6 pm (CBSSN)

• Davidson (7-3) at Purdue (10-0), 6:15 pm (Big Ten Network)

• UConn (11-0) at Butler (8-3), 7 pm (FS1)

• Texas A&M (6-3) at Memphis (8-3), 7 pm (ESPNU)

• Drake (8-2) at Saint Louis (7-4), 8 pm (ESPN+)

SUNDAY

• Stanford (3-6) at Texas (8-1), 1 pm (ESPN2)

• Auburn (9-1) at USC (8-3), 5:30 pm (ESPN)

• Iona (7-2) at New Mexico (10-0), 6:30 pm (FS1)

• Washington State (4-5) at Baylor (7-2), 10 pm (ESPN2)

What to make of the UCLA's rout of Maryland?

One of the more surprising results of the season was Maryland not only losing by 27 points at home to UCLA but not being in the game after the opening tip. The Terrapins started 8-0 and were ranked as high as 13th in the AP Poll, but have now lost three straight. Is the Big Ten team coming back down to Earth? Or should more attention be given to the Bruins as a title contender? The Field of 68 AFTER DARK discusses this and more.

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

Links as you empty your DVR recordings to make sure you don't miss out on any games this weekend.

• Memphis reached an agreement with the NCAA for penalties after violating recruiting rules.

• New Mexico transfer Jay Allen Tovar will be joining Southern Utah.

• Charlotte guard Jackson Threadgill upsets his mom by forgetting his lucky pink shoes.

• Temple starting center Jamille Reynolds will be out for 6-8 weeks with a thumb injury.

• How Kelvin Sampson's first team at Houston paved the way for the Cougars to become an elite program.

• Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim gives his thoughts on the Orange 10 games into the season.

• Penn Basketball seeing key players announce intentions for the portal in the future.

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