The season takes flight

The college hoops season started on Monday, but the first "true" day is Friday. Multiple ranked teams take on opponents more than capable of beating them, including a few "rivalry" battles. Today's Daily will be a nice mix of reviewing last night and the week overall, as well as previewing this weekend's slate.

1. OK State's offense was not OK

Last season, the Big 12 was nearly perfect when it came to avoiding bad home losses. The exception was Oklahoma State, which stumbled in its second game of the season against Oakland. This season, the second game of the season, at home against Southern Illinois, also vexed the 'Pokes. A little deja vu.

Oklahoma State controlled much of the game and led 57-48 with less than six minutes remaining. But from that point, the Cowboys had more turnovers (2) than made shots (1) and missed three of four shots from the line (capping a bad night there; 8-16 overall).

On a positive note, former 5-star prospect Moussa Cisse had his best game yet in a Cowboys uniform, going for 11 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in 30 minutes. After being limited in his playing time a year ago, it looks like he'll be a key piece in the team's rotation.

Oklahoma State (1-1) travels to Oakland on Sunday (revenge?) before hitting the Baha Mar Hoops event next weekend. For Mike Boynton's team to get back to the NCAA Tournament, it can't afford to lose many more games like this, as Terrence Oglesby, Greg Waddell and Patric Young explained on The Field of 68 AFTER DARK last night.

2. Near upsets and a West Coast collapse

Quick thoughts on the other interesting results of the night:

• Notre Dame also nearly suffered an upset, trailing Radford for most of the second half before taking and holding onto the lead in the final two minutes. Senior big Nate Laszewski had 28 points and 12 rebounds to lead all scorers. Defensive concerns remain for the Irish.

• Cincinnati beat Cleveland State by 11, but the game was tied early in the second half, and it took a while before the favorites created separation. Considering that the Vikings lost to a D-II team earlier in the week, it was a better showing by them. The backcourt duo of David DeJulius and Landers Nolley looked good for the Bearcats, combining for 34 points.

• If you stayed up late, then you were able to see UC-Riverside come back from 18 points down to beat LMU, 81-79. The Lions were one of the biggest disappointments in the WCC last season, and this result feels as if more of the same is coming.

• Also of note, Towson grabbed an important win at UMass, 67-55, behind 27 points from Nicolas Timberlake and a double-double (13 and 10) from Cam Holden.

3. College hoops finally gets a big game, on a big platform

With the Champions Classic not until next week, the biggest game of the opening week is between Gonzaga and Michigan State (6:30 pm ET on ESPN). In fact, it's so big, they're playing it on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier for the Armed Forces Classic. The Spartans were part of the first of this kind of event, losing to North Carolina in 2011.

The game being played outside adds a variable that could be a game-changer for both sides. The weather is currently predicted to be stable and a non-factor but any kind of wind could affect shooting. (Not to mention condensation making the court slippery.) That's a strength of this Michigan State roster, which ranked in the top 20 in percentage from deep and returns a trio of players (Joey Hauser, Tyson Walker, Malik Hall) that shot 40 percent or better from 3.

Gonzaga will also jack its fair share of 3s, but they have All-American center Drew Timme whose post-offense shouldn't be affected by any weather.

It's an important game for both sides. With a win, Michigan State will go back to being ranked after getting denied a spot in the preseason AP poll. As for Gonzaga, it can move past the Tennessee exhibition result and likely get a Quad 1 victory for their postseason resume.

After you watch the Zags and Spartans, don't miss The Field of 68 live stream tonight at 11 pm ET. Meghan McKeown will host and ensure Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster stay on task.

4. You might need multiple screens on Friday night

Michigan/Gonzaga is the Friday headliner, but it also represents the first true night of quality matchups throughout college basketball. Here are some specific games to watch.

• If an aircraft carrier isn't your thing, what about hoops on a baseball field? Stanford and Wisconsin play in the Brew City Battle (7:30 pm ET, FS1). Scenic pics here.

• Emoni Bates was held out of Eastern Michigan's first game but should be available for their matchup with Michigan (9 pm ET, ESPNU), who reportedly was courting the former 5-star this offseason when he was in the portal. He'll face off against coach Juwan Howard and his star freshman son, Jett, on the wing.

• After losing to Wagner on opening night, Temple looks to pull off an upset of their own at home against Villanova (7 pm ET, ESPNU). The Wildcats are favored but every once in a while, it can get weird in a "Big 5" matchup.

• Both Pittsburgh and West Virginia are looking to bounce back from disappointing seasons in the Backyard Brawl rivalry (7 pm ET, ESPN+). Coach Bob Huggins thinks Pitt's star big man John Hugley will play, but will that happen?

• Darius McGhee averaged over 24 ppg last season. Does the Liberty guard have enough firepower to offset Alabama's up-tempo offense (8 pm ET, ESPN+)?

• Both BYU and San Diego State are looking for a resume-building victory early in the non-con schedule. The Cougars got a hard-fought win in Provo a year ago, can they make it two straight now on the road (10:30 pm ET)?

5. Under-the-radar storylines to consider going forward

The season is still just four days old, but there are already plenty of topics we can't help thinking about.

• Manny Bates is not only back from injury, but he had as good of a debut as possible for Butler, scoring a career-high 25 points. He was known mainly for defense but could he end up being a consistent offensive threat? Adama Sanogo and Ryan Kalkbrenner may not be the only top centers in the Big East.

• Rudi Williams was the star transfer pickup for BYU, set to replace All-WCC point guard Alex Barcello. But after struggling throughout the game against Idaho State, he was benched for freshman Dallin Hall. He's a former 4-star prospect who came off a two-year mission. Could Hall be the new lead guard, and how does that fare for the Cougars' NCAA tourney chances?

• Brice Sensabaugh might be Ohio State's breakout player. The 6-6 combo forward is averaging 14.5 ppg and 6.5 off the bench in two games. If his play continues, don't be surprised if he cuts into Justice Sueing's minutes.

• Duquesne snapped its 17-game losing streak with a 91-63 blowout over Montana. They were led by Dae Dae Grant, who had a historic and perfect debut with 25 points on 8/8 shooting. Grant averaged 17.5 ppg at Miami (Ohio) last season. Could the Dukes surprise Kentucky tonight and avoid finishing last in the A-10?

• Brandin Podziemski played limited minutes as an Illinois freshman, but not at Santa Clara. He's been the best player thus far this season, going for 30+ points in wins over Eastern Washington and Georgia Southern. The 6-5 sophomore could be the breakout for the season.

Shaheen vs. Saint Peter's

Seton Hall and coach Shaheen Holloway face his old team in Saint Peter's, who just made the Elite , making history for both the program and NCAA Tournament. Most of the players on the team have left so it won't feel as surreal, but the Peacocks may have one more upset to give. (Saturday, Noon ET on FS2)

SATURDAY

• Wright State (0-1) at Louisville (0-1), 1 pm ET. (ESPN+/ACC Network)

• Washington State (1-0) at Boise State (0-1), 7 pm ET. (Check local listings)

SUNDAY

• Colorado (1-0) at Tennessee (1-0), 2 pm ET. (ESPN)

• North Texas (1-0) at Saint Mary's (2-0), 8 pm ET. (Check local listings)

Memphis with the most impressive win of the week?

There weren't too many matchups featuring teams from power conferences, but one was Memphis, which went on the road and beat Vanderbilt. Are you a glass-half-full guy (Memphis good) or glass-half-empty (Vanderbilt bad)? Find out which side Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman take on the Field of 68 AFTER DARK.

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Links as you spend potentially your last hours on Twitter.

• The Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series will debut this weekend. Love a series where Pac-12 schools will play HBCUs.

• Tarleton State added class of 2023 forward Luke Davis.

• Abilene Christian snagged Kavion McClain, a class of 2023 guard.

• Evansville landed JUCO guard (Salt Lake CC) Tanner Cuff.

• Eastern Washington picked up 2023 center Jackson Seale.

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