Suspended indefinitely

When one of college basketball's most prominent coaches is arrested and charged with a felony, it's a story that overshadows not only that day's games but everything else in the sport. We'll start with what's going on in Texas.

1. Texas suspends Chris Beard indefinitely

Texas played Monday night without coach Chris Beard on the sideline. How long that'll be the case is unclear.

Beard was arrested early Monday morning after allegedly strangling his fiancée at their home. He was charged with assault by strangulation/suffocation - family violence, a third-degree felony. He posted a $10,000 after a Monday hearing and released. Hours later, the school indefinitely suspended him without pay and issued this statement.

There is an active protective order against Beard, 49, until at least Feb. 10, 2023, which prevents him from being within 200 yards of his fiancée. He's also not allowed to carry a firearm and cannot communicate in a threatening way with the victim.

The charges are shown in the tweet below; be warned there is graphic detail.

Beard's attorney, Perry Minton, told the Austin American-Statesman that "He should never have been arrested. The complainant wants him released immediately and all charges dismissed. It is truly inconceivable."

There is no timeline for how the school will handle Beard's arrest and his future with the school.

Beard, the 2019 college basketball coach of the year while at Texas Tech, is in the second season of a seven-year deal that pays him $5 million per season. There is language in Beard's contract that allows Texas to terminate or suspend him due to detrimental conduct or if a criminal charge is brought against him.

As for the game, the Longhorns were sluggish and looked like a team adjusting to playing without their coach in an 87-81 overtime win against Rice.

The Owls (6-3) entered as 20-point underdogs but led for nearly all the first half, taking advantage of Texas' aggressive defense with backdoor cuts for easy baskets. Guard Quincy Olivari scored 28 points but went cold late. Marcus Carr (28 points) led Texas (8-1) in scoring.

"I've really been focused on our guys today, really trying to rally them," Terry told ESPN afterward. "Knowing that we were going to have to come in tonight and play for 40 minutes. It wasn't going to be an easy game for us."

As for what's next for Beard, Terry and who's coaching the team? That's very much TBD.

The Longhorns' next game is Sunday against Stanford.

The Field of 68 AFTER DARK crew discussed the allegations and Beard's future on last night's show. It's a serious conversation, and one Randolph Childress, John Henson and Rob Dauster handle carefully and with sensitivity.

2. Arizona State burns Kalkbrenner-less Creighton

All Creighton wants for Christmas is a healthy Ryan Kalkbrenner. And some made shots.

Neither was around during Monday's 73-71 loss to Arizona State.

Kalkbrenner, the Bluejays' 7-foot junior center, has missed two games due to a non-COVID illness. He was sorely missed against the Sun Devils, whose length and athleticism bothered Creighton throughout the night. Arizona State (10-1) held the Jays to just 37 percent shooting and didn't allow many easy shots around the basket.

Desmond Cambridge led ASU with 19 points, 15 of which came from beyond the arc.

That said, Creighton did have looks. Francisco Farabello, a career 40 percent 3-point shooter, was 0-of-5 from deep. One went off the side of the backboard. Ryan Nembhard was just 1-of-9. Arthur Kaluma and Trey Alexander, a combined 6-of-22. (Oddly enough, the only one who had a really good night was Kalkbrenner's backup, Fredrick King, who went 8-of-11 from the field and blocked five shots.)

Most nights, with Kalkbrenner on the court, the baskets come a little bit easier, and the defense has its anchor. Then again, Creighton is 6-5. This was its fifth-straight loss, with Big East play opening on Friday against Marquette. Things aren't going to get easier for the preseason Top 10 team.

"The schedule ended up taking a toll on us," coach Greg McDermott said, via the Omaha World-Herald. "More than we thought it would. And you hope that it'll pay off later, that some of the lessons that we've learned from playing this stretch and as much as we've been away from home, that we can grow from it. But nobody's gonna feel sorry for us. So we've gotta clean it up and get ready for Friday."

On the flip side, let's consider Arizona State as a Pac-12 dark horse. Bobby Hurley's team has won eight in a row and its defense (17th in adjusted efficiency on KenPom) will help it contend in every game, even at Arizona. And if the Sun Devils hit 11 3s like on Monday, they'll be a tough out.

They're winning close games — ASU is 5-1 in games decided by four points or less — but as we saw with Providence last year, if you have an experienced team (Sun Devils start three seniors and a junior) with multiple ball-handlers and positional balance, that can go a long ways toward a successful season.

3. New Mexico rallies, stays unbeaten

Jamal Mashburn Jr. scored 23 points, four of which came during a crucial 8-0 run to close out a 67-64 New Mexico win over San Francisco. The Lobos (10-0) trailed for most of the second half and needed some friendly bounces at the end.

The Dons (8-3) missed three free throws in the final 90 seconds and had consecutive 3-point attempts fall short in the final five seconds.

"I wasn't happy with a lot," coach Richard Pitino told the Albuquerque Journal. "We played our best basketball at the end, which was great. But we did not play like we had played the first nine [games]. So it's great that we can learn from a win, but we need to understand that when we play like that — and especially now that we've won a lot of games, it's a big game to other people, that's a new thing in itself — so we have to stick together and stay the course."

Jaelen House added 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals as New Mexico, off to its best start since 2012-13, is one of seven unbeaten D-I teams. The win also sets up a TV-ready showdown on Sunday against Iona (4:30 pm ET on FS1), coached by Richard's dad, Rick.

Oral Roberts 84, Liberty 70Max Abmas scored 26 points, 15 in the second half, as the Golden Eagles (8-3) pulled away from the Flames (6-4) in a matchup of two of the game's better mid-major teams and two of its most potent scorers. Darius McGhee had 24, but also seven turnovers.

Gonzaga 88, Northern Illinois 67The Bulldogs ran away with this one, even if they took a few nudges along the way. Drew Timme scored 26 points as the Zags (8-3) led by double-digits twice in the first half, saw its lead cut to six, then just worked it back to a big lead. They'll have Alabama on Saturday.

San Diego State 88, Kennesaw State 54The Aztecs (8-3) rebounded from a loss to Saint Mary's by pulling away from the Owls (6-4) in the second half. Micah Parrish led all scorers with 19.

Syracuse 86, Monmouth 71Judah Mintz scored a season-high 24 points as the Orange (7-4) won their fourth consecutive game, though it was tight until early in the second half against the Hawks (1-10).

4. A big three atop the AP poll

Purdue leapfrogged Virginia and UConn to grab the top spot in the latest AP Poll, but it was far from a consensus. If all three win again this week, I'd bet we'll see a new No. 1 on Monday. So hold that thought.

From the last week:

• The Boilermakers (10-0) throttled Hofstra and won in OT at Nebraska. They got 27 first-place votes.

• Virginia (8-0) beat James Madison by five at home. It got 19 votes.

• UConn (11-0) handled Florida on the road and whipped LIU by 53. Fifteen votes.

So why did Purdue jump from four to one? Call it a residual bump from beating Gonzaga and Duke earlier this season. Purdue got the third-most first-place votes last week, so voters were ready for them. (Happened fast, too. Per David Worlock, it's the fastest any team has gone from unranked to No. 1.) They definitely aren't ready for UConn, which was the most impressive team last week.

Look, it's the second week of December. If people don't agree on the best team in college hoops, that's a reasonable take. I would've voted for UConn, but it's not like voting for the other two was dumb.

Just be ready for the potential of Virginia as the new No. 1 next week. If it beats Houston at home (Purdue has Davidson and UConn plays Butler), you'll see plenty of justifications for a Hoos jump.

5. Gael warning

It's never taken Rick Pitino more than three seasons to whip a program into shape. Kentucky was in the Elite Eight in Year 3. Providence, just two years for a Final Four. It took four seasons to get Louisville to a Final Four, and he even led Boston U to the NCAAT in Year 4.

He's right on schedule at Iona. Some might say he's already there.

The Gaels are 6-2 entering tonight's game against Princeton in Newark. They're coming off impressive wins against Saint Louis and St. Bonaventure, two of the A10's best teams. If they beat the Tigers and pull off a road win Sunday against his son, Richard, and unbeaten New Mexico, there's a chance Iona won't lose again this season.

Look, Pitino's team won 25 games last season and was the favorite entering the MAAC Tournament. A shocker to Rider in the quarterfinals ended any hope of an NCAA tourney invitation (Saint Peter's is eternally grateful), but if the Gaels run the table in league play, an at-large berth would have to be a possibility.

Yes, the odds are slim (5.6 percent, per KenPom) of going 20-0 in league play, but Iona is significantly better than any other MAAC team. Its adjusted efficiency margin is 150 spots better than Rider. It's the only team with a positive efficiency margin in nonconference play. It's expected to outscore the average D-I team by 12.55 points every 100 possessions. That's 1.5 points fewer than Villanova.

Iona plays fast, it presses (I mean it's a Pitino team, obviously it presses), and it's hitting its 3s (36.5 percent). Who wouldn't want to see this in March?

The "J" in KJ is short for "Jraymond Green"

Hey, if Bill Self is going to compare Kansas sophomore big KJ Adams to NBA star Draymond Green, we'll roll with it. Credit to Duffy at Barstool KU for that headline.

It's not just hype, either. The 6-7 big isn't a stat sheet stuffer like Green (yet), but his emergence this season is a big reason why the reigning champs (9-1) haven't taken a step back after losing six of their top eight players from a year ago. His defensive versatility and athletic ability are his calling cards, but he's displayed more offensive ability of late as well.

The most recent? A career-high 19 points, a terrific block, and plenty of hustle plays during a 95-67 win at Missouri on Saturday. Seemed like the ideal time to catch up with him for Four Questions.

Q: When was the last time a basketball game was that much fun? You guys looked right at home playing in front of an active, noisy crowd.

KJ Adams: It was probably Duke because it was another national spotlight. That also was a lot of fun. And this year for Missouri it was good to experience because I was actually on the court this time. (Adams played six minutes in KU's 102-65 win last season). I was obviously happy we won, but it was more fun to be out there and be in the mix.

Q: You're shooting nearly 70 percent from the field, mostly on dunks and alley-oops. But some of them are really impressive when they come against guys two or three inches taller.

What's been the difference this season? Averaging 8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1 block a game is a tremendous jump.

KJ Adams: It was just a matter of time where I had to be comfortable with my abilities on offense. And I just let Dajuan [Harris] do what he's gotta do, and I can go get it. It can be hard against big guys, but you just have to use your strengths against their weaknesses.

Q: Coach called you "Draymond Green Jr" after the Missouri game, which has been an apt moniker for you this season given you defensive versality, passing, an unselfish play. (Though I'm guessing Draymond would kill for your hops.) Is that how you see yourself?

KJ Adams: To be honest, I've always tried to be a player like Draymond. It doesn't surprise me that coach was calling me that. I've always been striving for that. I've studied him and even Dennis Rodman, for their rebounding, because that's something where I need to improve.

Q: Ever missed leg day? I'd like to think you and Jalen are having a competition.

KJ Adams: (laughs) I've always had this physique. I get it from my dad. My dad has a big body and was very athletic, too.

Q: Does it feel like you guys are flying under the radar a bit?

KJ Adams: A little bit. People see that we lost a couple of key factors to our team, and we drop a couple spots in the polls [to No. 8] even though we won by 28. But that's OK. We don't try to focus on that as much.

Kansas plays host to Indiana this Saturday.

Youth vs experience

Are Nate Oats and Alabama (8-1) ready for an encore? And no, we're not talking about him roasting Jeff Goodman. This is about playing host to perhaps the nation's most underrated teams in Memphis. The Tigers are 8-2, have reeled off six straight wins and just beat Auburn. They're the nation's most experienced team, which'll be key against a team that relies on three freshmen. (9 pm ET, ESPN2)

Other games to watch (All times ET)

• Furman (7-3) at NC State (8-3), 6:30 pm (ACC Network)

• Marshall (9-1) at UNC Greensboro (4-6), 7 pm (ESPN+)

• UMass Lowell (11-1) at Rhode Island (3-7), 7 pm

We've got takes

Who's the most disappointing team thus far? The best? Which players have exceeded expectations and which ones have struggled thus far? And which team might still have a chance to live up to preseason hype?

Rob Dauster, Terrence Oglesby and John Fanta discuss/argue about what's happened thus far this season, and what's next in the latest DTF podcast.

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

Links as you wonder why the Golden Globes are still relevant.

• Memphis will finally have guard Damaria Franklin after the NCAA ruled his was eligible.

• Is the Spaulding TF-1000 ball bad for the game? A study from 13 games of data.

• New Mexico State coach Greg Heiar said he worried about the safety of his family and players immediately after the shooting last month involving one of his players.

• There's "growing sentiment" for Texas and Oklahoma to leave the Big 12 early and join the SEC by 2024.

• Longtime Nike AAU program BABC will join adidas 3SSB.

Any Purdue fan looking to celebrate it's No. 1 ranking can look their best in this Paintcrew t-shirt from the Field of 68 shop. Black, white, heather black, gray, we've got you. And don't forget to save 20% off any purchase by using promo code "DAILY."

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