Horns up

What a stacked Wednesday of college hoops! In today's Daily, we'll recap Texas's comeback victory over TCU, dive into how Alabama is running through SEC foes like it is football season, USC's potential boost and who could be viral stars of college hoops.

Let's get to the news.

1. A Texas-sized comeback

“Game of the year” is constantly thrown around and can really only apply a couple of times each season. But anyone who watched Texas's thrilling 79-75 win over No. 17 TCU wouldn't mind that terminology, especially when it featured the most entertaining final 10 minutes of any game this season.

TCU led by as many as 18 in the first half and 13 at halftime. The Horned Frogs (13-2, 2-2 in Big 12) were controlling the boards (no surprise) and simply played more physically. But things started to shift just before halftime. The No. 10 Longhorns (14-2, 3-1) opened the second half with a 12-5 run and finally got within single digits on Timmy Allen’s mid-range bucket with 14:10 to play. The game didn't follow a linear progression, though. It swung back and forth like a gate in the west Texas wind.

• Texas closed to within two, 49-47

• 9:36: TCU leads 61-49 after a Mike Miles layup

• A 12-2 Texas run cuts it to 63-61 with 7:04 left

• 67 all with 4:39 left after two Sir'Jabari Rice free throws

• 1:01 remaining, Texas takes its first lead, 76-73 on a Marcus Carr 3-pointer

Then the most significant rebounds of the game happened. After Emanuel Miller's jumper cut Texas' lead to one point, he could tie with on an and-one. He missed, Rice secured the rebound, then grabbed the next offensive rebound after Carr’s mid-range shot was short. His two free throws with six seconds remaining essentially sealed it.

Texas isn't winning without the second-half contributions from Dylan Disu and Rice. Disu scored 12 second-half points, and Rice went 8-of-9 from the charity stripe and scored all of his 15 points in the 2nd half.

TCU went 4-of-15 from deep, its most glaring weakness, including zero made triples from Mike Miles. I'm sorry about this one, TCU fans. If the blowout loss in the CFP title game wasn't bad enough, botching an 18-point lead in Austin makes matters worse.

Texas easily could’ve let the early deficit overwhelm them — and would anyone blame the Longhorns after their past couple of weeks? The players, however, are entirely bought in. Leading scorer Timmy Allen said, "We got a team of 14 to 15 guys who believe in each other, and they play for each other."

Texas' team chemistry appears solid, which can be attributed to interim coach Rodney Terry. They're now 7-1 under Terry and just logged their biggest comeback since 2013. That's a team with some fight. A few more wins like that, and Terry can make his case for the full-time job.

2. Alabama is slowly competing for the top-ranking

On a night where UConn lost, Houston struggled against South Florida, and other highly ranked teams floundered, Alabama made its case to be No. 1, going into Fayetteville and beating Arkansas, 83-69. It’s time to start believing the No. 4 Crimson Tide (14-2, 4-0 in SEC) could be the best team in America — holding wins over Houston, Arkansas, North Carolina, Memphis, Mississippi State, and that demolition of Kentucky.

It was tight until Bama opened a 12-point lead midway through the second half. Arkansas couldn’t get much going on offense, and it looked like the Tide were one spurt away from a blowout win. Instead, Arkansas was the recipient of a timely run. With 4:55 remaining, Jalen Graham scored a basket to put the Razorbacks within two points.

Time for some soothing words from Bama coach Nate Oats. “I just told them, look it’s a game of runs, we’ve got to get back to getting doors, taking care of the ball on offense, and just settle down a little bit.”

It wasn't so much settle as go off; a 9-0 run essentially put the game away.

The Tide got a season-best performance from Mark Sears, scoring 26 points in 38 minutes. He now has 15 or more points in four straight games. Pairing that consistency with freshmen Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney, Alabama's offense becomes even more challenging to contain.

Bama is sixth in KenPom’s defensive efficiency metric. It's kept five straight opponents to less than 70 points. For some perspective, the Crimson Tide allowed 100 points to Gonzaga on Dec. 17 and 88 to Memphis on Dec 13. Since then, they haven't allowed any team to score more than .9 points per possession. That kind of defensive improvement should make teams wary of what Alabama is capable of.

It’s time to believe in the Tide as a legitimate title contender. It’s real.

3. What else you should know from Wednesday

Marquette 82, UConn 76O-Max Prosper, Kam Jones and Oso Ighodaro combined for 51 points as Marquette (14-4, 6-1 in Big East) won its fifth straight game behind an impressive rally and athletic plays. If you only looked at box scores this morning, you probably assumed Adama Sanogo (who played 19 minutes) suffered an injury, as Donovan Clingan played more (21 minutes), scored 21 points and grabbed 10 boards. Nope. Coach Dan Hurley stuck with Clingan. The Huskies (15-3, 4-3) have now lost three of four.

Houston 83, South Florida 77The Bulls were ready for the No. 1 team. South Florida (7-9, 0-4 in AAC) scored 1.13 points per possession, better than any other team this season against Houston. Multi-time transfer Tyler Harris led the Bulls with 31 points. The Coogs (17-1, 5-0) got bailed out by its backcourt duo of Jamal Shead and Marcus Sasser (51 combined points) in the win.

Charleston 70, UNC Wilmington 69A CAA thriller! Charleston (17-1, 5-0 in CAA) entered as winners of 15 consecutive games, while UNCW (14-4, 3-1) had 13 straight victories. And now the Cougars are alone atop the CAA standings. No. 22 Charleston scored 42 first-half points against Wilmington, but the Seahawks' typically stout defense found its groove in the second half. UNCW led with less than 90 seconds left, then Ryan Larson hit an and-one layup to win it.

Baylor 83, West Virginia 78The Bears (11-5, 1-3 in Big 12) got 32 points from stud freshman Keyonte George — the fourth time in five games George has scored at least 20 points. It's an impressive road win for Baylor, which had lost three straight. Moreover, West Virginia (10-6, 0-4) has to start piecing together wins in America’s toughest conference.

Duke 77, Pittsburgh 69Kyle Filipowski scored 28 points on 8-14 shooting, willing the Blue Devils (13-4, 4-2 in ACC) back from an 11-point halftime deficit. Starting point guard Jeremy Roach remains on the shelf, but Tyrese Proctor scored 13 points and tossed five dimes in his place. Pittsburgh (11-6, 4-2) came so close to notching wins over UNC, Virginia and Duke all before Jan. 12.

Miami 88, Boston College 72The Canes (14-2, 5-1 in ACC) took a gut-punch loss to Georgia Tech over the weekend, so they promptly hammered Boston College (8-9, 2-4) in Coral Gables. Miami shot 60 percent from the field and went 12-of-18 from 3, while Isaiah Wong scored 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting.

Xavier 90, Creighton 87Defense was optional. No. 12 Xavier (14-3, 6-0 in Big East) outran visiting Creighton (9-8, 3-3). A pair of transfers paced the scoring: Souley Boum scored 26 points to lead Xavier and Baylor Scheierman led Creighton with 25 points.

Penn State 86, Indiana 65Indiana (10-6, 1-4 in Big Ten) still doesn't have starters Race Thompson or Xavier Johnson, and it showed. The Nittany Lions (12-5, 3-3) went 18-of-31 from deep, including Andrew Funk's seven trifectas.

Rutgers 65, Northwestern 62Ouch, Northwestern. The Wildcats (12-4, 3-2 in Big Ten) held a two-point lead, then Cam Spencer drilled a triple to put Rutgers (12-5, 4-2) in front with 15 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Northwestern fumbled the ball away, and that’s all she wrote.

Syracuse 82, Virginia Tech 72The Hokies (11-6, 1-5 in ACC) need Hunter Cattoor back as soon as possible. They went 3-of-19 from deep against Syracuse (11-6, 4-2). It’s a different game with Cattoor against the Cuse zone. Joe Girard led the Orange with 24 points. Syracuse is tied for third in the ACC, while Va Tech has lost five straight.

Texas A&M 82, Missouri 64Texas A&M (11-5, 3-0 in SEC) carried a 43-25 lead into the break, but No. 20 Mizzou cut the deficit to four with 8:37 left. But the Aggies took Missouri’s run personally, as A&M reignited the gas and accelerated for an 18-point win. Missouri (13-3, 2-2) is shooting 38 percent from deep this season but only went 7-of-31 in Wednesday’s loss. It’s hard to win road college basketball games — it’s not time to hit the panic button, Missouri fans.

Wake Forest 90, Florida State 75The Noles (5-12, 3-3 in ACC) finally got highly-touted recruit Baba Miller on the court, but it wasn't enough against Wake (12-5, 4-2), which had three players hit at least 22 points. Miller scored four points and added four boards in 17 minutes after missing the first 16 games of the season.

Georgia 59, Mississippi State 50In a matchup of Bulldogs, both struggled to show any bite on offense. Mississippi State (12-4, 1-3 in SEC) posted 0.74 points per possession while Georgia only had 0.85 PPP. But the difference came from the foul line, where Georgia (12-4, 3-1) went 25-of-31 (80 percent) compared to Miss St’s 7-of-22 (31 percent.) Mississippi State is slowly drifting toward the bubble.

North Texas 67, Louisiana Tech 65Those feisty Mean Green (14-3, 5-1 in CUSA) aren’t scared of the moment! Last year, Tylor Perry handed Louisiana Tech (10-7, 3-3) a loss at the buzzer. Yesterday, D2 transfer Kai Huntsberry drilled a mid-range jumper for the win.

Western Kentucky 80, UAB 78The Blazers (12-5, 3-3 in CUSA) are watching any hopes of an at-large bid slide away. Jelly Walker scored 28 points on 9-of-18 shooting, but it wasn’t enough to overtake Western Kentucky (10-6, 2-3) Dazzling junior guard Dayvion McKnight led the Hilltoppers with 27 points. The biggest shot came from the hands of Kentucky transfer Dontaie Allen, who drilled a triple with 30 seconds left.

Boise State 84, UNLV 66Boise State (13-4, 3-1 in MWC) rattled off 53 second-half points to beat UNLV (12-4, 1-3) in Vegas. Five Broncos reached double figures, led by 17 from Tyson Degenhart and Chibuzo Agbo. Slowly but surely, Boise State is putting itself in the NCAA Tournament conversation in a similar fashion as last season.

Southern Illinois 69, Indiana State 61Do we have a new Mo Valley favorite? I think so. Southern Illinois (13-5, 5-2) crawled back from a double-digit halftime deficit to hand Indiana State (13-5, 6-1) its first conference loss. Lance Jones and Marcus Domask as dominant scorers paired with the Valley’s top defense is the perfect mix for the Salukis.

UMass Lowell 78, Vermont 64There’s officially a changing of the guard in the America East. The Riverhawks (15-3, 3-1) have performed like the top dog, but you can’t officially be the America East favorites until you beat Vermont (9-9, 2-2), the conference juggernaut. UML’s terrific offense had no issues on Wednesday, as Allin Blunt, Everette Hammond and Ayinde Hikim each scored 17 or more points.

4. Grant Nelson, viral star. Who's next?

The Summit League is known for electric offense, not much defense and rarely sending players to the NBA. North Dakota State’s Grant Nelson might change the last part.

Nelson (16.1 points and 7.9 boards this season) even caught the attention of ESPN on YouTube, an account with over 8.8 million subscribers.

But there are more players like Nelson who play on mid-major teams that won’t receive the spotlight from places like ESPN.

Miles Norris, UC Santa Barbara: Norris was a top-50 recruit headed to Oregon, but transferred to City College of San Francisco after his freshman season in Eugene. One year later, Norris found his footing at UC Santa Barbara, where he’s averaging 12.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and shoots 38 percent from deep. Norris stands 6-10, has above-average athleticism and can light up opponents from the perimeter.

Steele Venters, Eastern Washington: There’s a place in the league for 6-7 wings who can shoot over 40 percent from three. That’s what Venters does — but he’s also capable of scoring from the mid-range and on drives. In three seasons, Venters is 137 of 333 (41.1 percent) from deep. He won’t get drafted but when Venters wants to turn pro, he’ll have teams along his phone for summer league opportunities.

Deshawndre Washington, New Mexico State: Washington is an athletic 6-x7 point guard who’s averaging 12.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.4 dimes for New Mexico State. Washington won a JUCO national title at Northwest Florida State and is quickly making himself known at the D1 level.

5. USC might have Vince Iwuchukwu this weekend

Even before Damar Hamlin's scare two weeks ago, teams were cautious about potential cardiac issues in players. That's why it's compelling to see this news come out of USC.

In Iwuchukwu's absence, veteran forward Joshua Morgan is averaging 8.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and leads the Pac-12 with 2.8 blocks per game. Pairing Iwuchukwu with Morgan would give the Trojans a reliable rim protector for all 40 minutes.

The Trojans will likely take a cautious approach in acclimating Iwuchukwu back into full intensity game action, but his return to the court in any capacity is phenomenal news.

A Big Ten battle

Iowa-Michigan is the headline game tonight, featuring two of the Big Ten's top players in Iowa's Kris Murray against Michigan's Hunter Dickinson. Michigan (9-6, 3-1) is sitting 0.5 games outside of first place in the Big Ten, while Iowa (10-6, 2-3) is trying to yank itself from the bottom of the league standings. The Hawkeyes won back-to-back league games over Indiana in comeback fashion and trounced Rutgers in the RAC. Can the Hawkeyes extend their winning streak to three consecutive games? Or can Michigan end the streak, while also improving its own NCAA Tournament resume? (7 pm ET, ESPN2)

• Arizona State (13-3), at Oregon (9-7), 9 pm ET FS1

• Southern Miss (14-3) at Marshall (13-4), 9 pm ET, ESPN2

• Gonzaga (14-3), at BYU (13-6), 9:30 pm ET ESPN

North Carolina's new look

If there's a silver lining to the Tar Heels' loss on Tuesday night that saw Armando Bacot leave with an ankle injury, it's that freshman Jalen Washington stepped in and played well.

Does this add a wrinkle for UNC going forward? With a bruised Bacot and Pete Nance, Tyler Hansbrough explains why Washington could be key going forward.

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

Links as you finally buy eggs again.

• How Nate Oats secured a new practice facility for Bama.

• Long lines at Nebraska games? Yup. (Maybe it's the Sleepers influence.)

• Oklahoma State adds top-50 recruit Eric Dailey

• The D-I council approved changes for waiver guidelines and coaching limits.

• Memphis will retire the jersey of former star Lorenzen Wright.

Thanks for reading The Field of 68 Daily! If you have a news tip or feedback, email us at [email protected]