After Big East battles, who's winning the war?

Wednesday delivered ferocious dunks from Texas A&M's Dexter Dennis and Seton Hall's Femi Odukale that still have me cheering. The last one certainly signaled that the Big East is even more crowded than ever this season. However, one team looks capable of putting together a run at winning the conference. Need a hint? It's not on the East Coast.

Let's get to the news.

1. Stunner in South Orange

UConn garnered headlines before Wednesday's game against Seton Hall with news that coach Dan Hurley and top assistant Kimani Young would be out after testing positive for COVID.

That foreshadowed the disruption to come.

With assistant coach Luke Murray on the sidelines, the Huskies dominated the first half and seemed poised to end a two-game losing streak. Nope. Seton Hall's menacing defense created offensive opportunities, a calling card for Shaheen Holloway-coached teams. When Femi Odukale nearly leaped over the 6-11 Adama Sanogo to throw down a rim-rattling dunk with three minutes left, the game swung.

The Pirates (12-8, 5-4 in Big East) still had to claw to the finish, though. Two Tristen Newton free throws gave UConn a 1-point lead with a minute left, but KC Ndefo's putback layup in the final 1.6 seconds capped a 67-66 win. The comeback marked Seton Hall's largest rally in Big East play since 2006.

Tyrese Samuel deserves the MVP for his efforts on Sanogo and Donovan Clingan, holding the big-man duo to 23 points on 9-of-22 shooting. It wasn’t a solo job, but he was the fulcrum of Seton Hall’s defensive attack.

It's the Pirates' fifth win in its past six games and their third Quad 1 victory. At 61 in the NET and 50 in KenPom, the Pirates are right in NCAA tourney bubble territory mixed with tournament hopefuls like Arizona State (51), New Mexico (47) and Missouri (53.)

As for UConn (15-5, 4-5), it has lost three in a row and five of its past six (the reverse Seton Hall.) Teams are limiting Sanogo and forcing other Huskies to make plays. And the defense that had been so intimidating to start the year is now the opposite. UConn is not forcing turnovers and has been average on the glass. Hurley is expected back for Sunday's game against Butler. We'll see if the intensity returns as well.

2. Marquette is the Big East's best team

UConn garnered the early upset attention in the Big East, but it wasn't the biggest stunner of the night. That would be No. 8 Xavier (15-4, 7-1 in Big East) losing to DePaul, 73-72 — the Musketeers' first conference loss of the season. Da'Sean Nelson's layup with 28 seconds remaining was the game-winner and gave DePaul its first victory against a Top 10 team since 2020.

“We're gonna get some more,” coach Tony Stubblefield said afterward. “This is what we're supposed to do. This is the reason I came here. This should be the norm.”

The Blue Demons (9-10, 3-5) contained Xavier’s high-powered offense to its second-lowest scoring output of the season, holding the potent guard tandem of Colby Jones and Souley Boum to just 12 points. 

This might not be a mirage, either. DePaul is healthy (South Florida transfer Caleb Murphy played for the first time this season), and with guard Umoja Gibson in tow (22 points against Xavier), it has got a little swagger.

But all that's to say... Marquette is the league's best team.

The No. 20 Golden Eagles (15-5, 7-2) dominated Providence for 40 minutes on Wednesday night. Sensational point guard Tyler Kolek poured in 19 points and added six rebounds and six assists, while Kam Jones led all scorers with 21 points. The Friars (14-5, 6-2) have now dropped two in a row.

Marquette might not have more talent than UConn or Xavier. But coach Shaka Smart has instilled an identity of high-IQ basketball and fast-paced offensive play, a different style from the HAVOC at VCU. Kolek is the key. His facilitation skills are off the charts. For my money, Kolek’s a top-10 point guard in college basketball.

Marquette boasts the nation's second-most efficient offense, per KenPom. They shoot 60 percent from 2-point range and turn the ball over only 15 percent of the time. Even Smart's best VCU and Texas teams never played offense like this.

3. What else to know from Wednesday

Let's do a quick rundown of the nearly 40 games on the slate.

West Virginia 74, TCU 65The Mountaineers (11-7, 1-5 in Big 12) finally picked up their first conference victory and ended a five-game skid. What a relief coach Bob Huggins must have felt after being unable to deliver on a couple of golden opportunities. Senior guard Kedrian Johnson scored 20 points and Jimmy Bell Jr. snagged 12 boards. No. 14 TCU (14-4, 3-3) now heads to Kansas on Saturday. Nothing is easy in the Big 12.

Nebraska 63, Ohio State 60Uh oh. Ohio State (10-8, 2-5 in Big Ten) is 13th in the conference standings. Credit to Nebraska (10-9, 3-5 in Big Ten.) for being an experienced, plucky Big Ten team. Hometown hero Sam Griesel made his family proud in this one, leading the Huskers with 15 points in the upset.

Bradley 78, Indiana State 67Bradley ended its road woes as it (13-7, 6-3 in MVC) used its lengthy frontcourt to dominate Indiana State (13-7, 6-3 in MVC). Rienk Mast led the Braves with 18 points. If Bradley’s offense can start finding its rhythm more often, then we have the Mo Valley favorites right here.

Missouri 79, Arkansas 76Whether it is injuries or an inability to hold leads, No. 25 Arkansas (12-6, 1-5 in SEC) looks snake-bitten. The Razorbacks led by 10 points with 7:50 left, but Missouri (14-4, 3-3) ramped up the pressure and fouled out four Arkansas players on the way to victory. Dre Gholston made two difficult shots in the final four minutes and scored 16 points in the win. Also, Missouri’s Isiaih Mosley made his first appearance since December 17 — and scored eight points in 19 minutes following his month-long hiatus.

Auburn 67, LSU 49The Tigers (15-3, 5-1 in SEC) held the other Tigers (12-6, 1-5 in SEC) to 49 points on 29 percent shooting from the field and 4-of-20 from beyond the arc. No 16 Auburn got 14 points from Jaylin Williams,  who snagged seven boards and swatted away three shots.

Virginia 78, Virginia Tech 68Hunter Cattoor's return wasn't enough for the Hokies (11-7, 1-6 in ACC). No. 10 Virginia (14-3, 6-2) got double-digit points from its entire starting lineup, led by super-senior Kihei Clark, who had 20 on 7-of-14 shooting in the win.

Oklahoma State 72, Oklahoma 56Bryce Thompson’s 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting led Cowboys (10-8, 2-4 in Big 12) to a Bedlam win. Oklahoma (11-7, 2-4) now must regroup heading into Saturday’s matchup against Baylor in Norman.

Texas A&M 54, Florida 52The Gators (10-8, 3-3 in SEC) carved up Texas A&M’s stout defense for 40 second-half points. Unfortunately, there are two halves in college basketball — and Florida scored 12 in the first. The Aggies (13-5, 5-0) sit only half a game behind Alabama for the top spot in the SEC. Dexter Dennis scored 11 points and snagged 16 rebounds. If A&M continues winning, Buzz Williams won’t have to write a five-page paper on why it should make the NCAA Tournament.

Pittsburgh 75, Louisville 54Pitt (13-6, 6-2 in ACC) is the latest team to dominate Louisville (2-17, 0-8 in ACC), getting 23 points from super-senior Greg Elliott in the process. 

Missouri State 65, Drake 62We’re witnessing a free fall in Des Moines. Drake was the consensus Mo Valley preseason favorites, but four losses in its first nine conference games place the Bulldogs (14-6, 5-4) in the middle of the league standings. Drake isn’t getting enough scoring from perimeter players outside of Tucker DeVries, who chipped in 26 in the loss. Missouri State (10-9, 6-3) swept the season series.

Samford 69, East Tennessee State 59The Bulldogs (13-7, 7-0 in Southern) stayed perfect in league play, getting 19 points from Logan Dye and 17 from Jermaine Marshall. Circle next Wednesday's game at Furman as one of the conference's must-see games of the season.

4. What awaits UCLA in the desert?

Tonight, there's a battle in Arizona for first place in the Pac-12. But it is in Tempe, not Tucson.

Who would've predicted that?

Bobby Hurley's Arizona State squad (15-3, 6-1 in Pac-12) will rely on Desmond Cambridge Jr. as its offensive catalyst. He, alongside Frankie Collins and DJ Horne, account for 35 of ASU's 73 points per game.

UCLA received an All-American effort from Jaime Jaquez Jr. against Colorado on Saturday. He spearheaded the Bruins' win with 23 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. Jaquez will have to put up a similar stat line to beat Arizona State in the valley of the sun. Additionally, UCLA needs a more efficient performance from point guard Tyger Campbell, who has shot only 34 percent from the field in conference play.

Entering today, the Bruins have looked beatable in conference play, narrowly scraping by Washington State and Colorado. The Bruins won’t get away with a similar effort on Thursday, as Arizona State has the tempo and scoring to blow out struggling teams.

Let's round out the preview with a prediction: UCLA has played with fire too much and the Sun Devils will ignite the flame tonight. I’ll take Arizona State pulling out the upset win.

5. How does Arkansas snap out of its slide?

I briefly touched on Arkansas's loss to Missouri, but it was a game where a cohesive team would have hung on to a ten-point lead at the under-eight timeout.

However, that isn't the Razorbacks right now. They squandered the lead in Columbia.

Last week, CBSSports touched on the bigger issues surrounding Arkansas. While it is easy to blame the absences of Nick Smith and Trevon Brazile, there are more deeply-rooted flaws. The roster is poorly constructed for the modern era of basketball, where perimeter shooting and floor spacing are essential. Ricky Council and Anthony Black are physically imposing guards, but neither is a good shooter. Arkansas's outlook would be different if it reeled in a 3-point shooting wing from the portal, like Darin Green, who landed at Florida State. All it has is 6-5 freshman Joseph Pinion, who fits the billing as a marksman, but he has yet to play consistent minutes in conference play. 

A season-defining stretch awaits the Razorbacks in the next five days — hosting Ole Miss on February 21st and LSU on February 24th — two teams who are unlikely to make the NCAA Tournament. They need those wins to get back into the SEC conversation.

Have you seen the Penguins yet?

Question from Twitter this week: Who is the most entertaining or watchable team in college basketball this year? Some of the answers are what you'd expect. Marquette. Bama. Xavier. But here's one that stood out for those who know — Youngstown State.

That's not just for hoopheads. The Penguins boast one of the nation's best offenses (in fact, it's the most efficient by raw data, per Team Rankings) and have ridden that offense to the top of the Horizon League standings. And it's not a team that drills incessantly or has hours-long practices. They're focused on teaching concepts and examining data to maximize their strengths. 

And it's working. At 14-5 overall and 6-2 in conference, it's the best start in six seasons under coach Jerrod Calhoun, who joined us for our latest Four Questions.

Q: Your team can shoot. You're hitting 41 percent of your 3s (third in D-I) and nearly 55 percent of your 2s, which is in the top 35. How have you developed your offense to get those kinds of looks, and those kinds of results, which quite honestly, are a little insane?

Jerrod Calhoun: We've got three guards that can really drive and shoot it, or pass it. And then we got these versatile forwards, so it's kind of been our recipe the last two or three year. This year is probably the best shooting team in the 11 years I've been a head coach. And the other thing is we took a lot of NBA concepts. Joe Mazzulla for the Celtics. I was the best man at his wedding, I coached him at West Virginia, and I talk to him like every day. So I've been constantly studying what their doing. Plus, I took a lot of things from John Beilein, added some things there, so it's all kind of molded together.

Our whole thing is we want to get the ball out extremely quick, and get into an action that has multiple actions. Whether it's a flare-ball screen, hand-off ball screen, we wanna move the defense as fast as we can in the first eight seconds. And then our secondary offense is where our players are making decisions. That way when they see different coverages, whether it's Ice, whether it's a string, they know how to react. I'm not a control guy. I want our guys playing very free-flowing, making quick decisions. We want multiple actions within our action that so we're hard to guard.

Q: That transition over the last 10 years to fewer plays, and instead running multiple has been fascinating to watch in the college game. But it must make it easier with those experienced guards who can create their own shots, or create for others. Like Dwayne Cohill. He dropped 43 points on Wright State and only missed three shots, and then two weeks ago, he had 13 points, 10 assists, no turnovers and didn't miss a shot.

Jerrod Calhoun: At one time, like he was shooting 60 percent from 3, 60 percent from the field, 80-something percent from the [free-throw] line. His efficiency, along with Brandon Rush, those two guys are just high, high-level, pick-and-roll players, off-the-ball players. When we're recruiting, we want guys who can make plays off the bounce. The guys who can score for themselves or they can go create, draw help, and assist on a score. And it works because our forwards all have the freedom to shoot threes and transport the ball. So if they get a defensive rebound, they're allowed to advance the ball. So we have transporters and non-transporters. So I think the hardest team, the guard is a team that can run. We don't want just one guy leading the break, we want at least four guys leading the break. That's unconventional thinking, but that's been a real good recipe for us.

Q: Do you need guys who have been in your system for a while? And how are you identifying what's working, and what you need to refine in practice?

Jerrod Calhoun: We recruit to our system. So when the guys come in the summer, we teach them all our concepts and then in the fall, we kinda just implement our system during the season. Like Mondays, we do a ton of shooting and a ton of film work. We only practice about an hour and 10 minutes a day. We don't overdo it anymore. So Mondays are shooting. Tuesday, Wednesday are prep days, but we're only going for about an hour. So our guys are always fresh. And then we just work on a lot of the concepts that the different teams are gonna throw at us.

This year is a different level. In August, we do a coach's convention where they all come to Youngstown and I host a one-day clinic. It's really not a clinic, just a one-day chalk talk where we all share ideas. And then we have an analytics team. We work with HD Intelligence, and then I also have a guy in Canada (Eric Fawcett) that I use for special projects. He’ll help me on Blobs, he'll help me look at different lineups. We use a lot of lineup data, very similar to the NBA. So our sub-patterns are all strategic.

We’ll look at five-man lineups, best defensive lineup, the scoring lineup, a finishing lineup, starting lineup. We really studied the analytics too, from game to game. And then with Eric Fawcett, each week on Monday we sit down and get an analytical breakdown of our opponents. And then really come up with a strategy of how we're gonna attack them.

Q: What's your best Joe Mazzulla story?

Jerrod Calhoun: Probably when he carried us against Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament, when [Darryl Bryant] got hurt, he became the starter and we beat Kentucky. They had all those first-round picks, and Joe was just was a monster. He's so smart. We worked really well together when he was my assistant as Fairmont [State] and we laugh now. If we were as good as coaches then as we are now, we probably would've won a lot more games. We didn't know anything back then. 

Youngstown State plays at Green Bay tonight at 8 pm ET.

No rest for the weary

Rutgers (13-5, 5-2 in Big Ten) is coming off a revenge game against Ohio State and is second in the Big Ten standings. But for it to cement itself as a serious contender, it'll need to prove itself tonight at Michigan State (12-6, 4-3). And with the Spartans having just lost in the final seconds to Purdue, it'll be interesting what the Breslin Center is like tonight. (6:30 pm, FS1)

Other games to watch (All times ET)

• Indiana (11-6, 2-4 in Big Ten) at Illinois (13-5, 4-3), 8:30 pm (FS1)

• USC (13-5, 5-2 in Pac-12) at Arizona (15-3, 4-3), 9 pm (Pac-12 Network)

• UNC Wilmington (15-5, 5-2 in CAA) at Hofstra (12-8, 5-2), 7 pm (CBS Sports Network)

• Kennesaw State (13-6, 5-1 in ASun) at Stetson (10-7, 5-1)

Who's headed for a rebound?

Arizona. Duke. UConn. Arkansas. Four teams that were all at one point in the season in the AP Top 10, but have hit a wall lately. Who's going to rebound for an NCAA Tournament run, and who's going to keep struggling?

Matt McCall, Greg Waddell and Patric Young debate in a buy-sell segment on AFTER DARK.

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

Links as you Google "debt ceiling + congress."

• Dayton players heard it from gamblers last weekend after a loss to VCU. Coach Anthony Grant is rightfully irate at the blowback.

• On that note, the state of Ohio may investigate and try to deliver repercussions.

• Marquette honored its 2002 Final Four team during Wednesday night's win.

• ESPN packed in the college hoops fans last Saturday, including 1.2 million (!) who watched UNC beat Louisville.

• Utah is now the lone Under Armour school in the Pac-12.

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