Creighton upsets Kansas, Duke beats Auburn

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I can’t believe how fast The Lakers have fallen apart.

In today’s SI:AM:

🏀 Big night in college basketball
💣 Woj’s next chapter
✅ NFL Week 14 Picks

If you’re a college basketball fan, Wednesday night was the biggest treat of the season. There were 10 games involving the top 25 men’s teams, including four matchups between ranked teams, two games in which both teams were ranked in the top 10, and two games in which ranked teams were edged out by unranked opponents.

It was the kind of night you’ll remember in hindsight as you agonize over making your team and deciding which teams are worth it. Let’s look at some of the most interesting results.

Creighton Bluejays defeated No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks, 76-63

This is the headline result as the preseason No. 1 team suffered his first defeat against a Creighton team that had struggled with Big East title aspirations after starting the season.

The star player was Creighton’s Pop Isaacs, a junior transfer from Texas Tech, who scored a season-high 27 points on 10 of 15 shooting, including 6 of 9 from three. And in a duel between two of the best centers in the country, Ryan Kalkbrenner of the Bluejays (17 points, 10 rebounds) prevailed against Hunter Dickinson of Kansas (six points, eight rebounds).

It was the first regular season loss for Kansas against a non-conference opponent since losing to the Dayton Flyers on November 26, 2021. Creighton started the season 4-0 against weak major competition before falling suffered three straight losses against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, San Diego State, Aztecs and Texas A&M Aggies. The Bluejays ended their losing streak on Saturday with a win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and wrap up non-conference play with a game this Saturday against the UNLV Rebels and their toughest test yet on the road on Dec. 14 against the No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide.

No. 9 Duke Blue Devils defeat No. 2 Auburn Tigers, 84–78

Cooper Flagg, Duke’s star freshman, stepped up in the toughest game he has played this season, scoring 22 points and setting a season-high 11 rebounds as the Blue Devils handed the Tigers their first loss of the season.

Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in next year’s NBA draft, has excelled against top-notch competition this season. In four games against ranked opponents (Kentucky Wildcats, Arizona Wildcats, Kansas and Auburn), Flagg averaged 21.3 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting 45.6% from the floor.

No. 6 Iowa State Cyclones defeat No. 5 Marquette Golden Eagles, 81-70

Iowa State’s first loss of the season came against Auburn at the Maui Invitational due to Johni Broome’s putback with one second remaining, but the Cyclones won their next two in Maui (against Dayton and the Colorado Buffaloes) and now have their first signature win against them brought in a previously undefeated Marquette team.

Attack has been the hallmark of Iowa State’s success this season. The Cyclones have scored at least 80 points in every game they have played and are ranked 20th nationally with 86 points per game.

No. 10 Alabama defeated No. 20 North Carolina Tar Heels, 94–79

Alabama improved to 3-1 against ranked teams with a win in Chapel Hill despite an amazing performance from Tar Heels rookie Ian Jackson. The five-star recruit from the Bronx played a career-best 28 minutes off the bench, scoring 23 points on 10 of 17 shooting. However, the rest of the UNC offense struggled, particularly at the rim. The Tar Heels only made five of their 28 three-point attempts.

However, Alabama’s elite offense was firing on all cylinders. The Tide ranked eighth nationally with 89.4 points per game and had six players score in double figures, led by star point guard Mark Sears with 20.

No. 25 UConn Huskies defeat No. 15 Baylor Bears, 76–72

UConn really needed a win in this game a stunning three-game losing streak on Maui. The Huskies were able to pull themselves out of trouble with a blowout home win against the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks on Saturday, but another loss to a ranked opponent would have been cause for panic.

The Huskies need to pick up a few more high-profile wins to prove they’re a threat for a third straight national title, and they’ll have the opportunity to do so in their final two non-conference games – on the road against the Huskies Texas Longhorns on Sunday and against the No. 7 Gonzaga Bulldogs at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 14.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated the No. 18 Pittsburgh Panthers 90-57

A trio of solid wins (away against the SMU Mustangs and neutral-site wins over the Utah Utes and UNLV) pushed Mississippi State to No. 25 in the AP poll before a loss this weekend against the Butler Bulldogs knocked it out of the rankings. But after the win over Pitt, Mississippi State is now 7-1 and should have no trouble increasing that record to 10-1 before its road showdown against the No. 16 Memphis Tigers on Dec. 21.

…things I saw last night:

5. The happy jump This allowed the Predators to score against the Leafs.
4. The terrible defensive possession by the Lakers in their embarrassing loss to the Heat.
3. A nasty pump fake by Sixers rookie Jared McCain.
2. Cooper Flagg’s smooth transaction Mid-range sweater.
1. Brook Lopez Parade behind the backwhich led to a dunk from Giannis Antetokounmpo.