Kentucky center and reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe will make his season debut Tuesday night against Michigan State, Stadium reported.

It’s unclear if Tshiebwe will start the game or how many minutes he’ll play, per the report.

Tshiebwe missed the No. 4 Wildcats’ first two games after recovering from minor knee surgery on Oct. 13.

Kentucky (2-0) is playing the Spartans (1-1) in the Champions Classic in Indianapolis.

Tshiebwe averaged 17.4 points, 15.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in 34 starts last season.

–Field Level Media

On Friday, No. 2 Gonzaga played on the deck of an aircraft carrier just outside San Diego and snuck past Michigan State.

On Wednesday night, the Bulldogs plan to turn to their aircraft carrier in a big game at No. 11 Texas in the brand-new Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Senior forward Drew Timme abused the Spartans in the lane with 22 points, 13 rebounds, four blocked shots and four assists in the Veteran’s Day opener, the type of performance one would expect from a national Player of the Year candidate.

Can he do that in a true road environment against a team that’s going to be hyped to face him after he torched Texas for a career-high 37 points last season in an 86-74 win that wasn’t nearly as close as the score suggests?

There’s certainly no doubting Timme’s presence and production made the difference in a tight game against a good opponent doing everything it could to stop him last week.

“It wasn’t the prettiest game to watch,” Timme said. “It was ‘just put your nose in the dirt and keep going and don’t stop.’ I thought it was a true test of our grit and heart and I think we did a good job of answering the bell today.”

Gonzaga’s defense also answered the bell.

They held Michigan State to 40.4 percent shooting from the field and 3 of 16 on 3-pointers in the open-air environment. And the Zags earned a 40-32 advantage on the glass, allowing just nine offensive boards in 37 available shots.

But it all circled back to Timme, who fouled out two different players trying to keep him in check and made the big shots Gonzaga (2-0) needed.

“When it was winning time, he went up and got some real rebounds,” said Spartans coach Tom Izzo. “Then (he) put shots back, 3-point plays, posted as hard as he could post. I think he is a very good player and a good kid.”

Meanwhile, the Longhorns (2-0) will undergo their first true test of the season. They won their first two games by a combined 66 points, including an 82-31 beatdown of Houston Baptist on Thursday night.
Texas physically enforced a rout against the Huskies, dominating the boards 56-33 and forcing 21 turnovers. Houston Baptist made just 13 of 60 attempts from the field, including 4 of 25 from 3-point range.

The Longhorns have been balanced in the early going. Iowa State transfer Tyrese Hunter is leading the way at 14 ppg on 55.6 percent shooting, while Sir’Jabari Rice is chipping in 12.5 ppg. Point guard Marcus Carr averages 11.5 ppg to go along with 4.0 assists.

Texas still has plenty left in the tank if coach Chris Beard’s instincts are correct. It went just 3 of 22 from 3-point range against Houston Baptist, missing its first 14 attempts.

“We’ll shoot the ball better,” Beard said. “I’m not worried.”

The Zags own a 4-0 lead in the series. This will be the first time the teams have met in Austin.

–Field Level Media

It might be only two games into the season, but Michigan coach Juwan Howard has already learned a lot about his team.

Most of those lessons came Friday in a hard-fought win over neighboring school Eastern Michigan in a game that was played in front of a raucous atmosphere at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena.

With that experience behind them, the 20th-ranked Wolverines will face another neutral-court challenge when they face Pittsburgh on Wednesday at the home of the Brooklyn Nets, Barclays Center in New York.

Against Eastern Michigan, the Wolverines had to withstand an inspired underdog that actually held the lead for most of the game and was still on top with five minutes to play.

However, thanks to 31 points from All-America candidate Hunter Dickinson, Michigan made the winning plays down the stretch to earn an 88-83 victory.

“Our guys did an amazing job of having mental stability when the runs were in Eastern Michigan’s favor,” Howard said. “When we were down, we could have easily folded to them. We didn’t.”

Dickinson will be a fixture for Michigan all season, but it will be the play of the team’s new guards that might determine how far the Wolverines will go.

Freshman Jett Howard had a terrific debut in the season opener against Purdue Fort Wayne when he scored 21 points, but he came back down to earth a bit against Eastern Michigan, scoring nine points and sinking just 2 of 8 shots.

Guard Jaelin Llewellyn, a transfer from Princeton, has had his shooting struggles, but he contributed big free throws and a layup in the final minutes against the Eagles.

Junior forward Terrance Williams II is glue player who gives the Wolverines a bit of everything, while sophomore guard Kobe Bufkin is expected to take a big leap this year after averaging just three points per game last season.

Howard said following the game in Detroit, “Yeah, I learned a lot. You can learn a lot just from a win instead of just a loss.”

The next challenge for Michigan is a Pittsburgh team that enters 1-1 following a season-opening, 80-58 win over visiting UT Martin and an 81-56 home loss to West Virginia.

The Panthers feature a guard-heavy lineup led by Nelly Cummings, Jamarius Burton, Nike Sibande and Greg Elliott.

Dior Johnson could be in the rotation as well at some point, but he is currently serving a suspension after being arrested and charged with aggravated assault last month.

The Panthers also have one of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s best frontcourt players, John Hugley IV, but he has missed the opening two contests due to a knee injury.

Pitt coach Jeff Capel said Hugley is likely to make his season debut against the Wolverines, though the 6-foot-9 junior will be watched closely in the leadup to the game.

Hugley could help the Panthers slow Dickinson.

“In order to play against a guy like (Dickinson), you need bodies because he’s a gigantic body,” Capel said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He’s very good — he’s skilled, physical and he’s proven it, so he’s established. He’s their best player so everything goes through him.

“For us, without John our whole frontcourt is inexperienced at the college level. They have two games, but they haven’t faced anything like this. So it gives us a guy that has some experience to go up against, but it’s certainly still an unbelievable challenge for us.”

–Field Level Media

This season is certainly looking better than the last for Oregon State.

The Beavers (2-0) can match their victory total from the entire 2020-21 campaign when they play host to NAIA program Bushnell on Tuesday night in Corvallis, Ore.

Oregon State, which made a surprise run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament two seasons ago, followed that up by going 3-28 last season.

The Beavers, who lost their final 18 games in 2021-22, have opened this season with home victories over Tulsa, 73-70, and Florida A&M, 60-43.

They have shown to be a better second-half team thus far.

The Beavers rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit against the Golden Hurricanes, then pulled away after leading the Rattlers just 22-17 at the break.

“It shows us if we pull together, stick to our discipline and never get too down or too high, always trust each other and trust the system coach (Wayne) Tinkle put in, we can fight back from anything,” said freshman Jordan Pope, who shares Oregon State’s scoring lead with Dexter Akanno at 16.5 points per game.

Tinkle admitted to having a few choice words for his players at halftime of the opener.

“Then our guys responded in the second half to doing it our way,” Tinkle said. “This is a resilient group. We knew they had it in them, and we just had to get them to that place.”

The Beacons (2-2) lost both their games at the Crossroads/Cascade Classic last weekend in Winona Lake, Ind., falling 101-91 to Bethel (Ind.) and 89-66 to Grace (Ind.).

Luke Smith leads the Beacons with an average of 17.3 points per game, while Spencer Hoffman is putting up 11.8 and 9.8 rebounds per contest. Smith and Kaden Sand shared team-high scoring honors against Grace with 13 points apiece.

“This has been a great trip to find out where we are as a team,” Bushnell coach Eddie Alexander said in a statement. “We now know exactly what we need to do to be a (NAIA) national tournament team. We have the skill, we just have to put it together defensively for an entire 40 minutes.”

Due to NCAA/NAIA rules, this will be a regular-season game for the Beavers but an exhibition for Bushnell.

–Field Level Media

Ja’Monta Black scored 25 points and Demarcus Sharp added 19, including the go-ahead basket with 1:14 to go, to help visiting Northwestern State upset No. 15 TCU 64-63 on Monday night at Fort Worth, Texas.

Chuck O’Bannon’s 12 points led the Big 12’s Horned Frogs (2-1), who sank just 2 of 21 shots from 3-point range. Micah Peavy added 10 points and Eddie Lampkin had 11 rebounds.

Isaac Haney contributed 7 points and 10 rebounds for the Southland Conference’s Demons (2-2).

TCU played without leading scorer Mike Miles, who missed the game due to an undisclosed injury, and Damion Baugh, who’s serving a six-game suspension imposed by the NCAA for signing with an NBA certified agent after last season.

No. 3 Houston 83, Oral Roberts 45

Tramon Mark had 23 points and Marcus Sasser added 19 as the Cougars cruised to a victory over the visiting Golden Eagles.

Mark shot 8 of 12 from the field to go along with four rebounds, while Sasser went 7 of 16 from the floor, including 2-for-6 from 3-point range, and grabbed seven rebounds. Houston (3-0), which led by as many as 39 points in the second half, shot 30 of 58 (51.7 percent) from the field, including 6 of 17 (35.3 percent) from beyond the arc.

DeShang Weaver had 12 points and five rebounds for Oral Roberts (1-2), while Connor Vanover scored all of his 11 points in the first half. The Golden Eagles had one field goal in the final 12 minutes of the second half, missing 17 shots in that time. Max Abmas, the Summit League Preseason Player of the Year, was held to three points on 1-for-13 shooting.

No. 5 Baylor 95, Northern Colorado 62

LJ Cryer scored 20 points and Jalen Bridges added 15 as Baylor rolled to an easy victory over Northern Colorado in nonconference play at Waco, Texas.

The victory was the 400th at Baylor for coach Scott Drew, who is in his 20th season at the school. Adam Flagler recorded 13 points, 10 assists and three steals for Baylor (3-0). Keyonte George contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists and Dale Bonner added 12 points and six steals.

Daylen Kountz had 19 points, six rebounds and five assists for Northern Colorado (1-2), but he also committed six turnovers. Matt Johnson II had 14 points and eight assists and Dalton Knecht added 12 points and 11 rebounds.

No. 8 UCLA 86, Norfolk State 56

Six players scored in double figures for the Bruins, who went on a 23-4 run over the first 11 1/2 minutes of the second half en route to a blowout of the Spartans in Los Angeles.

The Bruins never trailed, but faced a challenge through the first half from the reigning two-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Spartans. Jaylen Clark had a game-high 19 points on another strong all-around game from the Bruins wing. Bruins veterans Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyger Campbell scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, while freshman Amari Bailey added another 11 points.

Kris Bankston led Norfolk State with 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor while matching Clark’s game-high of nine rebounds. Cahiem Brown added 13 points off the bench.

No. 10 Creighton 94, Holy Cross 65

Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 22 points on 10-for-10 shooting as the Bluejays cruised to a victory over the Crusaders in Omaha, Neb.

Kalkbrenner, a 7-foot center, is now 20-for-21 over his past two games. Arthur Kaluma and Ben Shtolzberg posted 13 points apiece as 11 different players scored for Creighton (3-0). Ryan Nembhard had a career-high 12 assists.

Bo Montgomery had career highs of 21 points and five 3-pointers to lead Holy Cross (1-2). Gerrale Gates added 16 points for the Crusaders.

No. 19 Illinois 103, Monmouth 65

Terrence Shannon Jr. scored a game-high 30 points and the Illini roared out to a 30-point halftime lead in a rout of the Hawks in Champaign, Ill.

Shannon, a Texas Tech transfer, rolled up 21 in the first half, when the Fighting Illini established a 63-33 lead by hitting 23 of 30 shots from the field. Illinois’ defense also created a whopping 17 first-half turnovers that were cashed in for 22 points.

Freshman Andrew Ball scored 13 points in a reserve role to lead the Hawks, who are playing their first season as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. Another freshman, Jack Collins, added 12 points.

No. 23 Texas Tech 64, Louisiana Tech 55

Kevin Obanor and De’Vion Harmon scored 15 points apiece to help the Red Raiders defeat the Bulldogs in a rough-and-tumble game in Lubbock, Texas.

The Red Raiders, who improved two spots in the AP poll released early on Monday, led by five points at halftime but by just a bucket six minutes into the second half. Pop Issacs added 10 points for Texas Tech, which limited the Bulldogs to 37.7 percent shooting from the floor and outrebounded Louisiana Tech 35-26.

Cobe Williams had 16 points for the Bulldogs, while Kenny Hunter hit for 10 in the loss. Louisiana Tech made just one of its final seven field-goal attempts and never led in the game.

–Field Level Media

Marquette will look to open the season with three consecutive wins for the second straight year when it takes on Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., on Tuesday as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games.

After seeing early success under then-first-year head coach Shaka Smart last season, the Golden Eagles (2-0) are repeating the pattern this time around.

Following a season-opening win over Radford, Marquette defeated Central Michigan 97-73 on Thursday in a student-only game at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee. Sophomore David Joplin led the way, scoring a career-high 23 points thanks in large part to six 3-pointers.

For Joplin, the atmosphere played a large role in his success.

“I loved it,” Joplin said. “I love when all the students come out. The gym is smaller, so they filled the whole thing up and they were loud. Games like that, I live for.”

It was a welcome sign seeing Joplin succeed, as Smart has come to rely upon him and other younger players in the program.

“We have a young group and we’ve got some guys that are still becoming what they’re going to become,” Smart said. “David Joplin, Kam Jones, Stevie Mitchell, every one of our freshmen. These guys have the opportunity and potential to be terrific players.”

But now the Golden Eagles take to the road for the first time this season, and they will clash with the Boilermakers (2-0), who beat Austin Peay 63-44 on Friday in their latest contest.

Zach Edey was phenomenal in the victory, recording a double-double with a career-high 30 points and 11 rebounds. He was the only Purdue player to score in double figures.

Boilermakers coach Matt Painter said that performance stemmed from a fast start, something he hopes Edey will continue to produce as the season progresses.

“I just thought Zach did a good job of establishing himself and getting off to a good start,” Painter said. “When you have that kind of ability to get that kind of position down low, teams have a decision to make.

“We all know he’s capable of having games like this throughout the season.”

–Field Level Media

Wisconsin will look for offensive consistency when the Badgers host in-state rival Green Bay in a nonconference game on Tuesday night in Madison.

Wisconsin (2-0) is coming off a 60-50 victory over Stanford on Friday in a game played at American Family Field in Milwaukee, the baseball home of the Milwaukee Brewers. Green Bay (0-2) has lost two road games by an average of 30.5 points.

The Badgers are 26-1 all-time vs. Green Bay, including 23-0 in Madison. Wisconsin won the team’s matchup last season 72-34, as the Phoenix shot just 23.5 percent.

Neither Stanford or Wisconsin shot well in the cavernous baseball stadium environment, with the Badgers finishing at 37.3 percent and Stanford at 36.2 percent. But Wisconsin also converted 12 first-half Stanford turnovers into 18 points.

In a season-opening 85-59 victory over South Dakota in Madison, the Badgers’ traditional steady defense also was evident, limiting the Coyotes to 40.4 percent shooting.

Offense has been a different story. The Badgers went almost 6 1/2 minutes without a field goal in the second half against the Cardinal and had only six players in the scoring column.

“We can depend on our ability to guard, rebound, take care of the ball. Those things are non-negotiable as what we want every night,” Gard said. “Then offensively, play free and play relaxed and try to get the best on that possession. But this group knows that our strength is in our toughness and our grittiness, and that’s embedded in the fiber of this program.”

Senior forward Tyler Wahl, one of three returning starters, scored 19 and 17 points in the first two games and is averaging a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game. Sophomore point guard Chucky Hepburn is averaging 12.5 points and four assists, and 7-foot junior forward Steven Crowl adds 10.5 points and seven rebounds.

Jordan Davis, the twin brother of last year’s leading scorer Johnny Davis — the 10th overall pick in the NBA draft by the Washington Wizards — moved into the starting role vs. Stanford and had a career-high 13 points.

Freshman guard Connor Essegian has come off the bench and hit 4 of 7 3-point attempts. Wisconsin was last in the Big Ten last season in 3-point percentage.

Green Bay, 5-25 last season, has struggled in its first two games with a revamped roster, losing 80-53 at Indiana State and then 92-58 at Georgetown on Saturday after trailing by just two at the half.

“We have a lot of new faces this year, in all, 10 new guys,” Green Bay coach Will Ryan, the son of former Badgers coach Bo Ryan, said at conference media day. “We’ve changed some things up. We’re more athletic, we’re quicker in a lot of areas.”

Junior guard Davin Zeigler leads with 13.5 points and six rebounds per game. Guard Zae Blake has come off the bench for 11 points per game.

Opponents are shooting 58.5 percent against the Phoenix, who also have been outrebounded by 11 boards per game.

–Field Level Media

The Xavier Musketeers look for their third straight win while the visiting Fairfield Stags look for their first win in three tries when the teams meet Tuesday night in Cincinnati.

Zach Freemantle and Jack Nunge combined for 33 points on 13-for-19 shooting on Friday night, leading the host Musketeers to an 86-64 win over visiting Montana.

Xavier made its first 10 shots, taking a 27-17 lead at the 12:03 mark of the first half. Montana closed within nine points twice in the half before the Musketeers widened their lead to 49-34 on two free throws by KyKy Tandy with 40 seconds left before intermission.

“The tone was set from the very beginning that we were going to have a bunch of guys that were really committed to playing hard,” Xavier coach Sean Miller said after the game. “I thought we had unselfishness, guys looking for each other in really great balance.”

Xavier shot 64 percent from the floor, the team’s highest field-goal percentage since Dec. 15, 2018. The Musketeers also finished the game 8-for-14 from 3-point range.

The Musketeers forced 16 turnovers and converted them into 19 points while dominating points in the paint, 44-20, and fastbreak scoring, 16-3. After committing 20 turnovers against Morgan State, Xavier had just nine against Montana.

Fairfield is coming off a pair of 12-point losses to open the season, 71-59 at Wake Forest on Nov. 7 and 83-71 at New Hampshire on Friday. The Stags are in the midst of eight games away from their Connecticut campus to start the season before opening their new arena on Dec. 3 vs. Saint Peter’s.

Fourth-year coach Jay Young is looking to MAAC preseason first team selection Supreme Cook to make an impact. The 6-foot-9 junior forward is averaging 10 points and four rebounds over the first two games.

Fairfield’s Caleb Fields is putting up 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest.

“Going into Year 4, this is the most depth we’ve had and certainly the most talent we’ve had,” Young said. “I think this year we’ve certainly got more offensive answers than we ever had.”

James Johns Jr. scored 13 points off the Stags’ bench in the loss to New Hampshire.

–Field Level Media