Welcome to “The Daily Scoop”, an article to bring you up to date with the latest news from college basketball and a preview of the day ahead.

Daily Headlines

#11 Auburn battles past #4 Houston in instant “Game of the Year” contender

On Friday night we saw an instant classic from Allen Fieldhouse, and on Saturday the matchup between Auburn and Houston at the Toyota Center took the college basketball world by storm. Two of the top teams in the country consistently over the past few seasons, Auburn and Houston have made their programs known through intensity and effort on the defensive side of the ball. That was showcased for 40 minutes from both sides today in a game that truly epitomizes what good basketball looks like. The first half was back and forth, before a Terrence Arceneaux buzzer-beating three gave the Cougars the momentum heading into the break. Houston had control throughout a majority of the second half, until back-to-back threes from freshman Tahaad Pettiford and senior Chad Baker-Mazara swung the tide for Auburn. Possible National Player of the Year Johni Broome made his presence known repeatedly throughout this one, but it will be the timely shot-making and fearlessness from the freshman point guard Pettiford (21 points, 7-12 FG) that will be what is remembered from this showdown. Bruce Pearl and Kelvin Sampson are two of the top coaches in the game right now, and that should be emphasized after the instant classic we all just witnessed. Both coaches get every ounce out of their players, and the amount of loose ball scrambles and great defensive plays are tribute to what these coaches preach night in and night out.

#8 Baylor bounces back from Gonzaga loss to win in Dallas over #16 Arkansas

Five days after giving up 101 to Gonzaga, Scott Drew’s Baylor Bears were locked in defensively against Arkansas, going zone against a Razorbacks team that lacks proven shooters. Baylor took a nine-point lead into the break after a late Jeremy Roach three with seven seconds left in the half. Arkansas clawed back into the game early on in the second half, but could never get over the hump, drawing level at 44-44 before giving up a 14-4 run. It got testy late, but freshman VJ Edgecombe stepped up to the free throw line and sunk both with 14 seconds to play to give the game its final score of 72-67 in favor of Baylor. The balanced attack for the Bears was led by Jayden Nunn, but the difference in this game was the Baylor zone defense, holding Arkansas to a 5-20 mark from three. Baylor proved its worth on a neutral floor Saturday night, completely bouncing back from Monday’s embarrassing 38-point loss to Gonzaga.

Zeigler, Lanier shine as Vols play spoiler to Louisville’s white-out

The KFC YUM! Center was buzzing with excitement ahead of tip-off on Saturday afternoon. Pat Kelsey and the Louisville Cardinals had their first big test of the new season and the entire fanbase was looking to put the Kenny Payne era behind them. Almost instantly, you could tell it wasn’t going to be easy for the Cards, with Rick Barnes’ Tennessee Volunteers locking in on defense from the opening possession. Over five minutes in, Cade Phillips had extended Tennessee’s lead to 10-0 before Reyne Smith finally broke the lid on Louisville’s basket. The Vols controlled the game from start to finish, and the suffocating defense rarely allowed the Cardinals to get the ball inside the arc. Plenty of shots that likely would’ve fallen on a better day for the Cardinals were off the mark, but overall, it still looked as if the Cardinals were continually a few steps behind Tennessee. Zakai Zeigler and Chaz Lanier were the stars of the show for the Vols, each scoring 19 points in the 77-55 blowout win. Louisville’s defense forced plenty of turnovers of their own, including 11 alone on Zeigler, but the interior was dominated by Tennessee, with the Vols scoring 40 of the game’s 50 points inside the paint.

Other Things to Note:

• #3 UConn continues dominant start with 92-53 win over New Hampshire
• #23 Kentucky reaches 100 once again in win over Bucknell
• Jackie Johnson III sinks game-winner at the buzzer to lead Fordham in upset at Seton Hall
• PJ Haggerty’s 29 points fuels comeback road win for Memphis at UNLV
• Dayton uses strong second half to push past Northwestern 71-66
• Ray Harrison sinks game-winner with 0.4 seconds to play in Grand Canyon’s win over WKU
• Nevada picks up home win over Washington behind Kobe Sanders’ 20 points
• Malik Thomas and Marcus Williams lead San Francisco to win over Boise State
• Michigan meets Wake Forest in Greensboro in a game that could have bubble implications come March (1:00 ET, ESPN2)
• UC Irvine and Northern Iowa battle in a game between two of the top mid-majors (2:00 ET, ESPN+)
• #6 Gonzaga hosts Arizona State looking to continue hot start to the season (5:00 ET, ESPN)