FOXSPORTS.COM STUD OF THE DAY: St. Mary’s may have lost Patty Mills, but the Gaels are doing just fine led by senior big man Omar Samhan. Randy Bennett’s club ended Utah State’s 37-game home winning streak and also snapped a 65-game regular-season home winning streak against non-conference foes. Samhan finished with 22 points and 17 boards in the 68-63 victory.

DUD OF THE DAY: Marquette losing at home to N.C. State – If you had told me this prior to the start of the season, I wouldn’t have been all that surprised. But Buzz Williams & Co. had raised the expectations with wins against Michigan and Xavier, so a home setback to N.C. State – predicted to finish near the bottom of the ACC - will hurt any chance Marquette has of getting into the postseason.

WORST LOSS: Ohio State losing star Evan Turner for the next two months after a hard fall in which he fractured his back.

MID-MAJOR STUD: Louisiana-Lafayette senior forward Tyren Johnson, who averaged 7.2 points last season, went for 31 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in a 95-85 victory against Sam Houston State.

STAT OF THE DAY: 3 – That’s the number of guards Louisville was without in the drubbing to Charlotte in Freedom Hall yesterday – which turned out to be the worst home loss since Rick Pitino arrived in Louisville back in 2001. Pitino didn’t have Jerry Smith (Achilles tendon), Preston Knowles (thumb) and freshman Peyton Siva (wrist).

ON TAP: I’ll be watching undefeated Miami at Boston College, but there are some other quality games today:

- South Carolina at Clemson, 1 p.m. ET – In-state rivalry

- Miami at BC, 3 p.m. ET – Can the Hurricanes stay unbeaten

- Kansas at UCLA, 5:30 ET – Will the Bruins embarrass themselves?

- Arizona at Oklahoma, 7 p.m. ET – The Sooners need this one to start to turn things around.

- Villanova vs. Maryland, 7:30 ET – Can Gary Williams and Greivis Vasquez pull the upset?

Ohio State's Evan Turner, the early frontrunner for National Player of the Year, will miss the next two months with a fracture of his back.

Turner was injured when he fell onto his back on a dunk attempt early in the Buckeyes' rout over Eastern Michigan on Saturday afternoon.

According to the school, he suffered a transverse process fracture on the second and third lumbar vertebra of his spine.

Turner went to the Ohio State Medical Center for tests. He was released and is home resting.

Turner entered the game averaging 20.6 points, 12.9 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game and had already recorded a pair of triple-doubles – just the second and third in school history – for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State's next game comes Dec. 12 at Butler. 

SHUMPERT OUT 3-6 WEEKS WITH KNEE SURGERY

Georgia Tech starting point guard Iman Shumpert will miss the next 3-6 weeks after surgery Thursday to repair a torn meniscus.

"They said that wear and tear contributed to it," Yellow Jackets coach Paul Hewitt told FOXSports.com.

Shumpert, who averaged 10.6 points and 5.0 assists as a freshman last season, had been struggling so far this season.

He suffered an injury behind his knee in the preseason and re-aggravated it in San Juan last weekend.

Shumpert was averaging 8.3 points and 4.7 assists in six games this season.

To check out Jeff Goodman's Twitter, click here. 

Thankfully, John Wall cramped up.

Otherwise, the only reason to watch the second half was to see if DeAndre Liggins, whose been in John Calipari's doghouse all year, made his season-debut for Kentucky.

Still, with a healthy John Wall, it wasn't much of a game.

Kentucky went into the locker room with a commanding 43-28 advantage over North Carolina – and the 15-point margin wasn't even indicative of how large a gap there was between two of the top teams in the nation.

Wall, Kentucky's ultra-talented freshman point guard, was dominant in the first half. He was clearly the best player on the floor and walked into the locker room with 13 points and six assists at the break.

Then, Wall cramped up early in the second half, returned to the locker room to get an IV – and it was no coincidence that Tar Heels floor leader Larry Drew II played with far more poise and confidence - and North Carolina went on a run that put the outcome in question.

Wall missed about seven minutes, and when he did return with the Wildcats holding a 54-42 lead, he just wasn't the same.

"I couldn't really do a lot, but I had to fight through it," said Wall. "I think I was probably about 75 or 80 percent."

There was none of that emphatic burst of speed which enabled him to run past Drew and the other Tar Heels guards in the first 20 minutes.

Wall couldn't stay in front of Drew, didn't try to force the issue and get to the basket and also made poor decisions which led to turnovers.

North Carolina certainly made its share of adjustments at the break. The Tar Heels' big men were far more aggressive – especially on the glass – and Drew and the guards valued the ball.

But let's face it.

It never would have gotten to a two-point game if Kentucky’s starting backcourt wasn't at full strength.

"I don't think it would have gotten that close," Wall said. "But you've got to give them credit. They were making shots and also getting stops."

The Wildcats can overcome Eric Bledsoe being at less than 100 percent, but Wall is another story.

He's the most entertaining freshman to come along since Kevin Durant a few years ago.

Yes, more so than Derrick Rose.

And without the "real" John Wall for nearly the entire second half, Kentucky still found a way to hold on.

"Some people were calling us overrated, and I heard a couple people saying we'd lose by 15 or 20 points," Wall said. "Hopefully we showed people that we're a pretty good team today."

To check out Jeff Goodman's Twitter, click here.

I agree with CBSSports.com's Gary Parrish that Fordham needs to go with a young, up-and-coming assistant coach who is plugged into New York.

Don't get me wrong.

I have a ton of respect for guys like Fran Fraschilla, Dennis Wolff and Tim Welsh – all of which have New York ties. However, Fordham is a major rebuilding process and will take a relentless and tireless coach/recruiter.

Jared Grasso, 29, has done a terrific job getting talent to the Bronx, but Dereck Whittenburg was unable to keep it. Trey Blue and Mike Moore transferred and now Jio Fontan is likely gone as well.

Louisville assistant Steve Masiello, 32, a New Yorker who also coached at Manhattan, should be at or near the top of the list. Robert Morris head coach Mike Rice, a Fordham grad, should be in the mix.

Another name that should be in play if Fordham, which still owes Whittenburg a decent amount of money, goes the assistant route is Kentucky assistant Orlando Antigua. 

Antigua, 36, played and coached at Pittsburgh and has spent the last couple years with John Calipari at Memphis and now Kentucky. He grew up down the road from Fordham.

To check out Jeff Goodman's Twitter, click here.

FOXSPORTS.COM STUD OF THE NIGHT: The Texas Tech Red Raiders and specifically, the duo of point guard John Roberson and teammate Mike Singletary. Roberson had 25 points and seven assists and Singletary went for a double-double (16 points and 12 boards) as both logged more than 42 minutes in the overtime win against No. 10 Washington.

DUD OF THE NIGHT: No surprise here. The Pac-10 was 0-3 last night and is now winless in four shots in the Pac-10/Big 12 Hardwood Series. Washington lost at Texas Tech, Arizona State dropped a close one at home to Baylor and USC came up short against Texas.

MID-MAJOR STUD: Furman hadn't won a road game in 20 tries, and now Jeff Jackson's team has won two straight. Jordan Miller had 26 points and hit a critical jumper with 31 seconds left to lead Furman to a 85-82 victory at Appalachian State.

STAT OF THE NIGHT: Coastal Carolina's 6-foot-5 senior Joseph Harris put up another double-double last night in a 111-97 victory over VMI. Harris has six double-doubles in the team's eight games this season.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: This was a classic from ESPN's Jay Bilas as told to Dave Glenn of the ACC Sports Journal. It's regarding the recent comments about Duke being "alarmingly unathletic":

The term 'alarmingly' is to me what may have been objectionable to some. I don't think when the Duke basketball team walks into the building alarm bells go off, the security company calls and you have to answer the phone and say, 'Yeah, I'm sorry we tripped the athletic alarm. But everything is fine. It's just the Duke team coming in.' That's not happening.

ON TAP: Not a ton of intriguing games tonight. The most interesting may be Akron traveling to College Station to play Texas A&M. I also like the battle of the Herrion's - with UNH head man Bill Herrion traveling to Pittsburgh to face his younger brother, Tom, an assistant on the Panthers' staff.

To check out Jeff Goodman's Twitter, click here.