College hoops was back in full swing yesterday, although most of the top teams had cupcakes on the menu. Texas improved to 10-0 on the year, holding off Texas State in a barnburner. Post-game breakdown on that one is due after a long day looking for Christmas gifts. Only nine shopping days left…

Louisville lost to Purdue in Indianapolis, going down by a 67-59 final. At this point I’m hesitant to call it an upset, as the Cardinals’ ship is sinking faster than Star Jones in the deep end. Three losses in their last five games and an indefinite suspension of Derrick Caracter leave me wondering where exactly Louisville will fit into the murky Big East picture. After Georgetown, Pitt, and Marquette the league is wide open — can the Cards right the ship in time to take advantage?

Nebraska fans stormed the court at the Qwest Center in Omaha after Big Red knocked off #16 Oregon, 88-79 in overtime. It’s only the second year for Doc Sadler, and while I don’t think anyone is considering the Huskers for an NCAA bid quite yet, the work he is doing in Lincoln is certainly great for the league.

Elsewhere in the conference, Pitt pounded Oklahoma State 85-68, giving the Pokes their 14th-consecutive road loss. In a battle of two teams with multiple personality disorder, OU took out Arkansas, 83-72. I’ve yet to watch the DVR on this one, so I’m not sure if the solid Arkansas team or the turnover-prone one showed up in this contest. Tech stumbled yet again, falling in New Mexico by a nasty 80-63 count. Missouri and Baylor both notched easy wins, while Kansas finally got their starting five back together and routed Ohio, 88-51.

On national television today, UNC faces Rutgers (7 PM CST, ESPN), while Texas-area fans can watch the Aggies face McNeese State on FSN Southwest (1 PM). ESPNU also has replays of yesterday’s games running all day starting at 10:30 A.M.