Tuesday was an awesome, upset-filled night of NCAA Basketball

There's nothing like the beginning of conference play. A beautiful beginning of what turns into a deep run in March for a small handful of teams and the beginning of the end for plenty of others. It's sink or swim from here on out.

Tuesday was a chaotic night in the most perfect way. We saw upsets and blowouts across multiple conferences, almost like an announcement to the sports world that college hoops is ready to take center stage. Do the losses by Tennessee and Kentucky mean panic should set it across Knoxville and Lexington? No, not one bit. But they gave us a glimpse of what's to come across the sport these next few months. It's the perfect blend of entertainment and chaos for fans all over the country to enjoy.

Starting in the SEC where, if you were sick of all the talk on who should or shouldn't make the postseason in college football, then buckle up because this league is loaded, and the possibility of double-digit NCAA tournament teams is real. Tennessee traveled to Gainesville feeling confident after a 24-point beatdown of then 23rd-ranked Arkansas but found out fast as the Gators jumped all over the Vols from the tip, winning 73-43.

Florida kept Chaz Lanier in check, holding him to 10 points on 3 of 16 shooting, Lanier's second-lowest-scoring night of the season. Florida's Alex Condon was a star in more ways than one, with a dominant 12-point, 12-rebound double-double. He'll continue to be a huge problem for opposing bigs and was huge at providing the Gators with second chances, hauling in five offensive rebounds.

The Vols weren't the only SEC team feeling great about itself rolling into a tough road game; the Kentucky Wildcats, after surging to a six-point win on Saturday over Florida, ran into trouble in Athens, losing 82-69. Georgia got consistent scoring from Asa Newell in addition to Blue Cain and Silas Demary Jr. All three scored in double figures with Newell finishing with 17.

This one was a five-point game towards the middle of the second half, but the foul trouble of Andrew Carr and Amari Williams combined with Georgia making 29 of their 38 free throw attempts ultimately allowed the game to fall the home team's way. The Dawgs successfully limited the Wildcats around three-point line, holding Mark Pope's team to 24% from deep as Georgia picked up a gigantic win to add to their tournament resume come March, now sitting at 13-2 overall and 1-1 in the SEC.

Arizona got its revenge on West Virginia after the loss in Atlantis back in November. The 'Cats have underachieved compared to the preseason expectations thus far, but now, without a ranking next to their name, they're winners of five straight overall and two straight against ranked opponents. 21st-ranked West Virginia came into Tuesday as one of the biggest surprises for the right reasons across power-4 hoops, having pulled off a couple of huge wins early and vaulting themselves into the top 25 this week for the first time this season. But it looks like that run will be shortlived thanks to a gritty Arizona performance.

Hitting three of their first five attempts from long-range, Arizona started this one fast and kept it going for the full 40 minutes. The 'Cats were paced by KJ Lewis, who scored a career-high 21 points and added four assists. Henri Veesaar and Carter Bryant each provided a spark off the bench, chipping in offensively and pulling down a combined 10 rebounds, but it was the poster dunk by Veesaar that was the highlight of the night in the 75-56 win for Tommy Lloyd's team.

Javon Small continued his solid play for the Mountaineers with 17 points as a follow-up to his 24 last Saturday against Oklahoma State. The loss snaps a seven-game winning streak for the Mountaineers, but I'm still high on this team despite the injury to leading scorer Tucker DeVries, and I believe they can continue to compete in the Big 12 going forward given how well they've defended this point in the season.

A handful of other top-ranked teams took care of business as well. #4 Duke rolled at home by 29 against Pitt, where plenty of highlight-reel plays were provided from Cooper Flagg, #3 Iowa State picked up an 82-59 win over Utah, and #2 Auburn kept Texas at arm's length long enough to win 87-82.