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The Breakfast Buffet: UConn and Purdue have separated themselves, South Carolina visits Auburn, Joe Girard

Here’s today’s installment of “The Breakfast Buffet”, a daily column that can be found here every single morning getting you caught up to date on everything that’s happened from the day/night before and everything that’s going to happen in the next 24 hours.

Mangia!

Things To Sample

UConn and Purdue have separated themselves from the rest of college basketball
We officially have a tier system. In a season where ranked teams are constantly losing to unranked teams on the road, only two programs — UConn and Purdue — have consistently reiterated their potential from the first game of the season until now. To no one’s surprise, those teams have been ranked first and second respectively for weeks in the ROTHSTEIN 45. A lot can change between now and Selection Sunday, but as of today the Huskies and Boilers are clearly in position to be the top two seeds in the NCAA Tournament. No one else feels close. Purdue currently has 15 Quad 1 and 2 wins while UConn has 13. Arizona and North Carolina each have 10 while Houston and Kansas both have nine. The Huskies return to action tonight in Chicago against DePaul. Tip off is at 9 PM ET on CBS Sports Network. The Boilers will next host Minnesota on Thursday at Mackey Arena.

South Carolina visits Auburn
The SEC’s most poised team will visit one of the league’s most hostile environments in an ultimate contrast of styles. The Gamecocks’ methodical approach has them on a seven-game winning streak with a 21-3 overall record entering tonight’s game. Auburn meanwhile, wants to create utter chaos, especially on its home floor where the Tigers are 12-0 this season. South Carolina only turned the ball over seven times in its last game against Vanderbilt and is averaging just 10.3 turnovers. Lamont Paris has done yeoman’s work with the Gamecocks after they were picked dead last in the SEC Preseason Poll. If he wins tonight at Auburn, his already burgeoning star will rise to the next level.

Joe Girard has been Clemson’ missing piece
Could the Tigers reach the second weekend of March Madness for the second time under Brad Brownell? Don’t rule it out of the realm of possibility if Girard continues to play at a high level. Clemson reached the Sweet 16 under Brownell in 2018 and has the requisites to return again in 2024. A big reason for that is Girard, who has made a major impact since transferring from Syracuse. The fifth-year guard is averaging 15.1 points while shooting a career-high 43.3 percent from the field and a career-high 43.9 percent from three-point range. Girard has provided Chase Hunter with another quality guard to play with in the backcourt and his shooting ability has allowed star big man PJ Hall to play in more space on offense. Clemson is 10-1 this season when Girard scores 15 or more points entering tonight’s game against Miami.

On The Side

  • Kansas has never entered the NCAA Tournament with 10 or more losses under Bill Self. It could happen this season. The Jayhawks already have six defeats and still have regular season road games remaining at Oklahoma, Baylor, and Houston plus the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City. Kansas is 1-5 in Big 12 road games this season.
  • Duke is 12-0 this season when Mark Mitchell scores 12 or more points.
  • The last four head coaches at Texas Tech — Grant McCasland, Mark Adams, Chris Beard, and Tubby Smith — will all have played in the NCAA Tournament following this season.
  • USC is currently tied for last place in the Pac-12 with Oregon State. The Trojans haven’t finished worse than third in the conference standings in the past four seasons.
  • Memphis was 12-2 prior to losing Caleb Mills for the season with a knee injury. The Tigers are just 6-4 since and barring something unforeseen, will need to win the AAC Tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament.

Daily Specials

  • Michigan State at Penn State
  • Miami at Clemson
  • Xavier at Seton Hall
  • South Carolina at Auburn
  • Tennessee at Arkansas

Leftovers