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The Breakfast Buffet: Auburn/Houston feels like a Final Four caliber game, Arkansas/Baylor, Louisville

Who’s hungry for college basketball?

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

Auburn/Houston feels like a Final Four caliber game
The circumstances surrounding this game are a bit peculiar after the Tigers reportedly had to redirect their plane back to Auburn on Friday after an altercation between two players. An Auburn official told College Hoops Today that today’s game would remain on as scheduled. Once we actually get to the floor, the action should be terrific. The Tigers beat America East favorite Vermont — a program that has won at least a share of eight consecutive regular season titles — on Wednesday night by 51 points. The Cougars won their opener on Monday against Jackson State without their starting center Ja’Vier Francis — who was nursing a groin injury — by 57 points. These two programs are led by coaches — Bruce Pearl and Kelvin Sampson — who have respectively done two of the best rebuilding jobs that college basketball has seen in the last 25 years. Both teams have stars as Auburn boasts an All-American in big man Johni Broome and Houston has a potential All-American in fifth-year guard in LJ Cryer, but the commonality that both of these teams possess is that the totality of their parts ultimately usurps the talent of any one player. Other programs in college basketball may play as hard as Auburn and Houston, but none player harder. A word to the wise to anyone who plans on attending tonight’s game at the Toyota Center: Don’t show up if you’re soft.

Arkansas/Baylor
John Calipari’s first big game as the Razorbacks’ head coach comes against an opponent who was beaten soundly by 38 points on Monday night against Gonzaga at Spokane Arena. The Bears are going to be desperate after getting embarrassed and it will be interesting to see how Arkansas handles what will undoubtedly be a pro-Baylor crowd at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Both teams clearly resemble units that have spent very little time playing together as both Arkansas and Baylor had fewer assists than turnovers in their respective openers. Both teams also shot a combined 7-40 from three-point range in their first games of the 2024-25 college basketball season.

Louisville aims to return to relevance against Tennessee
The Cardinals haven’t played in the NCAA Tournament since 2019 and haven’t won a game in March Madness since 2017, which was their final year under Rick Pitino. Is this program again ready to become a national factor? A true litmus test awaits today as Tennessee visits the KFC Yum Center in the first part of a home-and-home series. The Vols don’t have what they had last season when they advanced to the Elite Eight with Dalton Knecht, but they still have enough to be one of the top teams in the SEC. The entire complexion of Louisville’s first season under Pat Kelsey can change with a strong showing today at home.

On The Side

  • Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears has 16 assists and just three turnovers in his first two games.
  • Oregon’s Supreme Cook (knee) may return to game action as early as next week, a source told College Hoops Today on Friday. A transfer from Georgetown, the 6-9 Cook averaged 10.5 points and 8.0 rebounds last season and should have a major role for the Ducks up front.
  • We’ll have a much better idea how realistic a third straight NCAA Tournament berth is for Northwestern after tonight’s game at Dayton.
  • The sleeper game of the day in college basketball is on the West Coast as Boise State visits San Francisco. The Broncos were picked first in the Mountain West Preseason Poll while the Dons returned four starters — Marcus Williams, Ryan Beasley, Malik Thomas, and Ndewedo Newbury — from last year’s team that won 23 games.
  • Patrick Sellers had a breakout week. Central Connecticut’s head coach led his team to a road win at St. Joe’s on Friday night and nearly beat Providence at Amica Mutual Pavilion on Monday. This guy is on the rise.

Daily Specials

  • Tennessee at Louisville
  • Memphis at UNLV
  • Northwestern at Dayton
  • Arkansas/Baylor (Dallas)
  • Auburn/Houston (Toyota Center)

Leftovers