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The Breakfast Buffet: Dylan Harper, Alabama/Oregon, Dayton made a statement at the Maui Invitational

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

Dylan Harper is putting up Trae Young type college numbers
Oklahoma didn’t advance in the NCAA Tournament in 2018 when Young was a freshman, but his statistical impact on the game during his one year in college was second to none as he averaged 27.4 points, 8.7 assists, and 3.9 rebounds. Harper is on a similar type of trajectory this season for Rutgers. Entering today’s game against Texas A&M in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, the 6-6 freshman is averaging 24.6 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.7 rebounds. Harper has also posted back-to-back games in Sin City where he’s scored 36 or more points. Like Young, this guy has quickly become appointment television in what will likely be his only season of college basketball.

Alabama/Oregon
The game of the day in college basketball is in Las Vegas as the Crimson Tide and the Ducks meet in the title game of the inaugural Players Era Festival. Many people expected Alabama to be in this position, but Oregon’s ceiling is still yet to be determined. Dana Altman’s team is off to a 7-0 start and has beaten three quality teams — Oregon State, Texas A&M, and San Diego State — away from Eugene. The Crimson Tide though, are a different breed of cattle. Sophomore point guard Jackson Shelstad (10.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists) will play a major role in this game for the Ducks and needs to continue to take care of the ball. Entering tonight’s game against Alabama, Shelstad’s assist-to-turnover ratio through seven games is an impressive 29:4.

Dayton made a statement at the Maui Invitational
The Flyers weren’t the team that many put in bold print prior to this week’s tournament in Hawaii, but they certainly made the most of their time during the trip. Dayton took both North Carolina and Iowa State to the wire on Monday and Tuesday before earning an impressive 18-point win over UConn on Wednesday. Most programs wouldn’t be satisfied with one win in three games, but Anthony Grant’s squad showed that it has the requisites to be one of the best non-power conference teams in the sport this season. The Flyers have shotmaking with Enoch Cheeks and Nate Santos, quality guard play with the troika of Malachi Smith, Javon Bennett, and Posh Alexander as well as a bonafide interior threat in Ohio State transfer Zed Key. Another thing Dayton has? More non-conference opportunities to build an at-large resume for the NCAA Tournament. Prior to Christmas, the Flyers will host Marquette on Dec. 14th and then face Cincinnati in Downtown Cincinnati in a neutral site game six days later on Dec. 20th. Dayton has multiple chances to bolster its resume — which already includes wins over both Northwestern and UConn — prior to the start of Atlantic 10 play in late December.

On The Side

  • In four buy games, Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner averaged 25.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks. In the Jays’ current three-game losing streak, he’s averaging 8.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks.
  • Has a light went on for Michigan State’s Xavier Booker. His 12 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday’s win over North Carolina in Maui were both career-highs.
  • Cincinnati’s Dan Skillings (knee) has been cleared for non-contact work, but still has no timetable for a return, Wes Miller told College Hoops Today on Friday. The 6-6 Skillings had 17 points and 11 rebounds in the one game that he played in this season. The Bearcats are 6-0 and will next visit Villanova on Tuesday.
  • Arizona is under .500 for the first time ever under Tommy Lloyd.
  • UConn’s three opponents in the Maui Invitational — Memphis, Colorado, and Dayton — all shot 50 percent or better from the field against the Huskies. Dan Hurley’s squad returns to action today against Maryland Eastern Shore in Hartford.

Daily Specials

  • Creighton/Notre Dame (Las Vegas)
  • Texas A&M/Rutgers (Las Vegas)
  • Houston/San Diego State (Las Vegas)
  • Alabama/Oregon (Las Vegas)
  • Furman at Kansas

Leftovers