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The Breakfast Buffet: UConn is about to go on a massive run, Jalon Moore, Georgetown has a window of opportunity

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

UConn is about to go on a massive run
Long before he became a two-time national champion, Dan Hurley thrived in the role of challenger. After three losses in three days a few weeks ago at the Maui Invitational, Hurley got back to his roots and his team has followed his lead. The Huskies are on a four-game winning streak entering tonight’s Big East opener against Xavier at the XL Center in Hartford. It’s the start of what could be a major stretch for UConn. The Huskies will not play either Marquette or St. John’s — the two other top teams in the Big East — until Feb. 1st. That means UConn’s first 10 Big East games will be against competition that’s currently not projected to be firmly in the NCAA Tournament. The Big East has been ravaged by injuries as Creighton has lost Pop Isaacs (16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds) for the season and Xavier is now without Zach Freemantle (16.9 points, 7.7 rebounds) indefinitely. Expect Hurley and the Huskies to take full advantage.

Oklahoma’s Jalon Moore could become a national name after tonight’s matchup with Michigan
Only the true college basketball junkies know about the 6-7 Moore, but that may change by the end of the day. The athletic forward has had a major part in the Sooners’ 10-0 start entering this evening’s game in Charlotte against the Wolverines. Moore — who spent the first two years of his college career at Georgia Tech prior to transferring — has made a major jump offensively since last season as he’s now averaging a career-high 17.5 points to go with 6.2 rebounds. Moore averaged 11.2 points and 6.7 rebounds last season. He’s also gotten to the free throw line a combined 41 times in his last five games. Michigan will be unequivocally Oklahoma’s toughest test thus far in 2024-25.

Georgetown has a window of opportunity
Ed Cooley and the Hoyas can win their ninth game of the season — which would tie last year’s win total — if they can beat Creighton tonight in their Big East opener in Washington D.C. It’s the start of a big stretch for both Cooley and Georgetown. Following tonight’s game against the Bluejays, the Hoyas will travel to Seton Hall on Sunday and then return home to host Coppin State on Dec. 28th and a shorthanded Xavier team on Jan. 3rd. That’s four attainable victories for Georgetown given the circumstances. This program hasn’t had positive national relevance since it won the 2021 Big East Tournament under Patrick Ewing. Winning these next four games after Saturday’s road win at Syracuse would signal a major step in the right direction. Tonight’s game against Creighton tips off at 6:30 PM ET and can be seen on CBS Sports Network.

On The Side

  • Texas A&M is 9-2, but has yet to lose a game this season at full strength. The Aggies are a dark horse Final Four team — seriously.
  • Prediction: This year’s Big Ten regular season champion will have at least six conference losses.
  • Iowa State announced on Tuesday that T.J. Otzelberger has signed a contract extension through the 2031-32 season.
  • St. John’s has outscored its last three opponents — DePaul, Bryant, and Kansas State — by a combined 56 points in the second half. It’s still early, but the Red Storm — who are 9-2 in their second season under Rick Pitino — look like they could be the third-best team in the Big East behind UConn and Marquette.
  • An under-the-radar story in the ACC? SMU is quietly off to a 9-2 start in its first season under Andy Enfield. The Ponies will play their first league game on Saturday at Boston College.

Daily Specials

  • Creighton at Georgetown
  • Xavier at UConn
  • Memphis at Virginia
  • Butler at Marquette
  • Oklahoma/Michigan (Charlotte)

Leftovers