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The Breakfast Buffet: PJ Haggerty, the depth of the SEC, Rutgers still needs more from its supporting cast

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

PJ Haggerty is the best guard in college basketball that not enough people talk about
Just ask Virginia. Haggerty’s 27-point, five-rebound, five-assist performance in Memphis’ 64-62 win over the Cavaliers in Charlottesville on Wednesday night is just the latest installment of what has been an All-American caliber start to the season. That isn’t hyperbole. The 6-3 Haggerty — who transferred from Tulsa following last season — has unequivocally been the Tigers’ best player during their 9-2 start. He doesn’t get the same attention as some of the other top guards in college basketball, but that doesn’t mean he’s not worthy of the same recognition. Through 11 games, Haggerty is averaging 22.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while shooting 47.7 percent from the field.

The teams that were projected to be at the bottom of the SEC are playing incredible basketball
Oklahoma and Vanderbilt — the two programs that were picked 15th and 16th in the SEC Preseason Poll — are a combined 21-1. That wasn’t in the cards during the preseason. The Sooners — who improved to 11-0 after Wednesday night’s win over Michigan in Charlotte — lost five of their top six scorers from last season’s team that just missed the NCAA Tournament while the Dores have a brand new team under first-year head coach Mark Byington, who was previously at James Madison. Vanderbilt has already surpassed its win total from last season. The real key to the SEC’s unprecedented early success? There are no bad teams. And teams who were picked at the bottom of the league have done enough in November and December to play their way into the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Rutgers still needs more from its supporting cast
The Scarlet Knights’ two superstar freshmen — Dylan Harper (23.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists) and Ace Bailey (17.9 points, 7.1 rebounds) — have combined for 48.5 percent of Rutgers’ points this season. No other player in this program is averaging in double figures. That will likely have to change if this team is going successfully navigate the Big Ten and earn a bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The Scarlet Knights currently have three players — Jordan Derkack (7.6 points), Jeremiah Williams (7.6 points), and Lathan Sommerville — who are candidates to emerge as a third scorer. Steve Pikiell’s team is currently 7-4 and will next face Ivy League favorite on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark.

On The Side

  • Auburn announced on Wednesday that National Player of the Year frontrunner Johni Broome (shoulder) will not need surgery and instead undergo a rehab process. There is no timetable for a return. The 6-11 Broome — who suffered the injury in Tuesday night’s win over Georgia State — is currently averaging 18.1 points and 11.5 rebounds.
  • Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud (21.5 points, 11.7 rebounds) is the only player in college basketball who’s currently averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
  • St. John’s sophomore Brady Dunlap (5.7 points) will miss 4-6 weeks with a hand injury. This opens the door for 6-4 freshman Jaiden Glover (3.1 points) to cement himself as part of the Red Storm’s rotation. Remember the name.
  • Connor Essegian has regained his form at Nebraska. The 6-4 junior is averaging 13.0 points and shooting 44 percent from three-point range through his first nine games of the season. Essegian — who spent the first two years of his college career at Wisconsin before transferring — only averaged 3.2 points last season in Madison after averaging 11.7 points as a freshman.
  • Oregon State lost three double figure scorers — Jordan Pope (Texas), Tyler Bilodeau (UCLA), and Dexter Akanno (Utah State) — to the transfer portal after last season, but is still 8-2 through nine games. Think Wayne Tinkle can coach a little bit? Keep an eye on the Beavers in next week’s Diamond Head Classic.  

Daily Specials

  • Buffalo at Georgia
  • New Orleans at Texas
  • Merrimack at Saint Mary’s

Leftovers