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The Breakfast Buffet: UConn’s balance, Keyshawn Hall, Jizzle James

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

Dan Hurley has his most balanced team yet at UConn
How do you game plan for a team where any player can be the go-to guy on a given night? That’s the issue that most Big East teams are going to have with the Huskies over the next few months. As of today, UConn currently has nine different players averaging between 5.4 points and 15.4 points. That’s utterly ridiculous. Only three players on the Huskies — Solo Ball, Tarris Reed, and Alex Karaban — are currently averaging in double figures. Unlike the teams under Hurley that won back-to-back national titles in 2023 and 2024, this unit doesn’t hit you with body blows from one or two places — it’s more like death by a thousand paper cuts. UConn is currently 11-1 and will next visit DePaul on Sunday in Chicago.

Keyshawn Hall is having a season to remember
He’s not getting the same attention as other productive players in the SEC, but the smooth lefty has had a major hand in keeping Auburn nationally relevant in its first season under Steven Pearl. The 6-7 Hall will enter Saturday night’s game against Purdue at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis averaging career-highs in both points (20.9) and rebounds (8.8). He’s also shooting an impressive 47.0 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from three-point range. There’s not many forwards in America playing better than this guy.

Jizzle James adds a new wrinkle to Cincinnati’s season
This is where they say “the plot thickens”. The 6-3 James led the Bearcats in both scoring and assists last season, but was removed from the roster during the preseason due to off-court issues. His reinstatement on Wednesday completely changes Cincinnati’s potential trajectory in 2025-26; this is like adding an all-conference caliber player six weeks into the season. James had 16 points and four rebounds in 20 minutes in his season debut on Wednesday night against Alabama State. Keep an eye on Wes Miller’s team, who is now 7-4.

On The Side

  • Patrick Ngongba’s 10-point, 11-rebound performance in Duke’s win over Lipscomb on Tuesday night was the first double-double of his college career.
  • Texas Tech is giving up an average of 80.2 points in five games this season against power conference opponents. That’s not going to cut it in the Big 12.
  • USC announced on Wednesday that Rodney Rice (20.3 points) will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season following shoulder surgery.
  • Seton Hall has held eight of its 11 opponents this season to 61 points or fewer.
  • Iowa has a gem in 6-7 freshman Tate Sage. The versatile forward is averaging 10.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in the Hawkeyes’ last three games. Remember the name.

Daily Specials

  • Western Carolina at Georgia
  • Kansas City at Oklahoma State
  • Oral Roberts at TCU

Leftovers