College Hoops Today

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The Breakfast Buffet: Chris Cenac, Illinois/Purdue, North Carolina/Virginia

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

Chris Cenac is playing his best basketball of the season
But will that translate when Houston visits Texas Tech tonight at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock? The 6-11 freshman is averaging 11.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in the Cougars’ last four games, which includes an 11-point, 11-rebound performance when Kelvin Sampson’s team beat the Red Raiders on Jan. 6th at home. Playing at a high level on the road against a marquee opponent is different. This is a major litmus test for Cenac, who’s a major long-term key to Houston’s long-term hopes of playing in the Final Four for the second consecutive season.

Illinois/Purdue
It’s a shame that this game is going to be played without Kylan Boswell (14.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists), — the Illini’s best perimeter defender — who’s going to miss the next month or so with a hand injury. Without him, there’s going be all sorts of pressure on Illinois to contain both Braden Smith (14.5 points, 9.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds) and Fletcher Loyer, who’s only scored a combined 12 points in the Boilers’ last two games. Expect a big response from Purdue at Mackey Arena after Tuesday night’s two-point loss at UCLA.

We’ll know a lot more about North Carolina after today’s trip to Virginia
The Tar Heels got back on track with a 91-69 win over Notre Dame on Wednesday night in Chapel Hill, but beating a team like the Cavaliers on their home floor is a completely different task, especially when you consider how poorly Hubert Davis’ team has defended thus far on the road in ACC play. North Carolina is 0-3 away from home in conference play and is giving up an average of 92 points in those three contests. Virginia is averaging 84.0 points in its first season under Ryan Odom.

On The Side

  • Rick Pitino is 3-1 against Richard Pitino entering today’s game between St. John’s and Xavier at the Cintas Center. The elder Pitino can earn his 900th win as a college head coach with a victory.
  • Nebraska’s Braden Frager (ankle) is being listed as day-to-day, Fred Hoiberg told College Hoops Today on Thursday. The 6-7 Frager is averaging 12.2 points off the bench for and suffered the injury in Wednesday night’s win over Washington. Nebraska is 19-0 and will visit Minnesota this afternoon.
  • Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. (back) is available for tonight’s game against Virginia Tech, per the ACC Injury Report. Brown has not played since Dec. 13th. The 6-5 freshman averaged 16.6 points and 5.1 assists in 10 games this season prior to injury.
  • Texas A&M’s Bucky McMillan has officially emerged as an SEC Coach of the Year candidate. The Aggies are tied with Florida for first place in the conference standings and will take a 15-4 record into tonight’s game against South Carolina in College Station.
  • Texas Tech’s Grant McCasland was Friday’s guest on INSIDE COLLEGE BASKETBALL NOW. To watch the full interview, click HERE.

Daily Specials

  • Villanova at UConn
  • North Carolina at Virginia
  • Illinois at Purdue
  • Kansas at Kansas State
  • Houston at Texas Tech

Leftovers