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The Breakfast Buffet: Houston, Crosstown Shootout, Villanova/Texas

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

Houston’s culture is among the best in the sport
Need proof? The Cougars beat a very capable South Carolina team on Saturday without their head coach (Kelvin Sampson), associate head coach (Kellen Sampson), point guard/leading scorer (Marcus Sasser), and the preseason player of the year (Caleb Mills) in the American Athletic Conference. Kudos to Houston assistant Quannas White for engineering one of the more impressive victories I’ve ever covered in nearly 15 years on this beat. Issues related to COVID-19 and nagging injuries can lessen the availability of the Cougars’ personnel, but those obstacles can’t touch Houston’s culture. Sampson has quickly built this program into the American Athletic Conference’s flagship.

A different type of Crosstown Shootout
The annual game between Cincinnati and Xavier has always been one of college basketball’s best and most intense rivalries, but it will have a different feel today at Fifth Third Arena without fans in attendance. Nevertheless, it’s still an important non-conference opportunity for both programs. Cincinnati is 1-0 in its second season under John Brannen while Xavier is 5-0 and has won three of those games by a combined seven points. Keep an eye on the matchup in the backcourt between the Bearcats’ Keith Williams and the Musketeers’ KyKy Tandy, who is currently averaging 14.8 points.

Villanova is going to have to “go over the top” of Texas
Will the Wildcats’ offense travel today in Austin? Texas is holding its opponents to just 36 percent shooting from the field and 20.3 percent shooting from three-point range through its first four games of the season. The Longhorns currently have four players —- Jericho Sims, Kai Jones, Greg Brown, and Royce Hamm — in their rotation who stand 6-9 or taller and that type of size has made it impossible for opposing teams to generate offense in the paint. Jay Wright’s squad enters today’s tilt averaging 10 made three-point shots per game this season and is shooting 36.7 percent from three-point range as a team. The ability to create the type of offensive spacing that’s synonymous with those types of percentages and statistics could be paramount to opening up the floor against Texas’ defense. Shaka Smart’s squad has yet another chance to make a national statement in what should be a terrific game as part of the Big East-Big 12 Battle. The Longhorns are 4-0 overall following a win earlier this week over North Carolina in the finals of the Maui Invitational.

On The Side

  • How will Missouri handle prosperity following its big win earlier this week over Oregon? We’ll find out over its next three games. The 2-0 Tigers will visit Wichita State today, host a Liberty squad that’s already beaten two SEC teams (South Carolina and Mississippi State), and then host Illinois. 
  • Kentucky may be on a two-game losing streak entering today’s game in Atlanta versus Georgia Tech, but the Yellow Jackets should feel much more desperate than the Wildcats. Josh Pastner’s team is 0-2 after opening the season with back-to-back losses to Georgia State and Mercer despite returning four starters from a 17-win squad. 
  • Seton Hall’s game tonight at Penn State isn’t a “must win”, but earning a victory would help the Pirates from building an early season hole for themselves. Kevin Willard’s squad is currently 1-3 overall and still has 20 Big East games on the schedule.
  • Oregon freshman Jalen Terry is the Ducks’ best bet at point guard until Will Richardson returns from a thumb injury in January. The 5-11 Terry is the only pure floor general on Oregon’s active roster and hasn’t committed a turnover in 35 minutes played this season. 
  • Keep an eye on Furman. The Paladins are averaging 89 points in their first four games and have opportunities to move the needle in the next few weeks with games at both Cincinnati and Alabama. Bob Richey’s team is 4-0 and has an average margin of victory of 31.3 points.

Daily Specials

  • Villanova at Texas
  • Xavier at Cincinnati
  • Missouri at Wichita State
  • Kentucky at Georgia Tech
  • Cal at UCLA
Leftovers: