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The Breakfast Buffet: Gonzaga, Northwestern, Louisville’s long-term potential

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

Gonzaga has things aligned to run the table
If this team has a loss on Selection Sunday, it will be a massive surprise. Gonzaga’s 98-75 thrashing of Virginia on Saturday in Fort Worth again reiterated the Bulldogs’ ceiling and concluded — for the time being — the arduous portions of their non-conference schedule. The Cavaliers represented the last power conference opponent that Gonzaga was slated to play prior to the 2021 NCAA Tournament. That means that Mark Few’s squad should wind up with a perfect record on Selection Sunday barring something unforeseen. Is the WCC better than it’s been in recent years? Yes. Is Gonzaga though, better than it’s ever been? Absolutely. The Bulldogs scored 98 points on Saturday against a team coached by Tony Bennett and freshman point guard Jalen Suggs — the likely top overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft — only scored eight. The ceiling for this team is very, very high.

Northwestern has more than one weapon
That’s a sign of a team with staying power. The Wildcats are 3-0 in Big Ten play for the first time since the 1967-68 season and one of the main reasons why is their depth and overall balance. While Boo Buie has been a constant at point guard for Chris Collins’ team, other players have also come to the forefront. In Northwestern’s Big Ten opener against Michigan State, a team effort from tip to finish beat the Spartans. Then earlier this week at Indiana, William & Mary transfer Chase Audidge drilled shot after shot in crunch time. In Saturday’s one-point triumph over Ohio State, junior wing Miller Kopp exploded for 23 points. The Wildcats have more than one way to beat an opponent. 

Louisville’s long-term potential is intriguing
Chris Mack’s squad improved to 6-1 after its win over Kentucky on Saturday and 60 percent of its projected starting lineup has yet to play this season. The Cardinals are expected to add San Francisco grad transfer Charles Minlend to the lineup in the next few weeks following a knee injury and veteran big man Malik Williams is expected to return later in the year once he recovers from an injured right foot. Without those two pieces, this team has already still beaten Seton Hall and Conference-USA favorite Western Kentucky. If Louisville can ever get to full strength, it’s going to be a team that could be a trendy pick to do damage as the season progresses from February into March.

On The Side

  • Kentucky’s best long-term prospects — Terrence Clarke, BJ Boston, and Isaiah Jackson — simply aren’t ready to be college stars. Or even all-league caliber players. In Saturday’s loss at Louisville, the trio combined for a total of 18 points. It should be noted that Clarke didn’t have a point in 16 minutes, but was nursing an ankle injury all week. The Wildcats are 1-6. 
  • Armaan Franklin is quietly on a tear for Indiana. The 6-4 sophomore is averaging 19.5 points over his last four games and is shooting 17-26 from three-point range during that span. Franklin averaged just 3.7 points last season as a freshman.
  • Richmond’s loss to Hofstra last week takes some air out of the Atlantic 10’s strong start to the season. The Spiders are also not getting much mileage out of their win over Kentucky at Rupp Arena. The Atlantic 10 has to hope that Saint Louis can continue to create separation as one of the top non power conference teams in the sport.
  • Save these dates: Feb. 25th and 27th. Why? These are the dates of the two regular season meetings between Boise State and San Diego State. Both programs look a cut above the rest of the Mountain West Conference.
  • There will be NINE Big Ten teams on my AP Top 25 ballot this week. Yes, the league is that good. 

Daily Specials

  • Drake at Indiana State
  • DePaul at Providence
  • UC Santa Barbara at UC Irvine

Leftovers: