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The Breakfast Buffet: Michigan’s balance, Syracuse’s trip to Duke, Seven Big 12 teams could make Sweet 16

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

Michigan’s balance is its greatest strength
How do you prepare for a team that has multiple players who can be the assassin? It’s very difficult. Just ask Ohio State. Michigan had six different players score nine or more points in Sunday’s five-point win over the Buckeyes in Columbus, which further cemented the Wolverines’ place as college basketball’s third-best team along with Gonzaga and Baylor. Much has been made about Michigan’s defense, but this team’s offense is also formidable. In addition to scoring 92 points against Ohio State, the Wolverines also had 19 assists on 31 made field goals and shot 53.4 percent from the field and 47.8 percent from three-point range.

Syracuse’s trip to Duke
A standalone game between two Hall-of-Famers? Sign me up. A standalone game between Syracuse and Duke just 48 hours after the Blue Devils had their biggest victory of the season? You had me at hello. Duke has all of a sudden become one of the more fascinating stories in college basketball following Saturday’s one-point triumph over Virginia. With the Jalen Johnson situation in their rear view mirror, the Blue Devils can now just focus on improving and making a late run towards a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Look for Duke freshman Jaemyn Brakefield to potentially play a big role this game against Syracuse’s vintage 2-3 zone thanks to his ability to face the basket and create plays for his teammates. The 6-8 forward had 11 points, five rebounds, and four blocks on Saturday against Virginia.

Seven teams from the Big 12 could make the Sweet 16
This league is about much more than Baylor. The Bears have separated themselves from the rest of this conference, but the other six teams from the Big 12 that are projected to make the NCAA Tournament — West Virginia, Kansas, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State — are all capable of winning multiple games in the bracket next month. It will be interesting to see just how many teams from this league wind up participating in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. 

On The Side

  • Oregon is 20-3 under Dana Altman over the past five years in games played in March against Pac-12 opponents. The Ducks will face USC tonight at the Galen Center.
  • The most impressive part of Illinois’ 31-point win at Minnesota on Saturday? The Illini had 27 assists on 37 made field goals. 10 of those came from Ayo Dosunmu.
  • Four of the six teams from the Big East who are in the NCAA Tournament picture — Xavier, UConn, Seton Hall, and St. John’s — are destined to spend a significant portion of the next few weeks on the bubble. The conference only has two locks for the bracket — Villanova and Creighton.
  • Isaiah Jackson’s spike in production has directly correlated with Kentucky’s three-game winning streak. The 6-10 freshman has averaged 16.3 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks in the Wildcats’ last three tilts. 
  • UC Santa Barbara’s winning streak has now reached 12 games. The Gauchos have not lost a game in 2021 and are starting to look like an upstart mid-major that could win an NCAA Tournament game. Joe Pasternack’s squad is anchored by former Oregon State guard JaQuori McLaughlin, who leads UC Santa Barbara in scoring (15.9), assists (3.7) , and steals (1.7). 

Daily Specials

  • Pepperdine at Saint Mary’s
  • Syracuse at Duke
  • Evansville at Drake
  • Texas Tech at Oklahoma State
  • Oregon at USC

Leftovers: