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The Breakfast Buffet: Phog Allen Fieldhouse is waiting for Baylor, Florida State/UNC, Chris Duarte underrated

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

Phog Allen Fieldhouse is waiting for Baylor
Is today the day that the Bears suffer their first loss of the season? It’s definitely within the realm of possibility. Baylor (18-0) looked more than mortal earlier in the week against Iowa State in its first game back from a three-week pause due to COVID-19. Will the Bears be sharp enough today to beat Kansas at Phog Allen Fieldhouse? It’s going to be very difficult. Despite losing at Texas on Tuesday night in overtime, the Jayhawks are playing their best basketball of season — especially defensively. After allowing 91 points in a loss at West Virginia on Feb. 6th, Kansas has only surrendered an average of 59.5 points in its last six games.

Florida State’s trip to North Carolina
The Seminoles arrive in Chapel Hill attempting to bolster their potential seed for the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels meanwhile, will be playing to keep their hopes alive for Selection Sunday. After falling to Marquette at home on Wednesday, North Carolina (14-8) is in survival mode. A win today against the best team in the ACC would go a long way in the Tar Heels’ quest to reach the NCAA Tournament. As of now, Florida State looks like the only team from this conference that looks like a likely candidate to be playing in the Sweet 16 or beyond next month.

Chris Duarte is underrated nationally
It’s not an oversight, it’s an insult. If Duarte played for Duke or Villanova instead of Oregon, he’d regularly be talked about as one of the best players in the sport. Instead, he’s producing on both sides of the court — game after game — in obscurity. The Pac-12’s lack of visibility has been a recurring issue over the past few seasons and the minimal attention surrounding Duarte is a result. He’s currently averaging 17.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.1 steals while shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three-point range. Duarte is a two-way star and the best All-American that nobody is really talking about. 

On The Side

  • Kudos to Wichita State athletic director Darron Boatright, who named interim Isaac Brown the Shockers’ permanent head coach on Friday. Brown — who was a longtime assistant under Gregg Marshall — has done yeoman’s work this season and has Wichita State (13-4) in position to both win the American Athletic Conference regular season title and reach the NCAA Tournament.
  • Eric Musselman deserves credit for not being too big for any job. He was the head coach of two NBA teams before becoming an assistant at Arizona State under Herb Sendek. This led to his first college coaching opportunity at Nevada and then his current post at Arkansas. The Razorbacks are 18-5 entering today’s game against LSU at Bud Walton Arena.
  • UConn is 7-2 with James Bouknight in the lineup and 4-4 when he is not. It’s hard to see how the Huskies are considered a bubble team when they’re at full strength with Bouknight in the lineup. Dan Hurley’s team will host Marquette today in Storrs.
  • Colorado is 12-1 in home/neutral site games this season and 6-6 in true road tilts. Tad Boyle’s team should be a very tough out in the NCAA Tournament. The Buffaloes have swept USC, beaten Oregon, and will host UCLA tonight in Boulder.
  • Zach Freemantle is quietly on a tear for Xavier. The 6-9 sophomore is averaging 23.3 points and 11.8 rebounds in the Musketeers’ last four games. Freemantle should be a first-team All-Big East caliber player next season.  

Daily Specials

  • Michigan at Indiana
  • Texas at Texas Tech
  • Illinois at Wisconsin
  • Florida State at North Carolina
  • Baylor at Kansas

Leftovers: