College Hoops Today

Serving College Basketball 365 Days a Year

The Breakfast Buffet: West Region should be “The Gonzaga Invitational”, Adama Sanogo, Indiana needs to look itself in the mirror

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

The West Region feels like the Gonzaga Invitational
That is not hyperbole. The Bulldogs are 26-0 and have already beaten the other top seeds in their region — Iowa, Kansas, and Virginia — convincingly this season. Kansas and Virginia are the two teams in the NCAA Tournament that had issues this past week with COVID-19. It’s hard to see Gonzaga losing before the Final Four. 

Adama Sanogo could be the X-Factor for UConn against Maryland
Nobody has said this yet, but I will: Sanogo is the most talented big man that the Huskies have had in their program since Andre Drummond. He could be a difference maker in the Round of 64 against Maryland, who has lacked a consistent five-man all season long. The 6-9, 240 pound center has scored in double figures in four consecutive games. 

Indiana needs to look itself in the mirror
The Hoosiers have been to one Final Four (2002) since Bob Knight. Since that Final Four, they’ve been to three Sweet 16s (2012, 2013, 2016) — all under Tom Crean. He was fired four years ago in 2017 before Indiana plucked Archie Miller from Dayton before terminating him on Monday. What do the Hoosiers want? Who do the Hoosiers think they are? This program is not perceived anymore as one of the elite programs in college basketball. The results over the past two decades reflect that sentiment. Was Indiana more a product of Knight’s greatness than the actual job itself? It’s definitely a question worth asking. 

Archie Miller got a nice parting gift
$10 million dollars not to work? That’s the kind of severance package that most people would like when they get removed from a job. Miller never made the NCAA Tournament while he was at Indiana, but would have last season if the event wasn’t cancelled due to COVID-19. He’ll coach again and probably at a very good job. In the meantime, he should head to Santa Barbara. Tomorrow. 

Tre Mitchell will be one of the nation’s most sought after transfers
UMass’ most talented big man since Marcus Camby won’t return to Amherst next season and should be in high demand. The 6-10 Mitchell averaged 18.8 points and 7.2 rebounds this past year while shooting 51.9 percent from the field. Don’t be shocked if some of the top programs in multiple power conferences inquire about his services.