College Hoops Today

Serving College Basketball 365 Days a Year

The Breakfast Buffet: UCLA’s win over Michigan was vintage Mick Cronin

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

UCLA’s win over Michigan was vintage Mick Cronin
This was a carbon copy of the games that Cronin won for years at Cincinnati while leading the Bearcats to nine straight NCAA Tournaments. All substance with not much style. People are not complaining in Westwood. UCLA held Michigan to 49 points in a two-point victory, taking away the Wolverines’ strengths and completely dictating the pace of the game. Michigan entered the matchup with the Bruins averaging 81.3 points during the NCAA Tournament. 

This is the least likely Final Four run in UCLA history
An 11 seed? Really? This is the Bruins’ first trip to college basketball’s most fabled showcase since 2008, when they advanced to their third straight Final Four under Ben Howland. UCLA was a two seed in both 2006 and 2007 when it went to the Final Four under Howland and a one seed in 2008. Remember: The Bruins lost three projected starters — Daishen Nix, Chris Smith, and Jalen Hill — for various reasons. UCLA advancing to the Final Four with that triumvirate out of the lineup is the equivalent of Gonzaga getting this far in the NCAA Tournament without Jalen Suggs, Joel Ayayi, and Anton Watson. 

Gonzaga is two wins away from going down as one of the best teams ever
That is not hyperbole. It is one thing to be the first team to go through a season undefeated for the first time since Indiana in 1976. It is another to accomplish that feat in truly dominant fashion. The Bulldogs improved to 30-0 following Tuesday night’s Elite Eight win over USC; it was the 29th time this season that this team won by double figures. Gonzaga’s average margin of victory in the NCAA Tournament is 24 points. That’s utterly ridiculous. 

Kelvin Sampson is now part of exclusive company
Sampson is now one of five active coaches who have taken multiple programs to the Final Four. The other four? Roy Williams, John Calipari, Bob Huggins, and Rick Pitino. That’s a pretty special circle to be a part of. In the four seasons prior to Sampson’s arrival, Houston was a combined 26-40 in regular season conference games; it’s a combined 85-40 in league play since. 

Baylor’s transfers benefited from a redshirt year
This may soon be foreign territory with immediate eligibility, but for now, it’s a major reason for Baylor’s success. Four of this team’s eight players — Davion Mitchell (Auburn), Adam Flagler (Presbyterian), MaCio Teague (UNC Asheville), and Jonathan Tchamwa-Tcatchoua (UNLV) — who played in Monday’s Elite Eight win over Arkansas redshirted after they arrived in Waco after transferring. That type of experience has been on full display during the NCAA Tournament as Baylor’s seasoning, strength, and grit has taken over late in each of its last two victories.

Leftovers: