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The Breakfast Buffet: Zach Edey, Big East making a statement, St. John’s/Indiana

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

Zach Edey looks like the Yao Ming of college basketball
That is not hyperbole. The 7-4 Edey is not projected to be anything near what Ming was in the NBA with the Houston Rockets, but he does have a similar type of presence when he’s on the floor for Purdue. Nearly impossible to guard when he catches the ball deep in the paint, Edey has torched opponents this season and shown significant strides as a sophomore compared to last season as a freshman. Through three games, Edey is averaging 18.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, and two blocks while shooting an astronomical 76.9 percent from the field. He’ll have his first showcase games of the season this weekend when the Boilers take part in the Hall-of-Fame Tip Off at Mohegan Sun with North Carolina, Villanova, and Tennessee.

The Big East is making a statement
This league needed a bounce back season after only having four teams in last year’s NCAA Tournament. It’s delivering. The Big East is 4-0 through the first two days of the Gavitt Games, headlined by Seton Hall’s win over Michigan on Tuesday night in Ann Arbor. With football driven conferences owning the majority of the headlines in college sports, this type of early national attention is critical for the Big East. Only two teams from this league — Villanova and UConn — were ranked in this week’s AP Top 25.

St. John’s trip to Indiana
The Red Storm don’t have a slew of key non-conference opportunities on their schedule, making tonight’s game at Assembly Hall exceptionally critical. St. John’s has made mince meat out of its first two opponents, winning both games by an average of 39.5 points. The weight class will be raised tonight. Aside from navigating one of college basketball’s most fabled venues, the Red Storm are also going to have to find a way to neutralize Indiana’s All-American big man Trayce Jackson-Davis, who is averaging 20 points, 10.5 rebounds, and five blocks through his first two games. Both of these programs have hopes for a breakthrough year that ends in the NCAA Tournament. This is one of the more intriguing matchups in this year’s Gavitt Games.

On The Side

  • The Atlantic 10’s addition of Loyola Chicago is a tremendous fit for both sides. The Ramblers have a great program, a great brand, and play in a great market. Loyola Chicago will join the conference for the 22-23 season.
  • Michigan State’s game tonight at Butler is the first time that Tom Izzo has ever coached at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
  • The sample size is small, but NC State’s Casey Morsell looks like he may be one of the most improved players in the country after transferring from Virginia. Through two games, the 6-3 guard is averaging 14.3 points and 4.3 rebounds — he didn’t average more than 4.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in either of his two seasons with the Cavaliers.
  • Mississippi State’s Rocket Watts (hip) will make his season debut tonight against Detroit, Ben Howland told College Hoops Today on Tuesday. A transfer from Michigan State, Watts averaged 7.7 points and 2.7 assists last season. The Bulldogs are 2-0 and have held each of their first two opponents to 49 points.
  • LSU’s Darius Days is playing like an All-American. The 6-7 forward flirted with the NBA Draft process in the offseason, but now looks like he’s primed to be one of the best players in the country as a senior. Through three games, Days is averaging 24.3 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting a blistering 16-of-25 from three-point range.

Daily Specials

  • George Mason at Maryland
  • Michigan State at Butler
  • Northern Iowa at Arkansas
  • NC State/Oklahoma State (Mohegan Sun)
  • St. John’s at Indiana

Leftovers