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The Breakfast Buffet: Alondes Williams, Dylan Disu, LSU needs to find a third scorer

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

Alondes Williams is one of college basketball’s best kept secrets
It may not stay that way for long. If Williams played for Duke or North Carolina and was producing the way that he’s currently producing, he’d be regularly talked about as one of the best guards in the sport and a potential All-American. Instead, he’s operating in obscurity — for now. The 6-5 Williams has been a revelation for Steve Forbes and Wake Forest after transferring from Oklahoma and is currently averaging 21 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists while shooting an astronomical 58 percent from the field. His assist-to-turnover ratio is also nearly 2:1. The most amazing part of Williams’ start to this season? He was strictly a role player in two years for the Sooners under Lon Kruger before exploding this year for the Demon Deacons. In two years at Oklahoma, Williams averaged just 6.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.9 assists. His leap is a primary reason why Wake Forest has won 11 of its first 12 games.

Dylan Disu gives Texas a completely different dimension
Rim protection and front court athleticism are two things that were not synonymous with the Longhorns during their first eight games of the year. The addition of Disu changes that dynamic. The 6-9 transfer from Vanderbilt missed the early portion of the season with a knee injury, but made his debut for Texas last Tuesday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and really stood out in Sunday’s 60-53 win over Stanford in Las Vegas. Disu came off the bench to tally 11 points, four rebounds, and one block against the Cardinal, but beyond his stats was the length, athleticism, and bounce that he provided on the baseline. This is an emerging piece to monitor as Chris Beard’s squad moves forward into the Big 12. Disu averaged 15 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks last season at Vanderbilt.

LSU needs to identify a third scorer
The Tigers’ defense has been the backbone of their 11-0 start, but this team is going to need to find another consistent offensive option alongside Darius Days (14.5 points, 8.7 rebounds) and Tari Eason (16.3 points, 7.5 rebounds) if it’s going finish at the top of the SEC. LSU’s offensive ceiling took a major hit when Illinois transfer Adam Miller was lost for the year with a torn ACL and his absence will be magnified if this team doesn’t become more proficient offensively as it begins to face higher quality competition. Remember: Miller was a starter for the Illini last season when they earned a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament and averaged 8.3 points as a freshman. The two most likely candidates to emerge as LSU’s third scorer? Veteran point guard Xavier Pinson or five-star freshman Efton Reid; Pinson has scored in double figures in each of his last three games. The Tigers will host Lipscomb on Wednesday in Baton Rouge before beginning SEC play on Dec. 29th at Auburn.

On The Side

  • Another reason why Baylor is off to a 10-0 start and ranked number one in the AP Top 25 for the second straight week? The Bears’ two freshmen — Kendall Brown and Jeremy Sochan — never have to carry this team for it to win. Scott Drew’s squad will next host Alcorn State tonight in Waco.
  • In his last three games, Xavier’s Jack Nunge is averaging 19 points and 11.3 rebounds. A transfer from Iowa, the 7-foot Nunge is playing like an All-Big East first-team caliber player.
  • Notre Dame (4-5) is going to have to get something out of its back-to-back home games against Duke and North Carolina in early January if it’s going to push for a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Irish do own a win over Kentucky, but have little else of substance on their resume and will not get as many Quad 1 opportunities as usual given the current landscape of the ACC.
  • Power conference teams won’t want to see Furman (7-5) in their bracket on Selection Sunday. The Paladins have already won a game at Louisville and nearly beat Mississippi State last Friday in Starkville. Bob Richey’s squad averages 80.5 points and has three terrific players in Alex Hunter, Mike Bothwell, and Jalen Slawson.
  • St. John’s (8-3) didn’t have Julian Champagnie (COVID) for Saturday’s loss against Pitt at Madison Square Garden, but that is still an abominable defeat for a team that is hoping to make the NCAA Tournament. The Red Storm are going to have do major work in the Big East — like win 12 or 13 conference games — to hear their name called on Selection Sunday. St. John’s currently does not own a marquee win on its resume.

Daily Specials

  • Alcorn State at Baylor
  • Incarnate Word at Purdue
  • Western Michigan at Notre Dame
  • Northern Arizona at Gonzaga

Leftovers