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The Breakfast Buffet — March Madness Edition

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

Seton Hall is the sleeper team at the Big East Tournament
The Pirates haven’t gotten the same attention as Providence, Villanova, and UConn, but on a neutral court they’re just as a capable — if they’re healthy. Seton Hall enters tonight’s Big East Tournament opener against Georgetown with eight wins in its last 10 games. The two defeats during that span? A pair of road losses at Villanova and UConn by a combined 11 points. Kevin Willard’s squad is hoping that Syracuse transfer Kadary Richmond (8.8 points, 4.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds) will be at full strength for the next few days at Madison Square Garden. The 6-6 sophomore only played four minutes in last Saturday’s win at Creighton after injuring his thumb.

Bryant’s turnaround is complete
Four years ago, this program won just three games. Then it hired Jared Grasso. The Bulldogs clinched their first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday night, beating Wagner 70-43 in their second straight appearance in the NEC Tournament title game. Grasso — who was Tim Cluess’ top assistant at Iona when the Gaels advanced to six NCAA Tournaments in nine years from 2011-19 — has done one of the great rebuilding jobs in the Northeast over the last decade. The Bulldogs are a combined 37-16 over the past two seasons.

Baylor Scheierman is a name to put bold print entering the NCAA Tournament
Advancing in the NCAA Tournament if you’re a mid-major is about getting the right matchup. Scheierman is the name of a player that could exploit plenty of them. South Dakota State’s 6-6 point forward has the ability to open up the floor for his teammates and post up his opponents on each and every possession. A gifted passer with a high IQ, Scheierman’s feel for the game is and ability to control its flow is incredibly impressive. He was averaging 16.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 4.6 assists entering Tuesday night’s win Summit League Tournament title game against North Dakota State. South Dakota State has won 21 games in a row and hasn’t lost since Dec. 15th. This looks like a dangerous 14 seed. Scheierman is a major reason why.

Syracuse makes a last ditch attempt
Jim Boeheim has been the head coach of his alma mater since 1976 and has never had a losing season. That will change if the Orange lose their first round game today against Florida State in the ACC Tournament. Syracuse — who is currently 15-16 — would have to beat the Seminoles today and then Duke on Thursday to fully avoid finishing under .500. The worst season prior to this one in Boeheim’s Hall-of-Fame Career? A 16-13 finish during the 1981-82 campaign.

The Atlantic Sun Tournament was an embarrassment
This is meant as no disrespect to Jacksonville State — who will represent this league in the NCAA Tournament — but the facts are the facts. The winner of the Atlantic Sun Tournament — Bellarmine — is not eligible to play in the NCAA Tournament because it recently transitioned to Division 1, but it was still allowed to play in the Atlantic Sun Tournament. Bellarmine beat Jacksonville in the title game on Tuesday night, thus allowing Jacksonville State to advance to the NCAA Tournament because it won the league’s regular season title. Here’s the kicker: Jacksonville beat Jacksonville State in the semifinals of the Atlantic Sun Tournament. The whole way this tournament was run was a complete embarrassment.

Leftovers