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The Breakfast Buffet: Memphis starts a big week, Zed Key, Texas is in uncharted territory with Chris Beard

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

Memphis starts a big week
Penny Hardaway deserves all sorts of credit for putting together a challenging non-conference schedule that gave Memphis (8-2) plenty of opportunities to move the needle. There will be no bigger opportunity for the Tigers to do just that than tonight’s tilt against Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide — who were ranked FOURTH in this week’s ROTHSTEIN 45 — are coming off a road victory at Houston and have only one loss this season, which came against UConn in the PK85. A win tonight for Memphis would add substance to an impressive resume that already features victories over Auburn, Ole Miss, and Nebraska. The Tigers will also host Texas A&M on Saturday at FedEx Forum.

Ohio State’s Zed Key is the best big man in the Big Ten that nobody’s talking about
He’s not Purdue’s Zach Edey, Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson, or Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, but Key is quietly having a terrific junior season for the Buckeyes. “He’s really grown,” Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said Monday on the College Hoops Today Podcast of Key, who’s currently averaging 14.3 points and 8.7 rebounds. “He’s really embraced the idea of getting better and improving his game. He’s undersized because he’s 6-8, but he plays much bigger than he is. I’m excited for his growth.” The Buckeyes are 7-2 overall and will next face North Carolina on Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden. Tip off is at 3 PM ET on CBS.

Texas is in uncharted territory with Chris Beard
We’ve seen college basketball coaches get into issues off the court for various reasons, but we’ve never see anything quite like this. Beard’s arrest on early Monday morning and subsequent charge with assault of a family member shortly thereafter are labels I’ve never seen associated with a college basketball coach in nearly 20 years on this beat. Later in the day on Monday, horrific details reportedly emerged from Beard’s arrest report. Prior to Monday’s overtime win over Rice, Texas suspended Beard from his position without pay. Nothing is official in terms of his status moving forward, but nobody would be surprised if he’s coached his final game at his alma mater. This is uncharted territory.

On The Side

  • Kansas’ DaJuan Harris has 27 assists to just four turnovers in his last three games. There’s no point guard in the sport that’s more unappreciated.
  • Kentucky transfer Bryce Hopkins is starting to get into a rhythm for Providence (8-3). The 6-7 forward is averaging 16 points and 8.8 rebounds in his last four games. The Friars haven’t truly helped or hurt themselves during the first month of the season.
  • Utah’s five leading scorers — Branden Carlsen, Gabe Madsen Rollie Worster, Marco Anthony, and Lazar Stefanovic — are all shooting 36 percent or better from three-point range. The Utes are 8-2 entering tonight’s game against UTSA in Salt Lake City.
  • Tennessee freshman big man Tobe Awaka has grabbed 17 rebounds in his last 30 minutes. Remember the name.
  • The most amazing part of Charleston’s 10-1 start? Four of the Cougars’ top nine scorers — Dalton Bolon, Pat Robinson III, Ante Brzovic, and Jaylon Scott — are transfers who did not come from Division 1 programs and previously played in either Division II or at an NAIA program. Pat Kelsey’s squad already owns wins over Virginia Tech, Davidson, Richmond, Colorado State, and Kent State.

Daily Specials

  • Furman at NC State
  • Southern at Xavier
  • Princeton/Iona (Kean University)
  • Eastern Washington at Texas Tech
  • Memphis at Alabama

Leftovers