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The Breakfast Buffet: Zach Freemantle, Kansas’ role players, success of Tommy Lloyd/Jerome Tang

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

Xavier’s Zach Freemantle is playing the best basketball of his career
Well embedded moles in Cincinnati felt during the offseason that Freemantle would be the Musketeers’ X-Factor. Through 16 games, he’s one of the major reasons why Xavier is 13-3. Over his last four outings, Freemantle is averaging 20.5 points and 10 rebounds, highlighted by a 29-point, 11-rebound effort in Saturday’s win at Villanova. A vastly improved distributor, he’s also already tallied more assists — 50 — than he’s ever had in a season during his college career. Freemantle is also shooting an astronomical 66.7 percent from three-point range and is 5-7 from long distance during Big East play.

Kansas’ role players have taken a major step forward
That’s not a surprise when you consider the history and tradition of this program, but it legitimately feels like several key members of the Jayhawks’ rotation have went through an entire offseason of player development since the Battle 4 Atlantis in November. After averaging one point last season as a freshman, K.J. Adams has reached double figures in eight straight games and cemented himself as a more than capable option at center despite only standing 6-7. Dajuan Harris? He’s shooting 10-13 from three-point range in Big 12 play and continues to be an elite table setter, tallying 16 assists to just four turnovers in his last three games. Next to Harris, Bobby Pettiford has added burst and bounce on the perimeter. There’s a lot more to Kansas than just the star power of Jalen Wilson, Gradey Dick, and Kevin McCullar.

The success of Tommy Lloyd and Jerome Tang may change the thought process of athletic directors
A year ago, Lloyd was the National Coach of the Year in his first season as Arizona’s head coach after spending two decades as Mark Few’s top lieutenant at Gonzaga. Tang meanwhile, has Kansas State off to a 14-1 start in his first season as a head coach after spending two decades as Scott Drew’s top assistant at Baylor. So why might these two change the thought process of athletic directors moving forward? Both Lloyd and Tang were not head coaches prior to taking their current posts, but both are proving that if you’re a top assistant at a program that’s having sustained success at a high level, then you have the requisites to take over a program at the power conference level without any prior head coaching experience. It will be interesting to see if the success of these two coaches influence athletic directors in their decision making this spring and in the future.

On The Side

  • UConn’s Adama Sanogo has already made 11 three-point shots this season. He made none during the first two years of his college career. Sanogo — who was the Big East Preseason Player of the Year — is also shooting 39.3 percent from long distance.
  • Michigan State (11-4) will play in its 25th consecutive NCAA Tournament under Tom Izzo if it hears its name called on Selection Sunday.
  • Another COVID senior who’s having an incredible year? Clemson’s Hunter Tyson. The 6-8 veteran is averaging 17.8 points and 12 rebounds during the Tigers’ current five-game winning streak.
  • My biggest thought after watching Gonzaga (14-3) beat San Francisco and Santa Clara on the road by a combined seven points over the weekend? It would be really interesting if Saint Mary’s (14-4) could push the Bulldogs for the WCC regular season title, which the Gaels have only won outright once — during the 2011-12 season — under Randy Bennett.
  • Washington State has a burgeoning star in Mouhamed Gueye. The 6-11 sophomore had 24 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday’s win over Arizona in Tucson and is averaging 15.5 points and 10.8 rebounds in his last four games. Remember the name.

Daily Specials

  • Oral Roberts at New Mexico

Leftovers