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The Breakfast Buffet: Kentucky/Michigan, St. John’s aims for a signature win, Yuri Collins

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

Kentucky and Michigan meet in London
John Calipari has done a lot of neat things during his tenure in Lexington. Scheduling a game at The 02 Arena in London is definitely one of them. But beyond unique life experiences for the Wildcats’ players and staff, Kentucky (5-2) needs to pick up a win against a quality opponent after losing early matchups against both Michigan State and Gonzaga. Michigan (5-2) is also searching for a resume building victory after losing a close game against Virginia earlier in the week in Ann Arbor. The matchup at center in this game is alone worth the price of admission as Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe (14.4 points, 13.4 rebounds) — last season’s National Player of the Year — squares off with Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson (19.1 points, 9.1 rebounds).

St. John’s aims for a signature win at Iowa State
The Red Storm have gotten off to an 8-0 start in their fourth season under Mike Anderson, but have yet to beat a team that will likely be in contention for an at-large bid to the 2023 NCAA Tournament. That can change today if St. John’s can beat Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum as part of the Big East-Big 12 Battle. The Cyclones made national headlines at the PK85 in Portland when they upset North Carolina and are again rock solid under T.J. Otzelberger. This is the last time that St. John’s can truly move the needle during non-conference play as its game with Florida State on Dec. 17th will not have the same cachet as it did when it was initially scheduled following the Seminoles’ 1-8 start.

Yuri Collins is quietly playing the point guard position at a ridiculously high level
Is it an oversight or is it an insult? Saint Louis (7-2) looks like the best team in the Atlantic 10 and already has non-conference wins over both Memphis and Providence. So why isn’t Collins regularly talked about when people discuss the best guards in college basketball? His last few games may start to get the antennas up. Over his last four outings, the 6-foot Collins has handed out 58 assists. That means that he’s averaging 11.9 assists through nine games, which is four more assists than he averaged last season (7.9) when he led the nation in that very category. Don’t discount Collins from being an All-American in the spring.

On The Side

  • Virginia Tech is 2-4 against North Carolina since Mike Young was hired as the Hokies’ head coach in 2019, including a victory in last season’s ACC Tournament. The two programs will meet this afternoon in Blacksburg for the first time this season.
  • UCLA (5-2) has not beaten Oregon (4-4) under Mick Cronin, with last season’s two losses coming by an average of four points. Both programs will open Pac-12 play today in Westwood.
  • Villanova (3-5) may not be vintage Villanova, but the Wildcats will be a tougher out moving forward with a healthy Cam Whitmore. The five-star freshman made his season debut on Saturday against Oklahoma and tallied seven points, three rebounds, and three steals in 20 minutes. Keep your eyes on this kid.
  • Former Ole Miss forward Blake Hinson has been a revelation for Pitt. The 6-7 Hinson adds a completely different dimension for the Panthers at the four spot thanks to his ability to shoot the basketball and extend the defense. Hinson is currently averaging 16.3 points and 6.3 rebounds for Pitt, who is 6-3 and looks tangibly improved under Jeff Capel.
  • Looking for an under-the-radar game on today’s college basketball slate? Try Utah State (6-0) at San Francisco (7-1). The Aggies are perfect in their second season under Ryan Odom while Chris Gerlufsen has stepped in admirably for Todd Golden, who is now at Florida. Every game matters!

Daily Specials

  • Kentucky/Michigan (London)
  • North Carolina at Virginia Tech
  • St. John’s at Iowa State
  • UCLA at Oregon
  • Minnesota at Purdue

Leftovers