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The Breakfast Buffet: Adam Flagler, Virginia, Northwestern’s big opportunity

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

Adam Flagler is Baylor’s fourth all-league guard
He doesn’t get a great deal of attention because he plays behind the best perimeter in the sport, but Flagler — a transfer from Presbyterian — is capable of earning All-Big 12 honors this season. Twice in Baylor’s last three games, Flagler has come off the bench to score 15 points. The Bears needed every single one in Saturday’s eight-point triumph at Texas Tech, which was Baylor’s first single digit victory of the season. There will be a day where this 6-3 guard is a starter for Scott Drew’s program, but right now he’s got to embrace being a star in his role. Judging by the past few games, that’s something that Flagler — who is currently averaging 10.6 points — is more than willing to accept.

Virginia sent a message to the ACC 
Roughly one year ago today, the Cavaliers were 11-5 overall and just 3-3 in conference play. They then proceeded to win 12 of their next 14 games and finish second in the ACC. If Saturday’s performance at Clemson was any indication, history may be on its way to repeating itself. Virginia’s 85-50 win against the Tigers was a statement victory for many reasons. First, it was a shocker to see the game decided by such a large margin. Second, it was a shocker to see the Cavaliers put up 85 points against an opponent that was statistically the best defensive team in college basketball. And third, it proved that Tony Bennett’s team could not just beat a capable team with cache, but it could be it on its home floor by a significant amount. The rest of the ACC is officially on notice.

Northwestern can make a national statement against Iowa
Chris Collins came to Northwestern for days like today. He came to Northwestern to do things that had never been done before. Four years after the Wildcats went to the NCAA Tournament and won a game in the bracket for the first time in school history, they’ve put themselves in position to be in position once again thanks to three straight victories at the start of Big Ten play. But in order for Northwestern to hear its name called eight weeks from today on Selection Sunday, it has to win games like today against Iowa. For a program like this with minimal history and tradition, games on national television on its home floor against a top-five opponent and the best player in the sport (Luka Garza) do not occur with great frequency. The Wildcats are 6-5 and have lost four straight since beating Ohio State in Evanston on Dec. 26th. Today’s game will tip off at Noon ET on CBS.

On The Side

  • It’s going to be difficult for Illinois to compete for a Big Ten regular season title if it keeps losing home games. The Illini dropped back-to-back home tilts last week in Champaign to Maryland and Ohio State and could have easily won either game. Brad Underwood’s team now trails both Iowa and Michigan by two in the loss column. 
  • Minnesota is now 5-0 in games where Liam Robbins scores 18 or more points. The 7-foot transfer from Drake had 22 points and eight rebounds in the Gophers’ win over Michigan on Saturday. Richard Pitino’s squad is 11-0 at home this season.
  • There are eight weeks between now and Selection Sunday and if Miami (6-6) can somehow get healthy, it’s going to be a difficult team to evaluate. The Hurricanes beat Louisville on Saturday night in Coral Gables without three starters in Chris Lykes, Kameron McGusty, and Earl Timberlake. If Jim Larranaga’s club can get to full strength, watch out.
  • Colorado has a gem in 6-8 freshman Jabari Walker. The talented forward can terrorize opponents at the rim or by facing the basket and is averaging 16.3 points and 9.7 rebounds in his last three games. Remember the name. 
  • There doesn’t appear to be more than five or six NCAA Tournament teams in the SEC and two of them — LSU and Alabama — beat Arkansas this week by a combined 47 points. The Razorbacks started the season at 9-0, but did not play a power conference opponent until their league opener at Auburn. As of now, this does not appear to be a top tier team in the SEC.

Daily Specials

  • Iowa at Northwestern
  • Penn State at Purdue
  • Houston at UCF
  • Memphis at Tulsa
  • Virginia Tech at Wake Forest

Leftovers: