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
AJ Dybantsa saved his best for MSG
The World’s Most Famous Arena provided the perfect showcase for BYU’s star to produce his best performance yet as a member of the Cougars. Trailing by 21 points at halftime on Tuesday night, the 6-8 Dybantsa operated with the focus of a surgeon during the final 20 minutes and finished with 28 points, nine rebounds, and six assists as BYU came back to beat Clemson 67-64 thanks to a three-pointer at the buzzer by Rob Wright. But the story of the night was Dybantsa. America got a full glimpse of why this guy could the top overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Before that though, he could lead the Cougars — who are now 8-1 — on a deep run in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. This is ONLY December.
John Blackwell is playing like an All-American
The steady junior showed all-conference caliber potential last season as a sophomore and he’s now emerging as one of the best guards in the country. Blackwell has scored a combined 86 points in Wisconsin’s last three games and is also averaging six rebounds and shooting 14-30 from three-point range during that span. Greg Gard’s squad is 7-2 and will next visit undefeated Nebraska tonight at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
NC State has a massive week
And you could even say that’s it’s a make or break week in terms of building an at-large resume during non-conference play for the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack will host Liberty — one of the best mid-majors in the country — tonight in Raleigh followed by a huge game at home against Kansas on Saturday. NC State has to do something with these opportunities if it wants to build any equity prior to the start of ACC play. At 6-3 in its first season under Will Wade, the Wolfpack’s best non-conference wins are against VCU and Boise State and neither of those teams are remotely close to being a lock to play in March Madness. A big 80 minutes is on deck in Raleigh.
On The Side
- Will anyone be able to put game pressure on Michigan? The Wolverines haven’t won a game by single digits since Nov. 14th at TCU and have won their last six games by an average of 34.0 points. America is running out of adjectives for Dusty May’s squad.
- Vanderbilt’s starting perimeter — Tyler Tanner, Duke Miles, and Tyler Nickel — are combining to average 48.9 percent of the Dores’ points. All three players are also shooting 42.9 percent or better from three-point range. Vanderbilt is 9-0 in its second season under Mark Byington.
- Creighton, Marquette, and Villanova are a combined 1-10 against power conference teams. That’s not great for the Big East.
- Notre Dame announced that Markus Burton will undergo ankle surgery on Wednesday and has no timetable for a return. This is the second season in a row that the 6-foot Burton — who averages 18.5 points — has missed extended time due to an injury. The Irish are currently 7-3 and will next host Idaho tonight in South Bend.
- UCF’s 8-1 start is the best in program history.
Daily Specials
- Minnesota at Purdue
- Liberty at NC State
- Wisconsin at Nebraska
Leftovers
- The Breakfast Buffet: Tobe Awaka, Nebraska’s defense, Texas/Kentucky
- INSIDE COLLEGE BASKETBALL NOW (1/20): Guest — Virginia’s Ryan Odom
- The Breakfast Buffet: Michigan returns home, Seton Hall/St. John’s, Kansas hits the road at Colorado
- INSIDE COLLEGE BASKETBALL NOW (1/19): Florida, Kentucky, The ACC, The Big East, JT Toppin, Darryn Peterson
- The Breakfast Buffet: Brad Brownell, Florida, St. John’s is thriving on the road
