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
Baylor creates its own energy
Don’t tell the Bears that arenas are going to be quieter this season. Throughout Wednesday night’s 82-69 win over Illinois in the Jimmy V Classic, Baylor’s entire bench — from the coaches to the players to the medical trainers —- were as loud as a low major student section. The energy was palpable on television and it sparked the Bears to create separation from a very good Illinois team. Scott Drew had an excellent chance to reach his first Final Four last season before the NCAA Tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19. One year later, Baylor is already walking and talking like it’s a team that doesn’t hope, but rather expects to advance to the sport’s most fabled showcase in 2021.
This looks like the best offensive team that Mark Few has had at Gonzaga
It’s way too premature to make the claim that this is the best squad that Mark Few has had in Spokane, but it’s hard to deny what this team can do offensively. The Bulldogs scored 87 points in Tuesday’s win over West Virginia in the Jimmy V Classic and prized freshman Jalen Suggs only played 26 minutes due to an ankle injury. Accumulating that point total against an elite defensive team is a statement in itself, but doing it when a potential All-American at the most important position on the floor plays limited minutes sends an even bigger message. We’ll learn over the next few months if this Gonzaga team is better than the one that was inches away from beating North Carolina in the 2017 national title game. In the meantime, it’s starting to feel like this group of Bulldogs has the most offensive pop of any unit that Few has assembled since he took his current post in 1999.
The curtain comes up for UConn
Things will officially get real for Dan Hurley and the Huskies later today at Mohegan Sun when UConn plays its first power conference game of the year against USC. This is the first of two marquee tilts for the Huskies this week, who will also face NC State at Mohegan Sun on Saturday. UConn is currently 2-0 after wins over Central Connecticut and Hartford. It will be interesting to see if the Huskies — led by burgeoning sophomore James Bouknight — are able to make a national statement this week before getting started in the Big East on Dec. 11th against St. John’s.
On The Side
- Texas’ win over North Carolina in the finals of the Maui Invitational has put the Longhorns in a position where they now have more national momentum than they’ve ever had under Shaka Smart. If this squad can beat Villanova on Sunday in Austin, look out. Texas has veteran guards, freakish athleticism up front, and outstanding depth. There’s no reason why the Longhorns shouldn’t compete for a Big 12 regular season title.
- Missouri returned the highest percentage of scoring from last season out of any team in the SEC and that is why the Tigers’ win over Oregon last night in Omaha is not a major upset. This should be Cuonzo Martin’s most complete team yet in Columbia.
- One big picture theme to monitor: will the American Athletic Conference have a team aside from Houston separate itself before league play begins? This conference needs someone other than Cougars to do something of significance before Christmas.
- Add Rhode Island to the list of teams from the Atlantic 10 who have moved the needle early in the year. The Rams’ win over Seton Hall on Wednesday night gives them a victory that should travel all the way to Selection Sunday. David Cox’s squad is 3-2 overall and has played an ambitious non-conference schedule, with a road tilt at Conference-USA favorite Western Kentucky still looming before the end of the month.
- Kentucky is a combined 9-47 from three-point range in its first three games. The Wildcats also have a combined 31 assists this season to 52 combined turnovers. John Calipari’s squad will next face Georgia Tech on Sunday in Atlanta.
Daily Specials
- Washington at Utah
- UConn/USC (Mohegan Sun)
- UTSA at Oklahoma
- Boston College/Florida (Mohegan Sun)
- Arizona State at Cal
