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The Breakfast Buffet: Baylor, Tennessee/Missouri, Rutgers

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 still hasn’t been tested
Much has been made of Gonzaga’s early dominance and that’s for good reason, but what about Baylor? The Bears have won their first seven games by an average of 33.3 points and not a single tilt has been decided by single digits. Baylor hasn’t played the same caliber of non-conference schedule as Gonzaga, but that’s not entirely its fault. In addition to their win over Illinois in the Jimmy V Classic, the Bears were slated to play in the Empire Classic at Mohegan Sun with Villanova, Arizona State, and Boston College before Scott Drew tested positive for COVID-19. Baylor hosts Alcorn State today and then will travel to Iowa State on Saturday. 

A battle of undefeated teams in Columbia
Tennessee’s trip to Missouri is the game of the night in college basketball and a tremendous matchup between two squads that have each yet to lose a game this season. The Vols have been suffocating defensively, only allowing opponents to score an average of 52.7 points. Missouri meanwhile, boasts great balance and has six different players averaging between seven and 14.3 points. The Tigers are also 2-0 in games decided by three points or less. This may be the SEC opener for both teams, but it feels like a Round of 32 game in the NCAA Tournament.

Steve Pikiell has built more than just a good team at Rutgers
He’s built a good program. The Scarlet Knights were without two starters — Ron Harper Jr. and Cliff Omoruyi — on Tuesday against Purdue and still managed to win the game. Rutgers already has three Big Ten victories and it’s not even January; it won a total of three Big Ten games in each of Pikiell’s first two seasons in Piscataway. This is no one-hit wonder. 

On The Side

  • The curtain will finally come up for Arkansas. The Razorbacks are 8-0 entering tonight’s SEC opener at Auburn, but have yet to play a power conference opponent. Arkansas has won all of eight of its games by double-figures, with an average margin of victory of 28.4 points.
  • North Carolina’s outside shooting will be tested again tonight at Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are known for their ability to switch defenses under Josh Pastner, who used a matchup zone to beat Kentucky earlier this season in Atlanta. The Tar Heels are shooting just 25.6 percent from long distance as a team.
  • UConn’s quest for a second scorer alongside James Bouknight continues tonight in Storrs against DePaul. Bouknight scored 40 of the Huskies’ 74 points in their Big East opener against Creighton. Tip off tonight is at 9 PM ET on CBS Sports Network.
  • Minnesota is 9-1, but can still get much better. Why? Veteran wing Gabe Kalscheur is shooting just 18.8 percent from three-point range and averaging a career-low 9.3 points. Through his first two seasons, Kalscheur’s combined average from long distance was 37.6 percent.
  • Arizona’s decision to self-impose a postseason ban for this season does not guarantee that its eventual NCAA penalties are going to be any less severe. Remember, Louisville did the same thing during the 15-16 season and still wound up having to vacate the 2013 national title. 

Daily Specials

  • Nebraska at Ohio State
  • Penn State at Indiana
  • North Carolina at Georgia Tech
  • Tennessee at Missouri
  • DePaul at UConn

Leftovers: