College Hoops Today

Serving College Basketball 365 Days a Year

The Breakfast Buffet: Baylor/Texas Tech, Michigan’s defense, Virginia’s litmus test

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

A heavyweight showdown in Lubbock
Roughly 72 hours after its dramatic win over Texas in Austin, Texas Tech will look to continue its ascension at home against Baylor. A word to the wise: Don’t show up for this one if you’re soft. The Bears (11-0) have won every game this season by double figures, but could very well have their toughest test of the season today on the road. Keep an eye on Baylor’s Davion Mitchell, who will likely be given the assignment of guarding Texas Tech’s Mac McClung on the perimeter. This is an Elite Eight caliber game.

Michigan has gotten defensive
In a day and age where the majority of teams are opting to play smaller in an effort to get more skill on the floor, the Wolverines are doing the opposite. It’s working. Michigan currently has three players — Franz Wagner, Isaiah Livers, and Hunter Dickinson — in its starting lineup who stand between 6-7 and 7-1, providing a level of collective length and physicality that rarely exists for most teams. As a result, the Wolverines are only surrendering an average of 62.8 points in their first six Big Ten games. Juwan Howard’s squad will look to improve to 12-0 today at Minnesota. 

A litmus test awaits Virginia
No one really knows just how good this group of Cavaliers is despite their 8-2 record. Virginia was upset by San Francisco earlier in the year at Mohegan Sun and was dominated by Gonzaga in late December, but has yet to beat a team of significance. That can change today at Clemson. The Tigers have gotten off to a 9-1 start, with seven of their victories coming against power conference opponents. Brad Brownell’s team is also first in overall defense according to KenPom.com and hasn’t allowed more than 70 points in a game this season. We’ll have a much better idea of just how good Virginia is after the 40 minutes it plays today on the road. 

On The Side

  • UCLA coach Mick Cronin told me following the Bruins’ 91-61 win over Washington State on Thursday that his current team has a chance to be the best offensive unit that he’s coached in his career. The Bruins are averaging 86 points in their last two games and 77.6 points for the entire season. UCLA (10-2) will host Washington today in Westwood.
  • Need more context for just how good Gonzaga is? Andrew Nembhard is this team’s fourth-best guard and he led Florida in minutes played a year ago. It’s still hard to fathom how Mark Few’s team is going to be tested before the NCAA Tournament.
  • Alabama freshman Josh Primo is emerging. The 6-6 wing has reached double figures in three of his last four games and is averaging 13.8 points during that span. Primo had 22 in last Saturday’s win at Auburn. The Crimson Tide host Arkansas this afternoon in Tuscaloosa.
  • Marquette has to hold serve in its next two games. The Golden Eagles visit St. John’s today and then have a home game against DePaul. Steve Wojciechowski’s team is currently 7-6 with wins over both Creighton and Wisconsin, but has to start accumulating victories if it wants to play in the NCAA Tournament. 
  • The Mountain West is as good as it’s been at the top since the league sent five teams to the NCAA Tournament in 2013. How many teams from this conference will hear their name called on Selection Sunday? That’s to be determined, but San Diego State, Utah State, Boise State, Colorado State, and Nevada are all capable of performing at a high level for the rest of the season.

Daily Specials

  • Ohio State at Illinois
  • North Carolina at Florida State
  • Michigan at Minnesota
  • Baylor at Texas Tech
  • Virginia at Clemson

Leftovers: