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The Breakfast Buffet: Bill Self returns, Arkansas, Courtney Ramey

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

Bill Self returns for Kansas
The Hall-of-Fame head coach will make his season debut for the Jayhawks today against NC State in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis after serving a four-game suspension to start the year. Kansas went 4-0 when Self was absent from the bench, with its last two victories coming by an average of 5.5 points. Today’s game will be the first time this season that NC State (4-0) has faced an opponent from a power conference. The Wolfpack are led by 6-4 sophomore Terquavion Smith, who enters today’s game averaging 19 points, 5.3 assists, 3.3 steals, and 2.5 rebounds.

Arkansas’ ceiling is higher than the past two seasons
And in each of the past two seasons, the Razorbacks reached the Elite Eight. Arkansas didn’t beat Creighton on Tuesday in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational, but Eric Musselman’s team showed incredible promise, resolve, and upside in a three-point loss. Think about this: Arkansas took Creighton — the best team in the Big East — to the wire on a neutral court and didn’t have five-star freshman Nick Smith in the lineup due to a knee injury. How strong is Smith’s potential? There’s a legitimate chance that he’s the first college player selected in the 2023 NBA Draft. The Razorbacks will play San Diego State today in the consolation game.

Courtney Ramey is already flourishing in Tommy Lloyd’s system
Who is this guy? One year after he averaged just 9.4 points at Texas, Ramey has made an instant impact in two games with Arizona. After sitting out the first three contests of the year due to an NCAA issued suspension, Ramey — a 6-3 guard and fifth-year senior — is averaging 19 points while shooting 14-23 from the field and 8-10 from three-point range. It’s early, but the marriage between Ramey and Lloyd’s high octane approach seems to be a perfect fit. The Wildcats will face Creighton on Wednesday in the title game of the 2023 Maui Invitational.

On The Side

  • Duke freshman Kyle Filipowski is averaging a double-double — 15.6 points and 10.4 rebounds — entering the PK85 this week in Portland. The 6-11 big man is leading the Blue Devils in both scoring and rebounding. Duke will open the PK85 on Thursday against Oregon State.
  • One off-the-radar storyline for Texas? Through four games, Marcus Carr has 19 assists and just six turnovers.
  • Dayton’s performance in this week’s Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas will go a long way in determining whether or not the Flyers can earn an at-large bid to the 2023 NCAA Tournament. After this week’s event, Dayton will only play one power conference opponent during the rest of its schedule as it will travel to Virginia Tech on Dec. 7th. Anthony Grant’s squad is 3-1 and will open the Battle 4 Atlantis today against Wisconsin.
  • Maryland’s Donta Scott is down 24 pounds since the end of last season. He’s also playing the best basketball of his career. The 6-8 forward is averaging 16.8 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting an astronomical 52.5 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from three-point range. Last season, Scott averaged 12.6 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 42.7 percent from the field and 29.1 percent from three-point range.
  • The best one-two punch in the Mountain West that not many people are talking about? Utah State’s combo of Steven Ashworth (19 points, 5.6 assists) and St. Joe’s transfer Taylor Funk (18.2 points, 8.8 rebounds). The Aggies are 5-0 in their second year under Ryan Odom.

Daily Specials

  • Arizona/Creighton (Maui Invitational)
  • Arkansas/San Diego State (Maui Invitational)
  • Ohio State/Texas Tech (Maui Invitational)
  • Kansas/NC State (Battle 4 Atlantis)
  • Dayton/Wisconsin (Battle 4 Atlantis)

Leftovers