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The Breakfast Buffet: Brad Brownell, Florida, St. John’s is thriving on the road

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

Brad Brownell may be doing his best coaching job yet at Clemson
That may sound like hyperbole for someone who’s universally viewed as one of the best tacticians in the sport, but it’s definitely not. The Tigers lost their top five scorers — Chase Hunter, Ian Schieffelin, Jaeden Zackery, Viktor Lakhin, and Chauncey Wiggins — from last season’s team that won 27 games and was a five seed in the NCAA Tournament, but none of that has inhibited their ability this season. Clemson won its ninth straight game on Saturday against Miami and is 16-3 overall and 6-0 in ACC play. That’s a credit to Brownell, who has become an institution on the sidelines for the Tigers in the ACC. 

Florida has turned a corner
The defending national champions lost four games during non-conference play, but if the past few weeks are any indication, the Gators are again going to be a factor when things matter most. Florida’s 98-94 win on Saturday at Vanderbilt was the latest installment of its current four-game winning streak, which also featured double-digit victories over Georgia, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. Todd Golden’s team is now 13-5 overall, in sole possession of first place in the SEC, and will play three of its next four games in Gainesville.

St. John’s is thriving on the road
Maybe getting away from New York is the best thing for the Red Storm. After a disappointing November and December, Rick Pitino’s squad has won six of its last seven games with its only defeat coming when it blew a big lead against Providence on Jan. 3rd at MSG. St. John’s is 4-0 on the road in Big East play and earned a troika of Quad 1 victories in the past few weeks by winning at Butler, Creighton, and Villanova. Rick Pitino’s squad is 13-5 overall and will next host Seton Hall on Tuesday night at the World’s Most Famous Arena. 

On The Side

  • VCU’s Phil Martelli Jr. will coach against his alma mater and the place where his father became a Big 5 legend — St. Joe’s — for the first time today in Richmond. Tip off is at 3 PM on CBS Sports Network.
  • DePaul has never finished higher than eighth in the Big East standings during the league’s current rendition. Don’t be shocked if it happens this season. Chris Holtmann’s squad is 11-7 overall and improved to 3-4 in conference play after Friday night’s win over Marquette.
  • Could Dana Altman be headed for his first losing season as Oregon’s head coach? Quite possibly. The Ducks are 8-10 overall, 1-6 in Big Ten play, and are now playing without their two best players in Jackson Shelstad (15.6 points) and Nate Bittle (16.3 points, 6.7 rebounds), who are both out due to injuries.
  • UCLA’s Eric Dailey is just 3-30 from three-point range in his last 11 games. 
  • Today’s edition of INSIDE COLLEGE BASKETBALL NOW will be at a special time — 11 AM ET — and as always, live on YouTube right HERE.

Daily Specials

  • Columbia at Yale
  • Manhattan at Quinnipiac
  • St. Joe’s at VCU
  • GW at George Mason
  • Providence at Marquette

Leftovers