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The Breakfast Buffet: Creighton’s big week, Alabama/Memphis, Auburn’s high ceiling

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

Creighton has a massive week
The Bluejays will host Arizona State and Villanova back-to-back in Omaha just days after earning their best win of the season against BYU. Tonight’s matchup with the Sun Devils doesn’t possess a great of sizzle because of Arizona State’s 4-6 start, but part of being a good team is beating the teams that you’re supposed to beat — especially at home. A win tonight coupled with a victory on Friday against the Wildcats in the first Big East game of the season would officially put Creighton on the national map. Greg McDermott’s team enters tonight’s game at 8-2 despite having five new starters following last year’s run to the Sweet 16.

Alabama/Memphis
Desperate times call for desperate measures and Memphis (5-4) is beyond desperate. The Tigers have lost four straight entering tonight’s game at FedEx Forum against Alabama and will have to win two of their final three non-conference games to avoid entering league play in the American Athletic Conference with a .500 overall record. The Crimson Tide meanwhile, have won back-to-back games against Gonzaga and Houston mostly because of their backcourt, which is as good as any in the sport. Can Memphis trade blows with Alabama’s perimeter quartet of Jahvon Quinerly, Jaden Shackelford, JD Davison, and Keon Ellis? It’s going to be a tall task. The Tigers currently have 129 assists as a team to 167 turnovers.

Auburn’s ceiling is really high
That’s not just because Allen Flanigan (14.3 points, 5.5 rebounds in 20-21) — the Tigers’ top returning player — has yet to play a game this season due to an achilles injury. Auburn (8-1) can still get more than it’s currently getting out of North Carolina transfer Walker Kessler (7.6 points, seven rebounds) while five-star freshman Jabari Smith (17.3 points, 6.9 rebounds) is primed to continue to assert himself as one of the best players in the country. Another thing to keep in mind? Auburn already has 10 different players averaging double figure minutes and that’s before Flanigan joins the rotation. Bruce Pearl’s ability to use that many capable bodies should keep the Tigers fresh for the rigors of the SEC and more importantly, a potentially deep run in the NCAA Tournament. This team has a lot of answers.

On The Side

  • Arizona’s Ben Mathurin is averaging 27.7 points and 7.7 rebounds over his last three games while shooting 60.7 percent from the field. This kid is on pace to be the Pac-12 Player of the Year and a first-team All-American.
  • Barring an unforeseen loss in its next two games, Iowa State will be 12-0 when it begins Big 12 play on Jan. 1st against Baylor at Hilton Coliseum.
  • Xavier’s Colby Jones is only 6-6, but is averaging 8.4 rebounds in his last five games. “I think he’s the best rebounding guard in the country,” Xavier coach Travis Steele said Monday on the College Hoops Today Podcast. “He just has a nose for the ball.” The Musketeers are 9-1 and will next host Morehead State on Wednesday night at the Cintas Center.
  • St. John’s (8-2) hasn’t truly helped or hurt itself yet. The Red Storm have no bad losses and no quality wins. This team’s fate will be determined in the Big East. Mike Anderson’s squad wraps up its non-conference on Saturday against Pitt at Madison Square Garden.
  • Western Kentucky’s Jamarion Sharp has blocked 38 shots in his last six games. He already has six games this season with five or more blocks. At 7-5, don’t be shocked if Sharp winds up leading the nation in blocked shots.

Daily Specials

  • Furman at North Carolina
  • Louisiana at Houston
  • DePaul at UIC
  • Arizona State at Creighton
  • Alabama at Memphis

Leftovers