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The Breakfast Buffet: David Jones, Baylor’s offense, St. Joe’s is on the rise

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

David Jones is one of college basketball’s most productive transfers
Jones regressed last season at St. John’s after playing great basketball for DePaul during the 2021-22 campaign, but now it seems like he’s finally found his niche at Memphis. The 6-7 lefty had 29 points and seven rebounds in Sunday’s road win at Texas A&M and is starting to separate himself as the Tigers’ go-to guy. Jones is averaging a career-high 20.1 points and 6.6 rebounds for the Tigers, who are now 7-2. Big games await for both Jones and Memphis over the next few weeks as Penny Hardaway’s squad will host Clemson, Virginia, and Vanderbilt before Christmas.

Baylor’s offense is all sorts of ridiculous
There’s “video game” like numbers and then there’s what the Bears are doing, which feels like some sort of a cheat code. Through nine games this season, Baylor is averaging 91 points while shooting 52 percent from the field and 43.2 percent from three-point range. Against power conference opponents, the Bears are averaging 87.3 points while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 47 percent from three-point range. Six different players on this team — Ja’Kobe Walter, RayJ Dennis, Langston Love, Jalen Bridges, Jayden Nunn, and Yves Missi — are averaging in double figures. All of that is utterly ridiculous. Scott Drew’s team is 9-0 and will play a pair of neutral site games during the next 10 days against both Michigan State (Detroit) and Duke (MSG).

St. Joe’s is on the rise
It’s taken the Hawks seven and a half years — since the 2016 NCAA Tournament — to be in the national conversation, but after a long wait they’ve finally returned. Not since Phil Martelli and DeAndre Bembry took St. Joe’s to the second round of March Madness in 2016 have the Hawks been this much of a topic in college basketball. Sunday’s win over undefeated Princeton at Hagan Arena combined with a recent victory at Villanova has given this program tangible relevance for the first time under Billy Lange. Erik Reynolds — who had 21 points in Sunday’s win over the Tigers —- and freshman point guard Xzayvier Brown headline a nucleus that looks good enough to challenge for an Atlantic 10 regular season title this season. St. Joe’s has won five straight games and is 8-2 since losing at Kentucky in overtime on Nov. 20th. If this team didn’t lose a buy game earlier this season to Texas A&M-Commerce, it’d be ranked today in the AP Top 25.

On The Side

  • Arizona’s 98-point performance against Wisconsin on Saturday was the most points that the Badgers have allowed in a game since 1995.
  • There’s not many utility players in college basketball who are better than Clemson’ Ian Schieffelin. The 6-8 bruiser is averaging a double-double — 10.2 points and 12.4 rebounds — in his last five games.
  • Alabama played Purdue last Saturday in Toronto and will visit Creighton this Saturday in Omaha before going to Phoenix on Dec. 20th to face Arizona. Yikes!
  • Oklahoma — who is a perfect 9-0 — is averaging 17.1 points more than it did last season.
  • The best freshman in college basketball that not a lot of people are talking about? New Mexico’s JT Toppin. The 6-9 big man has gifts from God physically and is averaging 12.7 points and seven rebounds while shooting an astronomical 73 percent from the field.

Daily Specials

  • Yale at Quinnipiac
  • Mississippi Valley State at Gonzaga
  • New Orleans at San Francisco

Leftovers