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The Breakfast Buffet: Drew Timme, Texas’ role allocation, Mike White

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

Drew Timme sent a message
People always love to fawn over the freshmen in college basketball during the first week of the season, but Timme made sure to remind everyone on Saturday night that this is still a sport that belongs to the grizzled veterans. Operating with the focus of a surgeon, the 6-10 big man torched Texas from the opening tip, putting on the type of footwork display in the paint that would make Mikhail Baryshnikov envious. Timme had a career-high 37 points to go with seven rebounds in the Bulldogs’ 86-74 win, which wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicated. He was also a blistering 15-19 from the floor. There’s a reason why this guy was the consensus Preseason National Player of the Year

Texas’ role allocation needs time to sort itself out
Seven different players in the Longhorns’ program averaged in double figure points last season and that’s a good reason why it’s unlikely that this team is going to instantly mesh out of the gate. It was readily apparent in Saturday night’s loss at Gonzaga. While the Bulldogs looked like they were certain of who they were at each and every position, Texas did not. Marcus Carr and Timmy Allen — two players who were not in the Longhorns’ program last season — combined to take 25 of this team’s 59 shots. No other player had more than eight field goal attempts. It’s going to take Chris Beard to figure out what works and what doesn’t work with this group.

Mike White aims to get his first win against Florida State
White is 0-6 against his in-state rival since becoming Florida’s coach in 2015. He’ll aim to get his first win against the Seminoles today in Gainesville. It will be far from easy. Leonard Hamilton has once again brilliantly put together a deep and talented team where several players can emerge as a go-to option each and every night. Florida State had 10 different players log double figure minutes in its opener against Penn. Keep an eye on veterans Malik Osborne and Anthony Polite along with Houston transfer Caleb Mills as Hamilton again looks to again mold a team that’s in position to challenge for an ACC regular season title. This is an incredible opportunity for Florida to make a national statement during the first week of the season.

On The Side

  • Small ball is back at Oregon. Through two games, Dana Altman is starting a quicker, faster lineup with Syracuse transfer Quincy Guerrier at power forward and 6-7 veteran Eric Williams at the five spot. The 6-8 Guerrier is averaging 8.5 points and nine rebounds through his first two games in Eugene. Oregon (2-0) next faces BYU in Portland on Tuesday night in the Phil Knight Invitational.
  • UConn has the deepest frontcourt in college basketball and it may not be close. The Huskies bring two Top-50 recruits — Akok Akok and Samson Johnson — along with the reigning Big East Sixth Man of the Year — Tyler Polley — off the bench. Dan Hurley’s team is 2-0 and should be 4-0 entering a showdown with Auburn on Thanksgiving Eve in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
  • Memphis hasn’t been tested in its first two games, but its ball security is already a major concern. The Tigers have 34 assists to 36 turnovers as a team through the first week of the season.
  • Yale has won three games against power conference teams in the last two seasons that it’s played college basketball. The Bulldogs — who were picked to win the Ivy League — will try and make it four today at Seton Hall. This is a dangerous early test for the Pirates.
  • Three teams from the Atlantic 10 — Dayton, VCU, and Duquesne — lost buy games on Saturday. Another — George Washington — lost at UC San Diego by 20. 2022 could be the year where this conference finally becomes a one-bid league.

Daily Specials

  • East Tennessee State at Tennessee
  • Yale at Seton Hall
  • Florida State at Florida
  • Canisius at St. Bonaventure
  • Drexel at Syracuse

Leftovers