College Hoops Today

Serving College Basketball 365 Days a Year

The Breakfast Buffet: Duke emerging as an underdog, Ohio State/Michigan, Alabama only SEC team that looks Sweet 16 caliber

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!

Thing To Sample

Duke has emerged as an unlikely underdog 
This script feels like it was written in Hollywood, but it’s important to remember that it’s also far from over. Duke (10-8) picked up its biggest win of the season on Saturday night against Virginia and now firmly has a chance to play its way into the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils’ final four regular season games are all against opponents (Syracuse, Louisville, Georgia Tech, North Carolina) that will give it an opportunity to improve its current position. This program last missed the NCAA Tournament in 1995 when Mike Krzyzewski was unable to coach due to illness, but hasn’t missed the bracket with Krzyzewski on the sidelines since the 1982-83 campaign. Duke is now 5-0 this season without Jalen Johnson in the lineup following the victory over Virginia and 5-8 when he was active and available. His departure has completely opened up the floor for sophomore Matthew Hurt, who has scored 22 or more points in three consecutive games. The 6-9 Hurt is also 14-21 from three-point range during that span. 

Ohio State is going to have to go “over the top” of Michigan
Scoring against Michigan recently has been like trying to get blood from a stone. The Wolverines have too much size, too much length, and have only given up 70 or more points four times this season after giving up 82 in their season opener against Bowling Green. The Buckeyes will have to counter with their ability to stretch the defense and exploit mismatches. Expect Chris Holtmann to regularly attack Michigan freshman big man Hunter Dickinson in an effort to get him moving defensively and away from the rim. Ohio State’s top two long distance threats — Duane Washington Jr. (38.1 percent from three-point range) and Justin Ahrens (46.7 percent from three-point range) — will have to play key roles against a team that’s very difficult to both post up and penetrate against. Keep an eye on the 6-6 Ahrens, a specialist who has gradually developed into a sniper over the last month. The skilled lefty has attempted 108 shots this season; 105 have been from three-point range. 

Is Alabama the only Sweet 16 caliber team from the SEC?
It’s a legitimate question considering the way that the top of this league has performed. Kentucky (8-13) handed Tennessee its second double figure loss in its last three games on Saturday in Knoxville and the result further raises the question as to whether or not the Vols are built for a deep run in March. Meanwhile, Missouri (14-6) did end its three-game losing streak on Saturday against South Carolina, but is still just 7-6 in SEC play and has hurt its potential NCAA Tournament seed with its recent defeats. As of now, it’s currently tough to trust a team in this league other than Alabama to advance to the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend. Remember: Kentucky and Auburn have both been major forces at the top of the SEC over the past few years and neither is in the at-large picture this season. The Tigers self imposed a postseason ban earlier this year and will not be eligible for both the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. 

On The Side

  • LSU’s offense is on another level. The Tigers are averaging 92 points during their current three-game winning streak and scored 104 in Saturday’s win over Auburn. LSU is 14-6 and tied with Arkansas for second place in the SEC.
  • The NCAA Tournament needs Neemias Queta, but will Queta be good enough to get Utah State (14-7) into the field? He’s doing everything he can. In two games this past week against Boise State, the 6-11 Queta averaged 31 points, 10.5 rebounds, and two blocks. 
  • Indiana (12-10) will need to at least split its final four regular season games to feel confident about its NCAA Tournament chances entering the Big Ten Tournament. The Hoosiers will go on the road to face Rutgers, Purdue, and Michigan State down the stretch in addition to a massive home tilt in Bloomington with Michigan. 
  • Arizona’s win over USC on Saturday night was a reminder that this program is still capable of returning to its vintage form even if it’s ineligible for the postseason. If everyone returns, the Wildcats will be a Top 25 team to begin next year.
  • Stanford’s decision not to foul up three late against Washington State on Saturday could wind up costing the Cardinal an NCAA Tournament berth. The Cougars’ nine-point triple overtime triumph was a crushing defeat for Jerod Haase’s squad, who failed to foul Noah Williams late in regulation before he nailed a game-tying shot from long distance. The 6-5 Williams finished with 40 points in the win.

Daily Specials

  • Michigan at Ohio State
  • Cincinnati at Houston
  • Maryland at Rutgers
  • Penn State at Iowa
  • Wisconsin at Northwestern

Leftovers: