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The Breakfast Buffet: Duke’s response, Arizona State’s interior defense, Kansas/Texas Tech

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

Duke finally looked like Duke
Just when you think you find out the answers, somebody else changes the questions. Playing in their first game without Jalen Johnson — who is out indefinitely with a foot injury — Duke finally resembled the team that many thought it would be this season. The Blue Devils never trailed in Wednesday night’s 75-65 win at Notre Dame and shot 51.7 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from three-point range. Duke also only committed just eight turnovers. This was an impressive response after last week’s one-sided loss to Illinois at Cameron Indoor Stadium. 

Arizona State’s interior defense is officially a major concern
What do UTEP’s Bryson Williams, San Diego State’s Nathan Mensah, and Villanova’s Jeremiah Robinson-Earl all have in common? All three are big men and had massive games against Arizona State this season. This trio is averaging 22.3 points and 11 rebounds against Arizona State, which fell to 4-3 overall after Wednesday night’s shocking loss to UTEP in Tempe. Bobby Hurley’s squad is still searching for a presence in the paint to offset the loss of Romello White, who opted to leave for Ole Miss after last season as a graduate transfer.

The Big 12 takes centerstage
The Big Ten has gotten a significant amount of attention during the early weeks of the college basketball season, but the Big 12 deserves more. Expect that to officially begin tonight when Kansas visits Texas Tech in Lubbock. In addition to the Jayhawks and Red Raiders, three other Big 12 programs — Baylor, Texas, and West Virginia — have all displayed major promise early in the season. The Big 12 may not boast the overall depth of the Big Ten, but the top of the league looks just as good and just as capable in terms of its potential to advance deep into the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

On The Side

  • Barring any unforeseen losses, Tennessee and Missouri should both be undefeated when they begin conference play against one another on Dec. 30th in Columbia. The Vols look like they have the potential to be the best defensive team in the sport and have held their first three opponents to an average of 47 points.
  • Cincinnati is really going to miss fans at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats have had one of college basketball’s most underrated home court advantages over the past decade and that void was apparent during Wednesday night’s home loss to South Florida. John Brannen’s squad is now 2-3 overall.
  • Three Big Ten teams — Iowa, Michigan State, and Northwestern — are currently among the nation’s top five leaders in assists. The Hawkeyes are first in total dimes, while the Spartans are third and currently have assists on 73.7 percent of their made field goals. Tom Izzo’s squad will begin Big Ten play on Sunday in Evanston against the aforementioned Wildcats.
  • Stanford’s Oscar da Silva may be the least appreciated front court player in college basketball. The smooth big man is averaging 20.2 points and is the only Division 1 player in the last 25 seasons to average 20 or more points while shooting better than 65 percent from the field and better than 95 percent from the free throw line during the first five games of a season.
  • Did Nate Oats find a new go-to lineup for Alabama in Tuesday night’s come from behind win over Furman? Oats’ move to use Herb Jones as a point forward paid major dividends as Jones finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists as the Crimson Tide erased a 16-point deficit in the victory. This is something to monitor moving forward as Alabama is still looking to find the right formula after losing Kira Lewis. Alabama next hosts Western Kentucky on Saturday in Tuscaloosa.

Daily Specials

  • Creighton at St. John’s
  • Kansas at Texas Tech
  • NC State at Saint Louis
  • San Francisco at Oregon
  • Seton Hall at Marquette

Leftovers: