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
Gonzaga hits Rupp Arena
A truly unique non-conference game between two blue blood programs in mid-February is college basketball’s best matchup in what should be a terrific day for the sport. The Bulldogs have an opportunity to pick up their first Quad 1 victory of the season today against Kentucky, but the storylines in this game are much deeper than that. Are the Wildcats going to finally turn a corner defensively after allowing an average of 97.9 points in their last three games in Lexington? If not, Gonzaga should be able to take advantage. Mark Few’s team is at its best when it plays at a faster pace, as evidenced by its 96-point effort in a rout of Portland on Wednesday. The Bulldogs are 13-0 this season when they score 80 or more points.
The Big 12 is as wide open as it’s been in recent memory
Prior to this season, Bill Self led Kansas to at least a share of 17 of the last 19 Big 12 regular season titles. In the two seasons during that span when the Jayhawks didn’t win the league’s regular season title, Texas Tech won a share of the Big 12 regular season title along with Kansas State in 2019 and then advanced to the national title game where lost in overtime to Virginia. Meanwhile in 2021, Baylor won the Big 12 regular season title outright and then the national title in convincing fashion. This season’s rendition of the conference currently does not feature a powerhouse team like we saw in 2019 and 2021 or when Kansas had some of its dominant teams under Self, but the race for a Big 12 regular season title has never been more compelling. As of today, only two games separate the first-place team in the conference — Houston — from the eighth-place team, who is currently Kansas State. This is ONLY February.
St. John’s starts a pivotal 80-minute stretch
Two games and two Quad 1 opportunities. That’s what lies ahead for the Red Storm over the next four days starting with today’s game at Marquette, which will be followed by a trip to Providence on Tuesday. Win both and Rick Pitino’s team puts itself in prime position to make the NCAA Tournament. Win one and it’s a major step in the right direction for a team that was among the “First Four Out” in Friday’s BRACKET BREAKDOWN. Remember: Three of St. John’s final five regular season games are against Georgetown and DePaul, which means there’s not going to be as many opportunities for the Red Storm to move the needle down the stretch as other teams that they’re currently competing with on the bubble. There’s no time like the present for St. John’s.
On The Side
- Houston has won six straight meetings against Cincinnati entering today’s game at Fifth Third Arena.
- Creighton has lost its last two games by a combined five points, with Wednesday night’s defeat at Providence coming in overtime. The Bluejays will try and get back on track today at the Cintas Center against Xavier, who desperately needs a win of this caliber to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Just another day in the Big East!
- Ohio State is a combined 29-29 over the past two seasons and will take a five-game losing streak into today’s game against Maryland in Columbus. What’s next after the matchup with the Terps? A road trip to Wisconsin followed by a home game against Zach Edey and Purdue. Yikes!
- UCLA’s Will McClendon was just 2-28 (7.1 percent) from three-point range last season as a freshman. This year as a sophomore, he’s currently 25-60 (41.7 percent) from long distance entering today’s game at Cal. The Bruins have won four straight games and five of their last six, with the only loss coming at Arizona.
- Loyola Chicago’s turnaround is one of the best non-power conference storylines in college basketball. After only winning 10 games a year ago, Drew Valentine has rallied the Ramblers, who will take a 16-7 record into today’s game at George Washington. The return of this program to national relevance is also significant for the Atlantic 10, who added Loyola Chicago as a member a few years ago.
Daily Specials
- Illinois at Michigan State
- Houston at Cincinnati
- Gonzaga at Kentucky
- Baylor at Kansas
- St. John’s at Marquette
