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The Breakfast Buffet: Gonzaga, Illinois, Aaron Henry

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

Gonzaga may not get pushed before the NCAA Tournament
Mark Few’s squad again made quick work of a quality opponent on Thursday night, disposing of BYU by 17 in Spokane. The game wasn’t that close as Gonzaga had a 23-point lead at the half, which leads to this question: Will the Bulldogs even be pushed before Selection Sunday? Gonzaga doesn’t currently have another power conference opponent on its schedule and while the WCC is improved,, it’s hard to see any team pushing the Bulldogs to the brink if there are no fans in attendance. The story around Gonzaga — who is now 11-0 —  no longer feels like it’s whether or not the Bulldogs will enter the NCAA Tournament without a loss. The story now feels like it’s whether or not they’ll enter the NCAA Tournament with another stern test before the bracket is announced on March 14th.   

Illinois is about to go on a run
Three of this team’s next four games are at home, with the lone road tilt taking place at Nebraska. The Illini’s winning streak reached four games following Thursday’s 25-point win at Northwestern, which featured a second half where Illinois (9-3) outscored the Wildcats by a whopping 40 points. There’s a lot of good teams in the Big Ten this season, but this one may have the highest upside. Brad Underwood’s team is built for March. 

Aaron Henry has made a major difference for Michigan State
The Spartans have stabilized — at least for the time being — their point guard spot with freshman A.J. Hoggard, but one of the biggest differences in their last two games has been Henry’s ascension. The 6-6 forward has emerged as Michigan State’s go-to guy offensively in the past week and has averaged 23.5 points, six rebounds, and 2.5 blocks in back-to-back wins over Nebraska and Rutgers. Henry previously hadn’t scored more than 15 points in a game this season. The Spartans will go for their third straight victory tonight in East Lansing against Purdue.

On The Side

  • Alabama is only allowing an average of 66 points during its first three SEC games. The Crimson Tide allowed an average of over 80 points a year ago during conference play. Nate Oats’ squad will next travel to in-state rival Auburn on Saturday. 
  • Columbia grad transfer Mike Smith may ultimately control Michigan’s long-term ceiling. The 5-11 point guard has handed out six assists in each of the Wolverines’ last four games, but needs to improve his ball security. Smith has a total of 15 turnovers during that same span.
  • West Virginia transfer Oscar Tshiebwe had ZOOM calls on Thursday with Miami and NC State, according to a source close to the situation. He’ll do the same with Kentucky and Illinois on Friday. Tennessee is also in the mix, according to the same source. The 6-9 Tshiebwe averaged 8.5 points and 7.8 rebounds in 10 games this season. 
  • Following Thursday’s win, Colorado is now 10-0 in games against Oregon in Boulder.
  • Utah State has now won seven straight since starting the season 1-3. The Aggies again look like a legitimate contender at the top of the Mountain West. Craig Smith’s squad will face New Mexico tonight and then return home for two games next week against San Diego State. 

Daily Specials

  • Purdue at Michigan State
  • Louisiana Tech at Western Kentucky
  • Air Force at Boise State
  • Dayton at Davidson
  • Utah State at New Mexico

Leftovers: