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
Jaylin Williams is college basketball’s least appreciated big man
A year ago, Williams was an indispensable piece in the Razorbacks’ Elite Eight run, but his statistics didn’t always show in the box score. One season later, it’s the exact opposite. The 6-10 big man —- who has as high of an IQ as any front court player in the sport — enters tonight’s game against LSU at Bud Walton Arena averaging 15.3 points and 11.7 rebounds in his last six games. He averaged just 3.7 points and 4.7 rebounds last season. Remember this name during the NCAA Tournament.
Iowa quietly has a big week
Are the Hawkeyes a real contender to do damage in the NCAA Tournament? We’ll find out over the next 80 minutes. Iowa travels to Ann Arbor on Thursday to play Michigan and then will be in Champaign on Sunday night to play Illinois. If the Hawkeyes are a real threat to be a factor in March, we’ll get a pretty good indication over the next two games. Fran McCaffery’s is currently 21-8 and has won seven of its last eight.
UConn looks for revenge
Dan Hurley’s squad may have the highest ceiling in the Big East, but it still has never beaten Creighton since rejoining the league. That can change tonight in Omaha. UConn is 0-4 against the Bluejays since the beginning of last season; those four defeats have come by a combined 17 points. Greg McDermott’s squad is still trying to reconfigure its identity following the loss of freshman point guard Ryan Nembhard to a season-ending wrist injury. Both of these teams are entrenched in the NCAA Tournament.
On The Side
- James Akinjo is quietly rounding back into form for Baylor. The veteran point guard is averaging 15.5 points and 6.5 assists over his last two games and has regained the All-American form that he displayed early in the season. The Bears are back in position to be a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament.
- Providence AD Bob Driscoll told College Hoops Today on Tuesday that he and Ed Cooley have had preliminary discussions regarding a new contract. Cooley’s current contract is in excess of $3 million dollars annually.
- Alabama is 14-6 this season in games where Jahvon Quinerly scores in double figures and 5-4 when he doesn’t. Quinerly has scored 19 or more points in three of his last four games.
- Xavier (17-11) has lost six of its last seven games entering tonight’s tilt against St. John’s in Queens. The Musketeers will end the regular season on Saturday at home game against Georgetown. This program has never made the NCAA Tournament under Travis Steele.
- Loyola Chicago’s Marquise Kennedy (hamstring) will be available for this week’s Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, Drew Valentine told College Hoops Today on Tuesday. Kennedy has not played since Feb. 2nd. The 6-1 junior is averaging eight points and four rebounds. Kennedy scored 14 points when the Ramblers beat Illinois last March in the NCAA Tournament.
Daily Specials
- Rutgers at Indiana
- UConn at Creighton
- Auburn at Mississippi State
- LSU at Arkansas
- Wyoming at UNLV
