College Hoops Today

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The Breakfast Buffet: JD Notae, ACC may inhibit Duke’s NCAA Tournament seed, Illinois/Michigan

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

JD Notae has emerged as one of the best guards in the country
Eric Musselman told College Hoops Today on Saturday following Arkansas’ win over Kentucky that Notae was as good as any guard that he’s coached since he’s been in college basketball. It’s hard to argue with that sentiment. The 6-2 Notae was sensational against the Wildcats, tallying 30 points while shooting 13-26 from the field. He’s scored in double figures every game this season. Capable of getting into the teeth of the defense or probing and finding angles from the perimeter, Notae is a multi faceted offensive talent. He played the first two years of college career at Jacksonville before heading to Fayetteville. Prior to his 30-point effort against Kentucky, Notae was averaging 18.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists.

The ACC may inhibit Duke’s potential NCAA Tournament seed
This is without question the worst ACC that I’ve covered in nearly 15 years on this beat. Only five teams from this league — Duke, Notre Dame, Miami, Wake Forest, and North Carolina — are even in contention for at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament and the Tar Heels are firmly on the bubble. All of this is going to affect how high the Blue Devils are seeded on Selection Sunday simply because they don’t have a plethora of opportunities to improve their standing. As of Saturday, Duke (25-4) was the only team ranked in the Top 39 of the NET; only four ACC teams were ranked in the Top 50.

Illinois/Michigan
It’s not the mid 1990s in the NBA, but we do have a battle of elite big men today in Ann Arbor as Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson squares off with Illinois’ Kofi Cockburn. The 7-1 Dickinson hasn’t gotten the same level of attention as he did a year ago as a freshman, but is averaging 18 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks entering today’s game. Cockburn (21.2 points, 10.8 rebounds) meanwhile, is a consensus first-team All-American. The Wolverines will play their second straight game today under Phil Martelli, who is serving as acting head coach during Juwan Howard’s suspension. Tip off for this game is at 2 PM ET on CBS.

On The Side

  • Jaime Jaquez’s 24-point performance in UCLA’s win over Oregon State on Saturday was his highest scoring output since a triple-overtime loss at Arizona State on Feb. 5th. The Bruins can’t get to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament without Jaquez performing like one of the best players in the Pac-12.
  • Indiana (17-10) is 2-7 in true road games entering today’s game at Minnesota. The Hoosiers’ two wins away from Bloomington came against Nebraska and Maryland. Mike Woodson’s team — who is firmly on the bubble — needs a win tonight in Minneapolis.
  • The sleeper game of the day in college basketball is in the American Athletic Conference as SMU (23-6) visits Houston (22-4). A win by the Ponies on the road would be an incredible boost to their NCAA Tournament resume. SMU has already beaten the Cougars this season at home and has also swept Memphis.
  • Northern Iowa started the season with two wins in its first seven games. It won the Missouri Valley regular season title on Saturday by beating Loyola Chicago at home. Anarchy? Nope. Just college basketball.
  • Dayton (20-9) has four Quad 4 losses after Saturday’s defeat at La Salle. The only way that the Flyers are going to the NCAA Tournament is if they win the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

Daily Specials

  • UConn at Georgetown
  • SMU at Houston
  • Illinois at Michigan
  • Ohio State at Maryland
  • Indiana at Minnesota

Leftovers