College Hoops Today

Serving College Basketball 365 Days a Year

The Breakfast Buffet: Jett Howard, Villanova looked like Villanova, Trey Kaufman-Renn

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

Jett Howard is sending an early message
My antennas went up last week when Howard — the son of Michigan head coach Juwan Howard — went for 30 and made six three-point shots in an exhibition game. They stayed up after he tallied 21 points in Monday night’s win over Purdue Fort Wayne while shooting an impressive 8-15 from the field and 5-10 from long distance. The 6-8 Howard — a consensus top-50 recruit out of high school — is showing his offensive prowess out of the gate. This kid has the ability to be one of the best freshmen in the country this season — not just one of the best freshmen in the Big Ten.

Villanova looked like Villanova
The Wildcats’ first game in 21 years without Jay Wright was very similar to many that they had played in the past. Villanova was crisp on offense and tough on defense in Monday’s 81-68 win over Big 5 rival La Salle, shooting an impressive 55.8 percent from the field and 65 percent from three-point range. The veteran troika of Eric Dixon, Caleb Daniels, and Brandon Slater combined for 56 points in the victory. Kyle Neptune will aim to lead the Wildcats to a 2-0 start on Friday against Temple in North Philadelphia. Remember: Villanova is currently playing without its two most talented players — Justin Moore (achilles) and Cam Whitmore (thumb) — who are both out with injuries.

Trey Kaufman-Renn’s debut for Purdue
Never heard of Kaufman-Renn? You will soon enough. The 6-9 big man redshirted last season, but will make his college debut tonight at Mackey Arena against Milwaukee. Kaufman-Renn had 15 pounds and six rebounds in 17 minutes in an exhibition game last week and should make an immediate impact for the Boilers. This is another potential All-Big Ten caliber player to monitor in Purdue’s frontcourt along with Zach Edey, Mason Gillis, and Caleb Furst.

On The Side

  • Ed Cooley said on this week’s College Hoops Today Podcast that 6-11 big man Rafael Castro might have the biggest impact out of the returning players on Providence’s roster aside from Jared Bynum (12.2 points). Castro redshirted last season and averaged 11 points and eight rebounds in two exhibition games during the preseason. The Friars open the 2022-23 campaign tonight at home against Rider.
  • Following Monday night’s win at Vanderbilt, Memphis is 36-12 over the past three seasons with DeAndre Williams in the lineup and 7-7 when he is not. Can you say X-Factor?
  • Georgetown will look to snap its 21-game losing streak tonight against Coppin State. The Hoyas’ last win was Dec. 15th, 2021 against Howard. This program is entering its sixth season under Patrick Ewing, who significantly upgraded Georgetown’s roster during the offseason via the transfer portal after last season’s 6-25 finish.
  • Saint Louis’ Yuri Collins had 14 assists and no turnovers in Monday night’s win over Murray State. The veteran floor general led the nation in assists (7.9) last season.
  • 11 teams lost buy games on Monday. The epitome of brutality? You better believe it.

Daily Specials

  • Rider at Providence
  • Milwaukee at Purdue
  • Montana at Duquesne
  • South Carolina State at South Carolina
  • Coppin State at Georgetown

Leftovers