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The Breakfast Buffet: Joe Wieskamp flourishing, Oscar da Silva a hidden gem, Matt Painter’s values have won out

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

Joe Wieskamp could be an All-American next season
Iowa has other talented pieces on its roster aside from Luka Garza and Wieskamp tops the list. The 6-6 wing has a set position, can make shots, and also rebounds exceptionally well for his size. In his last three games, Wieskamp is averaging 20.3 and 9.3 rebounds while shooting 22-36 from the field and 12-22 from three-point range. This guy is the real deal. He’ll be viewed as one of the best players in the country a year from now.

Oscar da Silva is college basketball’s unknown superstar
If this kid played for North Carolina or Kansas, he’d regularly be talked about as one of the best players in the sport. Instead, he’s doing his work in the shadows. Why is that? Part of it is the lack of visibility associated with the Pac-12’s current media deal. Another is the fact that da Silva plays so many games on the West Coast that don’t conveniently align with viewing opportunities for the rest of the country. If people from the periphery saw him play once, they’d instantly make sure that watching him was a regular priority. The 6-9 power forward has soft hands, an incredible feel for the game, and can hurt an opponent by either posting up or facing the basket. A grizzled senior, da Silva is currently averaging 19.4 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting a blistering 57.6 percent from the field. He’s currently leading the Pac-12 in scoring and is fifth overall in rebounding. 

Matt Painter’s values have won out
Many questioned Painter after Purdue finished 16-15 last season one year removed from a trip to the Elite Eight. Painter didn’t flinch. He was questioned again after two veterans who had major roles during that Elite Eight run — Nojel Eastern and Matt Haarms — opted to transfer following last season. Painter didn’t flinch. Every person has the right to do whatever they want with their own individual lives, but Painter has proven over time that his method for both building and sustaining his program at Purdue has worked. It’s working again this season. The Boilermakers don’t have a senior on their roster and are currently ranked 24th in this week’s AP Top 25 entering tonight’s game at Minnesota. Purdue (13-7) should be ranked as one of the top teams in college basketball entering next season and also has the requisites to be a very tough out for the rest of this year as well. This is the only squad in the sport that has beaten Ohio State twice in 20-21.

On The Side

  • Several Big 12 coaches believe that Texas is the conference’s second-best team behind Baylor as long as the Longhorns can regain their early season swagger. Shaka Smart’s squad played several games shorthanded in January due to COVID-19. Texas is 2-4 since winning at West Virginia on Jan. 9th with both victories coming against Kansas State. 
  • Two of USC’s three losses — UConn and Oregon State — came by one possession. The Trojans are incredibly close to entering tonight’s game at Washington at 17-1 and not 15-3. This is one of the best teams nationally that not a lot of people are talking about. 
  • Four Big East teams — Seton Hall, UConn, St. John’s, and Providence — are about to go through a stretch in the next 30 days where every single game that they play will either impact them positively or negatively in terms of their NCAA Tournament hopes. As of now, the Pirates are the only team among that quartet that is comfortably in the bracket. Welcome to life on the bubble. 
  • There’s a legitimate chance that only 40 percent of the ACC — Virginia, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Clemson, and North Carolina — reaches the NCAA Tournament. That’s just six of the league’s 15 teams. 
  • VCU’s Bones Hyland is quietly playing like one of the best guards in the country. The 6-3 sophomore is averaging 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and three assists over his last four games while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 51.6 percent from three-point range during that span.

Daily Specials

  • Purdue at Minnesota
  • Colorado at Stanford
  • Oregon at Arizona State
  • USC at Washington
  • UCLA at Washington State

Leftovers: