College Hoops Today

Serving College Basketball 365 Days a Year

The Breakfast Buffet: Johni Broome, The Rady Children’s Invitational, Boogie Fland

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

Johni Broome is the early favorite for National Player of the Year honors
And right now it isn’t close. The 6-10 Broome is dominating his fifth season of college basketball and looks primed to lead Auburn on a deep run in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. After winning three games in three days at the Maui Invitational, the Tigers now own wins this season over Houston, Iowa State, North Carolina, and Memphis. A big reason for that resume is Broome. In three games this past week in Maui he averaged 21.7 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks while shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 46.1 percent from three-point range. There’s not another player in the sport that’s currently operating on Broome’s level.

The Rady Children’s Invitational
This early season tournament that gets going today in San Diego isn’t getting a great deal of attention during Feast Week, but it’s incredibly fascinating. Why? Other than Purdue, the other three teams in the field — NC State, Ole Miss, and BYU — have yet to prove themselves this season as all three have yet to play against a power conference opponent. Things get started today in Southern California as the Cougars take on the Rebels and the Wolf Pack face the Boilers in a rematch of last season’s Final Four matchup. These next two days in San Diego will tell us a lot more about NC State, Ole Miss, and BYU.

Boogie Fland is underrated nationally
It’s not an oversight — it’s an insult. Arkansas’ freshman point guard has been incredibly impressive out of the gate to start this season, but when people talk about the top freshmen in the sport he doesn’t seem to be mentioned. That clearly shouldn’t be the case. The 6-2 Fland — who initially committed to play for John Calipari at Kentucky before winding up with the Razorbacks — enters today’s game against Illinois in Kansas City (4 PM ET, CBS) averaging 17.2 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 48.1 percent from three-point range. He also boasts an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3:1. Those are All-American caliber numbers and ridiculous numbers for a freshman.

On The Side

  • In three games at the Maui Invitational, North Carolina allowed an average of 90.3 points. The Tar Heels are just 4-3 and will next face Alabama in Chapel Hill next week as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge.
  • In the past two days, the team that was picked 13th in the Big 12 Preseason Poll — West Virginia — beat Gonzaga and the team that was picked 15th — Colorado — beat UConn. The depth of this league looks better than it’s ever been.
  • Saint Mary’s transfer Joshua Jefferson was an under-the-radar addition for Iowa State. The 6-9 Jefferson gives the Cyclones another legitimate scoring threat to along with Tamin Lipsey, Keshon Gilbert, Curtis Jones, and Milan Momcilovic. Through six games, Jefferson is averaging 9.7 points and 6.2 rebounds.
  • The sleeper game of the day in college basketball is in Palm Springs as Arizona State takes on New Mexico. A Quad 1 victory could be very much in play for the winner. Both teams enter the matchup with only one loss.
  • Is Jerrod Calhoun going to be the next Utah State head coach to take the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament? He made a big statement last Friday when his team beat Iowa in Kansas City. Remember: The three head coaches that preceded Calhoun in Logan — Danny Sprinkle, Ryan Odom, and Craig Smith — all took Utah State to March Madness and then moved on to a bigger job. The Aggies face St. Bonaventure today in Orlando as part of the Preseason NIT.

Daily Specials

  • Louisville/West Virginia (Battle 4 Atlantis)
  • Gonzaga/Indiana (Battle 4 Atlantis)
  • Florida/Wake Forest (Orlando)
  • Arkansas/Illinois (Kansas City)
  • Purdue/NC State (San Diego)

Leftovers