College Hoops Today

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The Breakfast Buffet: Johnny Davis, UConn/Michigan State, Memphis’ Defense

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

Johnny Davis has pumped life into Wisconsin
Remember when people said that the Badgers were going to struggle this year? Forget about it! Wisconsin’s championship run over the past few days in the Maui Invitational in Las Vegas officially put Greg Gard’s team back on the Big Ten radar. It also served as a springboard for sophomore guard Johnny Davis. The 6-5 Davis did not play in the Badgers’ loss last week against Providence due to injury, but exploded over the past few days in Sin City. In three games in Las Vegas, Davis averaged 23.6 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 47 percent from the field and 46 percent from three-point range. His emergence is a main reason why the Badgers look like they have the requisites to be a legitimate factor in the Big Ten.

UConn/Michigan State
Who needs the NFL? After beating Auburn in a classic double overtime thriller on Wednesday, UConn will now trade blows with Michigan State in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. Dan Hurley’s squad should have an advantage at point guard with R.J. Cole (24 points, six assists against Auburn) and at center with Adama Sanogo (30 points, six rebounds against Auburn), but anyone who knows the Spartans’ program knows that Tom Izzo’s squad isn’t going to give anyone an inch. There’s no better Thanksgiving appetizer than this matchup.

There is no way to simulate what Memphis does defensively
Just ask Mike Young. The Tigers may be a work in progress on offense, but their defense is as good as any in college basketball. Memphis’ freakish length and constant full-court pressure constantly wore down Virginia Tech in Wednesday night’s 69-61 win at the Barclays Center. “It’s relentless,” Young said of the Tigers’ defense. “And it’s constant.” The Hokies never got into a rhythm on offense and shot just 33.9 percent from the field while committing 13 turnovers to just 10 assists. 10 of the players who appeared in the game for Memphis stood 6-5 or taller — that’s utterly ridiculous. The Tigers will face Iowa State on Friday in Brooklyn in the title game of the Preseason NIT.

On The Side

  • The sleeper game of the day in college basketball is in Orlando as Alabama faces Iona in the first round of the ESPN Invitational. This is a rematch of last year’s NCAA Tournament matchup, which was won by Alabama. Both teams enter today’s game with undefeated records.
  • Jordan Hawkins is going to be the next great wing scorer in UConn’s program. The 6-5 freshman had 16 points in 15 minutes in Wednesday’s win over Auburn and was 5-7 from the field. Don’t be shocked if this kid quickly works his way into the Huskies’ starting lineup.
  • Oregon has lost three of its last four games by an average of 24.3 points. The Ducks’ one win during that stretch was against Chaminade. This is as bad of a stretch as this program has ever had under Dana Altman.
  • Richmond’s at-large chances for the 2022 NCAA Tournament will hinge on how well it performs over the next few days in the Baha Mar Bahamas Championship. The Spiders open the event tonight against Maryland and then will play either Louisville or Mississippi State on Saturday. Both games can be seen on CBS Sports Network.
  • Iowa State’s Tyrese Hunter is quietly performing like one of the best freshmen in the country. The 6-foot point guard had 19 points in Wednesday night’s win over Xavier at the Barclays Center and has also shown a tremendous knack for the ball defensively. Hunter has tallied 12 steals in his last three games.

Daily Specials

  • UConn/Michigan State (Battle 4 Atlantis)
  • Baylor/VCU (Battle 4 Atlantis)
  • Auburn/Loyola Chicago (Battle 4 Atlantis)
  • Iona/Alabama (Orlando)
  • Mississippi State/Louisville (Bahamas)

Leftovers