College Hoops Today

Serving College Basketball 365 Days a Year

The Breakfast Buffet: Jon Scheyer, Kentucky/Michigan State, Marquette visits Purdue

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

Jon Scheyer steps to the forefront
Duke’s first big game without Coach K takes place tonight at the Champions Classic in Indianapolis as Scheyer leads the Blue Devils against Kansas. The 35-year old head coach has led his alma mater to a 2-0 start of the gate, but tonight’s game is in a different weight class, even if the Jayhawks won’t have Bill Self on the sidelines as he’s still serving a multi-game suspension. It will be interesting to see how Kansas — who is clearly searching for a reliable option at center — handles Duke’s interior troika of Ryan Young (11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds), Dereck Lively (four points, two rebounds), and Kyle Filipowski (12.5 points, 11 rebounds). The Blue Devils have an overall record of 7-4 in the Champions Classic while Kansas is 6-5 in the event.

Kentucky/Michigan State
As I wrote on Saturday, the entire vibe around Michigan State’s potential capabilities this season is completely different after how well it played in Friday’s loss against Gonzaga in San Diego. Can the Spartans perform the same way against Kentucky tonight in Indianapolis? There’s no reason why they can’t, especially with Oscar Tshiebwe (knee) — last season’s National Player of the Year — still questionable to play for the Wildcats . One thing that’s not getting enough attention? Michigan State didn’t play great offensively against Gonzaga, shooting just 40.4 percent from the field, 18.8 percent from three-point range, and 64.3 percent from the free throw line, but still only lost by one.

Purdue’s young guards are going to get pressured against Marquette
The Boilers’ first-year perimeter combo of Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer had moments of promise during two buy games last week, but things will get real tonight when the Boilers host Marquette tonight at Mackey Arena as part of the Gavitt Games. Shaka Smart’s squad is still a bit of a mystery after losing two double figure scorers — Justin Lewis and Darryl Morsell — from last season’s team, but here’s one thing we know: Marquette is going to go after Smith and Loyer. Much like he did when he was at VCU, Smart has assembled a group of hard nosed players who are completely aligned with the relentless vision of the program. The Golden Eagles have forced a combined 37 turnovers in their first two games. Purdue has only committed a total of 25 turnovers in its first two games.

On The Side

  • Chris Beard’s offseason excitement for New Mexico State transfer Sir’Jabari Rice looks like it was well warranted. In Texas’ first two games, the 6-4 Rice — who was on a team last season that won a game in the NCAA Tournament — has averaged 12 points and four rebounds. This is the type of player that Beard thrived with when he was at Texas Tech. The Longhorns will next host Gonzaga on Wednesday night in Austin.
  • San Diego State’s performance over its next four games will determine what type of a seed it will earn in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Aztecs visit Stanford tonight and then will have three games in next week’s Maui Invitational. San Diego State opens the tournament on Nov. 21st against Ohio State and then will face either Arizona or Cincinnati the very next day. Arkansas, Louisville, Creighton, and Texas Tech are on the other side of the bracket.
  • Virginia Tech’s Sean Pedulla looks like one of the most improved players in the country. The 6-1 sophomore is averaging 20 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.7 rebounds through three games while shooting a blistering 50 percent from three-point range. Pedulla averaged just 5.4 points last season as a freshman.
  • Tonight’s Gavitt Games matchup between Northwestern (2-0) and Georgetown (2-0) in Washington D.C. feels like a potential swing game for the Wildcats. Chris Collins’ squad needs some early season momentum after losing both Pete Nance and Ryan Young to North Carolina and Duke respectively via the transfer portal. This program hasn’t finished higher than 10th in the Big Ten since it reached the NCAA Tournament in 2017.
  • Travis Ford said Monday on the College Hoops Today Podcast that from a scheduling perspective, he’s never had a week like the one he’s about coach since he’s been the head coach at Saint Louis (2-0). The Billikens will host Memphis tonight (9 PM ET, CBS Sports Network) and then face Maryland on Saturday in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun. Saint Louis will play either Miami or Providence on Sunday. That’s three major opportunities for a team in a non power conference.

Daily Specials

  • Kentucky/Michigan State (Champions Classic)
  • Duke/Kansas (Champions Classic)
  • Marquette at Purdue
  • San Diego State at Stanford
  • Memphis at Saint Louis

Leftovers