College Hoops Today

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The Breakfast Buffet: Jordan Hawkins, Baylor/TCU, UCLA visits Oregon

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

Jordan Hawkins is surging for UConn
This guy is trending up. The Huskies’ 6-5 shooting guard is averaging 20.8 points over his last five games while shooting an astronomical 43.2 percent from three-point range during that span. Simply put, Hawkins is ultimately the key as to whether or not UConn (19-6) can play deep into the NCAA Tournament next month. If he plays the way that he’s played recently, this team is good enough to get to the Final Four in Houston. The Huskies will visit Creighton (16-8) today in Omaha in what is the game of the day in college basketball.

Baylor/TCU
The Bears are surging. The Horned Frogs are not. Baylor (18-6) has won eight of its last nine games entering today’s tilt in Fort Worth while TCU (17-7) has lost two straight and three of its last four since Mike Miles (18.1 points, three assists) was sidelined with a knee injury. Jamie Dixon told College Hoops Today on Friday night that Miles returned to practice to do skill work and is questionable for today’s game. Without an All-American guard like Miles, the Horned Frogs simply don’t have enough to keep pace in the best conference in college basketball. A word to the wise: Pay close attention to Baylor. The Bears have an elite perimeter with LJ Cryer, Adam Flagler, and Keyonte George along with a quality power forward in Jalen Bridges. This team also boasts tremendous post depth. Final Four caliber the second time in the last three seasons? Without question.

UCLA visits Oregon
The Bruins have never beaten the Ducks in Eugene under Mick Cronin. We’ll see if that changes tonight. The winner of this game will earn a Quad 1 victory and that’s a major thing to chase for Oregon (15-10), who was among the “First Four Out” in Friday’s BRACKET BREAKDOWN. Earning a Quad 1 victory in this game would also be significant for UCLA (20-4), who is still chasing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Keep your eye on Bruins’ freshman Amari Bailey, who had 24 points in Thursday’s win at Oregon State.

On The Side

  • Purdue lost four of its top six scorers from last season’s team that reached the Sweet 16 — including a lottery pick in Jaden Ivey — and is still 23-2. This is a model program in college basketball.
  • Kylan Boswell is emerging for Arizona (22-3). The former five-star prospect has scored a combined 18 points in his last two games. The Wildcats will play Stanford later today in Palo Alto.
  • Two teams who weren’t picked in the Top 10 of the ACC Preseason Poll — Clemson and Pitt — are currently tied for first place in the league standings. Anarchy? Nope. Just college basketball.
  • Jalen Hood-Schifino’s three-point shooting has been sporadic for Indiana (17-7). The 6-6 freshman is 0-6 from three-point range in his last three games, but made six three-point shots in the game prior to that stretch. The Hoosiers will visit Michigan (14-10) today in Ann Arbor.
  • Loyola Marymount (17-9) has wins this season over Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s, and Wake Forest. The Lions haven’t had this type of national momentum since they reached the Elite Eight in 1990.

Daily Specials

  • Alabama at Auburn
  • UConn at Creighton
  • Duke at Virginia
  • Baylor at TCU
  • UCLA at Oregon

Leftovers