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The Breakfast Buffet: Kellan Grady, Illinois, Butler/St. John’s

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

Kellan Grady looks like the X-Factor for Kentucky
The Wildcats have all-conference players at both point guard and center with Sahvir Wheeler and Oscar Tshiebwe, but Grady gives this team another dimension when he can consistently make shots from long distance. That’s been an emerging trend of late. A transfer from Davidson, the 6-5 Grady is averaging 20.5 points over his last two games and is an impressive 11-16 from three-point range during that span. Remember: Grady played four years under Bob McKillop before transferring to play for the Wildcats and understands the concepts of how to move without the ball on offense as well as any player in college basketball. Kentucky is 4-0 this season when Grady scores in double figures.

Illinois — at full strength — looks like the second-best team in the Big Ten
One could make the same argument about Ohio State — who has played every game this season without both Justice Sueing and Seth Towns — but the ceiling in Champaign feels higher. Through 12 games, Illinois is 9-3 and has yet to be whole. Kofi Cockburn missed the first three games of the year due to an NCAA issue and Andre Curbelo hasn’t played since late November due to a concussion. Both players were preseason All-Americans. Illinois’ first loss of the year at Marquette came without Cockburn, its second loss of the year came in Cockburn’s first game back, and its third loss came at home against Arizona without Curbelo. If Brad Underwood can get Curbelo back to pair with an already proven perimeter of Trent Frazier, Da’Monte Williams, Jacob Grandison, and Utah transfer Alfonso Plummer, he’ll have the conference’s top challenger to Purdue.

Butler/St. John’s
Thursday’s only game between power conference teams features a Big East opener in Queens where both squads desperately need a win. Butler was pounded into submission last Saturday when it played Purdue in the Crossroads Classic while St. John’s is coming off an abominable loss against Pitt at Madison Square Garden. The Red Storm will again be without their top player — Julian Champagnie (20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds) —- due to COVID while Butler has dealt with a depleted lineup all season long. The loser of this game is going to have a miserable Christmas.

On The Side

  • Purdue’s biggest long-term concern is the quality of its point guard play. The Boilers’ two primary floor generals — Isaiah Thompson and Eric Hunter Jr. — are only averaging a combined 9.2 points and three assists.
  • Houston’s Tramon Mark underwent shoulder surgery on Wednesday and will miss the remainder of the 21-22 season. This is a significant blow for the Cougars. The 6-5 Mark was a starter for Houston and averaged 10.1 points.
  • One of the primary reasons for Iowa State’s 12-0 start? Izaiah Brockington is quietly playing the best basketball of his career. After stints at both St. Bonaventure and Penn State, the 6-4 lefty has found a home in Ames. Brockington is averaging 16.9 points and 8.4 rebounds on the season and an impressive 18.8 points and 10.3 rebounds in his last four games.
  • UConn’s three losses have come by a combined 11 points. The Huskies — who are 10-3 — have not been at full strength for any of their defeats.
  • One thing to keep in mind amongst the WCC’s recent surge: Santa Clara is 6-1 with Josip Vrankic in the lineup and 4-4 when he is not. The Broncos’ 10-5 record is a bit misleading. The 6-9 Vrankic is averaging 15.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.9 steals.

Daily Specials

  • Butler at St. John’s
  • George Mason at Wisconsin
  • Liberty/Stanford (Hawaii)
  • BYU/Vanderbilt (Hawaii)

Leftovers