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The Breakfast Buffet: Kris Murray, Illinois/Texas, Kevin Willard’s first Big Ten road game

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

Kris Murray is the player to watch in tonight’s Jimmy V Classic
That might sound like a crazy thing to say about the Iowa (6-1) star considering the fact that the other three teams in tonight’s doubleheader at Madison Square Garden are Duke, Illinois, and Texas, but it’s the absolute truth. The 6-8 Murray — who is the twin brother of NBA star Keegan Murray — is averaging an astronomical 21 points and 10.6 rebounds entering tonight’s matchup with the Blue Devils while shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from three-point range. “He’s been a dominant player,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said Monday on the College Hoops Today Podcast regarding Murray. “The thing that’s been most impressive is his rebounding. It’s been phenomenal.” Murray had 31 points and 20 rebounds in the Hawkeyes’ last game against Georgia Tech.

Illinois/Texas
The other game in tonight’s Jimmy V Classic feels more like a heavyweight fight than a basketball game, so it’s fitting that it’s going to be played at The World’s Most Famous Arena. Texas (6-0) has been as impressive as any team in the sport during the first few weeks of the season and is holding its opponents to just 55.2 points. Illinois (6-2) meanwhile, has completely recalibrated its roster and again looks like it’s going to be in position to be one of the best teams in the Big Ten. The two head coaches in this game — Texas’ Chris Beard and Illinois’ Brad Underwood — are both former junior college head coaches who obsess on a daily basis about their team being tougher than the opponent. Neither team in this game is going to back down. Expect blood, guts, and carnage for 40 minutes.

Kevin Willard’s first Big Ten road game
Ask any head coach in this league about the difference between their conference and others in college basketball and they’ll immediately tell you it’s the quality of the home venues. Every game is an event. Every game is sold out. Willard is going to find that out firsthand tonight as he leads Maryland (8-0) into the Kohl Center to face Wisconsin (6-2). The Terps have been one of the biggest surprises in the first month of the college basketball season, but they’ve yet to be truly tested in a road environment. Maryland’s only true road game up to this point was last week at Louisville, who is currently 0-8. This is the start of an eight-day gauntlet for the Terps, who will face Tennessee on Sunday at the Barclays Center and then host UCLA on Dec. 14th in College Park.

On The Side

  • Creighton is just 14-67 from three-point range in its last two games, which were a pair of losses to Nebraska and Texas. Live by the bomb — die by the bomb.
  • Virginia Tech’s Justyn Mutts is averaging career highs in scoring (14.4), rebounding (9.3), assists (3.9), and steals (1.4). The 6-7 forward has emerged as one of the best players in the ACC.
  • People are going to have to be patient with UCLA freshman Adem Bona. In four games this season against power conference opponents, the 6-10 Bona is averaging just 2.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and one block.
  • Only six teams from the Big East — UConn, Creighton, Marquette, Xavier, Butler, and St. John’s — were ranked in the Top 120 of the first NET rankings of the 2022-23 season.
  • Tonight’s game between Saint Louis (7-2) and Iona (4-2) in New Rochelle features a matchup between Rick Pitino and his former point guard, Travis Ford. Ford played for Pitino at Kentucky when the Wildcats advanced to the 1993 Final Four in New Orleans.

Daily Specials

  • Yale at Butler
  • Saint Louis at Iona
  • Illinois/Texas (Jimmy V Classic)
  • Duke/Iowa (Jimmy V Classic)
  • Maryland at Wisconsin

Leftovers