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The Breakfast Buffet — March Madness Edition

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

Bennedict Mathurin exploded against TCU
Like a volcano just waiting to erupt, the Pac-12 Player of the Year played his best when it mattered most. With Arizona trailing by three against TCU late in regulation on Sunday night in San Diego, Mathurin tied the game with a dramatic three-point shot to send the game into overtime. He finished with 30 points and nine rebounds in the 85-80 victory. Al McGuire once said that to win a national title, a team had to win at least one game that came down to final possession. This might have been that game for Arizona. The Wildcats will next play Houston in the Sweet 16.

The Big Ten is again coming up short in the NCAA Tournament
We’ve seen this movie before. Just like last season, the Big Ten had nine teams in the NCAA Tournament and just like like last season, not many of those teams advanced to the Sweet 16. Only Michigan and Purdue will represent this conference next weekend. A year ago, only one team from the Big Ten — Michigan — reached the Sweet 16. The Big Ten has not won a national title since 2000.

Mark Williams continues to look like the X-Factor for Duke
The Blue Devils’ unsung presence is picking the right time to break out. Through two NCAA Tournament games, the 7-foot Williams is averaging 15 points, 7.5 rebounds, and five blocks. He’s also shooting a ridiculous 81.3 percent from the field. There’s many reasons why Duke is advancing to the Sweet 16; Williams is a big one. This frontcourt isn’t all about just Paolo Banchero.

Taze Moore has quietly saved Houston’s season
That is not hyperbole. When the Cougars lost two perimeter starters — Marcus Sasser (17.7 points) and Tramon Mark (10.1 points) — for the season in December, someone had to inherit the vacant minutes. Moore answered the bell. A transfer from Cal State Bakersfield, the 6-5 Moore has given Kelvin Sampson another quality guard to play alongside Jamal Shead and Kyler Edwards. In two NCAA Tournament games, Moore is averaging 15 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists.

Kansas State is hoping that Jerome Tang is the next Tommy Lloyd
That may be a high bar, but it’s definitely the thought process behind this hire. Just like Lloyd did at Gonzaga, Tang has spent nearly two decades building Baylor into one of the best programs in the country. He’s now ready to run his own program. College Hoops Today reported on Sunday night that Tang was finalizing a deal to replace Bruce Weber as the next head coach of Kansas State. Well respected and armed with working knowledge of the Big 12, Tang should be able to seamlessly transition to leading the Wildcats’ program. He’s been on Scott Drew’s staff in Waco since 2003 and in 2017, was promoted to Associate Head Coach.

Leftovers