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The Breakfast Buffet: March Madness Edition

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

Dan Hurley can join elite company with two more wins
Since 1965, only three coaches — John Wooden, Mike Krzyzewski, and Billy Donovan — have led teams to back-to-back national titles. That’s what Hurley is playing for this weekend in Phoenix. Only 14 years removed from being a high school coach at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, the 51-year old Hurley has quickly ascended to the top of his profession at UConn. He’ll reach an entirely different level if he wins the national title for the second consecutive season. The Huskies will face Alabama on Saturday in the Final Four. Tip off is at 6:09 PM ET on TBS.

Alabama’s defense has its work cut out against UConn
So much has been made over the past few days of how the Huskies will guard the Crimson Tide, but the other side of the floor is ultimately where this game may be decided. Alabama is giving up an average of 81.5 points in the 2024 NCAA Tournament and has yet to face an offense as crisp and precise as UConn’s. The Huskies are averaging 81.3 points while shooting 53.4 percent from the field in four games during March Madness and have 80 assists on 127 made field goals during that span. Don’t be shocked if UConn scores in excess of 90 on Saturday night in Phoenix.

Michael O’Connell has been a difference maker for NC State
Prior to the ACC Tournament, O’Connell only logged 30 or minutes or more in a game on three separate occasions. He’s logged more than 30 minutes in every single game during the postseason. A transfer from Stanford, the 6-2 O’Connell has stabilized the point guard spot for the Wolfpack and is averaging 10.2 points, 4.1 assists, four rebounds, and 1.2 steals in nine postseason games. O’Connell also has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2:1 during that span. NC State is 11-1 this season in games where O’Connell logs 30 minutes or more.

On The Side

  • Alabama’s Mark Sears has scored 22 points or more in eight of his last nine games.
  • NC State’s top seven scorers — DJ Horne, DJ Burns, Casey Morsell, Jayden Taylor, Mohamed Diarra, Michael O’Connell, and Ben Middlebrooks — are transfers.
  • UConn’s Hassan Diarra made seven three-point shots last season and shot 18.9 percent from long distance. This season, the 6-2 Diarra has made 24 three-point shots and is shooting 35.8 percent from long distance. That’s tangible progress.
  • The Postseason NIT has reiterated that Seton Hall should have made the NCAA Tournament. The Pirates should have been in the First Four in Dayton instead of Virginia. Shaheen Holloway’s team will play Indiana State tonight at Hinkle Fieldhouse in the Postseason NIT title game.
  • Louisville transfer Skyy Clark announced his commitment to UCLA on Wednesday.

Leftovers