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.
Things To Sample
North Carolina answered the bell
Regardless of whether or not the Tar Heels belonged in the NCAA Tournament no longer matters because this team made a major statement in their 95-68 win over San Diego State on Tuesday night in the First Four. North Carolina played arguably its most complete game of the season, shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 58.3 percent from three-point range all while tallying 17 assists on 30 made field goals against the Aztecs’ vaunted defense. Hubert Davis’ team will next face Ole Miss on Thursday in Milwaukee.
Texas/Xavier
These two elite brands went head-to-head two years ago in the Sweet 16 and they’ll square off again tonight in the First Four in Dayton (9:10 PM ET, truTV). The Longhorns are led by one of the elite freshman in the country in 6-6 shooting guard Tre Johnson (19.8 points) while the Musketeers also have an elite shooter in Indiana State transfer Ryan Conwell (16.8 points). The winner of this game will play Illinois on Friday in Milwaukee.
Indiana followed the made model as Kentucky and Louisville with its hire of Darian DeVries
When big jobs are open, people tend to think about big names. Sometimes though, they don’t think about the best names. A year ago, Kentucky’s decision to hire Mark Pope and Louisville’s decision to hire Pat Kelsey weren’t viewed as major splashes, but 12 months later things are working out more than fine. Indiana is following a similar path. The Hoosiers’ decision to hire DeVries — who did a great job for six years at Drake and one year at West Virginia — may not come with the cachet that many Indiana fans wanted, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not going to be a successful hire. Remember: Both Pope and Kelsey are single digit seeds in the NCAA Tournament in their first season at their respective schools.
On The Side
- Florida is a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014, when it advanced to the Final Four for the final time under Billy Donovan.
- Chris Beard became a Division 1 head coach in 2015 and has already taken four programs — Ole Miss, Texas, Texas Texas Tech, and Little Rock — to the NCAA Tournament.
- Purdue is 85-22 over the past three seasons with Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer as its starting backcourt. The Boilers will open the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Thursday in Providence against High Point.
- Saint Mary’s is a single digit seed in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season under Randy Bennett. The Gaels have not advanced to the second weekend of March Madness since 2010.
- Louisville’s Reyne Smith (ankle) will play in Thursday’s NCAA Tournament game against Creighton, Pat Kelsey told College Hoops Today on Tuesday. The 6-2 Smith not played since averages 13.4 points
