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
Caleb Love gets another crack at Duke
The fifth-year combo guard has went head-to-head with the Blue Devils with two different programs for the last five years and tonight he’ll have another chance as Arizona faces Duke in the Sweet 16 in Newark (9:39 PM ET, CBS). Love famously made a key three-point shot to beat the Blue Devils in the 2022 Final Four when he was at North Carolina. Entering tonight’s game, Love’s overall combined record against Duke is 5-4. The 6-4 guard enters tonight’s game averaging 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists.
Maryland/Florida
The Terps are in the Sweet 16 for the first time in nine years and tonight’s game against Florida in San Francisco (7:39 PM ET, TBS) feels like a backdrop. That’s because Terps head coach Kevin Willard has been directly linked to the head coaching vacancy at Villanova for weeks and while Maryland has offered Willard a contract extension to stay in College Park, he’s yet to sign the deal. Willard has every ounce of leverage in this ordeal and the more it drags out, the more it looks like he could be headed to the Main Line whenever the Terps are done playing. It’s a tense time to be a Maryland fan, but that doesn’t impede this team’s potential. Maryland has more than enough on its roster to keep playing for a while.
Alabama/BYU could be the best game of the Sweet 16
If you like offense then you’ll love this matchup between Nate Oats and Kevin Young, who are unequivocally two of the best offensive coaches in the sport. The Crimson Tide enter tonight’s game in Newark (7:09 PM ET, CBS) averaging 91.1 points while the Cougars have been a revelation over the past month and have scored 77 or more points in 10 of their last 11 games. First to 100 wins? It certainly feels like it. This game is appointment television for basketball junkies everywhere.
On The Side
- John Calipari will coach in the Sweet 16 for the 15th time tonight when Arkansas faces Texas Tech.
- Jon Scheyer told reporters that “there’s a chance” that Duke’s Maliq Brown (shoulder) could be available for Thursday’s Sweet 16 game against Arizona. The 6-9 Brown not played since March 13th and averages 2.6 points and 3.9 rebounds. This is a key defensive piece for the Blue Devils.
- Tennessee’s Zakai Zeigler has 18 assists and five turnovers in two NCAA Tournament games.
- Michigan’s Tre Donaldson (11.5 points, 4.2 assists) will face his old team on Friday night in Atlanta when the Wolverines meet Auburn in the Sweet 16. The 6-foot Donaldson spent two years with the Tigers prior to transferring.
- The transfer portal has expedited coaching searches everywhere. Don’t be shocked if there are no remaining power conference openings during next week’s Final Four in San Antonio.
