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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

Murphy’s Law hit Iowa State
The Cyclones ripped through Tennessee State on Friday in St. Louis, but might have lost an All-American in the process when Joshua Jefferson (16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists) left the game early with a badly sprained ankle. There’s no word yet just how long Jefferson will be out of the lineup, but without him, the ceiling for Iowa State is significantly lower. T.J. Otzelberger’s squad will face Kentucky on Sunday for the right to go to the Sweet 16.

Kentucky/Santa Clara was a classic
Ties. Lead changes. This game had it all. The Broncos were just 2.4 seconds away from one of the biggest wins in program history before Otega Oweh made a 40-foot bank shot at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime. There are certain games that truly encapsulate everything that March Madness is about. This was one of those games. The Wildcats moved on with an overtime triumph, but everyone who was in attendance on Friday in St. Louis was also victorious. This was one of the best tilts that the first round of the NCAA Tournament has seen in a long time.

High Point aims to continue its Cinderella run against Arkansas
The Panthers aren’t the only non-power conference team to advance to the Round of 32, but they’re clearly not on the same level as Gonzaga, VCU, Saint Louis, or Utah State. Flynn Clayman’s squad can reach immortal status with a win today over Arkansas in Portland. It won’t be easy. John Calipari’s squad is just 40 minutes away from back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances and have the best point guard in the sport in freshman Darius Acuff, who had 24 points and seven assists on Thursday against Hawaii.

On The Side

  • A salute to Braden Smith, who broke Bobby Hurley’s record on Friday night against Queens and is now the NCAA’s all-time leader in assists.
  • Duke’s Patrick Ngongba (foot) is questionable for today’s Round of 32 game against TCU, per the NCAA Injury Report. The 6-11 big man has not played since March 2nd and averages 10.7 points and 6.0 rebounds.
  • Tarris Reed’s 31-point, 27-rebound performance in UConn’s win over Furman on Friday was just the third time 30-point, 25-rebound performance in a game since 1960.
  • The ACC is currently 4-4 in the NCAA Tournament.
  • Utah State was the only lower seeded team that won on Friday.

Leftovers