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The Breakfast Buffet: Mark Sears, Duke/Kansas, Memphis continues to build a resume

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

Mark Sears looks to get back on track against Houston
The 6-1 Sears didn’t score a single point in Alabama’s 100-87 win over Illinois last week in Birmingham and hasn’t had the type of start to the year that many envisioned he would. Sears — who entered the season as a National Player of the Year candidate — enters tonight’s matchup with the Cougars in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas averaging just 13.8 points, 3.2 assists, and 3.2 rebounds while shooting just 39.6 percent from the field and 29.2 percent from three-point range. By comparison, Sears averaged 21.5 points, 4.0 assists, and 4.2 rebounds last season while shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 43.6 percent from three-point range when he led the Crimson Tide to the Final Four for the first time in program history. Alabama can’t come close to reaching its ceiling unless Sears plays like an All-American.

Duke/Kansas
The Jayhawks have already beaten two of college basketball’s blue blood programs — North Carolina and Michigan State — this season. Are the Blue Devils next? It all depends on how Duke is able to defend Kansas. Jon Scheyer’s team held Arizona to just 55 points on Friday in Tucson and doesn’t have a single player that’s shorter than 6-5. Keep a close eye on the matchup in the middle between Blue Devils freshman big man Khaman Maluach (9.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.4 blocks) and Jayhawks star Hunter Dickinson (17.8 points, 10.4 rebounds). If the 7-2 Maluach can stay on the floor for long stretches, he may very well be the long-term X-Factor in Durham.

Memphis continues to build a resume
Penny Hardaway picked up arguably his biggest win as a head coach on Monday when the Tigers beat UConn in overtime in the first round of the Maui Invitational, but the impact of this victory will go way beyond just one afternoon. The Huskies are the type of cemented commodity that Memphis needed to beat in case it doesn’t earn an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament by winning the AAC Tournament. Monday’s win coupled with the road victories that the Tigers have already earned at both San Francisco and UNLV puts Memphis in position to potentially have three Quad 1 wins on its resume before Thanksgiving. Another will be on the table today in the second round of the Maui Invitational against Michigan State.

On The Side

  • UConn’s loss to Memphis on Monday was its first defeat in a non-conference game at a neutral site since March 17, 2022. That’s 984 days ago.
  • Rutgers’ Steve Pikiell said Monday on the College Hoops Today Podcast that Notre Dame’s Markus Burton is one of the best players in the ACC. Through five games, the 5-11 Burton is averaging 21.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. The Scarlet Knights face the Irish tonight in Las Vegas as part of the inaugural Players Era Festival.
  • Pitt’s Damian Dunn underwent successful surgery on his thumb and will miss a minimum of six weeks. Dunn also suffered an ankle injury in Sunday’s loss to Wisconsin. The 6-5 wing is currently averaging 11.1 points. The Panthers’ next three games against Ohio State, Mississippi State, and Virginia Tech are all on the road.
  • Virginia transfer Jalen Warley announced his commitment to Gonzaga on Monday. He averaged 7.5 points last season at Florida State prior to transferring to Charlottesville. The Bulldogs will now redshirt two guards — Warley and Colgate transfer Braeden Smith — during the 2024-25 season. The 6-foot Smith was last season’s Patriot League Player of the Year.
  • Don’t be shocked if Arizona State’s Jayden Quaintance winds up leading the nation in blocked shots. The 17-year old freshman possesses incredible defensive instincts and is currently averaging 3.5 blocks in the first six games of his college career.

Daily Specials

  • Memphis/Michigan State (Maui Invitational)
  • North Carolina/Auburn (Maui Invitational)
  • UConn/Colorado (Maui Invitational)
  • Duke/Kansas (Las Vegas)
  • Alabama/Houston (Players Era Festival)

Leftovers