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The Breakfast Buffet: Mark Sears, Houston/Baylor, Wake Forest needs Winston Salem

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 hits Rupp Arena
Would Sears be regularly compared to Jalen Brunson if he played at Villanova instead of Alabama? It’s not out of the realm of possibility. He doesn’t get the same attention as other elite guards like UConn’s Tristen Newton, North Carolina’s R.J. Davis, or Marquette’s Tyler Kolek, but the 6-1 Sears is plenty capable. Entering today’s game against Kentucky at Rupp Arena, Sears is averaging 20.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists while shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 43.9 percent from three-point range. Those are All-American caliber numbers. Tip off for today’s game is at 4 PM ET on CBS.

Houston/Baylor
After winning the 2021 national title, the Bears have been a one seed and a three seed in each of the past two NCAA Tournaments. Despite that recent success, hardly anybody mentions Baylor when discussing the best teams in the Big 12. That will change with a win today against Houston. Scott Drew’s team has quietly won five of its last seven games, with the only losses during that span coming at Kansas and at BYU. This matchup is a tremendous contrast in styles as the Bears have an elite offensive team that averages 82.6 points while Houston possesses the sport’s best defense. The Cougars are only allowing 67.5 points this season in Big 12 road games. Tip off is at Noon ET on CBS.

Wake Forest needs Winston Salem
The Demon Deacons are a perfect 14-0 at home this season and they’ll need every aspect of their home court advantage this afternoon when they host Duke. Steve Forbes’ squad has hung around the bubble for all of 2024 and only currently possesses one Quad 1 win on its NCAA Tournament resume. A win today against the Blue Devils — who have won 16 of their last 18 games — will change that. Keep eye on Wake Forest’s overall team balance as five different players — Hunter Sallis, Kevin Miller, Cam Hildreth, Andrew Carr, and Efton Reid — average nine points or more.

On The Side

  • UConn has won three straight meetings against Villanova entering tonight’s matchup in Storrs.
  • Illinois has allowed 80 or more points in four of its last five games. That’s a disturbing trend as we’re almost three weeks away from Selection Sunday.
  • Three of Iowa State’s final five regular season games are at Hilton Coliseum. The other two games are at UCF and Kansas State, who are both not currently projected to play in the NCAA Tournament. Don’t discount the Cyclones from pushing Houston for at least a share of the Big 12 regular season title.
  • Florida is the type of seven or eight seed that nobody wants to see in the NCAA Tournament. With the right draw, the Gators could be in the Sweet 16.
  • How good is the Mountain West? If the season ended today, Colorado State — who’s ranked 22 in this week’s AP Top 25 — would be the seven seed in the Mountain West Tournament.

Daily Specials

  • Houston at Baylor
  • Duke at Wake Forest
  • Alabama at Kentucky
  • Texas at Kansas
  • Villanova at UConn

Leftovers