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The Breakfast Buffet: Maryland, Christian Braun, Alabama/Gonzaga

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

Maryland’s “appetite for change” ultimately ended Mark Turgeon’s tenure
It was never going to be easy for anyone to follow Gary Williams at Maryland, but that’s ultimately what Turgeon decided to do when he left Texas A&M for College Park in 2011. His decade with the Terps was solid, but fans of this program wanted it to be spectacular. Turgeon led Maryland to five NCAA Tournament appearances in the last six years, which was highlighted by a Sweet 16 appearance in 2016. Fans of this program wanted more and their relentless ability to voice their dissatisfaction of the direction of the program under Turgeon is what ultimately put this marriage to a point of no return. Many people in the industry view Maryland as one of the top 10 or 15 jobs in the sport based on its location and fertile recruiting base. It will be interesting to see where this school turns in the spring once Danny Manning wraps things up as the Terps’ interim head coach at the conclusion of this season.

Christian Braun is Kansas’ unsung presence
Ochai Agbaji may be playing like a first-team All-American, Remy Martin may be the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, and David McCormack may ultimately be the Jayhawks’ X-Factor, but Braun has a major hand in everything that Kansas does on a nightly basis. Operating with the focus of a surgeon, the 6-6 Braun had his imprints all over Friday night’s 95-75 win over St. John’s at UBS Arena, finishing with a career-high 31 points to go with eight rebounds, and four assists. “He’s climbing up some draft boards,” Kansas coach Bill Self said of Braun. “He can shoot the ball. He’s strong. He’s playing the best that he’s played since he’s been here.” An ideal small-ball four man, Braun boasts an incredible feel for the game and can stretch the defense from the power forward spot to create mismatches. Expect his star to continue to rise nationally as the season progresses.

Alabama/Gonzaga
The “Battle in Seattle” is back and that’s a good thing if you like offense. Both Alabama and Gonzaga are currently among the top 11 teams in the country in scoring, with each averaging over 85 points. The Crimson Tide’s perimeter troika of Jahvon Quinerly, Jaden Shackelford, and Keon Ellis is more than capable of trading blows with any opponent in college basketball, but Alabama’s big men are going to have their hands full with Gonzaga’s frontcourt of Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme. Nate Oats is going to need a big game defensively from Charles Bediako up front and for Juwan Gary, Darius Miles, and Furman transfer Noah Gurley to face up and make shots “over the top” of the Bulldogs’ defense. This should be a really fun 40 minutes of basketball from tip to finish.

On The Side

  • Memphis’ game today at Ole Miss is about as close as you can get to a must win for the first weekend in December. The Tigers have dropped back-to-back games to Iowa State and Georgia, two teams that were respectively picked to finish last in the Big 12 and SEC Preseason Polls.
  • Is Murphy’s Law hitting UConn? The Huskies will be without two of their three best players — Tyrese Martin (wrist) and Adama Sanogo (abdominal) — for the next few weeks, which includes games against West Virginia and St. Bonaventure. Dan Hurley has one of the deepest rosters in the country — he’s going to need it.
  • Wisconsin is back to being vintage Wisconsin in terms of ball security and foul restraint. The Badgers are averaging just 8.8 turnovers and have committed 13 fouls or less in four of their first seven games. Wisconsin hosts in-state rival Marquette today in Madison. Greg Gard’s team is 6-1, with its only loss coming against Providence in a game where the Badgers’ top player — Johnny Davis — was out due to injury.
  • USC’s balance may be its greatest attribute. The Trojans currently have seven different players averaging between 7.6 points and 16.3 points. Andy Enfield’s team is 7-0 and will visit Washington State today in Pullman.
  • Eastern Washington transfer Tanner Groves has been at the core of Oklahoma’s 7-1 start. The 6-10 big man is leading the Sooners in scoring (15.5) and is tied for first in rebounding (6.4). Groves scored 35 last March in Eastern Washington’s NCAA Tournament loss against Kansas in the Round of 64.

Daily Specials

  • Memphis at Ole Miss
  • Marquette at Wisconsin
  • San Diego State at Michigan
  • Alabama/Gonzaga (Seattle)
  • Iowa State at Creighton

Leftovers