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The Breakfast Buffet: Memphis, Bobby Hurley, Wake Forest

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

Memphis showcased its potential
This is what the Tigers can look like when everything is clicking. Despite entering Tuesday’s tilt against Alabama on a four-game losing streak, Memphis (6-4) very much looked the part of a team that was capable of winning multiple games in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers had balance on offense with five players in double figures and disruption on defense which never allowed the Crimson Tide to get into a rhythm offensively. Remember: Alabama entered this game coming off back-to-back wins over Gonzaga and Houston. If Memphis can win on Saturday against Tennessee in Nashville, it will have all sorts of momentum entering league play in the American Athletic Conference.

Bobby Hurley is at his best with his back against the wall
A few weeks ago, Arizona State was headed for purgatory. Not anymore. After scoring just 29 points in a 22-point home loss against Washington State on Dec. 1st, the Sun Devils have won three straight games — including road tilts at both Oregon and Creighton. That’s a credit to Hurley, whose best player Marcus Bagley is out indefinitely due to a knee injury. At 5-6, Arizona State is a long ways away from competing for an NCAA Tournament berth, but it’s clearly a better basketball team than it was two weeks ago. The Sun Devils will next host undefeated San Francisco (10-0) on Sunday in Tempe.

Wake Forest is a team to monitor in the ACC
Are the Demon Deacons the third-best team in this league? It’s a little too early to make that type of a proclamation, but here’s one thing that’s for certain: As of today, Wake Forest has the best resume of any ACC team not named Duke or North Carolina. Steve Forbes’ squad is 10-1 — with its only loss coming against LSU — and is vastly improved thanks to a troika of transfers in Alondes Williams (Oklahoma), Jake LaRavia (Indiana State), and Dallas Walton (Colorado). All three are starters, with the 6-5 Williams (18.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.6 steals) performing like an All-ACC caliber player; he had a career-high 36 points in Tuesday’s win over VMI. The Demon Deacons won’t play a game outside of the state of North Carolina until a Dec. 29th game at Louisville. Don’t be shocked if this team enters that game with a 12-1 record.

On The Side

  • USC (10-0) will begin an interesting three-game stretch prior to Christmas tonight against UC Irvine. The Trojans will then face Georgia Tech on Saturday in a neutral site game in Phoenix and Oklahoma State next week in Oklahoma City. Eight of this team’s 10 wins have come by double figures.
  • Bryce Aiken’s resurgence has played a major role in Seton Hall’s 9-1 start. The sixth-year senior averaged 16 points and three assists in back-to-back wins last week over Texas and Rutgers. Remember: Prior to multiple injuries, Aiken averaged 22.2 points as a junior at Harvard during the 2018-19 season.
  • Seven of Loyola Chicago’s top eight scorers are shooting 37.5 percent or better from three-point range. The Ramblers are shooting 42.3 percent from long distance as a team.
  • The unsung presence in Arizona’s 9-0 start has been Dalen Terry. The 6-7 wing has been a perfect blend guy for the Wildcats, doing all the little things and touching all areas of the box score. Terry is currently averaging 5.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and four assists, with an impressive assist-to-turnover ratio of 36:7.
  • The ACC has already lost eight buy games this season. It’s going to be real interesting to see just how many teams from this conference wind up in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Daily Specials

  • Chattanooga at Belmont
  • UCF at Temple
  • Morehead State at Xavier
  • UC Irvine at USC
  • Utah State at Weber State

Leftovers