College Hoops Today

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The Breakfast Buffet: Michigan, Houston’s Culture, Andrew Jones

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

Michigan’s pieces really seem to fit
The Wolverines have yet to test themselves against the best that the Big Ten has to offer, but that doesn’t mean that they haven’t been impressive. Juwan Howard’s squad improved to 9-0 after Sunday night’s win over Northwestern and have now won three straight conference games by 11 or more points. Michigan is also in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten. The Wolverines had five players score in double-figures against the Wildcats and had 22 assists as a team on 32 made field goals. This squad is deep up front with Franz Wagner, Isaiah Livers, and Hunter Dickinson and capable on the perimeter with Eli Brooks, Chaundee Brown, and Mike Smith. It will be interesting to see how Michigan’s balance translates as it gradually tests itself against the Big Ten’s top tier, beginning with Wednesday’s tilt in Ann Arbor against Minnesota. 

Houston’s culture can’t be broken
It feels like I write that at least once a month, but if you follow the Cougars’ program it’s the absolute truth. Just days after Houston lost its first game of the season at Tulsa, Kelvin Sampson’s team went to SMU on Sunday and beat the Ponies — who many believe is the second best team in the American Athletic Conference — by 14 points without Caleb Mills. Mills — who was the American Athletic Conference’s Preseason Player of the Year — stepped away from the Cougars on Sunday for personal reasons and has no timetable for a return. Houston still dominated SMU without him, outrebounding the Ponies 45-33. The product of this program simply does not change regardless of who is or isn’t available to play.

Andrew Jones is the X-Factor for Texas
When Jones plays well, so do the Longhorns. Texas is 6-0 this season and 18-3 over the past two years in games where Jones scores in double-figures. He scored 14 in Saturday’s 25-point win over Kansas at Phog Allen Fieldhouse. Jones is also rebounding the ball at a higher level than he has in the past. The 6-4 guard has grabbed seven rebounds in each of his past two games; he didn’t grab seven boards in a single game last season. This is an incredible turnaround story for a guy that was battling leukemia a few years ago before returning to college basketball.

On The Side

  • Jared Rhoden is on the verge of becoming a star for Seton Hall. The broad shouldered junior is averaging 18.2 points and 7.8 rebounds over his last five games. Armed with good size and strength, the 6-6 Rhoden is emerging as a legitimate secondary option for the Pirates offensively alongside Sandro Mamukelashvili. 
  • Baylor’s average margin of victory through nine games this season is 30.3 points. All of those games have been decided by double figures. We’re still waiting for someone to push this squad all the way to the wire. 
  • I’m going to say it again: Keep an eye on Louisville. The Cardinals are 7-1 after eight games and have played without 40 percent of its projected starting lineup due to injuries to both Charles Minlend and Malik Williams. Chris Mack’s team has two key home games this week against Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. 
  • Cincinnati’s NCAA Tournament streak is officially in jeopardy. The Bearcats are just 2-6 after their first eight games and will play their next two tilts on the road at Wichita State and SMU. Cincinnati advanced to nine straight NCAA Tournaments under Mick Cronin and won a share of the American Athletic Conference regular season title last year under John Brannen.
  • Here’s something you don’t see every day: USC beat Utah on Saturday by 18 and freshman big man Evan Mobley — a likely top-five pick in the 2021 NBA Draft — didn’t attempt a single field goal. 

Daily Specials

  • Stanford at Oregon State
  • Winthrop at Charleston Southern
  • Southern Illinois at Drake
  • Maryland at Indiana
  • West Virginia at Oklahoma State

Leftovers: