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The Breakfast Buffet: Michigan’s return, Virginia, Christian Bishop emerging for Creighton

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 return against Wisconsin
It’s been 23 days since the Wolverines last played a game and their first one back will be trial by fire. Michigan’s trip to Madison is the start of what is a brutal close to the season for Juwan Howard’s squad, who is currently 13-1 entering today’s tilt at the Kohl Center. The Wolverines — who were projected as one of the four number one seeds in Saturday’s bracket reveal for the NCAA Tournament — will have to shake off the rust quickly if it wants to maintain that perch on Selection Sunday. In addition to this afternoon’s matchup with the Badgers, the Wolverines still have to travel to both Ohio State and Indiana. Home games in Ann Arbor also remain against Rutgers and Iowa as well as a potential makeup matchup with Illinois. This team has a long road to navigate between today and March 14th. 

How good is Virginia?
We still don’t truly know. The Cavaliers deserve credit for being 15-3 and winning the games that they’ve won, but as of now the only victory that this team has over a squad that’s comfortably in the NCAA Tournament is a road win at Clemson in what was the Tigers’ first game back from a COVID-19 pause. Virginia dominated North Carolina in a 12-point win in Charlottesville on Saturday night, but the Tar Heels are in a position now where they’ll have to win games down the stretch to hear their name called on Selection Sunday. Virginia has won 11 of its last 12 games since losing to Gonzaga on Dec. 26th in Fort Worth. We’ll know a lot more about Tony Bennett’s squad after Monday night’s game at Florida State. Remember: As of right now, only five or six teams from the ACC are projected to be in the NCAA Tournament. 

Christian Bishop is emerging for Creighton
People from the periphery will point to Marcus Zegrowski’s 25-point, five-assist performance in Saturday’s win over Villanova as a turning point for the Jays, but it would be foolish to overlook what Bishop has recently become. The 6-7 junior is thriving for Creighton as a face up five-man and has been on an absolute tear over the last two weeks. Bishop is averaging 15 points and 8.6 rebounds over his last five games and has gone from role player to potential all-conference performer. Creighton has quietly won six of its last seven. 

On The Side

  • The biggest surprise from Saturday’s bracket reveal on CBS? Houston’s loss to East Carolina a few weeks ago did not drop the Cougars from their position as a two seed. Kelvin Sampson’s squad is 17-2 and is currently the only team from the American Athletic Conference that is projected to reach the bracket on Selection Sunday. 
  • Lon Kruger has taken multiple programs to the Final Four, but this season has to be up there with the best coaching jobs of his career. Oklahoma (13-5) has now swept West Virginia and beaten Alabama, Kansas, and Texas. The Sooners are in sole possession of second place in the Big 12 behind Baylor. 
  • Iowa’s 30-point win over Michigan State on Saturday was the least competitive performance that I’ve seen from the Spartans in East Lansing in nearly 15 years on this beat. There is no close second.
  • UConn needs to get James Bouknight back in the lineup, but it also needed to get mileage out of both Andre Jackson and Akok Akok. That happened in Saturday’s win at Xavier as the duo combined for 12 points and four rebounds in the eight-point victory at the Cintas Center. These two players were the two highest rated recruits in the Huskies’ program.
  • Two teams that will likely be underseeded in the NCAA Tournament, but could do major damage when they get there: LSU and Oregon.

Things To Sample

  • Michigan at Wisconsin
  • Loyola Chicago at Drake
  • Marquette at Seton Hall
  • Nebraska at Penn State
  • Minnesota at Maryland

Leftovers: