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The Breakfast Buffet: Oklahoma, Saint Louis, Separation in the ACC

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

The door is open for Oklahoma
Three straight victories have put the Sooners into this week’s AP Top 25 and the upcoming days present multiple opportunities for Lon Kruger’s team to continue to bolster its presence nationally. Oklahoma will visit Texas tonight and host Alabama on Saturday as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The Longhorns will be without Shaka Smart this evening in Austin, after he announced on Monday that tested positive for COVID-19. The next 80 minutes present an incredible opportunity for Oklahoma to quickly go from the shadows to the forefront.

Saint Louis reintroduces itself to America
The Billikens haven’t played a game since Dec. 23rd due to a lengthy COVID-19 pause, but Travis Ford’s squad will return to action tonight against Dayton. Saint Louis is 7-1 through eight games this season, with its only loss coming on the road at Minnesota; it owns wins over both NC State and LSU. When healthy, this team has the requisites to be the best non power conference team in the sport not named Gonzaga. Tip off for tonight’s game is at 8:30 PM ET on CBS Sports Network. 

We’re starting to get separation in the ACC
At least it feels that way. Just two days after I wrote about Florida State’s long-term potential, Virginia flexed its muscles, pounding Syracuse by 23 in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers and Seminoles appear to be separating themselves from the rest of the ACC and each has the potential to make major strides between now and the end of the season. Virginia will visit Florida State on Feb. 15th in Tallahassee in what is the only regular season meeting between the two programs.

On The Side

  • Missouri’s eight-man rotation in Saturday’s win at Tennessee consisted of three fifth-year seniors, two traditional seniors, two juniors, and a sophomore. That’s the type of experience that normally resonates with a team that’s built to play meaningful games in March. The Tigers will next travel to Auburn tonight.
  • If Georgia Tech — who only lost by two points at Virginia on Saturday — can beat Duke tonight in Durham, the Yellow Jackets will own wins this season over the Blue Devils, Kentucky, and North Carolina. This is the best team in the ACC that no one is really talking about. 
  • Providence has an emerging star in freshman Alyn Breed. The 6-3 guard averaged 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.5 steals in two games last week against Creighton and Villanova. Remember the name. 
  • Alabama’s Jordan Bruner (knee) is expected to return by early-to-mid February, Nate Oats said on Monday. The 6-10 Bruner was starting at center for the Crimson Tide prior to injury and averaging 7.8 points and 5.3 rebounds. Alabama hosts Kentucky tonight in Tuscaloosa. 
  • Lost amid Gonzaga’s dominance over the rest of the WCC is the fact that BYU is on track to be an NCAA Tournament caliber team for the second consecutive season under Mark Pope. The Cougars are currently 13-3 and have won games at San Diego State and Utah State. As of now, this clearly looks like the second-best team in the WCC. 

Daily Specials

  • Oklahoma at Texas
  • Mississippi State at Tennessee
  • Kentucky at Alabama
  • Dayton at Saint Louis
  • Missouri at Auburn

Leftovers: