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The Breakfast Buffet: RJ Luis, Kevin Willard returns to Newark, Wisconsin/Pitt

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

RJ Luis is playing like a first-team All-Big East player
Rick Pitino has said multiple times that Luis has a higher long-term ceiling than any other player on St. John’s roster. It’s hard to argue with that sentiment given his recent production level. The 6-7 wing is averaging 17.3 points and 6.7 rebounds entering today’s game against Georgia in the Bahamas (11 AM ET, CBS Sports Network). Remember: Luis couldn’t practice last season for the Red Storm due to a shin injury, which drastically affected his rhythm and chemistry. He averaged averaged 10.9 points and 4.6 rebounds last season. Luis is also shooting 38.1 percent from three-point range this year and has already made eight shots from long distance. Last season, he shot 20 percent from three-point range and made eight three-point shots during all of last year. As of today. this is one of the most improved players in the sport.

Kevin Willard returns to Newark
The 49-year old head coach spent 12 seasons as Seton Hall’s head coach from 2010-22 and today he’ll return to the Prudential Center as Maryland takes on Villanova in the Empire Classic. The Terps enter the game at 4-1 overall, with their only loss coming at home last Friday against Marquette. Villanova meanwhile is 3-3 and in search of a marquee win. Keep an eye on a potential front court matchup between Wildcats star Eric Dixon (24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds) and Maryland freshman Derik Queen (15.0 points, 7.2 rebounds).

Wisconsin/Pitt
The title game of the inaugural Greenbrier Tip-Off (5:30 PM ET) features a tilt that feels similar to a 7/10 matchup in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Badgers are playing better offensive basketball than they’ve ever played through the first six games of a season, averaging 87.8 points. It’s the first time in program history that Wisconsin has scored 79 or more points in six consecutive games to start a season. The Panthers meanwhile, look like they’re going to be in the discussion for the title of the ACC’s third-best team behind Duke and North Carolina. Jeff Capel’s squad boasts tremendous balance as all five starters — Ish Leggett, Jaland Lowe, Damian Dunn, Cameron Corhen, and Guillermo Diaz Graham — average between 8.7 points and 18.2 points. The winner of this game will likely pick up a Quad 1 victory that will travel all the way to Selection Sunday.

On The Side

  • Duke’s positional size is one of the major reasons why it’s so potent defensively. The Blue Devils don’t have a player on their roster shorter than 6-5.
  • Ben Gold looks like the X-Factor for Marquette. The 6-11 big man can really extend the defense and has made seven three-point shots in the Golden Eagles past two games. Marquette is 6-1 over the past three seasons when Gold scored in double figures, with the only defeat coming on the road at UConn.
  • Since having 11 turnovers against Louisville on Nov. 9th, Tennessee’s Zakai Zeigler has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 30:8.
  • Caleb Love is 5-26 from the field and 1-15 from three-point range in Arizona’s last two games.
  • Watching Fred Hoiberg go from playing to the style he did at Iowa State to a low tempo, defensive minded approach at Nebraska is beyond fascinating. The Huskers have now won consecutive games against Creighton in Omaha following Friday night’s 74-63 victory and could very well be a bubble team in 2025.

Daily Specials

  • Georgia/St. John’s (Bahamas)
  • Maryland/Villanova (Newark)
  • Rutgers at Kennesaw State
  • Pitt/Wisconsin (The Greenbrier Tip-Off)
  • Drake/Vanderbilt (Charleston Classic)

Leftovers