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The Breakfast Buffet: Ron Harper Jr., James Bouknight, The Big Ten

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

Ron Harper Jr. is playing like an All-American
He may not win Big Ten Player of the Year honors because of Luka Garza, but that doesn’t mean that Harper isn’t going to be mentioned among the best players in the sport. Rutgers’ burly junior forward again showed his overall arsenal on Sunday, scoring 28 points and grabbing nine rebounds in the Scarlet Knights’ 91-88 win over Illinois in Piscataway. The 6-6 Harper was also 5-8 from three-point range. He’s averaging 24 points and 7.3 boards for Rutgers, who is 6-0 and will next travel to Ohio State on Wednesday.

James Bouknight is “the next one” at UConn 
It took just one game back in the Big East for the Huskies to send a national message that they’ve got another star. The 6-5 Bouknight did everything for UConn in Sunday’s two-point overtime loss to Creighton, scoring a career-high 40 points and single handedly putting Dan Hurley’s team in position to beat one of the best teams in the country. Bouknight’s talent is undeniable, but for UConn to flourish this season he needs help. Only one other player on the Huskies’ roster scored in double-figures against the Bluejays. The lack of a second scoring option coupled with a gutsy comeback by Creighton robbed UConn of what would have been a statement win in its return to the Big East.

The Big Ten has no bottom
Just ask Tom Izzo. Michigan State was beaten from tip to finish in Sunday night’s loss at Northwestern, which further reiterates just how good this conference is. As I’ve stated before, this storyline isn’t going anywhere from now until Selection Sunday. If a team like Northwestern — one that many believed would finish at the bottom of the Big Ten — can dominate Michigan State for nearly 40 minutes, then every game in this conference moving forward is going to be an all-out war for 40 minutes. “Everyone has players,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said recently about the Big Ten. “Anybody can beat anybody.”

On The Side

  • Texas will play road games at both Kansas and West Virginia during the first two weeks of January. If the Longhorns — who are 7-1 after Sunday’s win over Oklahoma State — want to make an early statement in the Big 12, they’ll get multiple opportunities.
  • The most amazing part of Xavier’s 8-0 start? The Musketeers are 4-0 in games that have been decided by three points or less. Travis Steele’s squad next visits Creighton on Wednesday. 
  • Illinois can’t compete for a Big Ten regular season title unless it gets more consistent scoring from Adam Miller. The 6-3 freshman did not score in Sunday’s loss at Rutgers and is averaging just two points in the Illini’s three losses this season. 
  • UCF has a gem in 6-6 freshman Isaiah Adams. The Jacksonville native shined in Saturday night’s upset win over Florida State, tallying 22 points and eight rebounds in the 12-point victory. The Knights have faced three power conference teams — Michigan, Auburn, and Florida State — to open the season and are 2-1 overall. 
  • Arkansas hasn’t helped or hurt itself yet. The Razorbacks have had seven games against mid-major competition and have won each of those games by double-figures. Eric Musselman’s team will play its first game against a power conference opponent when it opens SEC play at Auburn on Dec. 30th.

Daily Specials

  • Wofford at Texas A&M
  • Bryant at UMass
  • St. Joe’s at Tennessee
  • Tulsa at Memphis
  • New Mexico at Boise State

Leftovers: