College Hoops Today

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The Breakfast Buffet: Ryan Kalkbrenner, Missouri/Tennessee, D.J. Wagner

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

Ryan Kalkbrenner is firmly in the mix in the Big East Player of the Year race
Creighton’s surge since mid-December has coincided with the 7-1 Kalkbrenner playing some of the best basketball of his career. Since the Jays lost by 24 at Georgetown on Dec. 18th, Kalkbrenner has put on a cape and put his team on his back, performing like someone who knows that the hourglass is running out on his college career. The three-time reigning Big East Defensive Player of the Year, Kalkbrenner is now also showcasing his ability to be a consistent threat on both sides of the floor. In the 10 games that Creighton has played since the loss at Georgetown, Kalkbrenner is averaging 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks. Those are All-American caliber numbers. The Jays will go for their eighth straight win tonight against Providence at Amica Mutual Pavilion.

Missouri/Tennessee
The Tigers have already beaten both Florida and Mississippi State on the road in SEC play. Are the Vols next? Don’t rule it out of the realm of possibility. Missouri has quietly won six of its last seven games and already has nine more wins than it did during all of last season. At 17-4 overall and 6-2 in SEC play, Dennis Gates’ squad is officially pushing to be a Top 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Tennessee is coming off last Saturday’s 20-point win over Florida where it held the Gators to 44 points with two of its starters — Zakai Zeigler (knee) and Igor Milicic (illness) — out of the lineup.

D.J. Wagner has played good basketball for Arkansas since Boogie Fland went of the lineup with an injury
A natural lead guard, Wagner is showing the best version of himself now that he again has the ball in hands. In the three games since Fland has been out of the lineup, Wagner is averaging 12.7 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.3 rebounds to go along with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4:1. The 6-4 Wagner also had 17 points, eight assists, and just one turnover in the Razorbacks’ massive win on Saturday night against Kentucky at Rupp Arena. John Calipari’s squad will look to start a winning streak tonight in Austin against Texas.

On The Side

  • West Virginia announced on Tuesday that Tucker DeVries will have season-ending shoulder surgery on Wednesday and apply for a medical redshirt. DeVries averaged 14.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in eight games this season prior to injury.
  • New Mexico’s Donovan Dent is the only player in college basketball to average at least 19.0 points and 6.5 assists, but was somehow left the list of finalists for the Cousy Awards earlier this week. A miscarriage of justice! The Lobos will take an 18-4 record into tonight’s game against Colorado State in Albuquerque.
  • The following head coaches have left the ACC since the conclusion of the 2016-17 season: Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Rick Pitino, Jim Boeheim, Tony Bennett, Jim Larranaga, Mike Brey, Buzz Williams, and Leonard Hamilton.
  • Nebraska’s Brice Williams would be viewed as a Big Ten Player of the Year candidate if he played at a blue blood program. The 6-7 guard is averaging 27.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in his last two games entering tonight’s showdown with Washington in Seattle. The Huskers are eyeing their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance under Fred Hoiberg.
  • College Hoops Today reported on Monday that UConn and Arizona will start a home-and-home series next season in Connecticut. 

Daily Specials

  • Oregon at Michigan
  • Duke at Syracuse
  • Missouri at Tennessee
  • Illinois at Rutgers
  • Arkansas at Texas

Leftovers