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
St. John’s has a big week
The Red Storm have won 13 games in a row and are in sole possession of first place in the Big East, but their next 80 minutes will be beyond arduous. St. John’s will play its second game this season against UConn on Wednesday in Hartford and then host Villanova on Saturday at MSG. A pair of wins would essentially cement an outright Big East regular season title for the second consecutive season. The Red Storm are a combined 33-3 in conference regular season games during the past two years under Rick Pitino.
Two desperate teams meet at Allen Fieldhouse
Houston has not had a three-game losing streak since the 2016-17 season, but it’s in major jeopardy of reaching that point tonight in Lawrence. The Cougars enter tonight’s game against Kansas on the heels of back-to-back losses against Iowa State and Arizona. The Jayhawks meanwhile, were stunned on Saturday at home against Cincinnati and took a 16-point defeat against a team that’s nowhere near the NCAA Tournament. Expect both squads to come out desperate for a victory tonight in one of the sport’s most hallowed venues.
Louisville/North Carolina
This game would obviously have significantly more buzz if Caleb Wilson (hand) was healthy for the Tar Heels, but even without him, this matchup still looks delicious on paper. The Cards’ perimeter of Mikel Brown, Ryan Conwell, and Isaac McKneely is one of the best in the sport and combined for 48 points in Saturday’s win over Georgia Tech. North Carolina meanwhile, has a decisive edge in the pivot — even without Wilson — thanks to the presence of 7-0 big man Henri Veesaar, who had 19 points on Saturday against Syracuse in his return to the lineup after missing time due to a lower body injury. This game is the start of a three-game home stand for the Tar Heels.
On The Side
- 10 of Florida’s 12 wins in SEC play have been by double figures.
- JT Toppin’s season-ending ACL injury should open the door for LeJuan Watts’ numbers to spike for Texas Tech. The 6-6 Watts had 19 points and six rebounds in Saturday’s win over Kansas State, which was the first game the Red Raiders played since Toppin left the lineup.
- Florida’s State Luke Loucks is quietly coaching his tail off. The Seminoles have won six of their last seven games and beaten both Virginia Tech and Clemson on the road in the last two weeks. The one loss for Florida State during this recent stretch? A three-point defeat against Virginia.
- USC’s lack of a home court advantage is officially a major problem in the Big Ten. The Trojans have lost to Oregon, Washington, and Northwestern this season at the Galen Center.
- Today’s episode of INSIDE COLLEGE BASKETBALL NOW will be LIVE on CBS Sports Network at 1 PM ET.
Daily Specials
- Louisville at North Carolina
- Houston at Kansas
