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The Breakfast Buffet: Texas Tech, UConn, UCLA/Washington State

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

Texas Tech has officially joined the Big 12 party
Many of us — including myself — wondered just how good the Red Raiders were in the grand scheme of their own conference. We got our answer on Wednesday. Texas Tech’s ability to erase a 10-point halftime deficit to beat Texas 79-77 on Wednesday night in Austin solidifies Chris Beard’s team as a major player in the top half of the Big 12. While Mac McClung’s game-winning shot in the final seconds was the highlight of the game, the Red Raiders also again got a major boost from Kevin McCullar. The 6-6 wing missed the first few weeks of the season due to an ankle injury, but had 16 points and eight rebounds against Texas all while adding a toughness and grit that this team was lacking prior to his arrival. Texas Tech (11-3) will next host Baylor on Saturday in Lubbock.

UConn will have to recalibrate its approach without James Bouknight
The Huskies don’t have what they had with Bouknight — an All-American — in the lineup, but they still have enough to be competitive with the majority of the Big East. Bouknight — who was averaging 20.3 points and 5.3 rebounds — underwent successful surgery on his elbow on Tuesday and has no timetable for a return. The good news for UConn? It won the last two games at DePaul and Butler without their star guard thanks to relentless defense and a frontcourt that’s as deep as any in the country. Dan Hurley also has experience adapting when his star player is sidelined. A few years ago when he was at Rhode Island, Hurley led the Rams to non-conference wins over both Seton Hall and Providence when E.C. Matthews — one of the top players in the Atlantic 10 — was out with a wrist injury. With Bouknight and freshman Andre Jackson both out of the lineup, the Huskies will now play in the short term without their two highest rated recruits. UConn (7-1) will next host St. John’s on Monday. 

UCLA will have its hands full with Washington State
The Cougars are no longer a Pac-12 pushover. Thanks to arguably college basketball’s most underrated guard tandem in Isaac Bonton and Noah Williams –who is questionable for today’s game in Westwood due to injury — Washington State has gotten off to a 9-2 start in its second season under Kyle Smith. The Cougars are fundamentally sound defensively and capable offensively. They also have one of the best freshmen in the country in Efe Abogidi, a 6-10 big man who averages 10.5 points and 8.5 rebounds. This is a tricky game for Mick Cronin’s squad, who is undefeated in Pac-12 play, but continues to struggle defensively. UCLA has given up 70 or more points in four of its last five games. 

On The Side

  • Is Wichita State the second-best team in the American Athletic Conference behind Houston? It’s starting to look that way. The Shockers improved to 8-3 after Wednesday night’s win over Tulsa and were very competitive in a road loss to the Cougars a few weeks ago. Interim coach Isaac Brown is doing yeoman’s work with this group. 
  • It’s a very small sample size, but Auburn freshman Sharife Cooper looks like the most talented point guard in the SEC. Through two games, Cooper is averaging 26 points, nine assists, four rebounds, and three steals. Remember the name.
  • Indiana is 5-1 in games this season where Al Durham has scored in double figures. The one loss was last week’s double overtime loss at Wisconsin. Archie Miller’s team will host in-state rival Purdue tonight in Bloomington.
  • Kudos to the Pac-12. The league scheduled three games later today — Cal/Colorado, Stanford/Utah, and UCLA/Washington — that all tip off before 7 PM ET. This conference needs to continue to find ways to creatively schedule its games so they can be seen by a broader audience. As I’ve stated many times before: The Pac-12 is underrated nationally, but needs more people to be aware of its product.
  • We’ll find out just how good Utah State is over the next 72 hours when it plays two games against San Diego State in Logan. The Aggies have won eight straight entering tonight’s tilt, but have yet to beat a team that is in contention to make the NCAA Tournament. Litmus tests are on the way for Craig Smith’s squad. 

Daily Specials

  • Washington State at UCLA
  • Stanford at Utah
  • Purdue at Indiana
  • Pepperdine at Gonzaga
  • San Diego State at Utah State

Leftovers: