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The Breakfast Buffet: The Big Ten, Jalen Wilson, Duke

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

The Big Ten sent another message
I’ll say it again: this storyline isn’t going anywhere from now until Selection Sunday. The Big Ten was a combined 45-6 entering Tuesday’s games and then the conference posted a 6-1 record in the first night of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The team who suffered the league’s lone loss in the event on Tuesday — Purdue — blew an 18-point lead on the road at Miami. Four of the Big Ten’s six victories came by double figures. This conference continues to show on a daily basis why it’s on another level. 

America is running out of adjectives for Jalen Wilson
It’s simply amazing the impact that Wilson is having for Kansas after he logged a total of just two minutes last season due to injury. The redshirt freshman has been the Jayhawks’ most productive player so far this year and tallied 23 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday’s win over Creighton at Allen Fieldhouse. The 6-8 forward is averaging 16.3 points and nine rebounds through six games for Kansas, who has two more games before it begins Big 12 play at Texas Tech on Dec. 17th.

Duke is in uncharted territory
The Blue Devils have lost a total of six non-conference home games under Mike Krzyzewski since 1983. Two of those defeats have come in the last week. It wasn’t just that Duke lost to Michigan State last week and Illinois last night at Cameron Indoor Stadium — it was how it lost. Never in the course of those two games did it feel like the Blue Devils were the better team. Never in the course of those two games did it feel like Duke was going to make a run in the second half. Not having fans in attendance is a major factor affecting all teams in college basketball, but it feels like there’s much more to this team’s struggles than just that. The Blue Devils lack reliable shot making, veteran guard play, and proven experience. This team is in uncharted territory. 

On The Side

  • Aaron Henry’s all-around game deserves more recognition. The 6-6 junior is doing everything for Michigan State and currently leads the Spartans in assists (5.2), steals (1.8), and blocks (2.0). Henry is also third on Michigan State in scoring (11.6) and second in rebounding (6.2).
  • No program scheduled more intelligently during the pandemic than Florida State. The Seminoles won’t play a game outside the state of Florida until Dec. 29th and are still getting opportunities to face quality competition. Leonard Hamilton’s squad will host Indiana tonight as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and then host in-state rival Florida on Saturday.
  • The biggest thought going through my mind as Iowa put up 93 points in a double-digit win over North Carolina on Tuesday? How incredible it’s going to be when the Hawkeyes match up with Gonzaga at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls on Dec. 19th. First team to 120 wins. 
  • This is quietly a big week for Nebraska. The Cornhuskers will host Georgia Tech tonight in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge just days after the Yellow Jackets beat Kentucky and then travel to in-state rival Creighton on Friday. That’s two early opportunities for this program to move the needle nationally in its second season under Fred Hoiberg. 
  • Saint Louis’ Yuri Collins had nine assists and zero turnovers in Tuesday’s win over Central Arkansas. He has 29 assists and just three turnovers on the season. This is an unsung presence for Travis Ford’s squad, who is currently 4-0 overall.

Daily Specials

  • Rhode Island at Wisconsin
  • Maryland at Clemson
  • Indiana at Florida State
  • Georgia Tech at Nebraska
  • Oklahoma at Xavier

Leftovers: