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 curtain comes up for Illinois against Alabama
Brad Underwood is hopeful that a heavy investment in the transfer portal and international recruiting will keep the Illini among the nation’s top tier after last season’s run to the Elite Eight. He’ll have a pretty good idea of just how far along his newly minted squad is after tonight’s game against Alabama in Birmingham. The only player in Illinois’ rotation that played for Underwood last season is sophomore guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (10.0 points, 2.3 rebounds). This is the first game for the Crimson Tide since last Friday’s loss against Purdue at Mackey Arena, when it surrendered 87 points in defeat. Alabama needs more offense in reserve from Auburn transfer Aden Holloway, who’s just 1-9 from three-point range in his last two games.
Texas A&M’s Zhuric Phelps is under-the-radar nationally
After three productive years at SMU, the 6-4 Phelps (16.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists) is quickly making an impact in College Station, where he’s currently the Aggies’ leading scorer entering tonight’s game against Southern. He’s more than just an offensive threat though. Through three games, Phelps is averaging 2.7 steals and has been a major factor defensively. With Phelps, Wade Taylor IV (13.3 points, 4.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds), and Manny Obaseki (9.8 points), Buzz Williams has a veteran perimeter to anchor one of the SEC’s most experienced teams. Remember: Texas A&M returned 82.5 percent of its scoring from last season’s team that lost to Houston in overtime in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Another thing to remember? Phelps didn’t play when the Aggies lost at UCF on Nov. 4th.
The top of the ACC feels like a mystery after Duke and North Carolina
This league has two clear cut teams that can get to the Final Four and potentially win a national title, but beyond that is a major question. The ACC has performed exceptionally well in the NCAA Tournament over the past few seasons, but recent coaching changes at some of the conference’s top brand name programs — Louisville, Syracuse, Virginia, and Notre Dame — have raised questions about what known commodities exist in the ACC outside of Tobacco Road. Keep a close eye on this league over the next few weeks as several ACC teams will have opportunities to move the needle in key non-conference games as they attempt to cement themselves in the league’s top tier behind both Duke and North Carolina. Who is the third-best team in the ACC? Prior to the season, I would have said Wake Forest, but there’s truly no clear cut answer right now.
On The Side
- Arkansas’ Adou Thiero has scored 19 or more points in his last three games. He never scored more than 16 in a game last season at Kentucky. The 6-8 junior is consistently performing like one of the sport’s most improved players.
- Xavier has made 36 three-point shots in its last three games. The Musketeers are 4-0 and will next host Siena tonight at the Cintas Center.
- Following tonight’s game against Merrimack, Rutgers will play five consecutive games away from Jersey Mike’s Arena.
- Pitt’s Damian Dunn is scoring the ball like he did early in his career when he was at Temple. A transfer from Houston, the 6-5 Dunn is averaging 15.2 points while shooting an impressive 52.6 percent from three-point range. Dunn only averaged 6.4 points last season with the Cougars.
- Since losing to New Mexico on Nov. 8th, UCLA has held its last two opponents to a combined 85 points. The Bruins will go for their third consecutive win tonight against Idaho State in Westwood.
Daily Specials
- Siena at Xavier
- Merrimack at Rutgers
- Alabama/Illinois (Birmingham)
- UTEP at UC Santa Barbara
- Idaho State at UCLA
Leftovers
- The Breakfast Buffet: Thomas Haugh, Alabama has owned Mississippi State, Gonzaga has a tricky week
- Episode 487 — Missouri’s Dennis Gates
- The Breakfast Buffet: Houston/Texas Tech, St. John’s, Richie Saunders
- The Breakfast Buffet: Duke makes a statement, UConn/St. John’s, Indiana
- The Breakfast Buffet: Cooper Flagg visits MSG, Kentucky/Alabama, Houston
