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The Breakfast Buffet: Thomas Haugh, Alabama has owned Mississippi State, Gonzaga has a tricky week

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.

Things To Sample

Thomas Haugh has made a jump for Florida
Pat Riley once said that “injury is opportunity”. Haugh is taking those words to heart. Since Alex Condon (10.6 points, 7.8 rebounds) went down on Feb. 11th with an ankle injury, Haugh has seen his usage increase and he’s answered the bell. The 6-9 power forward is averaging 14.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in his last four games with Condon out of the lineup at power forward. The Gators are 24-3 and will continue their quest for a number one seed tonight in Athens against Georgia.

Alabama has owned Mississippi State
Nate Oats’ team has won seven straight meetings against the Bulldogs entering tonight’s matchup in Tuscaloosa, with three of those victories coming by double figures. How long has it been since Mississippi State has beaten the Crimson Tide? 1,137 days ago under Ben Howland, in early 2022. The Bulldogs have yet to beat Alabama under Chris Jans.

Gonzaga has a tricky week
The Bulldogs are headed for their lowest NCAA Tournament seed since 2016, when they were an 11 seed that had to win the WCC Tournament to advance to March Madness. Will Gonzaga need an automatic qualifier to get into the NCAA Tournament in 2025? That’s currently unlikely, but it could be a legitimate question if this team loses both of its games this week. The Bulldogs visit Santa Clara — who’s already beaten Gonzaga earlier this season in Spokane and scored 109 points on Saturday against Washington State — tonight in Northern California (11 PM ET, CBS Sports Network) and then on Saturday, Mark Few’s team will take on San Francisco at the Chase Center. A big 80 minutes is on deck for the Bulldogs.

On The Side.

  • Why is Saint Mary’s Randy Bennett not being mentioned as a National Coach of the Year candidate? The Gaels are 25-4, have already won the WCC regular season title, and are doing all of this without both Joshua Jefferson (Iowa State) and Aidan Mahaney (UConn), who left the the program after last season via the transfer portal.
  • UCLA is 6-0 this season when 7-3 sophomore Aday Mara plays 20 minutes or more. His averages during those games? 10.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks.
  • Xavier has quietly won four straight games and will take an 18-10 record into Saturday’s game against Creighton. Don’t discount the Musketeers from being the Big East’s fifth team in March Madness if they can win the rest of their regular season games and do a little damage in the Big East Tournament.
  • Missouri’s Dennis Gates was this week’s guest on the College Hoops Today Podcast.
  • A salute to my former colleague Al Trautwig, who passed away this week at the age of 68. Al and I worked together early in my career at the MSG Network and I was blown away at how he could seamlessly transition from sport to sport with ease. Beyond his stellar on-air acumen, Al was a kind man who was a mentor to many young and aspiring broadcasters. Prayers to his family. RIP my friend.

Daily Specials

  • North Carolina at Florida State
  • UTRGV at McNeese
  • Michigan at Nebraska
  • Houston at Texas Tech
  • Kansas at Colorado

Leftovers