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The Breakfast Buffet: Tristen Newton’s ball security, Iowa State, Donovan Dent

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

Tristen Newton‘s ball security is vastly improved
COVID seniors are having a massive impact on college basketball and that includes Newton. The fifth-year point guard has been the gas in UConn’s engine during the first month of the season, touching all areas of the box score and running the Huskies’ offense with the precision of a surgeon. The 6-5 point guard was a statistical machine two years ago at East Carolina (17.7 points, five assists, 4.8 rebounds) and while he’s now having a similar impact in the Big East (17.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists), Newton’s major area of growth is his overall ball security and ability to run a team. In his last four games, Newton has tallied 27 assists to just six turnovers. That type of ratio wouldn’t have seemed possible last season when he had eight turnovers in two Final Four games last April. Newton is also shooting a career-high 47.5 percent from the field. There’s not many guards in college basketball playing better than this guy.

Donovan Dent is playing like one of the best guards in the Mountain West
Never heard of Dent? You will soon enough. Pressed into expanded minutes for New Mexico after injuries to both Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr., the 6-2 Dent has maximized his opportunity. This California native scored 23 points and handed out eight assists in Wednesday night’s 23-point win over Big West favorite UC Santa Barbara and continues to look like one of the top players in the Mountain West. Dent has 18 assists and two turnovers in his last two games. Richard Pitino’s squad is now 8-1 and has the requisites to be the first New Mexico team to play in the NCAA Tournament since 2014.

Iowa/Iowa State
The only power conference game of the night features a pair of in-state rivals going head-to-head at Hilton Coliseum. Iowa was dominated from nearly tip to finish on Monday night against Purdue at Mackey Arena. Unlike past years when they’ve had go-to scorers like Kris and Keegan Murray and Luka Garza, the Hawkeyes are lacking a cemented primary option on offense. And Iowa State? The Cyclones are 6-2, but haven’t truly helped or hurt themselves yet this season. Keep an eye on sophomore point guard Tamin Lipsey, who is playing terrific basketball at the most important spot on the floor and averaging 15.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and three steals.

On The Side

  • Five different players for Gonzaga — Anton Watson, Graham Ike, Nolan Hickman, Ryan Nembhard, and Braden Huff —- are averaging between 12.5 points and 14.8 points.
  • Wisconsin is averaging 73.6 points — it averaged 64.9 points last season.
  • Mississippi State’s Tolu Smith (foot) is progressing well and could possibly return sooner than expected, Chris Jans told College Hoops Today on Wednesday. The initial return date for Smith was mid-January. A 6-9 big man, Smith averaged 15.7 points and 8.5 rebounds last season while earning first-team All-SEC honors.
  • One thing I’d never thought I’d write? Xavier has lost three straight games at the Cintas Center.
  • Xaivian Lee has been the catalyst behind Princeton’s 9-0 start. The 6-3 sophomore is averaging 19.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. Lee only averaged 4.8 points, 0.9 assists, and 1.8 rebounds a year ago as a freshman.

Daily Specials

  • Iowa at Iowa State

Leftovers