College Hoops Today

Serving College Basketball 365 Days a Year

The Breakfast Buffet: UCLA, Keion Brooks, Iowa/Minnesota

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

UCLA still has answers
The Bruins don’t have what they had with Chris Smith in the fold, but they still have enough to compete for a Pac-12 regular season title. Despite losing Smith to a season-ending ACL tear, UCLA moved to 9-2 following Saturday night’s win over Arizona in Tucson. Mick Cronin’s squad still needs to continue to improve defensively, but has guys like Johnny Juzang, Jules Bernard, and Jake Kyman to inherit the minutes that Smith left behind. Juzang — a transfer from Kentucky — appears to be hitting his stride and scored 16 in the win over Arizona.

Keion Brooks made an immediate difference for Kentucky
Imagine if this guy had been healthy for the entire season? Brooks’ debut on Saturday against Florida was an impressive one, as the sophomore forward posted 12 points, six rebounds, and four assists in 25 minutes. Kentucky was dominant from tip to finish in the 18-point road win, which was their third straight victory. A few weeks, my colleague and friend at CBS Sports — Wally Szczerbiak — proclaimed that the Wildcats still passed his “eye test” even though they were 1-6. I told him at the time that he was nuts. He’s not anymore. With Brooks now in the fold, Kentucky looks like a team that nobody is going to want to play in a month.

Iowa’s attempt at revenge against Minnesota
The Hawkeyes lost a heartbreaker in overtime to the Gophers on Christmas Day and they’ll go for revenge today in Iowa City. The biggest difference in Iowa now versus then? Jordan Bohannon. The Hawkeyes’ veteran point guard is finally playing like his old self and is averaging 17.7 points during this team’s three-game winning streak. Iowa’s bench is also developing, with Keegan Murray, Patrick McCaffery, and Joe Toussaint all gradually increasing their roles. Minnesota is coming off a 25-point loss at Michigan on Wednesday night. 

On The Side

  • Gonzaga’s average margin of victory is now 22.6 points. I”ll ask the question again: how is this team going to be tested before Selection Sunday if it plays the remainder of its games against WCC competition?
  • Another thing to remember about Texas’ breakthrough season? This is the first time in Shaka Smart’s career that he’s had a team ranked this high in the AP Poll. The Longhorns improved to 10-1 after Saturday’s two-point win over West Virginia and were ranked fourth in last week’s AP Top 25.
  • Ohio State needs to get more recognition for its overall toughness. The Buckeyes dominated Rutgers on Saturday in Piscataway and didn’t have their starting point guard CJ Walker available due to a hand injury. Ohio State has outrebounded the Scarlet Knights by 34 in two meetings this season.
  • Sharife Cooper is going to make Auburn a team that nobody in the SEC will want to face for the duration of the regular season. The five-star point guard was finally cleared by the NCAA on Saturday and had 26 points, nine assists, and three steals in his season debut against Alabama. Whatever “it” is, Cooper possesses. 
  • Indiana has a “trap game” tonight at Nebraska. Fred Hoiberg’s squad has yet to win a game in the Big Ten, but it’s not like they haven’t been competitive. Indiana is 7-5 following Thursday night’s double overtime loss at Wisconsin and is much better than its overall record. Two of the Hoosiers’ next three games after tonight are on the road at Iowa and Michigan State. 

Daily Specials

  • Providence at Xavier
  • Minnesota at Iowa
  • Notre Dame at Virginia Tech
  • Indiana at Nebraska
  • Maryland at Illinois

Leftovers: