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The Breakfast Buffet: Villanova, Harrison Ingram, Florida looked the part

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

Villanova had its best week ever under Kyle Neptune
And probably its best week since it advanced to the Final Four in 2022. The Wildcats made a national statement by winning the Battle 4 Atlantis this week in the Bahamas, which was highlighted by three wins in three days over Texas Tech, North Carolina, and Memphis. These victories validate Villanova after it was upset by Penn a few weeks ago at The Palestra. And Neptune? The 38-year old head coach needed a week like this to reiterate that he’s a capable steward of a program of this ilk. Remember: A year ago in Neptune’s first season as the Wildcats’ head coach, veteran guard Justin Moore only played 13 out of 34 games due to an achilles injury which ultimately led to a 17-17 finish for Villanova. This is Neptune’s first season on the Main Line with a fully intact roster.

Harrison Ingram is hitting his stride for North Carolina
A transfer from Stanford, the 6-7 Ingram averaged 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting a blistering 61.5 percent from three-point range during three games this week at the Battle 4 Atlantis. He never shot better than 31.9 percent from three-point range during his two years at Stanford. If Ingram can continue to perform at this level, it will give the Tar Heels a third all-conference caliber player to pair with R.J. Davis and Armando Bacot. This is a key piece to monitor for North Carolina moving ahead as a small-ball power forward.

Florida looked the part
There are no moral victories in sports, but the Gators proved in Friday’s loss against Baylor that they’re more than capable of being a major factor in the SEC. Florida scored 91 points in the four-point defeat and continues to show that it has the prowess to be an explosive offensive team. In four games this season against power conference opponents, the Gators are averaging 84 points. I had my concerns regarding Todd Golden’s squad prior to the year because a large portion of its nucleus is made up of transfers — Zyon Pullin (UC Riverside), Walter Clayton (Iona), and Will Richard (Belmont) — who started their careers at the mid-major level. Those concerns have dissipated. This should be an NCAA Tournament team in 2024.

On The Side

  • The two top candidates to be Kansas’ permanent fifth starter — Elmarko Jackson and Nick Timberlake — are a combined 6-25 from three-point range.
  • Xavier’s Dayvion McKnight has 20 assists and just two turnovers in his last four games.
  • It’s officially time to be concerned with N’Faly Dante’s long-term health. The 6-11 big man hasn’t played since his 16-point, 21-rebound performance on Nov. 6th when Oregon beat Georgia in Las Vegas and underwent surgery this past week on a hamstring injury. It’s hard to see how the Ducks can get back to the NCAA Tournament in 2024 if Dante isn’t at full strength.
  • St. John’s RJ Luis (hand) will be available for today’s game against Holy Cross, Rick Pitino told College Hoops Today on Friday. Luis has yet to play this season. A transfer from UMass, the 6-6 wing averaged 11.5 points and 4.6 rebounds a year ago at UMass.
  • Oklahoma is 6-0 for the first time since the 2015-16 season, which was the year that the Sooners advanced to the Final Four under Lon Kruger.

Daily Specials

  • Furman at UAB
  • Alabama/Oregon
  • Ohio State/Santa Clara
  • Holy Cross at St. John’s
  • Cal/San Diego State

Leftovers