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The Breakfast Buffet: Villanova’s bench, Ben Johnson steps up a weight class, Andy Enfield

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 is a different team when it gets something off the bench
The Wildcats’ lack of depth has been discussed ad nauseam throughout the first month of the season, but Tuesday night’s 67-53 win over Syracuse in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden illustrated just how high Villanova’s ceiling is if it gets production in reserve. Trailing by three at the half, the Wildcats got a massive boost offensively in the second half from Caleb Daniels — who finished with 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench — as well as quality defense at the front of the rim by Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree. Both players did not start against the Orange. “Caleb is an explosive scorer,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said of Daniels following the game. “He was huge for us.” Cosby-Roundtree finished with three points, six rebounds, and a block in six minutes. The Wildcats are 7-2 overall and will next face Baylor in Waco on Sunday as part of the Big East-Big 12 Battle.

Ben Johnson steps up a weight class against Michigan State
Minnesota’s first-year head coach has been the early breakout star in the Big Ten, leading his alma mater to a surprising 7-0 start just months after the Gophers’ top seven scorers from last season — Marcus Carr, Liam Robbins, Gabe Kalscheur, Brandon Johnson, Jamal Mashburn Jr., Both Gach, and Tre Williams — left the program via the transfer portal. Things are now about to get more difficult. Minnesota’s Big Ten opener tonight against Michigan State at home will be Johnson’s toughest task thus far as a head coach. Things won’t get any easier on Saturday as the Gophers will play their second Big Ten game of the season against Michigan in Ann Arbor. Minnesota enters tonight’s game on the heels of back-to-back road wins against a pair of power conference teams in Pitt and Mississippi State.

Andy Enfield is college basketball’s least appreciated coach
It’s not an oversight, it’s an insult. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, Enfield is a combined 56-17 as USC’s head coach, which was highlighted by an appearance in the Elite Eight last spring. It was only the second time in program history that the Trojans have reached a regional final. USC is currently off to a 9-0 start this season following Tuesday night’s win over Eastern Kentucky, with five of its wins coming away from home. Enfield has had back-to-back lottery picks up front in Evan Mobley and Onyeka Okongwu, but this year’s team doesn’t have a big man of that caliber and is still currently undefeated. Under Enfield, the Trojans have been a perennial contender at the top of the Pac-12, finishing in third place or better in three of the last four seasons. This is the best coaching job over the last half decade that not enough people are talking about.

On The Side

  • Tonight’s game between UConn and West Virginia in Morgantown is the first meeting between the two former Big East rivals since the 2014-15 season and the first ever meeting between Dan Hurley and Bob Huggins. The Huskies lead the all-time series 16-6.
  • Can the Pac-12 already be considered just a three-bid league on Dec. 8th? It definitely feels that way. Outside of UCLA, Arizona, and USC, it’s hard to see anyone from this league earning an at-large bid on Selection Sunday. Four teams from the Pac-12 — Cal, Oregon State, Arizona State, and Washington — are currently .500 or worse.
  • Baylor is still a ways away from reaching its ceiling because Adam Flagler isn’t playing like the player that we saw in last year’s NCAA Tournament. The veteran guard is still showing rust from a preseason hand injury and is only averaging 8.4 points while shooting just 36 percent from the field. Flagler averaged 11.7 points during last season’s NCAA Tournament and had 13 in the national title game against Gonzaga.
  • 43 percent of Auburn’s field goal attempts so far this season are from three-point range. The Tigers are shooting just 33.2 percent from long distance as a team. Auburn (7-1) will next return to action on Saturday in Atlanta against Nebraska.
  • Syracuse transfer Kadary Richmond is starting to get into a rhythm for Seton Hall. An exceptional passer, the 6-6 Richmond has 23 assists to just four turnovers in his last three games. This is the most talented player in the Pirates’ program and it’s not close.

Daily Specials

  • Indiana at Wisconsin
  • UConn at West Virginia
  • Marquette at Kansas State
  • Michigan State at Minnesota
  • Utah State at BYU

Leftovers