College Hoops Today

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The Breakfast Buffet: Zach Freemantle, Indiana, Memphis’ backcourt

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

Zach Freemantle has returned to form for Xavier
The 6-9 forward hasn’t been a major part of college basketball for 18 months, but he’s showing why he was one of the best players in the Big East during the 2022-23 season prior to suffering a foot injury. With Long Beach State transfer Lassina Traore out for the season due to a knee injury, Freemantle has become the Musketeers’ most indispensable player up front. Entering tonight’s game against Michigan in the title game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off, Freemantle is averaging 15.7 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 55.9 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three-point range. He averaged 15.2 points and 8.2 rebounds in 22 games during the 2022-23 season before leaving the lineup. This guy is one of the top 10 players in the Big East.

We’ll know a lot more about Indiana after the next few days in the Bahamas
Are the Hoosiers a legitimate threat to win the Big Ten regular season title? We should know by Saturday morning. Indiana has arguably the most talented roster in the Big Ten, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a title contender just yet. Today’s matchup against Louisville in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis is the the first game this season for Mike Woodson’s team away from Bloomington. The Hoosiers arrive in the Bahamas at 4-0, with their only win of a note coming against South Carolina on Nov. 16th at Assembly Hall. A big 72 hours lies ahead for Indiana, who will play the winner/loser of Gonzaga/West Virginia on Thursday.

Memphis’ backcourt is elite
How many perimeters in college basketball would you take over the Tigers’ troika of Tyrese Hunter, PJ Haggerty, and Colby Rogers? There aren’t many. This trio combined for 49 of Memphis’ 71 points in Tuesday’s win over Michigan State in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational. On Monday against UConn, Hunter, Haggerty, and Roberts combined for 67 points in a 99-97 victory. The Tigers will face Auburn later today in the title game of the event.

On The Side

  • Is it time to start getting concerned about Creighton? It’s not just that the Jays have lost back-to-back games — it’s how they’ve lost back-to-back games. Creighton has averaged just 58 points in its recent defeats to both San Diego State and Nebraska. Greg McDermott’s squad will next face Texas A&M today in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.
  • Colorado lost its top five scorers — KJ Simpson, Tristan da Silva, Cody Williams, J’Vonne Hadley, and Eddie Lampkin — from last season’s team that won 26 games and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. On Tuesday, it beat UConn in the Maui Invitational. Anarchy? Nope. Just college basketball.
  • If Arizona and Gonzaga meet in the finals of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Friday it will be the first ever head-to-head meeting between Tommy Lloyd and Mark Few. Lloyd was an assistant under Few for 20 years before taking his current post in Tucson.
  • Ole Miss’ Jaylen Murray has 18 assists and zero turnovers in his last four games. The Rebels will take a 5-0 record into Thursday’s game against BYU in the first round of the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego. Purdue and NC State are also in the event.
  • Santa Clara’s 2-4 start is a major disappointment. The Broncos had hopes for an at-large bid in 2025 after three straight seasons with at least 20 or more wins, but are currently falling way short of preseason expectations.

Daily Specials

  • Auburn/Memphis (Maui Invitational)
  • UConn/Dayton (Maui Invitational)
  • North Carolina/Michigan State (Maui Invitational)
  • Michigan/Xavier (Fort Myers Tip-Off)
  • Indiana/Louisville (Battle 4 Atlantis)

Leftovers