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The Breakfast Buffet: Iowa sends a message, Michigan’s balance, Nebraska/St. John’s

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

Iowa sends a message
In 2020, this program lost Luka Garza, Joe Wieskamp, and C.J. Fredrick. In 2021, it lost Keegan Murray. But Iowa’s product has never changed, as evidenced by the Hawkeyes’ 83-67 win over Seton Hall on Wednesday night in Newark. The signature win was also a coming out party for Kris Murray — the brother of Keegan Murray — who finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds in the triumph. He also made three three-point shots. With Murray and burly veteran guard Tony Perkins (18 points, five assists against Seton Hall) leading the way, Iowa should once again have a team that can compete at the top of the Big Ten and advance to the NCAA Tournament. Through three games, the Hawkeyes are averaging 94.7 points.

Michigan has deceptive balance
The world knows that Hunter Dickinson is an All-American, but his supporting cast is now coming to the forefront. Michigan had seven players score between seven and 17 points in a convincing 91-60 win over Pitt on Monday night at the Barclays Center, further reiterating that this team is about much more than just one player. Jett Howard led the Wolverines with 17 points. “You have to pick your poison with them,” Pitt head coach Jeff Capel said following the game. “Obviously, so much of the attention goes on Hunter, but tonight the other guys around him really made shots.” Dickinson finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. He came into Monday night’s game averaging 26.5 points and 9.5 rebounds.

Nebraska visits St. John’s
This isn’t the most intriguing matchup in the Gavitt Games this week, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not significant for both programs. Nebraska (2-0) is just 26-67 in four years under Fred Hoiberg and needs to show tangible progress this season. St. John’s (3-0) meanwhile is 53-41 in four years under Mike Anderson and its fan base is anxious for its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2019, which occurred under Chris Mullin. The winner of tonight’s game will have early season momentum. The loser will have early season adversity. It will be interesting to see how Hoiberg devises a plan to handle St. John’s relentless defensive pressure, which is always magnified within the confines of Carnesecca Arena.

On The Side

  • Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner has made 19 consecutive field goals in his last two games. That’s utterly ridiculous. After battling an illness in the season opener, the 7-1 junior is very much back on track and has averaged 23.5 points, five rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in his last two games. The Bluejays will look to improve to 4-0 tonight at home against UC Riverside.
  • Today’s game between Penn State (3-0) and Furman (3-0) in the first round of the Charleston Classic has a “sneaky good” feel to it. Both teams enter today’s game averaging 83 points or more and both are ranked among the Top 33 teams nationally in offensive efficiency according to KenPom.com. The Paladins are again expected be one of the top mid-majors in the country under Bob Richey.
  • Jordan Davis — the brother of former Wisconsin star Johnny Davis — is starting to emerge for the Badgers. After averaging just 1.3 points a year ago, the 6-4 junior is averaging 10 points and four rebounds in three games this season. Keep an eye on Davis next week as Wisconsin (3-0) plays three high profile games in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.
  • One off-the-radar score of note this week: New Mexico put up 84 in a 21-point win at SMU on Tuesday. The Lobos may very well have college basketball’s most underrated backcourt in Jaelen House (20.7 points) and Jamal Mashburn Jr. (18.7 points). This is the sleeper team in the Mountain West.
  • The ACC has lost seven “buy games” in the first 10 days of the 2022-23 season. Five of those losses are by Florida State and Louisville.

Daily Specials

  • Furman/Penn State (Charleston Classic)
  • Colorado/UMass (Myrtle Beach Invitational)
  • Nebraska at St. John’s (Gavitt Games)
  • Michigan/Arizona State (Legends Classic)
  • Pitt/VCU (Legends Classic)

Leftovers