Ryan Carter: Breakfast Buffet: It?s decision day for Khem Birch

Monday, January 16, 2012

Breakfast Buffet: It?s decision day for Khem Birch

1. Highly touted Pittsburgh transfer Khem Birch visited Florida, New Mexico State and UNLV last week and will reportedly decide between the Gators and Rebels on Monday. The 6-foot-9 Montreal native would be a coup for either program. For Florida, Birch could bolster an already-thin frontcourt and provide insurance in case Patric Young leaves early for the NBA. And for UNLV, Birch would be a good fit in its up-tempo style and could help the Rebels attract No. 1 Class of 2012 recruit Shabazz Muhammad.

2. Talent-starved Arizona State is 5-10 and in no position to run off one of its best players, so it's probably safe to assume sophomore guard Keala King must have been a major head case for coach Herb Sendek to dismiss him from the team on Sunday. King, a consensus top 50 recruit in the Class of 2010, was tied with Trent Lockett as Arizona State's leading scorer at 13.7 points per game.

3. The last time Robbie Hummel played at Minnesota, he suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Feb. 2010 that prevented him from playing in the NCAA tournament that season. Hummel's return to the Barn on Sunday was a happier one as he scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a 79-66 Boilermakers victory that helped atone for a poor performance at Penn State in their previous game.

4. Cal (13-4, 3-1) has won all but one of its home games by at least 15 points, but the Bears were 0-3 on the road entering Sunday afternoon's matchup at Oregon. That's why it was significant for the Bears to flatten the Ducks 77-60 behind strong early play from senior Jorge Gutierrez (18 points) and a 23-point second half from suddenly aggressive Allen Crabbe (26 points, 12 rebounds).

5. In this story from SportingNews.com's Mike DeCourcy, Baylor coach Scott Drew responds to criticism star Perry Jones III has received for shying away from contact and not being aggressive enough on the low block. "I think Perry's more physical this year. He is stronger, bigger, more mature," Drew said. "He wasn't one of those 24-year old freshmen. He's a younger guy, and as he continues to develop he'll be able to take more advantage of things inside."

The best dunk of the weekend may not have belonged to either an NBA or college player. Five-star class of 2013 prospect Chris Walker certainly has a case after the Holmes County High (Fla.) star took flight over a defender in transition and threw down a one-handed jam. Walker, a 6-foot-9 forward, has shown the most interest in Florida, Kansas and Kentucky.

"There is goodness in the world." -- Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello upon hearing the George Mason marching band's terrific cover of "Killing in the Name" and "Bulls on Parade" for the first time. Of course, were Morello a regular reader of the Dagger, he'd have first heard this last March. We forgive you, Tom. (Twitter)