Breakfast Buffet: Kentucky spoils Bruce Pearl's return

1. Whatever problems Kentucky has winning close games on the road, it doesn't seem to translate to when the Wildcats are at home. They rebounded, defended and made hustle plays that were lacking during a pair of road losses last week, spoiling Bruce Pearl's return on Tuesday night with a convincing 73-61 victory over Tennessee.

2. What more could possibly go wrong at Kansas State this season? Well, maybe a rules violation serious enough to threaten the remainder of big man Curtis Kelly's season. Kelly remains on the team for now while he's being investigated for an undisclosed violation that does not involve NCAA rules, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported Tuesday.

3. Xavier validated its strong start in Atlantic 10 play by going to Georgia and taking down the Bulldogs. Not only do the surging Musketeers look like a solid bet to return to the NCAA tournament, they also appear capable of landing a favorable first-round matchup if they can continue this hot streak this month.

4. Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn gets graph-happy to measure the offensive progression of the nation's top freshmen. The bottom line: Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones, Harrison Barnes and Will Barton are rising the fastest, Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph and Brandon Knight are marginally rising and Terrence Jones and Joe Jackson are decreasing.

5. Schools have long enlisted students or academic advisers to make sure athletes are in class like they're supposed to be, but Kansas has taken that to another level. The Wall Street Journal reports the Jayhawks have hired a brigade of senior citizens to stand guard in hopes that the elderly men and women aren't as easily charmed as the students who would normally serve as class checkers.

If kids dressed in banana costumes isn't the most bizarre student section trend of the season, then that title may go to these choreographed dance numbers during TV timeouts. First there was Northern Iowa students performing "The Interlude." Now the above video shows Kansas fans upping the ante during Monday night's game against rival Missouri.

"When (SEC) Commissioner (Mike) Slive penalized me the eight games I think he originally wanted to do 10, but he looked at the schedule and saw that I have to go to Rupp and the O'Dome, he decided to settle for just eight and make me go those two places." -- Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl on returning from his suspension to play at Kentucky and Florida this week. (The Associated Press)

• No. 16 Louisville at No. 8 Notre Dame, 7 p.m. EST

• No. 11 Georgetown at No. 12 Syracuse, 7 p.m. EST

• No. 17 Florida at South Carolina, 8 p.m. EST

• No. 3 Texas at Oklahoma, 9 p.m. EST

• No. 20 North Carolina at No. 5 Duke, 9 p.m. EST