Week 3 Recap: Appetizer Week is Done, Feast Week is NOW
HELLOOOO MY FRIENDS IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL,
Welcome to one of the Top 3 holiest weeks on the college basketball calendar, the official beginning of reduced work productivity through the end of the year, and the ramping-up of college hoops competition through April: FEAST WEEK. Appetizer Week provided some strong momentum that carries into this week, and things really start to heat up today. We have a TON of good basketball to look forward to ALL WEEK, so I hope you showed up hungry. Let’s recap what we saw last week, then quickly preview the fantastic set of upcoming multi-team events, headlined by the Maui Invitational, the inaugural Players Era Festival, and of course the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis. And as the Maui returns to its rightful place in the recovering town of Lahaina, let us all take a moment to remember the legend that is Bill Walton. Let’s be grateful for the greatness that he shared with us for decades, for the immaculate vibes that he brought to that event for years, and for the messages he shared with us about appreciating life. Alright y’all, LET’S FEAST. For our first course, the 10 Most Important Things from Week 3:
Duke beats Arizona 69-55 in Tucson, and Arizona might be in pre-panic mode…oh, and Caleb Love (respectfully) stinks again. Cooper Flagg led the Blue Devils with 24 pts on 10/22 shooting. Knueppel was the only other Duke player in double figures with 13 pts that included 3 triples (50% from 3). The bulk of Duke’s shooting volume came from those two, plus Tyrese Proctor. But it wasn’t the offense that impressed the college basketball world on Friday - Duke’s defense suffocated the Wildcats in their own building. They only gave up 55 pts, less than 40% shooting from the field - including 26% shooting (6/23) from 3 - forced 15 turnovers, and dominated the rebounding game, 43-30. Jaden Bradley and KJ Lewis were pretty damn good for Arizona, scoring 18 and 12 respectively, to make up more than half of AZ’s points. Highly rated freshman Carter Bryant made some big plays throughout the game, as well. But the Cats didn’t get much out of anyone else, and that was the difference. But Caleb Love was awful, as he can sometimes be in big spots - he was 3/13 including 1/9 from 3. The final score makes it seem like the game was less close than it actually was, for most of the time - Zona was within striking distance for most of the second half, but only scored 9 points in the final 8 minutes, and you’re not going to upset a better team that way. Love was a big part of that, going 1/5 from the field in that stretch. My general thoughts are that this game showed promise for Duke, and serious cause for concern for Arizona. Duke proved that it can win ugly games by playing elite defense (now #1 in defensive efficiency per KenPom) and crashing the boards - so even if their offense is stalling out (like it does), they can still win games in other ways, like dragging opponents into the mud with them. And that’s a pretty good performance for Cooper in a tough environment for his first true road trip, especially after choking at the end of the UK game. But I think this game says even more about Arizona than it does about Duke. Arizona has two very good, reliable guards, a 3rd guard in Caleb Love who is a WILD CARD with perhaps the widest range of variance in his performance of any player to ever play high level college basketball (he’s shooting 32% FG, 21% 3FG this year), and 4-5 *pretty good*, not great frontcourt guys. They’re a bad shooting team right now (27% from 3 as a team, 44% from the field), and they only have 1 more non-con opportunity to pad their resume (UCLA) before they get into the gauntlet that is Big 12 play. Their season isn’t over, there are still a lot of games to play, but I think my concerns for this Arizona team coming into the season are being validated, and that the step down in overall roster talent is translating to a much lower ceiling for the Wildcats this year.
Tennessee continues its hot start to the season by dominating the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship. The Volunteers are 6-0, extending that undefeated record last week by beating both UVA and Baylor by double digits in Nassau. Their lowest margin of victory so far this season is 15 pts, and that was against Baylor (77-62), who Tennessee was beating by as much as 28 pts in the first half. They’re currently #5 in KenPom, with the #2 rated defense (of course), and Chaz Lanier is officially the star that Rick Barnes needed to replace Dalton Knecht to keep his team in serious contention this season. He’s averaging almost 18 ppg, shooting 49% from the field and 55% from 3 (!!!). He hit SEVEN threes and had 25 pts against Baylor - all in the first half! Simply put, Chaz is a bucket. Igor Milicic, Zakai Zeigler, and Jordan Gainey have all been fantastic as well, averaging >10 ppg. Anytime a Rick Barnes Tennessee team can score, they’re going to be a problem - and right now, they’re the #6 team in the country in effective FG%. Alright, that’s enough Tennessee adoration for now. Apparently some other basketball teams played in this tournament - though not “well”, per se.
Before getting smacked around by the Vols (it was a bloodbath - Omier had 22, Edgecombe had 20, and nary another Bear even left the locker room) Baylor beat St. John’s in an instant classic. The Bears stunned the Johnnies when Jeremy Roach hit a back-breaking last second three to win 99-98 in 2OT. The opportunity came on a rebound after a second consecutive missed free throw by St. John’s second leading scorer and primary big man Zuby Ejiofor; making the narrow, improbable loss that much more painful. The Red Storm bounced back with a big 80-55 win over Virginia, but you don’t get kudos for beating the Cavaliers anymore - because they are bad at basketball. And whatever good feeling came from that whoopin’ dissolved two days later, when Pitino’s team lost a brutal game to Georgia, 66-63. They shot 31% from the field and 10.5% from 3 (2/19…woof). Not the end of the world for SJU, as it’s plenty early and UGA is a talented young team with a slim, but real shot at a tournament berth this season…but they’re going to wish that game was a win if they’re anywhere near the bubble in early March.
Marquette beats Purdue SOUNDLY 76-58, Kam Jones messed around and got a triple-double, and he may be the best player in the country. Mr. Jones tallied 17 pts on 7/12 shooting, 13 boards, and 10 assists in the 2023 Maui Invitational Championship revenge game against Purdue, snapping their 39 game non-conference winning streak. The Boilermakers were in a classic letdown spot after an emotional home win over then #2 Alabama, and let a small Marquette lead turn into a big lead late in the game, scoring only 10 pts in the final 10 minutes. For Purdue, the usual suspects performed decently well: Trey Kaufman-Renn had 16 pts and 8 boards, Braden Smith had 11 pts and 9 assists, and Fletcher Loyer had 13 pts. Furst and Heide each added 8 a piece, but only 1 other player - starting center Will Berg - scored (that’s bad), and they had 2 pts (very bad). Purdue’s supporting cast completely crumbled against Marquette’s experienced lineup. Marquette has a Top 10 defense, and is the 10th best team in the country at forcing turnovers - which they did with great proficiency against Purdue, forcing the Boilermakers to cough up the ball 15 times. Marquette is 6-0 and looking very good so far this season. Not only is Kam Jones one of the best players in college basketball as of right now, the Golden Eagles have another 3 players who are playing really good ball right now. Stevie Mitchell and Chase Ross round out what looks like one of the best backcourts in the country, and both are averaging double digit points. David Joplin is the second leading scorer on the team with 15 pts and 6 boards per game, and he’s not even playing that well. He’s shooting the ball uncharacteristically poorly so far (2/20 FGs over 2 games vs. CMU and Maryland didn’t help), but he did just notch 29 pts in the team’s win over Georgia on Saturday.
Alabama bounces back with 100-87 win over Illinois without so much as a point from Sears - the Tide’s offense is rolling back to its efficient ways, even if Sears isn’t yet. Grant Nelson led the way for Bama with 23 pts on 9/15 shooting, 8 boards, and 4 blocks. Reserve guard Aden Holloway had a breakout game with 18 pts on 7/10 shooting (3/4 from 3), while Latrell Wrightsell and Labaron Philon each added 16 pts. I think if you’re a Bama fan, even if you’re worried about Sears, I think you come away from this game realizing the floor is pretty damn high because of how much talent is on the team. Nelson can be a solid #1, and there are lots of other scoring options. For Illinois, this game wasn’t a must-win and losing it doesn’t change their season by any means, but it was an important gauge for how far along they are and what we can expect from them going forward. I’d give them a solid B grade - they weren’t bad, they just weren’t as good as Alabama. Even if you’re high on the freshmen Riley (18 pts), Jakucionis (15 pts), and Ivisic (14 pts) - which you should be, especially after this game - I think it’s fair to say that the Illini just don’t have the same firepower as Alabama in terms of roster talent. They just don’t. Boswell and Humrichous played well too, so Underwood got good contributions out of 5 players, but the rest of the team was pretty lackluster. I’m still bullish on Illinois’ upside because I think their young guys will only get better, and they’ll hopefully clean up some minor issues that will make them more competitive in big games like this (13 turnovers, 13/24 FT shooting, play better defense, etc.), but I’m not sure how high the ceiling is if they can only rely on ~5 dudes. I would also be remiss in my duties as the #1 observer of The Fraud Stat (defensive turnover rate), if I didn’t point out that Illinois currently ranks 276th in this category. Not going to beat a Top 5 offense without applying defensive pressure.
Wisconsin wins the Greenbrier Tip-Off, fueled by another big performance from John Tonje! The Badgers stayed perfect at 7-0 with a big win over Pitt on Sunday, beating the maybe-sneaky-good Panthers 81-75. Tonje had 25 of his 33 pts in the second half, and had another impressive performance from the FT line: 10/10. Tonje is averaging 23 ppg, 54% from the field, 41% from 3, and 95% from the charity stripe - that’s right, there is a Wisconsin Badger in the 50/40/90 club. In fact, the Wisconsin Badgers, perhaps the most surprisingly good team so far thus season, boast the 12th most efficient offense in the country and are #1 in team FT% at 86.5% (laughably high). Who do these Badgers think they are, scoring points and what-not?! This is not your old-fashioned, defensive-minded Badgers team. Although being good at free throws is arguably one of the more old-fashioned ways to win basketball games. They have plenty of tests coming up, with a 4-game stretch of Michigan, Marquette, Illinois, and Butler starting next Tuesday. But assuming things don’t go off the rails in conference play, it looks like Wisconsin will be dancing again this March, and Greg Gard may just save his job. And although this game didn’t go their way, keep an eye on Pitt - they may be the 3rd best team in the ACC this season. Shame on me for overlooking them in my preview. KenPom loves them (17th overall), and their backcourt is playing really well so far. Ishmael Leggett is averaging 18 ppg, fellow guards Jaland Lowe and Damian Dunn (may sound familiar from Houston and Temple) are also averaging double digit scoring, and big men Cameron Corhen and Guillermo Diaz Graham are both shooting 70%+ around the basket thus far.
Hoiberg’s Huskers get a huge win - Ashworth injury spells trouble for Creighton. Nebraska, an NCAA Tournament bubble hopeful with a really good defense, won a huge in-state non-con matchup ON THE ROAD against the Creighton Blue Jays last Friday. The Huskers barely lost to Saint Mary’s, and desperately needed this W to start building a tournament resume. Fred Hoiberg has this Nebraska program moving in the right direction in this third chapter of his career, as he looks to redeem himself after leaving Iowa State for an unsuccessful stint as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls. He has built this team mostly out of transfers - all of his top 6 scorers began their careers elsewhere. Super senior wing Brice Williams, the team’s leading scorer, had 16 pts, as did forward Juwan Gary. Williams is basically Nebraska’s John Tonje: a national “free throw merchant” sensation. Connor Essegian (formerly of Wisconsin), Berke Buyuktuncel (formerly of UCLA), and Rollie Worster (formerly of Utah) all scored 11+ pts as well. The Huskers forced 17 turnovers against Creighton, who famously lose the turnover battle in almost every game, and only allowed 33% shooting from the field (29% from 3). Remember at the beginning of the season when we were talking about Ryan Kalkbrenner being Player of the Year? Well, somehow, he only took (and missed) 1 shot in 39 minutes of play…and it was a 3 (but shot 4/8 from the free throw line). Coach Hoiberg’s defensive game plan was to refuse him touches and easy looks inside, and it seemed to work exceptionally well. Pop Isaacs scored 25 pts to lead the Jays, and Steven Ashworth, Jamiya Neal, and Jackson McAndrew played pretty well…but Traudt and Miller were awful. To make matters worse for Creighton, Ashworth - their second leading scorer and best shooter - suffered a nasty ankle injury late in the game, and will likely miss a few weeks of play. That’s obviously horrible news for Steven and Creighton as a team, but the timing is particularly rough as Creighton’s next 6 games include: San Diego State, Texas A&M, another Players Era Festival opponent, Kansas, and Alabama. The supporting cast of this top-heavy Jays team is going to have to grow up fast…
Mayhem ensues in the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic, a major bubble team preview. If I’m not mistaken, I believe every underdog won in the first round of this fine Appetizer Week MTE. Drake beat Miami, FAU beat Oklahoma State, Seton Hall beat VCU, and Vanderbilt beat Nevada. I hope some wonderfully devoted college basketball sicko had that underdog parlay cookin’ last week. In the 2nd round, Drake beat FAU and Vandy beat up on Seton Hall to set the stage for a Bulldogs vs. Commodores final. And Drake, led by first year head coach Ben McCollum, overpowered first year head coach Mark Byington’s Vanderbilt team to stay a perfect 6-0, picking up three Top 100 wins in the process. My takeaways from the event are as follows: Drake and Vanderbilt are legit bubble contenders as of now, Seton Hall (who finished 3rd after beating FAU) is still not good and will miss the tourney, Nevada (who went 2-1 with wins over VCU and Ok St) is still a pretty solid team and on track to contend for the MWC and a tournament spot, VCU had a bad week after a really promising start and really hurt its at-large chances, and Miami and Oklahoma State are bad basketball teams.
Texas wins UKG Legends Classic, but not in impressive fashion because the offense still kinda stinks. The Longhorns beat Syracuse 70-66 and Saint Joe’s 67-58 to take home what I’m willing to bet will be their last bit of hardware earned this season. Tre Johnson is still the main reason they’re able to score - he’s averaging 21 ppg on 15+ shots. Arthur Kaluma and Kadin Shedrick are the only other players averaging double digit points. The Horns are 12th in defensive efficiency (pretty good!) but 49th on offense (not great). And their schedule kind of stinks. They lost their only tough game so far to Ohio State on opening night, their two wins from this event were against teams outside the Top 90 in KenPom, they play 5 of the absolute worst teams in D1 college basketball before SEC play begins, and the only other notable non-con tests on the calendar are against NC State next Wed and UCONN a week from this coming Sunday. We’ll see how they do in those tougher contests, but as of now I’m not bullish on Texas.
Texas Tech dealt a big loss by St. Joe’s, and didn’t play great against Syracuse either. The Red Raiders hit a roadblock in legitimizing themselves as a Top 25 team and potential dark horse Big 12 contender, by losing 78-77 to St. Joseph’s last Thursday. JT Toppin, who is one of the most efficient players in the country so far this season, put forth a strong effort to try to help his team survive an ugly shooting day from deep (4/20 3FG), but it wasn’t enough as the Hawks shot 46% from the field, hit 12 threes on 55% 3FG shooting, and managed to win by hitting a go-ahead free throw with 13 second left. Darrion Williams missed a shot to win as time expired, and Tech was left holding the L. The Raiders did beat Syracuse 79-74 in the 3rd place game of the UKG Legends Classic, but beating the #101 KenPom team by 5 isn’t exactly a relief. Grant McCasland’s team didn’t look good in its first two games vs. Top 101 opponents, especially on the defensive end. It didn’t shoot the ball well either. Tech still has to play the much-improved DePaul Blue Demons and Texas A&M aggies, but those are the only two remaining non-con games that will be worth mentioning during seeding in March. Keep an eye on Tech in those games to see if they step up, or if they continue to struggle.
Gonzaga impressive again in road test at San Diego State. The Zags defeated the Aztecs 80-67, as Graham Ike and Ryan Nembhard led the way with 23 pts and 19 pts, respectively. They didn’t shoot particularly well (42% from the field, 25% from 3), but managed to win in a hostile road environment at Viejas Arena by getting to the line (27-31 FTs), winning the rebounding battle, and holding SDSU to under 38% shooting on the night.
Other Games & Off The Court Happenings:
Notable Remaining Undefeated Teams: Auburn, Gonzaga, Tennessee, UCONN, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas, Marquette, Kentucky, Florida, Mississippi State, BYU, Wisconsin, Memphis, Oregon, Penn State, Indiana, Dayton, Saint Mary’s, and Xavier
Memphis wins a solid non-con matchup vs. San Francisco on Thursday, 68-64. Dain Dainja had a big game with 18 pts, as PJ Haggerty had a rough game shooting only 2/9 from the field. This was an ugly game - both teams shot under 37% from the field. Both teams have huge games coming up: Memphis vs. UCONN and the rest of the Maui Invitational games; while SF plays Clemson in another high-major test.
Oregon survives a scare vs. rival Oregon State. Nate Bittle had a career high 23 pts and 14 rebounds as the Ducks rallied past the Beavers to stay undefeated. The Ducks have had some underwhelming victories so far - I’m watching them close as they start a much tougher stretch of their schedule. Their next 5 include: Texas A&M, San Diego State, another Players Era game, USC, and UCLA.
Cincinnati SMOKED Georgia Tech, 81-58. Dillon Mitchell, Jizzle James, and Connor Hickman all had 14 pts (and Lukosius added 12), as the Bearcats extended their undefeated season to 5-0. They shot 41% from 3 (9/22), and 52% from the field, while holding GT under 36% FG shooting. Keep an eye on the Bearcats - they’ve played a pretty weak schedule so far, but they’re #7 in KenPom, with the #2 effective FG% in the nation (44% from 3 + 62% from 2, as a team). They play Villanova next Tuesday, then Xavier and Dayton before Big 12 play begins.
Rutgers lost to Kennesaw State, 79-77. The Scarlet Knights were down 18 at half, and despite a valiant comeback still fell to the Owls. Dylan Harper had 21, Ace Bailey had 17, and Rutgers forced 22 turnovers…but were outrebounded 46-27. Holy cow, that’s quite a discrepancy. I think I know what they’re going to work on in practice this week. That’s a concerning result right before Rutgers’ schedule heats up. They play Notre Dame, Alabama, and a 3rd Players Era game, then Ohio State and Penn State.
Maryland beat Villanova by 1 on Sunday, as the Wildcats fall to 3-4. Eric Dixon…that poor guy…had THIRTY EIGHT (38!) points on 15/29 shooting, while only one of his teammates cracked double digit points (Jhamir Brickus, with 11). I think Dixon might need to take every shot if they want to win games. Nova had a 12 pt halftime lead, then allowed 48 pts in the second half. Derik Queen led the Terps with 22 pts, Julian Reese had 18, Rodney Rice had 16, and Gillespie added 12.
LSU beat UCF in the Greenbrier Tip-Off 3rd Place game, 109-102 in 3OT! Each team had three 20+ pt scorers (LSU: Jalen Reed, Cam Carter, Jordan Sears; UCF: Keyshawn Hall, Jordan Ivy-Curry, Darius Johnson). There were 179 FG attempts, 70 3pt attempts, 54 free throws shot, 108 rebounds, and 33 turnovers. Hell yes.
Kansas State couldn’t even make the Paradise Jam title game, lost to Liberty, 67-65. The Wildcats stood out as the only high major team in that field, and they still couldn’t win 3 in a row. The offense is brutal, the defense is okay (although the Cats are allowing 38% 3pt shooting, 316th in the nation), and there are only two warm-up games left until the schedule gets MUCH tougher for the rest of the season.
In a postgame presser, Ed Cooley took a momentum while praising Jayden Epps’ development as an opportunity to indirectly refer to Illinois as a “piece of sh*t school”...lol what, why?! Cooley since apologized, trying making it seem like he was joking with Epps about how much better Georgetown is than Illinois, but…I don’t think the story is as simple as that. That’s like an overly aggressive joke you make when you’re an awkward nervous guy trying to fit in and be cool among a new crowd. That’s like a joke Channing Tatum’s character tried to make with the Gen Z kids in 21 Jump Street when he went back to high school and wasn’t the cool jock anymore. And then he had a Trump-y moment where he said something like “I’m sure that will make the national news, but I never said what school it was!”...well, Jayden Epps only went to one other school, so I think it’s pretty clear which school you were referencing. I don’t want to read too far into it, but something like that makes me worry that he’s losing his cool-ey as the Hoyas struggle to return to previous levels of competitiveness.
FEAST WEEK SCHEDULE:
Below, I’ve listed the 15 Feast Week MTEs with games still remaining to be played (some started / ended last week) - I’ll preview / break down some thoughts on the Top 3 events, as well.
1. Maui Invitational: Mon Nov 25 - Wed Nov 27
I’m writing this as UCONN is down 10 pts to Memphis late in the second half, and I was definitely going to pick UCONN in this game, but I promise I was also going to say something like “keep an eye out for Memphis to keep this uncomfortably close”. Memphis has some guys who can just straight up hoop. Don’t believe me? Completely understandable - I wouldn’t either. I’m going to say the same thing about Colorado and Michigan State - in fact, I think that’s going to be true for every first round game. I like Sparty to win, but I don’t know that they’re *that much better than Colorado at the moment. I like Akins and Richardson to outperform Colorado’s backcourt, but Jakimovski (surreal name) and Malone might give MSU’s bigs some trouble. But Colorado turns the ball over more than almost anyone in the country, and that’s not the kind of team Izzo loses to very often. Auburn / Iowa State being a Round 1 game is a wild decision…but at least we’re definitely going to see that game! I think Iowa State’s backcourt is better, but the overall talent level lags what Auburn can put on the floor. It’s going to be another rugby game like the Auburn / Houston game was. UNC is likely the toughest game on Dayton’s schedule, and I think it’ll result in an L for the Flyers. Dayton doesn’t have the size to take advantage of UNC in the post, so I think the Heels’ superior offense will have some room to breathe. Carolina also plays a much faster pace than Dayton - if one team can dictate the tempo, it will create an advantage, so look for how quickly things are moving in the game.
Give me Memphis over Michigan State in Round 2. Auburn vs. UNC will be a fascinating Round 2 game - Broome is going to feast on both ends, so UNC will need to rely heavily on the guards / wings to keep the offense moving. Give me Auburn in that one. I’ll take Auburn over Memphis, and UNC over Sparty in the 3rd place game. In the loser’s bracket, I just hope we get to see Iowa State vs. UCONN.
2. Players Era Festival: Tues Nov 26, Wed Nov 27, Sat Nov 30
This format is kinda crazy, but let’s think through it together. Houston and Alabama are pretty clearly the two best teams, so it’s kinda weird they play the first day but again I’m glad we get to see the matchup of two WILDLY different styles. I’ll say Houston punches Bama in the mouth a bit on defense and on the boards. Rutgers / ND will be close, both just lost bad games, so I’ll go with the team with 2 lottery picks (Rutgers). The “Power Group” is a bit less exciting than it seemed before the season. SDSU may very well beat Creighton with Ashworth out, especially as a good defensive team. This will be the Fraud Stat Bowl, as neither team forces any turnovers. I’ll take Creighton because SDSU struggles offensively. Oregon vs. A&M should be competitive, but I’d lean A&M.
Alabama should beat Rutgers, Houston WILL beat Notre Dame. Oregon / SDSU is a fun matchup! I think I’d take the Ducks there. I’ll take A&M vs. Creighton - they’re a tougher team, they’ll muck things up and Creighton won’t be able to score as easily without Ashworth. I think that leaves Houston vs. A&M in the title game, a replay of the epic NCAA Tournament game from March! Give me Houston in that one. And I think that’ll leave Creighton vs. Bama, which is a game already scheduled for Dec. 14th (lol). I’ll take Bama there. Overall, I’ll be looking to see how Houston looks offensively after the Auburn loss, how Mark Sears plays after his recent cold streak, how easily Creighton can score without their best shooter, if A&M is as good as everyone expected, and if Oregon can win a meaningful game.
3. Battle 4 Atlantis: Wed Nov 27 - Fri Nov 29
I’m paying the most attention to the top half of this bracket. Indiana / Louisville is very likely the best first round game in this field - I like Indiana, Mgbako is taking a transformative leap into a star player and the roster is much more complete than in previous years. Louisville could keep this close, but they still need to figure out a few things on offense. I think Gonzaga rolls West Virginia, OU beats Providence, and Arizona beats Davidson.
Indiana vs. Gonzaga is the game I really want to see out of this tournament. I think Gonzaga will be a pretty solid favorite, but if Indiana competes hard and is still in it at the end, I’ll feel pretty good about them moving forward. Arizona should beat OU - if they don’t, there’s a big problem in Tucson. That leaves us with a Mark Few vs. Tommy Lloyd showdown, putting Lloyd up against his former boss and team. Should be close-ish, but I think this is Gonzaga’s tournament to lose. I like the Zags to roll, especially against such an offensively challenged field.
Best of the Rest, Ranked (let us all give thanks to Acrisure for sponsoring half of Feast Week):
4. Rady Children’s Invitational: Thurs Nov 28, Fri Nov 29 - Purdue, NC State, BYU, Ole Miss
5. Vegas Showdown: Tues Nov 26, Sat Nov 30 - Duke, Kansas, Furman, Seattle
6. Acrisure Classic: Thurs Nov 28, Fri Nov 29 - USC, Saint Mary’s, New Mexico, Arizona State
7. Arizona Tip-Off: Thurs Nov 28, Fri Nov 29 - Butler, Northwestern, UNLV, Mississippi State
8. ESPN Events Invitational: Thurs Nov 28, Fri Nov 29 - Minnesota, Wichita State, Florida, Wake Forest
9. Fort Meyers Tip-Off: Mon Nov 25, Wed Nov 27 - Michigan, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Xavier
10. Acrisure Invitational: Thurs Nov 28, Fri Nov 29 - TCU, Santa Clara, Washington, Colorado State
11. Sunshine Slam: Mon Nov 25, Tues Nov 26 - Penn State, Fordham, Clemson, San Francisco
12. NIT Season Tip-Off: Thurs Nov 28, Fri Nov 29 - Utah State, St. Bonaventure, Northern Iowa, North Texas
13. Paradise Jam: Fri Nov 22 - Mon Nov 25 - Longwood, UAB, McNeese, Illinois State, Louisiana, Liberty, George Washington, Kansas State
14. Acrisure Holiday Invitational: Tues Nov 26, Wed Nov 27 - SMU, CBU, Fresno State, Wazzu
15. Cancun Challenge: Tues Nov 26, Wed Nov 27 - Wyoming, Tulane, Loyola Marymount, Belmont
Last, but certainly not least, let’s check in on our Top 40 Teams That Matter:
National Title Favorites
1. Kansas
2. Gonzaga
3. Auburn
Serious Final Four Contenders
4. Kentucky
5. Tennessee
6. Duke
7. Houston
8. Iowa State
9. North Carolina
10. Marquette
Could Make a Final Four (and Beat Most Teams on a Good Day)
11. Purdue
12. Alabama
13. UCONN (this is knowing they lost the Memphis game)
14. Indiana
15. Florida
16. Memphis
17. Wisconsin
18. Baylor
Could Make an Elite Eight Run, but Probably Not Make a Final Four
19. Illinois
20. Xavier
21. Cincinnati
22. Mississippi State
23. Arkansas
24. Texas A&M
25. Ohio State
26. St. John’s
27. Texas Tech
28. Creighton
Should Make the Tournament, but Sweet Sixteen is the Ceiling
29. Maryland
30. Arizona
31. BYU
32. Michigan State
33. Dayton
34. Pitt
35. Saint Mary’s
36. Drake
37. Ole Miss
38. UCLA
39. Texas
40. Oregon
Honorable Mention (No Order): San Francisco, Michigan, Saint Mary’s, Boise State, Penn State, LSU, Georgia, Clemson, Nebraska, Nevada, Vanderbilt, New Mexico, and Still Not Villanova
Alright y’all, this thing is already going pretty long, so we’ll just wrap up here for this week. Thanks again for reading the newsletter! I hope you and yours enjoy a damn fine Feast Week on-and-off the court, and in-and-out of the kitchen. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone - we here at BracketBound are eternally grateful for you and your support. We’re also damn grateful for college basketball. Enjoy, and we’ll see you next week!
Humbly Yours,
BracketBound