Feast Week is HERE - My Top Games to Watch + Players Era Predictions
- Luke Loew
- Nov 24
- 8 min read
Feast week in College Basketball kicked off Monday — one of the best weeks of the year. Not only does it signal the start of the holiday week for Thanksgiving, meaning there's plenty of great football to come as well -- but it means we get the best stretch of non-con college hoops of the year.
It's a down year for several of these big Feast Week Tournaments -- most notably the Maui Invitational, which I'm wholly uninterested in due to the weak field. So in the first part of the blog, I'm going to give you the 3 standalone games I'm most interested in watching this week's -- all 3 of which I think are going to be back-and-forth action.
And after that, I'm going to give my predictions for the biggest Feast Week Tournament of the Week -- The Players Era. There is an absolutely STACKED field in this event, and while we know the first 2 days of matchups (and there's some great ones) -- I'm going to give my full predictions for the bracket after with quick thoughts on each game.
As I did Monday -- I'll give out my games to watch every day of feast week on my story -- so make sure you check our story every morning!
Thanksgiving Day, 4:30 PM ET, FOX
Fort Myers Tip-Off -- Beach Division
As a UNC fan, I'm sure this first game comes as no surprise. UNC and MSU square off in the Fort Myers Tip-off as the most intriguing match-up of the event -- 2 Blue Bloods that have faced off several times over the years, like last season's OT thriller in Maui and the 2009 National Championship.
Sparty enters this game red-hot with 2 statement wins on the resume already -- most recently in dominating fashion over Kentucky in the Champions Classic. Tom Izzo's group is well-balanced, deep, and when they're making 3's like they have lately, they're going to be super tough to beat. Jeremy Fears Jr. leads the NCAA in assists at 10.4 per game, Jaxon Kohler has been a double-double machine at 15/10, and Coen Carr is the most electrifying athlete in D1 basketball.
UNC got revenge and a signature win of their own early on against Kansas, but haven't looked quite as sharp without Seth Trimble (who was injured in a weight room accident). Freshman Caleb Wilson has continued to establish himself as one of the best 1st-year players in the country -- averaging 21/10 and dunking everything. 7-footer Henri Veesaar remains a huge factor, and Luka Bogavac has stepped up in Trimble's absence offensively.
I expect a very close game between two storied programs who should both be near the top in their respective conferences all season long.
Santa Clara vs Saint Louis
Thanksgiving Night, 7:00 PM ET, CBSSN
Acrisure Invitational
I'm not going to go super in-depth on this one, because I have a SLU Basketball preview coming tomorrow for all you Billikens fans out there -- but this, to me, is the best non-Power-4 match-up of the week, between 2 teams that have looked dominant early on.
Santa Clara is a team that goes under the radar in the WCC because of the dominance of Gonzaga and Saint Mary's -- but I think they're a NCAAT dark horse. They've already won games vs Xavier, McNeese, and Nevada. Herb Sandek has become known for recruiting big guards that can score it -- think Jalen Williams of the OKC Thunder. Christian Hammond is his current stud -- 6'4, 17 ppg on 50/39/82 splits. Jake Ensiminger is a guard leading them in rebounds at 8.2, but also 4+ assists at 6'9. 6'7 Elijah Mahi can do it a little bit of everything. The X-factor to me is Bucky Oboye -- a 7'1 Center who struggles with fouls, but is averaging 11 ppg in just 14 mpg. He looks like the best player on the floor when he can stay on the floor -- had 7 blocks in 19 min vs Nevada.
SLU's in Year 2 under Josh Schertz and returns their coveted star-player Robbie Avila, as well as a few other returning contributors and a batch of transfers that look to fit the system thus far. Read my blog tomorrow for a deeper dive into this roster -- but the Billikens are 5-0 and have their sights set on the A-10 Title -- and are good enough to do it.
Interested to see how the size of Santa Clara coincides with the speed and pace this SLU team likes to play with. The Bills can be turnover prone, which Santa Clara is good at capitalizing on -- but the Bills can get hot from 3 and shoot you out of the gym. Should be a fun one.
Black Friday, 12:30 PM ET, FOX
Standalone game, @ MSG
I've written about both of these teams at length in previous blogs, so going to keep this shorter -- but this is the best matchup of the week that isn't part of the Players Era. Both Brad Underwood and Dan Hurley have set their teams up to play gauntlet early season schedules to prepare themselves for March -- and this may be each teams toughest test so far.
The Illini are coming off a loss in Chicago against Alabama after beating a good Texas Tech team earlier in the season. Andrej Stojakovic is emerging as their #1 option offensively -- 20+ in 3 of his last 4 games. Kylan Boswell continues to impress, the Freshman tandem of Wagler/Mirkovic are both at 16+ ppg, and the Ivisic brothers bolster the froncourt.
The Huskies had an exciting 2-point win over BYU a couple weekends back, but followed it up with a disappointing home loss to Arizona. They did not have Tarris Reed in that game, and his availability is key for this game as UConn's only elite post threat. But freshman Eric Reibe is doing his best in relief -- 15.5 ppg in their last 2. Silas Demary just had a triple-double against Bryant, and Solo Ball / Alex Karaban continue to be veteran presences.
On Paper, I think Illinois has too many big bodies to bully UConn if Tarris Reed sits. But even if he does play -- the Illini's big men are super versatile. They can play on the perimeter, pound you on the block, pass, shoot -- just a well-rounded group. I like Illinois today as I write this, but hard to bet against the Huskies.
The Players Era
There are games going on as I write this on Monday, and there are set match-ups on Tuesday as well. So it's difficult to predict exactly how the bracket is going to shake out -- it's based on your record in your first 2-games, point-differential, head-to-head, and if it comes down to it -- AP ranking.
I wanted to write in my dark horses to win each pod -- like Oregon in Pod 2 and Notre Dame in Pod 1 -- but their first games will be over by the time this publishes Tuesday. I'm writing the below predictions before Day 1's games start -- but will update the Pods with Final scores as they go final Day 1.
Pod 1 - "MGM Grand"
Rutgers, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Kansas, Houston, Gonzaga, Alabama, UNLV, Maryland, Syracuse
Pod 1 Day 1 Match-ups
Tennessee vs Rutgers (85-60)
Notre Dame vs Kansas (61-71)
Houston vs Syracuse (78-74 OT)
Gonzaga vs Alabama (95-85)
Maryland vs UNLV (74-67)
Pod 1 Day 2 Match-Ups
Notre Dame vs Rutgers
Kansas vs Syracuse
Houston vs Tennessee
Gonzaga vs Maryland
Alabama vs UNLV
This pod has 10 teams compared to 8 in the other, and it's clearly a stacked group. The two best teams in the event to me -- Houston and Gonzaga -- and arguably the 3rd best in Bama, AND arguably the 4th best if you have conviction about Tennessee.
I like how the bracket broke for Houston -- I think they'll handle Syracuse well, and as long as they can beat Tennessee, their high AP ranking and point differential should bode well.
The winner of Gonzaga/Alabama will also have a good path -- both highly ranked teams with softer 2nd round match-ups. I currently lean Gonzaga in that game because I think they'll punish Bama on the glass -- but if Bama gets hot from deep with their better guards, they can beat anyone.
The dark horse in this pod is Notre Dame -- I don't think they will beat Kansas, but I think they could play them closer than most expect. Then they draw a bad Rutgers team on Day 2 -- so there's a fighters' chance they're 2-0 and could sneak into a 3rd place game with point differential.
Maryland, Rutgers, and UNLV are the unlucky ones here -- someone's gotta win Monday Night's Terps/Rebels game, but I think they both get smashed on Tuesday. I like Syracuse, but think they got a buzzsaw draw and could go 0-2 as well.
That leaves Kansas, who I think undisputedly got the easiest draw of any team here. But with Daryn Peterson not playing and them falling to unranked at 3-2 -- I don't see how they make the championship unless they're the only 2-0 squad in the pod.
Bean's Predicted Standings:
Houston
Gonzaga
Kansas
Tennessee
Alabama
Maryland
Notre Dame
Syracuse
UNLV
Rutgers
Pod 2 - "Michelob Ultra"
Michigan, Creighton, Baylor, Oregon, St. John's, Iowa State, Auburn, San Diego State
Pod 2 Day 1 Match-ups
Creighton vs Baylor (74-81)
Iowa State vs St. John's (83-82)
Auburn vs Oregon (84-73)
Michigan vs San Diego State (94-54)
Pod 2 Day 2 Match-ups
Iowa State vs Creighton
St. John's vs Baylor
Michigan vs Auburn
Oregon vs San Diego State
While Pod 1 is more Top Heavy -- Pod 2 is much more balanced throughout, and therefore more unpredictable. I think we could see some chaos with this Pod -- especially if the team's out West can flip a late-night match-up.
I think Iowa State got the most favorable draw of anyone by a hair -- I haven't seen much to believe in from Creighton, and while I think St. John's is a good team, they lack ball-handling and playmaking, going against an ISU team that thrives on forcing turnovers.
St. John's got a rough pull -- Iowa State's a very good team, and Baylor's the best of the remaining 4 to me. Explosive guards, but not much talent in the frontcourt to slow down Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins, and Dillon Mitchell. If they can beat ISU, they have a good shot.
I'm a bit of a Michigan hater, so I may be too biased in my negativity on them. I just don't think they're worthy of the lofty #7 ranking they carry -- and I think they'll be tested this week. SDSU will be no cakewalk, and Auburn is looking like who I thought they'd be as of late.
Oregon would be my dark horses here -- I think they are very capable of pulling an upset Monday night, and then they'll play SDSU Tuesday. I don't think both SDSU and Oregon will win, but I think it'd be electric if they did and were playing for a potential Championship berth Tuesday. Rooting for both, and going bold saying Oregon beats Auburn, while SDSU loses close.
But we may get that regardless if Auburn and Michigan win -- they'll square off Tuesday night. I like Auburn to win that game, but Michigan's size is going to be a major obstacle for the Tigers. I love their wings and think Pettiford is a big game player -- but they'll have to be on their game.
Bean's Predicted Standings:
Iowa State
Auburn
Baylor
Oregon
Michigan
St. John's
SDSU
Creighton
If the above played out, that would leave us with the following for a Championship, 3rd Place Game, and Consolation Games:
Championship: Houston vs Iowa State
3rd Place Game: Gonzaga vs Auburn
1st Consolation: Kansas vs Baylor
2nd Consolation: Tennessee vs Oregon
3rd Consolation: Alabama vs Michigan
How about that 3rd consolation match-up if I'm right? If the above were to play out -- I'd be rolling with the Cougars in an All-Big 12 Championship battles vs Iowa State. I'd lean Gonzaga over Auburn depending how they both look this week. Kansas vs Baylor would be the black sheep of the slate -- but I'd like to see the Big 12 grudge match, and would lean Baylor. Tennessee over Oregon, and Bama over Michigan -- which says a lot for me as an SEC-hater.
Like I said, these predictions all precede the Games on Monday -- so let's see how right or wrong I am on Tuesday morning. Gulp
Tons of great basketball this week people -- I didn't even get to the Battle 4 Atlantis or Maui Invitational, or any of the other preseason tournaments going on right now. Buckle up and watch some College Hoops this week!
Comments