MAUI — This job never feels like “work,” but that was especially true last week as I covered the Maui Invitational. The Lahaina Civic Center remains the best place on the planet to watch a big-time college basketball game, and, well, Maui is Maui.
There was a lot to keep track of not only in Maui but all around the U.S. in the busiest, most exciting week of the season. I’ve got plenty of shout-outs to pass along, but I’m also spotting worrisome signs for some of the nation’s top programs. Here are my takes from Feast Week.
Shout-Outs
• Cameron Boozer will be in the chase for the National Player of the Year, not just Freshman of the Year. He’s a double-double machine and has stepped up in every big game thus far. He was the reason Duke came back and beat Arkansas on Thanksgiving in Chicago.
• Michigan was as dominant a team as we’ve ever seen in a three-game event (it wasn’t a real bracketed tournament). The Wolverines have always had a national-title makeup, but the reason the hype train didn’t start immediately with Michigan was it took them a few weeks to get going (see: a one-point win over Wake Forest and a four-point win at then-struggling TCU). Yaxel Lendeborg remains the best transfer-portal pickup of any team. The 40-point win over Gonzaga will resonate and be the benchmark for this team all season.
• Michigan State is one win away from maybe having one of its greatest nonconference slates in decades. The Spartans beat Arkansas at home, Kentucky in New York and now North Carolina in Florida. Jeremy Fears Jr., whom we featured a few weeks ago, is looking like the best playmaker in the country not named Braden Smith. Fears is averaging 12 points, 9.7 assists and 2.1 turnovers a game. Those are all-American numbers. Next up: Duke comes to East Lansing on Dec. 6.
• Kansas’ three wins over Notre Dame, Syracuse and then Tennessee might have been some of the most important for Bill Self’s teams in recent memory. The Jayhawks lost at North Carolina and to Duke in New York, the latter without Darryn Peterson. He didn’t play in Vegas, so winning those games and getting consistent production from Melvin Council Jr., Elmarko Jackson and Flory Bidunga couldn’t have come at a better time. The Jayhawks are going nowhere but staying in the Big 12 race.
• If USC can stay healthy (waiting on a Rodney Rice shoulder MRI), there is no reason why the Trojans can’t be an NCAA Tournament team. Maui Invitational MVP Chad Baker-Mazara was a dominant player when he was on the court (had a few absences due to fatigue and a sore hamstring). But the differences could come if Ezra Ausar and Jacob Cofie can be reliable inside and get to the free-throw line. Eric Musselman has six guards, including the return of Michigan transfer Terrance Williams (hand injury last season) to rotate and contribute.
• All the hype and chatter about Purdue’s Smith and Trey Kauffman-Renn is deserved. But if big man Daniel Jacobsen can produce like he did Friday (24 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks), that could be another game-changer for the Boilermakers and a must to compete with Michigan (see next).
• The game of the season is looking like it could be Michigan at Purdue on Feb. 17 on Peacock. They play one time. That’s it before possibly the Big Ten tournament and, who knows, maybe in Indianapolis.
• One month into the season and it feels like the No. 1 seeds would be Michigan, Purdue, Arizona and Duke. The Big 12 is the deepest conference thus far, but may bludgeon each other and prevent a No. 1 seed. I wouldn’t rule out UConn finding a way to that top spot, either.
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• Who had Vanderbilt at 8-0? Well, the Commodores under Mark Byington and led by Duke Miles won the Battle 4 Atlantis with a 25-point victory over Saint Mary’s. The schedule had been a bit soft but Vandy did get a true road win at UCF earlier in the season. This Commodore team is racking up points and is going to challenge for the top of the SEC.
• Iowa State had a great week at the Players Era in Las Vegas and should have been competing for the extra purse. The Cyclones beat St. John’s by one and then obliterated Creighton before blasting Syracuse on day three. Iowa State had already crushed Mississippi State by 16 earlier in the season. I know the Cyclones’ win over the Red Storm by one prevented them from having the necessary point differential, but Iowa State proved it was championship material.
• This Texas team will grow on its fans as the season progresses, after a solid 2-1 week in Maui. Jordan Pope has some pop to his game and can bury threes, and Dailyn Swain is the athletic wing that can deliver. Purdue transfer Cam Heide’s role is only going to increase. If this squad can get reliable post production, Texas will be in the thick of a top-five SEC finish.
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• I wrote about Seton Hall from Maui but will say it again: Shaheen Holloway has his guys. They are all under-recruited, but proving to be flat-out ballers. The Pirates are going to be one of the toughest teams to take down in the Big East.
• Shout out to Arizona State guards Moe Odum and Anthony “Pig” Johnson. But a sleeper player for the Sun Devils will be Argentinian Santiago Trouet. The 6-foot-11 sophomore had 13 and 5 in the Maui title-game loss to USC. He’s active and will be an X-factor for Bobby Hurley’s Sun Devils.
• Steve Lutz has turned Oklahoma State around in two seasons. The Cowboys are 7-0 after the win over Northwestern in Chicago. They also had a 24-point win over Texas A&M in the first week that flew under the radar. This team can score in bunches and will be yet another Big 12 team that won’t go quietly and will compete for an NCAA bid.
• The turnaround at TCU is real. Wowza. The Horned Frogs lost to New Orleans and were very pedestrian early, despite giving Michigan a decent game at home. But then they turned around and beat Florida and Wisconsin to win the Rady’s Children Invitational in San Diego. David Punch was big-time for TCU in the title game and should be the go-to player for TCU. The Horned Frogs get Notre Dame at home but then should be rolling into the Big 12 on a potential nine-game win streak.
• Indiana’s offense has looked very strong as of late, but it was the defense on PJ Haggerty (12 points) in the win over Kansas State that should bring rejoicing to Bloomington. Indiana still has two monster rivalry games coming up against Louisville (Dec. 6) and at Kentucky (Dec. 13) for a true barometer.
• Missouri is quietly 8-0 but we will know for sure about the Tigers over the next few weeks with a game at Notre Dame and neutrals against Kansas and Illinois.
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• Colorado had a rough 2024-25 but Tad Boyle didn’t panic and stayed true to building a roster. Now the patient Buffaloes are 7-0 after Bangot Dak led them to a 81-68 win over Washington at the Acrisure Holiday Classic in Palm Desert.
• The hardest thing to do after a one-bid conference school pulls off a major upset is to win the next game. Eastern Michigan won at Cincinnati but then backed it up by beating NJIT by 18.
• SMU is 8-0 after Boopie Miller scored 28 to lead the Mustangs past Mississippi State. The Mustangs already have a quality win over Butler. Andy Enfield goes about his business under the radar and he’s doing the same with a program that has a chance to finish in the top five in the ACC.
• Sometimes a change of scenery is the difference. And it appears that’s the case for Michael Ajayi. He didn’t find his footing at Gonzaga after a solid career at Pepperdine, but he’s flourishing at Butler, averaging 15 a game.
• Any question that Bennett Stirtz couldn’t make yet another step up in men’s college hoops was answered when he dropped 29 on Ole Miss. He’s averaging 18 a game for the undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes.
• Give Steven Pearl oodles of credit for leaving the Players Era with a 2-1 record. His Tigers beat Oregon by 11 and then bounced back after a 30-point drubbing at the hands of Michigan to beat St. John’s by 11. Auburn still has to play NC State and at Arizona next before playing Purdue in Indianapolis. It’s a brutal slate for Pearl and company, but one that will give them plenty of Quad 1 opportunities and a high NET when the season ends.
• Teams that desperately needed something positive to happen were Oklahoma, Pitt and DePaul. The Sooners whiffed against Nebraska in South Dakota and lost at Gonzaga. So taking down Marquette by one in a Chicago homecoming for Porter Moser was much needed. Now games with Wake Forest on the road and against Arizona State before rival Oklahoma State take on even more meaning. Pitt was in the danger zone after losing at West Virginia and to UCF and Quinnipiac. Beating Ohio State is the exact win Jeff Capel’s crew had to have with games looming against Texas A&M and at Villanova.
• Keeping Nebraska‘s Rienk Mast off the first team All-Big Ten will be difficult if he keeps up these numbers for the next three months. Mast hit seven threes for 31 points in a win over Winthrop, and he’s leading the undefeated Huskers with 18 points a game.
• And how about the Bay Area ACC tandem? Cal knocked off injury-riddled UCLA for a monster win for coach Mark Madsen, and Kyle Smith’s Stanford team beat Saint Louis to claim the Acrisure Invitational in Palm Desert for its first tournament title since 2007. The Cardinal won it in dramatic fashion as Benny Gealer hit a three-pointer with 0.8 seconds remaining.
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Teams in Trouble
• St. John’s hasn’t been able to lock down any of the power teams thus far. The Red Storm gave up 103 points to Alabama, 83 to Iowa State and 85 to Auburn. Even in the one win over a power team — Baylor in Las Vegas — the Red Storm still gave up 81 points.
• UCLA lost to Cal without Tyler Bilodeau, who is out with a left knee sprain, and had to deal with Donovan Dent playing subpar with a lower leg injury. Bilodeau could be out for a few weeks. He’s averaging a team-high 14 points a game. And the Bruins’ next four games are at Washington, home against Oregon, against Gonzaga in Seattle and home for Arizona State.
• Providence needed something positive out of its trip to San Diego. Instead, the Friars lost to Wisconsin and Florida. The Providence already lost to Virginia Tech on a neutral court and at Colorado, and the Friars don’t have any more power-five games remaining outside of the Big East schedule. They must do well against the top of the Big East this winter in order to return to the NCAA Tournament.
• NC State coach Will Wade was brutally honest in his assessments and disappointments with the Wolfpack’s lack of leadership and focus at the Maui Invitational, where they went 1-2. Wade didn’t duck any questions and took the responsibility on himself to get this crew ready. The good news is the Wolfpack have the talent and the schedule to be just fine. NC State gets Auburn on the road and hosts Kansas and Ole Miss in Greensboro over the next few weeks. The opportunities are in front of them before the ACC.
• Ole Miss missed out on a few chances in Palm Springs by losing to Utah and Iowa, but games against Miami, at St. John’s and a neutral against NC State are ahead. Georgetown was riding high after wins over Maryland on the road and against Clemson, but losing to Dayton and Miami in Orlando has tempered the enthusiasm. One more massive nonconference game is ahead when Georgetown plays at North Carolina Dec. 7.
• Syracuse and Oregon probably had the most disappointing Players Era showings. Both went 0-3. Nate Bittle didn’t play in game three against Creighton due to an ankle injury, and a Bittle-less Ducks team is going to struggle to have any kind of balance. Oregon still plays Gonzaga in Portland on Dec. 21. The Orange’s chances to get wins were lowered once it was known leading scorer Donnie Freeman (right foot injury) couldn’t play in the event. Syracuse has a huge game coming against Tennessee to get right. But that’s a tall task.
• The Mountain West had a rough Feast Week. Boise State went 1-2 in Maui with the lone win coming against Division II Chaminade. San Diego State went 1-2 in the Players Era in Las Vegas with the one win coming against Oregon. That was after losing at home to Troy in double overtime. Nevada lost to Washington, and UNLV lost all three games in the Players Era with the last one to Rutgers. Grand Canyon did beat Utah, but then couldn’t get more than 49 points against Iowa. The positives, though, were the comeback by New Mexico to beat Mississippi State in the consolation game in Kansas City, Colorado State bouncing back from a loss to Virginia Tech to leave the Battle 4 Atlantis with two wins by beating Wichita State and South Florida, and of course all things Utah State. The Aggies are the class of the league right now, still unblemished at 6-0.
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