Hoops HQ readers, we have arrived at one of the most exciting times of the year. Welcome to Feast Week 2024!
The next seven days are all about overindulging — on turkey, gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie and most of all, college basketball. As always, the menu of games is absolutely stacked. Two undefeated squads ranked in the top five will square off in Auburn vs. Iowa State, a high-powered offense will meet an unrelenting defense in Alabama vs. Houston and Cooper Flagg and the Duke Blue Devils will get a crack at the No. 1 team in the country, the Kansas Jayhawks — all before Wednesday!
If you’re like me, you’ll be camped out on your couch for the foreseeable future. Below is a detailed breakdown of all the main tournaments and events. Let’s feast.
Maui Invitational
November 25-27
Lahaina, Hawaii
Opening round games: No. 4 Auburn vs. No. 5 Iowa State, No. 2 UConn vs. Memphis, No. 10 North Carolina vs. Dayton, Colorado vs. Michigan State
Best matchup: No. 4 Auburn vs. No. 5 Iowa State. A Monday night battle between two top five teams to get Feast Week started. Auburn was able to break down one of the best defenses in the country in Houston, converting on a staggering 71 percent of its two-point field goals. The only team allowing fewer points per game than the Cougars? Iowa State.
Matchup I want to see: No. 2 UConn vs. No. 4 Auburn in the final. The last time these teams met was during Feast Week in 2021, when Dan Hurley’s squad won a double-overtime thriller, 115-109. What better way for Bruce Pearl to get revenge than by handing UConn its first loss since February 20th on a massive stage?
Players to watch: To no one’s surprise, Auburn senior forward Johni Broome has been outstanding this year, averaging 20 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks. Broome is the current leader in KenPom’s player of the year standings. Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey, a Naismith defensive player of the year finalist in 2024, is posting three steals per game. Keep an eye on Memphis guard PJ Haggerty, a transfer from Tulsa who is averaging 22.5 points and shooting 50 percent from three. Haggerty ranks fifth in Division I in free throws made per game. North Carolina stud RJ Davis is off to a rough start — shooting just 34 percent from the field — but he is bound to break out of his slump at some point. Conversely, UConn junior Alex Karaban has been red-hot to begin the season, knocking down 54 percent of his threes. This will be our first chance to see freshman forward Liam McNeeley, a top prospect for the 2025 NBA draft, against tough competition. Lastly, I am obligated to mention Michigan State sophomore forward Coen Carr because of the potential for highlights like this.
Betting favorite: UConn
My winner: Auburn. The Tigers rank in the top five in both offensive and defensive rating, per KenPom, and are anchored by arguably the best player in the nation. Other powerhouses in the field are not yet battle-tested (Iowa State, UConn) and very few teams, if any, have an answer for Broome.
Worth noting: With an overall record of 22-4 in eight appearances, North Carolina has been dominant in this tournament. The program has won the championship four times, most recently in 2016. Three out of those four times, UNC also went on to win the national title. So if the Tar Heels are the last team standing in Maui, it might be worth betting on them to be the last team standing in San Antonio.
UCONN GOES FOR THREE
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“He’s hungrier than ever”Players Era Festival
November 26-30
Las Vegas, Nevada
The Players Era Festival is a brand-new MTE to be held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Participating schools will receive $1 million each toward their NIL collectives. The event has a unique structure — each team will play two games on Tuesday and Wednesday in a partial round-robin format and then be seeded for a new slate on Saturday, which will determine the champion.
Opening round games: No. 7 Houston vs. No. 8 Alabama, No. 14 Creighton vs. San Diego State, No. 23 Texas A&M vs. Oregon, No. 24 Rutgers vs. Notre Dame
Best matchup: No. 7 Houston vs. No. 8 Alabama. This is a fascinating clash of offensive machine and defensive juggernaut. Alabama wants to quicken the pace and put points on the board; Houston wants to slow it down and wear teams out. Ironically, it is the Cougars who lead all of Division I in three-point percentage. I spoke with Alabama assistant coach Ryan Pannone about the matchup over the weekend. “They’re incredibly fundamentally sound with how they contain drives, flatten out drives, build out and contest passes to create turnovers and take you out of your scoring area,” he said of Houston. “For us, it’s definitely going to be incredibly important to handle physicality and not turn the ball over and not let them win the war of dictating what the offense is going to do.”
Matchup I want to see: No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 14 Creighton in the final. Assuming Creighton can recover from a brutal loss to Nebraska at home, this would be an interesting game because of all the talent on these rosters (even if point guard Steven Ashworth is still sidelined by an ankle injury). Head coach Greg McDermott told me before the season that if his team is going to get where it wants to go, “defense is where we have to hang our hat.” So far, the results have been mixed, but there is no greater test for a defense than going up against Nate Oats and Alabama.
Players to watch: Alabama guard Mark Sears and Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner, two fifth-year stars, are coming off rare silent nights. Sears, a preseason All-American, went scoreless (0-of-5 from the field) in Alabama’s win over Illinois on Wednesday, but his offense is never a real concern. “Mark Sears hasn’t necessarily shot the ball [well] from three, but I think everyone in the country knows that’s coming,” Pannone said. Kalkbrenner, who opened the season with a historic 49-point performance, attempted just one shot and finished with four points in Creighton’s loss to Nebraska on Friday. Look for both guys to come out aggressive in Vegas. Rutgers freshmen Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, two projected top five picks in the 2025 NBA draft, suffered their first defeat in heartbreaking fashion to Kennesaw State on Sunday. How will they respond? Houston junior guard Emanuel Sharp can’t miss right now, connecting on 73 percent of his threes through the first four games.
My winner: Alabama. I still think this is the most talented team in college basketball, and it certainly hasn’t played up to its full potential. “I think the beautiful thing about our team is we’re blessed to have a lot of really good young men that also happen to be very talented basketball players,” Pannone told me. “And in any game, it can be a different player that steps up and performs. It could be anyone’s night every night.” That is what makes Alabama so special.
Hoops HQ's NBA Mock Draft
2025 NBA Mock Draft: Cooper Flagg, Rutgers Duo Top Star-Studded Class
Jonathan Wasserman, Hoops HQ’s NBA draft correspondent, delivers his first mockVegas Showdown
November 26
Las Vegas, Nevada
Games: No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 12 Duke, Furman vs. Seattle
Best matchup: Surprise… No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 12 Duke. A meeting of blue bloods with significant star power. One team is led by its stellar freshmen class, including the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft Cooper Flagg. The other is the most experienced — and perhaps most well-rounded — team in the country. Duke grabbed an impressive win at Arizona on Friday. Kansas is 5-0 with notable victories over North Carolina and Michigan State.
Players to watch: Duke forward Cooper Flagg and Kansas center Hunter Dickinson are two and three, respectively, in KenPom’s player of the year standings. Flagg has been as advertised, filling the stat sheet since opening night. Dickinson is averaging a double-double once again. Can 7-foot-2 Blue Devil Khaman Maluach, another freshman, contain the All-American Jayhawk? The top two candidates to catch fire and erupt offensively are freshman guard Kon Knueppel (Duke) and senior guard Zeke Mayo (Kansas).
History: While Duke leads the overall series against Kansas 8-6, the Jayhawks have won five of the last seven games. The last four have been decided by a total of 13 points. Most recently, Kansas beat Duke at the 2022 Champions Classic, 69-64, behind 25 points and 11 rebounds from Jalen Wilson.
My winner: Duke. Kansas has been winning, sure, but in ugly and shaky fashion. Duke enters the Showdown as KenPom’s top-ranked defensive squad and with considerable momentum from its beatdown of Arizona. Plus, the Blue Devils have the size and rim protection to make things difficult for Dickinson.
Battle 4 Atlantis
November 27-29
Paradise Island, Bahamas
Opening round games: No. 3 Gonzaga vs. West Virginia, No. 16 Indiana vs. Louisville, No. 17 Arizona vs. Davidson, Oklahoma vs. Providence
Best matchup: No. 16 Indiana vs. Louisville. These teams basically play different sports. Indiana is averaging just 17.5 three-point attempts per game (348th in Division I), while Louisville launches 34 per contest (fifth in Division I). The Hoosiers have found success with stout defense and efficient scoring inside the arc. If they can prevent the Cardinals from getting hot, they should advance to the next round and set up…
Matchup I want to see: No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 16 Indiana in the semifinal. Both of these teams have skilled guards and size on the interior. Indiana would have to shoot like it did against South Carolina to keep up with a Gonzaga squad that ranks first in offensive rating, per KenPom.
Players to watch: Two of the premier point guards in college basketball are in this tournament: Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard and Indiana’s Myles Rice. Nembhard is averaging 9.4 assists per game (second in Division I) and shooting 44 percent from three. Rice, a transfer from Washington State, has been the reliable floor general that Indiana desperately needed. I caught up with him a week ago to discuss his new role on the Hoosiers. “At Washington State, they needed me to score a lot more than they need me to do here,” Rice told me. “I’m just trying to be a true point guard and try to pick my spots perfectly and still get my teammates involved at the same time.” He has done just that, averaging 14.8 points (on 59 percent shooting), 4.5 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. Arizona guard Caleb Love, a preseason All-American, has struggled mightily through the first three weeks of the season, shooting 32 percent from the field. He will have a chance to rebound against a Davidson team ranked 117th in KenPom and allowing opponents to shoot 39 percent from behind the arc.
Betting favorite: Gonzaga
My winner: Gonzaga. I touched on this in the latest edition of The Hoops HQ Fast Break, but I would rank Gonzaga as the number one team in the nation right now. The experience and chemistry of this group has really shined — and I believe it will lead them to victory in the Bahamas.
Thanksgiving Hoops Showcase
November 28, 4:00 p.m. ET
No. 20 Arkansas vs. No. 25 Illinois
Players to watch: Arkansas junior Adou Thiero and Illinois freshman Will Riley have been climbing NBA draft boards. Thiero, a 6-foot-8 versatile forward, has taken a major leap this season, averaging 19.4 points (on 67 percent shooting), 6.2 rebounds, and three steals per game. “He’s one that I can see potentially climbing [draft rankings] early on just through the athletic tools,” one NBA scout told Hoops HQ. “It seems like he’s putting it together.” Riley, also a 6-foot-8 forward, is averaging 17.8 points and shooting a ridiculous 71 percent from three on high volume. While that level of efficiency is not sustainable, the 18-year-old can clearly light it up on any given night. As one NBA scout said about Riley, “He’s gonna have some ups and downs this year. It’s not gonna be one of those years where he’s just gonna be great. He’s gonna have some nights where you think, Man, how good is this guy? But then he’s gonna have some nights where you think, Man, this guy’s really, really good. And I think his best basketball is ahead of him.”
My winner: Illinois. I’m all in on Illinois head coach Brad Underwood’s new analytical approach, which he discussed with Hoops HQ Editor-in-Chief Seth Davis here. Through five games, 54 percent of his team’s shots have come from three-point range. “If you don’t evolve and change, you’re getting lost,” Underwood said. “We truly want to make it a math equation. If I could have us take every shot as a three, I would.” I think the Fighting Illini will hit enough threes to beat an Arkansas squad that has been subpar offensively.
Rady Children’s Invitational
November 28-29
San Diego, California
Opening round games: No. 6 Purdue vs. NC State, BYU vs. Ole Miss
Best matchup: BYU vs. Ole Miss. Two intriguing 5-0 teams, but neither has played an opponent that ranks in the top 100 in KenPom. This game will reveal a lot.
Matchup I want to see: No. 6 Purdue vs. BYU in the final. Longtime head coach Matt Painter against first-year head coach Kevin Young. BYU has the offensive weapons to potentially pull off the upset. Purdue has defended the three exceptionally well so far this season, and that will surely be a point of emphasis should these teams meet Friday.
Players to watch: No player has made a stronger impression on NBA scouts than BYU point guard Egor Demin. The 6-foot-9 freshman from Moscow is averaging 15.2 points, 7.2 assists, and 4 rebounds, while shooting 64 percent from the field. Purdue’s Braden Smith is nine inches shorter than Demin, but he is just as talented a playmaker and facilitator. His 9.3 assists per game rank third in Division I, and he is also pitching in 2.2 steals for the Boilermakers.
My winner: BYU. Young’s roster has size, shooting and a terrific lead guard in Demin. This is an opportunity for the Cougars, who were the fourth team left off last week’s AP Top 25, to make a statement, and I believe they will seize it. It could be a very joyful holiday season for Young if his program wins the Rady Children’s Invitational and then secures the commitment of number one recruit AJ Dybantsa.
ESPN Events Invitational
November 28-29
Orlando, Florida
Opening round games: No. 21 Florida vs. Wake Forest, Minnesota vs. Wichita State
Best matchup: No. 21 Florida vs. Wake Forest. The Gators have cruised to 6-0 thanks to a high-octane, efficient offense and solid work on the glass. The Demon Deacons are 6-1, but they have shot a dismal 29 percent from three. Unless that changes in a major way, Florida should have the advantage here, especially considering the game will be played close to home.
Matchup I want to see: No. 21 Florida vs. Minnesota in the final. Florida has scored at will. Minnesota has held its opponents to 56 points per game. In order for the Golden Gophers to win this one, senior forward Dawson Garcia, who is accounting for more than a third of his team’s scoring, will have to step up big time.
Players to watch: Wake Forest senior guard Hunter Sallis, the 2024 ACC Newcomer of the Year, is averaging 18.9 points (on 48 percent shooting), 4.3 assists, and 3.3 rebounds. On Thursday, he will face an elite backcourt duo in seniors Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin, both of whom are averaging 17 points for the Gators. The aforementioned Dawson Garcia is averaging 23 points and 7.2 rebounds, and currently ranks sixth in KenPom’s player of the year standings.
My winner: Florida. The other teams in this event just don’t have enough firepower to contend with the Gators. Florida has a top 20 offense; Wichita State is the next closest in the field at 75th.
Fort Myers Tip-Off Beach Division
November 25-27
Fort Myers, Florida
Opening round games: Michigan vs. Virginia Tech, South Carolina vs. Xavier
Best matchup: South Carolina vs. Xavier. After a breakout 2023-24 season, the Gamecocks have been somewhat of a disappointment, suffering two early losses in non-conference play — one of which came to No. 16 Indiana. A bounce-back victory over undefeated Xavier would be a huge confidence boost, but it won’t come easy. The Musketeers are one of the top perimeter shooting teams so far, and they rank first in the country in assists per game.
Matchup I want to see: Xavier vs. Michigan in the final. These squads appear pretty evenly matched. Both are well balanced, deep, and can heat up from behind the arc. I’d give Xavier the edge because it is the third most experienced team in the country, according to KenPom, and has more continuity.
Players to watch: South Carolina sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles was slotted at No. 11 in Hoops HQ’s first NBA mock draft. The 6-foot-7 forward with the old-school game is averaging 16.2 points (on 64 percent shooting) and 9.4 rebounds. Xavier junior guard Ryan Conwell, a transfer from Indiana State, has been spectacular, leading the Musketeers in scoring (18.2 points per game) and shooting 53 percent from distance.
My winner: Xavier. By the end of the season, Michigan could be the most dangerous team in this field — but not by the end of November. With a new head coach in Dusty May and a whopping 10 new players, this group needs more time to gel.
