What a week! The past seven days have been packed with instant classics, shocking upsets, overtime thrillers, crazy buzzer beaters and widely discussed technical and flagrant foul calls. It was Madness in November, and keeping up with all the action was nearly impossible. That’s where Hoops HQ comes in. You’ve heard about many of the major Feast Week moments — especially those in Las Vegas, where our Senior Correspondent Jeff Goodman was on the scene. Here we highlight some of the more under-the-radar performances, the ones you might have missed or overlooked amid the stacked slate.
KJ Adams Jr. vs. No. 11 Duke
8 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks, 4-6 FG
The stats don’t jump off the page, but Adams was spectacular in Kansas’ 75-72 win over Duke at the Vegas Showdown. The senior forward was the primary defender on Cooper Flagg, who finished with just 13 points and had four turnovers. On the biggest possession of the game, Adams switched onto Kon Knueppel, another freshman star, and forced the sharpshooter into a turnover. “I think KJ showed a lot of people tonight that you can be an elite player at this level and not be a prolific scorer,” Bill Self said after the game. “He did it all.”
Mouhamed Dioubate vs. No. 6 Houston
10 points, 16 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3-8 FG
“It could be anyone’s night every night,” Alabama assistant coach Ryan Pannone told me about his team. On Tuesday, in a heavyweight clash with No. 6 Houston, it was Mouhamed Dioubate’s night. The 6-foot-7 sophomore forward didn’t lead the Crimson Tide in scoring — that was All-American Mark Sears (24 points) — but he registered his first career double-double and had 3 blocks to help his team secure the 85-80 victory in overtime. It was a physical, brutal, defensive battle and Dioubate was at the center of it.
Dylan Cardwell vs. Memphis
18 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 8-8 FG
The spotlight is on Broome coming out of the Maui Invitational, and rightfully so. Broome was sensational, averaging 21.7 points, 15 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3 blocks to claim tournament MVP. But Cardwell, a fifth-year center, also deserves some shine for his huge performance in the championship game against Memphis. Cardwell’s perfect shooting day (8-for-8) included a three-pointer, just the fourth of his college career.
Jaylen Murray vs. BYU
28 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 10-14 FG, 3-4 3PT
If you were watching the NFL instead of college basketball on Thanksgiving (not us!), you missed Jaylen Murray’s outstanding performance in the first round of the Rady Children’s Invitational. Nine of the senior guard’s career-high 28 points came in overtime, lifting Ole Miss over BYU, 96-85, and extending the Rebels’ non-conference winning streak to 19, which was the longest in the country before they lost to Purdue on Friday.
Tomislav Ivisic vs. No. 19 Arkansas
21 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals, 7-14 FG, 6-9 3PT
In another Thanksgiving Day battle, Ivisic, a 7-foot-1 sophomore center from Croatia, flashed his unique skill set, grabbing 10 boards and sinking six three-pointers to help Illinois topple Arkansas, 90-77. Ivisic is a name to monitor for the 2025 NBA draft. “Honestly, depending on the season he has, he could go all the way up to the lottery,” one NBA scout told me. The victory was even sweeter for Ivisic because it came against his twin brother, Zvonimir, who starts at forward for the Razorbacks.
Ian Schieffelin vs. Penn State
18 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 7-15 FG
The championship of the Sunshine Slam Beach Division in Daytona was dominated by Clemson senior forward Ian Schieffelin. Facing an undefeated and narrowly favored Penn State squad, Schieffelin controlled every aspect of the game, leading the Tigers in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. His hook shot with a minute to go proved to be the final dagger, as the Tigers secured the 75-67 win.
Jevon Porter vs. Wyoming
29 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, 11-18 FG, 6-9 3PT
Jevon Porter, a 6-foot-11 junior forward at Loyola Marymount, looked a lot like his older brother, Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., in the championship game of the Cancun Challenge. The Pepperdine transfer was red-hot from deep, sinking five three-pointers in the first half alone. His final three gave the Lions the lead for good with 2:32 left. The Lions got the win, 73-70, and Porter was named tournament MVP.
Rueben Chinyelu vs. Wichita State
14 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, 7-9 FG
It was truly a magical trip to Disney World for Florida. After beating Wake Forest by 17 in the semifinals of the ESPN Events Invitational, a two-day tournament held at Walt Disney World Resort, the Gators demolished Wichita State, 88-51, to claim the championship and advance to 8-0. Chinyelu, a transfer from Washington State, posted his first double-double with the Gators in just 20 minutes of action. The 6-foot-10 sophomore center was also the centerpiece of a strong defensive effort, as Florida held Wichita State to just 30 percent shooting from the field.
Jaland Lowe vs. Ohio State
28 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 9-20 FG
You probably saw Zack Austin’s incredible game-winning three somewhere, but it was Pitt sophomore guard Jaland Lowe who got the Panthers to that moment. Lowe dropped a career-high 28 points and hit a jumper with 33 seconds left that knotted the score before the contest went to overtime. Pittsburgh now sits at 7-1 with impressive victories over West Virginia and Ohio State.
Owen Koonce vs. Stanford
30 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 12-16 FG, 3-5 3PT
Before the weekend, the last time Cal Poly had defeated Stanford was on November 27, 1977. With Koonce, a 6-foot-5 senior guard, erupting for a career-high 30 points, the Mustangs broke their eight-game losing streak against the Cardinal on Saturday night, winning 97-90 to improve to 5-4 on the season.
