Feast Week guide: UConn loses (twice!); rest of week preview

Every year, Feast Week presents a buffet of elite nonconference matchups that matter now, sure, but will mean a lot more once Selection Sunday arrives. Powerhouse programs can add more quality wins to their early résumés, while multiple upset-minded programs will get their shots in for at-large consideration.

This year is no different.

But the week’s highlight might have been Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, taking his Duke team to Las Vegas to take on No. 1 Kansas on Tuesday night.

The talking point of the game was Hunter Dickinson’s ejection after he appeared to kick Duke’s Maliq Brown in the face while both were on the ground. Yet, Kansas overcame his absence to come away with a 75-72 win — with late-game turnovers once again costing Duke in the final seconds.

Half a mile down the Las Vegas Strip, a new entrant to Feast Week was trying to revolutionize future holiday tournaments.

The Players Era Festival, anchored by Houston, Alabama and Rutgers, plans to give $1 million in NIL payouts to every participating team. Pay-for-play events are against the NCAA’s rules, which means the Players Era Festival organizers are trying to ensure compliance even as all signs point to the games moving forward.

It will be closely watched by not just the NCAA, but the entire college basketball world. Because the format, and importantly the financial benefits, could become the norm in this new era if it goes off without a hitch. If it doesn’t, it will be an anomaly in a strange time for college basketball.

(And so far the basketball has been good on the first day: Alabama defeated Houston in overtime, while both ranked Creighton and Texas A&M lost earlier against San Diego State and Oregon, respectively.)

Elsewhere, UConn had a chance to stake its claim as America’s top team by running through a strong Maui Invitational field — with North Carolina and Auburn (who both narrowly won their games later Monday) standing in its way. Then the Huskies lost in overtime to Memphis in the first game of the day, and again the next day to Colorado.

As you try to pick which of the many men’s college basketball games to watch this holiday week, let ESPN’s Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, Joe Lunardi and Neil Paine help you decide where to tune in — and react to the biggest results. Most of them are nonconference tournaments at neutral sites. A few are not. All are guaranteed to be entertaining.

Jump to:
Monday’s takeaways | Wednesday preview | Thursday preview | Friday preview | Weekend preview

Tuesday

What the win means for Kansas’ grip on the No. 1 spot: Despite Kansas’ unbeaten record and preseason No. 1 status, there were questions over whether it truly deserved the top spot currently. The Jayhawks didn’t look overwhelming in wins over North Carolina and Michigan State. Auburn has a pair of top-five wins, and Gonzaga has been blowing the doors off its opponents. But, beating Duke on a neutral floor is impressive, especially given the Jayhawks played the final 10-plus minutes without their All-American big man Dickinson. If Auburn comes out of the Maui Invitational with a championship, there’s a legitimate argument for the Tigers to move to No. 1, but Kansas’ win cements its place in the conversation.

How Kansas found success against the No. 1 defense in the country: Duke entered Tuesday with the No. 1-ranked defense in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency metric, thanks to a combination of elite rim protection from Khaman Maluach and do-everything defense from Cooper Flagg. Kansas, however, was able to find success by making timely outside shots — early from Zeke Mayo and AJ Storr, late from Rylan Griffen. Dickinson struggled against the length of Maluach and Maliq Brown at the rim, but he was able to get some easy buckets off Dajuan Harris Jr.’s penetration. KJ Adams Jr. also caused problems with his unorthodox, one-dribble midrange pull-ups early in the second half. It was a truly balanced effort from the Jayhawks at that end of the floor.

Are we concerned about Duke’s inability to close out big games? Flagg and Kon Knueppel are two of the best players in the country, so I wouldn’t say “concerned” just yet. But Flagg has now had turnover issues against Kentucky and fumbled late possessions against Kansas. Jon Scheyer said after the Kentucky game he still wanted the ball in Flagg’s hands at the end of games. On Tuesday night, he doubled down, saying he was fine with Flagg and Knueppel trying to make plays late. “You want the ball in your best players’ hands,” he said. “I’m taking the ball in their hands any day of the week. We just have to execute better.”

What did Kansas do to slow down Flagg? Adams was the best player on the floor for a majority of Tuesday’s game, and his defense on Flagg was a key factor in the star freshman having only two points at halftime. It took a difficult left-handed layup in traffic to eventually get Flagg going, but Adams’ physicality made things tough for Flagg, especially off the ball. He was aggressive against the Duke freshman when he tried to make cuts, and he closed out and didn’t allow Flagg any room on the catch. Simply put, he didn’t allow Flagg to get comfortable and get to his spots. “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, because he did it all,” Bill Self said after the game. — Borzello

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If UConn losing to Memphis on Monday was concerning, the Huskies falling to Colorado on Tuesday is downright catastrophic. At the very least, Memphis has aggressive, explosive guards who can score and a veteran high-major big man. Colorado simply isn’t close to UConn’s talent level. And the Huskies couldn’t get any separation in the second half.

On Monday, UConn needed career games from Tarris Reed Jr. and Jaylin Stewart just to stay in the game against Memphis. Against Colorado, Reed Jr. and Stewart regressed to the mean, and once Liam McNeeley cooled off in the second half, UConn again fell short of playmakers. Defensively, the Huskies got torched from behind the arc… again. Colorado shot 9-for-16 from 3, one day after Memphis went 12-for-22 from the perimeter.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, UConn is just the fifth top-two team in AP poll history to lose to unranked opponents on consecutive days.

UConn, which entered the week ranked No. 2 in the country, will now finish no better than seventh in the Maui Invitational. A third loss in three days would be unfathomable. — Borzello

Monday

An all-time Maui classic to start off the week.

There was unbelievable shotmaking from Memphis’ guards — starting with Tyrese Hunter, then PJ Haggerty, then Colby Rogers in overtime once Hunter cooled off and Haggerty fouled out.

There was UConn’s 15-3 run in the final three minutes of regulation to force the overtime. There was Dan Hurley’s meltdown and accompanying technical foul with 40 seconds left. There was No. 2 UConn’s first loss since February of last season.

Entering the season, the Huskies knew their three-peat hopes rested on their backcourt. But on Monday, they were thoroughly outplayed by Memphis’ perimeter trio. Hassan Diarra is a tough-minded defender, but he’s not a great creator. Aidan Mahaney really struggled to defend. And Solo Ball made big shots, but he’s not a threat to go off the bounce. That has to change moving forward.

Memphis has quietly strung together a nice collection of wins already this season — and will now be favored to get to the Maui title game against likely another top-15 team in Auburn, Iowa State or North Carolina. There’s a real chance at a statement week for Penny Hardaway’s program, which looks like the clear favorite in the AAC this season. — Borzello

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Well, the Maui Invitational took the main stage, again, in another thriller — this time between a pair of top-five teams.

The Tigers won their opening matchup with the same resilience they showed in a come-from-behind win over Houston earlier this month. In Maui on Monday, Auburn was down by 16 points at halftime and it seemed as if the game was over — and then Johni Broome stepped in. Broome went 5-for-7 in the second half, including a game-tying 3-pointer in the final minutes and the game-winning tip-in. But their defense was their most impressive trait. The Cyclones recorded only a 7-for-22 clip in the second half.

This team has connected on 68% of its shots inside the arc — ’90s arcade numbers — and 37% of its 3-point attempts. These Tigers have the potential to be Pearl’s best defensive team, too. The win was an undeniable sign that Bruce Pearl is coaching another serious contender for the national title — and Broome is a real star. — Medcalf

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It felt impossible to follow up UConn vs. Memphis and Auburn vs. Iowa State, but North Carolina’s comeback win over Dayton to end the night found a way to match them both — and maybe even top them. Three all-time Maui Invitational classics in one day.

North Carolina trailed by as many as 21 points early in the second half, but the squad erased it with an incredible display of shot-making down the stretch. It was the second-largest comeback in UNC history, according to ESPN Research.

All season the Tar Heels have been led by their guards, one of the deepest and most talented perimeter groups in the country. And they were desperately needed in the second half on Monday. RJ Davis and Seth Trimble combined for 57 points and 17 rebounds, with 37 of those points coming after halftime. Elliot Cadeau has been so good all year, but he struggled with turnovers in the first half. UNC will live and die with its guard play this season, but if it’s as good as it was late against Dayton, Hubert Davis’ team will be fine.

Meanwhile, Dayton showed it might be the favorite in a talented Atlantic 10. The Flyers’ defense caused huge issues for Carolina in the first half, and Anthony Grant’s team had seven players with at least nine points. One name to monitor: Amael L’Etang. The 7-foot-1 freshman from France had 13 against the Tar Heels and has now scored in double-figures in three straight games. — Borzello

Wednesday

Maui Invitational Championship (teams TBD)

Maui Invitational | 5 p.m. ET | Maui | ESPN

We don’t know who the two teams will be in the Maui Invitational final, but things haven’t been as chalky as we expected — two-time defending NCAA champ Connecticut is out, as is Iowa State. Could it be Auburn or UNC — both of whom rank among Ken Pomeroy’s Top 12 entering Monday? — Paine

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Players Era Festival | 6:30 p.m. ET | Las Vegas | Max

Both lost their first games of this event and now face each other. Impact seniors abound on both sides: A&M is headlined by Wade Taylor IV, Creighton goes as far as Ryan Kalkbrenner and Steven Ashworth take it. Look for whether a swarming Aggies defense (top 100 in steal rate at 11.5%) can force giveaways from a Creighton team that allows steals on 13.3% of its offensive possessions — one of the worst rates in the nation. With both currently projecting in the 4-5 seed range in the NCAA tourney, the winner will have an early leg up. — Paine

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Players Era Festival | 10 p.m. ET | Las Vegas | TBS

Bama is in a tough stretch, facing Houston and UNC within an 8-day span. The easiest matchup in between is Rutgers, and even that’s a ranked team. The Scarlet Knights have the potential to give Alabama a fight, as they take meticulous care of the basketball on offense and don’t give up anything easy at the other end with touted freshman bigs Ace Bailey and Lathan Sommerville patrolling the paint. Bama’s experience should win out here, and Rutgers has a very tough Big Ten schedule ahead anyway, but an upset W would be great for Rutgers to show the committee in March. — Paine

Thursday

Battle 4 Atlantis | Noon ET | Paradise Island, Bahamas | ESPN

Gonzaga, America’s best offensive team, has another chance to add a quality win to its résumé. Mike Woodson considers this Hoosiers roster his best as their head coach. A Thanksgiving victory over the elite Bulldogs — who have four players currently averaging double figures and are first in adjusted offensive efficiency on KenPom — would certainly validate Woodson’s lofty talk.To get here, though, Gonzaga and Indiana have to win their first games (against West Virginia and Louisville, respectively) in the Bahamas. — Medcalf

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CBS Thanksgiving Day Game | 4 p.m. ET | Kansas City, Missouri | CBS

This early battle between teams that hope to be contenders in their respective conferences features five projected draft picks — three of whom could go in the first round. The names to watch here are Illinois point guard Kasparas Jakucionis (10.2 PPG, 6.6 APG), who will face the Razorbacks’ Boogie Fland. If you’d like to see a couple of young point guards who could compete at the next level soon, this is a game for you. — Medcalf

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Rady Children’s Invitational | 3 p.m. ET | San Diego | FS1

Both teams look different than when they met in the Final Four eight months ago and the Boilermakers walked away with the 63-50 victory. This meeting is a chance for Jayden Taylor (14.8 PPG) and the undefeated Wolfpack to legitimize their strong start and secure a top-25 ranking, while Braden Smith (12.3 PPG, 9.3 APG, 5.3 RPG) and Purdue aim to, once again, avoid an upset loss. — Medcalf

Friday

2:30 p.m. ET | Columbus, Ohio | Peacock

This is neither a ranked matchup nor an early-season tournament game. Yet, this is an extremely close matchup between two teams in the KenPom top 25 that are good at both ends of the court. Defense might be the order of the day here; no team in the nation holds opponents to a lower shooting efficiency than the Buckeyes (7-foot-1 Aaron Bradshaw is a terror protecting the rim), though the Panthers aren’t far behind at No. 15 in effective FG% defense. ESPN Analytics predicts both have an 80-90% probability of making the NCAA tournament. — Paine

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Battle 4 Atlantis Championship (teams TBD)

Battle 4 Atlantis | 5:30 p.m. ET | Paradise Island, Bahamas | ESPN

The big potential matchup here is Gonzaga versus Arizona — No. 1 versus No. 17 in the KenPom rankings, and a fast-paced offensive shootout for us all to feast on. If for some reason that doesn’t happen, we might see a deep team like Indiana — led by sensational sophomore Mackenzie Mgbako — or Oklahoma — with senior Jalon Moore scoring nearly 19 PPG — instead. Both the Hoosiers and Sooners have almost exactly 50-50 NCAA tourney odds according to ESPN Analytics, making this another of those potential résumé-boosters. — Paine

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Rady Children’s Invitational Championship (teams TBD)

Rady Children’s Invitational Championship | 6 p.m. ET | San Diego | FOX

This will be another chance for either Purdue or NC State to prove it still can shine on the national stage, despite losing key players from a season ago. On the other side of the bracket, both Ole Miss and BYU were on the 8-9 seed line in our latest Bracketology report. In other words, these are a couple of power-conference teams that will probably be squarely on the bubble for an at-large bid in March, and a win here would help in that regard. — Paine

Saturday

9:30 p.m. ET | Lethbridge, Alberta (Canada) | ESPN+

Closing night of the inaugural Western Slam features a pair of mid-majors picked to win their respective conferences. UC Irvine owns four of the past six Big West regular-season titles, and this year Towson was voted the preseason CAA favorite for the first time. The Tigers are looking for the school’s first NCAA tournament appearance in Division I. — Lunardi

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4 p.m. ET | Philadelphia | ESPN+

The winner of this one faces Saint Joseph’s for the Philadelphia Big 5 championship on Dec. 7. A year ago at Temple, former La Salle and now Villanova guard Jahmir Brickus broke the Big 5 single-game scoring record with 41 points in a triple overtime loss. This year, the Explorers host at their new John Glaser Arena, where they have yet to lose. — Lunardi

Sunday

4 p.m. ET | Lincoln | Big Ten Network

It’s a bit of an anticlimactic end to Feast Week, but North Florida already has a pair of road wins over power-conference competition in South Carolina and Georgia Tech, before getting another chance here. The Cornhuskers, however, just picked up a huge road win of their own by going to in-state rival Creighton and knocking off the Bluejays by 11 — holding All-America big man Ryan Kalkbrenner to 4 points and 0 made field goals. — Borzello