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.
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.
Gonzaga is another team that could end the week with a strong argument for the No. 1 spot.
But for all the multiteam events and nonconference tournaments that have already concluded or are just tipping, the week really begins with Cooper Flagg continuing his campaign to be the first pick in the 2025 NBA draft in Las Vegas, where Duke will play No. 1 Kansas on Tuesday night.
There’s also a new entrant to Feast Week this year: The Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, which could revolutionize future holiday tournaments.
The event, anchored by Houston, Alabama and Rutgers, will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and will 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.
Which means 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.
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.
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
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 only recorded a 7-for-22 clip in the second half.
This team has connected on 68 percent of its shots inside the arc — 90s arcade numbers — and 37 percent of its 3-point attempts thus far. 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
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 Stats and Information 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
Tuesday
7 p.m. ET | Philadelphia | ESPN+
Yours truly is on the call for this one. Am already lobbying that night’s officiating crew to get us off the air in time for Kansas-Duke. — Lunardi
Players Era Festival | 8:00 p.m. ET | Las Vegas | TBS
Something has to give in this battle between the top-five offense of Alabama and perennial top-five defense of Houston. The Crimson Tide have broken the 100-point mark a staggering 11 times since last season. Meanwhile, the Cougars haven’t allowed more than 75 in regulation since Feb. 3. Expect both to be competing for No. 1 seeds all the way to March. — Lunardi
Vegas Showdown | 9 p.m. ET | Las Vegas | ESPN
This is the highest profile Feast Week matchup, at least in terms of preseason rankings. Kansas began the year and remains at No. 1 in the major polls. Duke stumbled late against Kentucky in the Champions Classic but rebounded convincingly at Arizona before its trip to the desert. Look for Cooper Flagg to face his stiffest challenge yet against fifth-year big man Hunter Dickinson. It’s hard to imagine the winner of this game not being a No. 1 seed in March. — Lunardi
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 if things go chalk, two-time defending NCAA champ Connecticut could be in it against any of Auburn, Iowa State or UNC — all of whom rank among Ken Pomeroy’s Top 12 entering Monday — out of the other side of the bracket. The best possible matchup according to KenPom? No. 2 Auburn versus No. 6 UConn. — Paine
Players Era Festival | 6:30 p.m. ET | Las Vegas | Max
Both are off to good starts, and both are KenPom top 20 teams. 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
