It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
It’s Rivalry Week on the football field, Thanksgiving in our homes, and gratitude fills our hearts. Especially Lane Kiffin’s. I’m not sure how the Lane Kiffin love triangle soap opera ends, but I’ll sure be glad when it’s over.
The good news?
We have Feast Week, bar none the best week of the college basketball season until March, to distract and entertain us. Yes, the days of the Great Alaskan Shootout are gone forever and, in the age of NIL, 3-game bracketed multi-team events (MTEs) like the storied Maui Invitational appear to be dying or in decline.
But the buffet of basketball that begins on Monday is as good as ever, even if the names of the events that made Feast Week before it was Feast Week have changed.
All told, there are 8 SEC teams in Feast Week tournament action this week, with Georgia (2nd at the Charleston Classic), South Carolina (4th at the Greenbrier Tip-Off), and Mississippi State (4th at the Hall of Fame Classic) having wrapped tournaments contested last week.
We preview every Feast Week event involving SEC competition below, in order of watchability. From appointment television (hello, Players Era) to hoops for junkies (I’ll never forgive the Emerald Coast Classic for this field, but I’m sure LSU fans will spot Knox Kiffin the crowd), we’ve got your Thanksgiving week of hoops covered.
A special thank you to my friend Chris Dobbertean’s MTE tracker, which is an amazing resource for Feast Week viewers everywhere.
Players Era Festival (Las Vegas, November 24-26)
SEC Teams in the Field: Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee
The “Rest” of the Field: Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State, St. John’s, Syracuse, UNLV
The Skinny: Are you kidding me? This thing is loaded. National runner-up Houston headlines a tournament that also includes Gonzaga and Louisville, both ranked in the top 10 in KenPom’s efficiency metrics early this season.
Is there a drawback?
Sure. The format is stupid. There’s no bracket. There are just 2 pre-set games and then the tournament will seed a “championship” between the 2 teams with the best records and point differentials from Monday and Tuesday. That makes it unlikely the best team in Vegas is crowned champion, given the absolutely stacked matchups on Monday and Tuesday. But I think this is still the best event by some distance, simply based on the amount of teams and college basketball royalty descending on Sin City beginning Monday.
Best Games: Gonzaga and Alabama’s matchup on Monday night (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT) is the Monday headliner. Tennessee and Houston meet in an Elite 8 rematch on Tuesday. Keep an eye out for Kansas, who has a softer draw (Notre Dame, Syracuse) and could easily sneak into the championship given the weird format. St. John’s has disappointed early. The Johnnies play Monday against a tenacious Iowa State and have a quick turnaround against Baylor on Tuesday. The tournament feels huge for Rick Pitino’s team, who won’t get a lot of opportunities to make seeding statements in a weak Big East. Auburn and Michigan (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT) showcase Tuesday night’s action.
Predicted winner required by SDS: Houston, but the format is silly, so maybe Kansas? I think Michigan will run past San Diego State on Monday night, but Auburn has played very well of late and will upset the Wolverines on Tuesday evening. Alabama and Gonzaga are unlikely to make the final because they play each other on Monday night. That leaves Houston, who should throttle Syracuse and frustrate a Tennessee team playing competition with a pulse for the first time this week. But if Tennessee beats Houston, it could also make the final, given the Vols should crush Rutgers in their opener. In the end, I wish the format made sense, but the event will produce a smorgasbord of stellar hoops.
Maui Invitational (Lahaina, Hawai’i, November 24-26)
SEC Team in the Field: Texas
The “Rest” of the Field: Arizona State, Boise State, Chaminade, NC State, Seton Hall, USC, Washington State
The Skinny: I don’t want to declare Maui “dead” yet, for 2 reasons. First, while the allure of NIL riches and the easier travel make the Players Era Festival the current “it” destination in the sport, the reality is Maui is 1-year removed from a field that included Final Four bound Auburn, back-to-back defending national champion UConn, blue-blood North Carolina, Iowa State, and Michigan State. It was must see TV all week. Second, the field at the event this year isn’t as bad as folks make out. NC State spent a boatload of cash on players like Darrion Williams and Tre Holloman and the Wolfpack look second-weekend good. Eric Musselman feels good about where his program is in Year 2 at Southern California. And Sean Miller’s first Texas team looks much better than advertised. There’s plenty to like about this field and well, I’m sentimental this time of year and it’s still Maui.
Best Games/Potential Games: A USC-NC State semifinal will be electric, as long as the Trojans get past a Boise State team that has made 3 of the last 4 NCAA Tournaments under longtime coach Leon Rice. Texas cannot shoot (31% from 3 and 51.9% effective FG%) but it can rebound (35th in offensive rebounding percentage nationally) and guard (21st in KenPom defensive efficiency). The Horns should roll past a bad Arizona State team in Round 1 and even if they miss shots, shouldn’t be pushed by Washington State or Chaminade in the semifinals. Texas’s defense and rebounding kept it in the game against Duke earlier this year. There’s no reason it can’t push NC State or USC in the championship on Wednesday.
Predicted Winner Required by SDS: NC State. The Wolfpack have the tournament’s best player in Darrion Williams. They’ll cut down the nets thanks to an explosive offense that runs away from both USC (semifinals) and Texas (finals) late.
Rady’s Children Invitational (San Diego, November 27-28)
SEC Team in the Field: Florida
The “Rest” of the Field: Providence, TCU, Wisconsin
The Skinny: This 4-team bracketed event features the reigning national champions in Florida and 3 teams in the KenPom top 75 (Florida at 5, Wisconsin at 22, Providence at 62). Are the Gators and Badgers on a collision course for a Friday championship game (5:30 p.m. ET, FOX)? TCU has played better of late, pushing preseason B1G title contender Michigan in Fort Worth last week. Jamie Dixon’s team really defends, but can it score enough to beat Florida? Unlikely. Wisconsin and Providence will be a fun Thanksgiving watch. Both teams get up and down and shoot the 3 with gusto. The Badgers are excellent in the pick-and-roll, too, an offense that has tormented Todd Golden’s outstanding teams for 2-plus years. With John Blackwell and Nick Boyd making plays in the backcourt, Wisconsin matches up well with Florida if it doesn’t get dominated inside.
Best Game/Potential Games: Wisconsin and Florida in a championship.
Predicted Winner required by SDS: Florida. This is a big tournament for the Gators. Florida hasn’t shot the ball well (26% from 3-point range) but they rebound so prolifically (45.1% offensive rebounding rate) and guard so well (4th in KenPom defense) it hasn’t mattered since an opening night loss to Arizona. Florida is one of 2 teams in America (Alabama) playing 7 of its first 9 games against Power 5 competition. Florida visits Duke on December 2 and plays a functional road game against UConn at Madison Square Garden on December 9. Those will be tough places to get wins — so Florida needs the résumé builders in San Diego.
Battle 4 Atlantis (Atlantis, Bahamas, November 26-28)
SEC Team in the Field: Vanderbilt
The “Rest” of the Field: Colorado State, Saint Mary’s, South Florida, VCU, Virginia Tech, Western Kentucky, Wichita State
The Skinny: There’s an argument the Players Era Festival did more damage to the Battle 4 Atlantis than Maui. The battle in the Bahamian ballroom had been a destination event for blue-bloods and Final Four mainstays alike in years past, hosting the likes of North Carolina, Kansas, UConn, Florida, and Villanova on multiple occasions. This season, Vanderbilt is probably the best team in the field, depending on how much you like Randy Bennett’s Saint Mary’s Gaels. After those 2, mid-major darling VCU is here, and Mike Young’s Virginia Tech is a team I slotted into my preseason Field of 68, but I’m not sure there are 5 interesting basketball programs or teams in this tournament. That’s a far cry from what this event used to be.
Best Game/Potential Games: A championship game between Vanderbilt — who might be the best offensive team in the sport (62.5% effective field goal percentage, 100 points or more in 4 of its first 5 games) and Saint Mary’s would be a rematch of one of the most entertaining games of the first round of the NCAA Tournament last March. Saint Mary’s has a bona fide All-American candidate in Mikey Lewis — the best player you probably haven’t heard of in college basketball this season. Mike Young’s Hokies hit the portal jackpot with bouncy VCU transfer Tobi Lawal and Greek forward Neo Avdalas is one of the better international prospects in the sport. A Saint Mary’s-Virginia Tech semifinal would be fun.
Predicted Winner Required by SDS: Saint Mary’s. I’m on record suggesting that the Kryptonite for the Commodores in 2025-26 will be elite rebounding opposition. The Gaels, who get 41.5% of their misses and use those second chances to bury 3-pointers (45% from deep early this season!) are exactly that type of team. They’ll win a memorable final.
Acrisure Classic (Palm Desert, CA, November 25-26)
SEC Team in the Field: Ole Miss
The “Rest” of the Field: Grand Canyon, Iowa, Utah
The Skinny: Three teams that should compete for NCAA Tournament berths meet in the Coachella Valley with at least 1 showcase game — Iowa vs. Ole Miss — guaranteed. The Hawkeyes are led by All-American candidate Bennett Stirtz, who transferred to Iowa from Drake after his head coach, Ben McCollum, took the post in Iowa City following the dismissal of longtime Hawkeyes’ head coach Fran McCaffrey. Tavion Banks, Cam Manyawu, and Isaia Howard all followed Stirtz, giving Iowa continuity from a group of players who advanced to the Round of 32 a season ago, albeit at Drake. Ole Miss has a big-time transfer in AJ Storr who looks more like the All-B1G player we saw at Wisconsin and not the bust he was at Kansas a year ago. Couple him with Malik Dia, one of the nation’s most underrated and complete players, and the Rebels have a terrific 1-2 punch offensively. Can they guard? Early returns are mixed, and we’ll find out more in California. Grand Canyon, coached by Bryce Drew, has struggled out of the gate but it should own the glass enough to outlast Utah, the worst team in the Big 12 by some distance.
Best Game/Potential Game: Ole Miss vs. Iowa, by some distance. Two great coaches and teams with second-weekend top-end potential.
Predicted Winner: Iowa. The Hawkeyes’ continuity as a group puts them a little ahead of Ole Miss right now. Iowa’s offensive ability to get the shots it wants (the Hawkeyes rank in the 96th percentile in shot quality early in the year, per Synergy) will make life difficult on Ole Miss, who doesn’t really turn you over or play a disruptive style defensively.
Emerald Coast Classic (Niceville, FL, November 28-29)
SEC Team in the Field: LSU
The “Rest” of the Field: DePaul, Drake, Georgia Tech
The Skinny: This is the event insomniacs will DVR to go to sleep. I get that maybe it wasn’t as bad when they invited Drake, but now that Ben McCollum is off to much-greener pastures at Iowa, this is basically the Charlie Brown Christmas tree event of MTEs. At least the Florida panhandle is nice this time of year?
Best Game/Potential Games: Drake’s best players went to Iowa with McCollum. That means the best game in this tournament might be… DePaul and Georgia Tech? Chris Holtmann is a good basketball coach and DePaul is vastly improved, especially offensively. I think it might finish in the top half of the Big East for the first time in nearly 2 decades. Georgia Tech ranks in the top 20 in KenPom defensive efficiency (16th). It won’t be a pretty game, but it will be a close one.
Predicted Winner Required by SDS: LSU. I’ve been buying Matt McMahon’s team since SEC Media Days, when McMahon told me his team was “going to be pretty good.” Cynical, I dug a little deeper and well, I started to like the roster more than I did when I picked the Tigers 15th on my SEC preseason ballot. Jalen Reed is healthy and a force inside who can play comfortably with the ball outside. Mississippi State transfer Mike Nwoko appears to have given LSU a rim protector and offensive rebounder to help a team that’s never going to shoot it great. Dedan Thomas is a bucket. Marquel Sutton is a glue guy who knows how to win after reaching the NCAA Tournament with Omaha. There’s a lot to like in Baton Rouge — and it’s been a while since we said that about their basketball program. The Tigers will roar in Niceville.
Neil Blackmon covers SEC football and basketball for SaturdayDownSouth.com. An attorney, he is also a member of the Football and Basketball Writers Associations of America. He also coaches basketball.
