Feast Week 2024: A Full Court Buffet of College Hoops Madness
Welcome to Feast Week, where basketball fans trade pumpkin pie for buzzer beaters and turkey for tenacious defense. This year’s lineup is a hoops lover’s dream: powerhouse programs, future NBA stars, and high stakes tournaments in sunny locales like Maui, Vegas, and the Bahamas. Let’s dig into the must watch games and tournaments with a side of humor and hot takes.
Ranking the Feast Week Tournaments
Feast Week is all about multiteam events (MTEs). Here’s how they stack up based on watchability and pure entertainment value:
1. Maui Invitational: Four Top 15 teams—UConn (No. 2), Auburn (No. 4), Iowa State (No. 5), and North Carolina (No. 12)—headline this elite field. The Lahaina Civic Center returns after a tough year, hosting matchups hotter than a Thanksgiving oven.
Must Watch Games:
Monday: UConn vs. Memphis, Auburn vs. Iowa State.
Wednesday: A potential final featuring UConn vs. Auburn or UNC—a sneak peek at March Madness.
2. Player’s Era Festival: NIL cash is flowing—$1M per team—and so is the talent. Houston (No. 6), Alabama (No. 9), and Creighton (No. 21) lead the way.
Must Watch Games:
Tuesday: Houston vs. Alabama, a battle of Houston’s defense vs. Bama’s high-octane offense.
3. Battle 4 Atlantis: Gonzaga (No. 3), Indiana (No. 14), and Arizona (No. 24) headline. Plus, it’s the Bahamas—basketball paradise.
Must Watch Games:
Friday: A potential Gonzaga vs. Arizona final pits Mark Few against his former assistant Tommy Lloyd. Yes, please.
The Rest of the Pack:
4. Rady Children’s Invitational: Purdue vs. NC State leads this fun four team field.
5. Fort Myers Tip Off: A potential Michigan vs. Xavier showdown is the highlight.
6. ESPN Events Invitational: Florida and Wake Forest square off early in this solid lineup.
7. Sunshine Slam: A midmajor battleground featuring Penn State and San Francisco.
Top Feast Week Matchups
Monday, Nov. 25
No. 2 UConn vs. Memphis (Maui Invitational) : UConn’s defense is no joke—East Texas A&M shot just 25.42% against them last game. Memphis will need its talented guard trio to solve the Huskies’ smothering approach.
Prediction: UConn delivers another defensive clinic, Memphis keeps it tight.
No. 4 Auburn vs. No. 5 Iowa State (Maui Invitational)
Auburn leads the nation in twopoint FG%, while Iowa State forces turnovers like it’s Black Friday at the mall.
Key Question: Will Auburn be the turkey, or will Iowa State get stuffed?
Tuesday, Nov. 26
No. 6 Houston vs. No. 9 Alabama (Player’s Era Festival)
Alabama scores triple digits like it’s a video game, but Houston’s defense is ready to say, “Not today.”
Prediction: Houston grinds out a close win with suffocating defense.
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 11 Duke (Vegas Showdown)
Duke’s Cooper Flagg takes on Kansas’ veteran Hunter Dickinson in what could be the game of the week.
Fun Fact: Kansas coach Bill Self just hit 800 wins—roughly the number of times Jayhawk fans will hold their breath during this showdown.
Wednesday, Nov. 27
Maui Invitational Championship (Teams TBD)
Likely UConn vs. Auburn or UNC—a matchup filled with high stakes and highlightreel moments.
No. 21 Creighton vs. No. 20 Texas A&M (Player’s Era Festival)
Creighton loves to bomb threes (42 attempts in their last game). Texas A&M’s defense thrives on chaos, which could make for a fun, messy battle.
Prediction: The team with fewer turnovers takes it
Thursday, Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving)
No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Indiana (Battle 4 Atlantis)
Gonzaga’s No. 1ranked offense is set to face an Indiana team hungry for a statement win.
What to Watch: Can Indiana slow down the Zags’ quartet of double digit scorers?
No. 13 Purdue vs. NC State (Rady Invitational)
Purdue’s size meets NC State’s athleticism. It feels like a tournament final in itself.
Final Take
Feast Week is basketball’s ultimate Thanksgiving feast: a mix of comfort food (like top ranked teams Kansas and UConn), bold new flavors (Player’s Era Festival), and the occasional surprise (Dayton over UNC, anyone?). Whether you’re into suffocating defense, highflying offense, or just the sheer drama of November basketball, this week has it all.
Now pass the remote—and the stuffing.
