Banquet Week guide: the must-watch males’s college hoops games

Nov 25, 2024, 08:30 AM ET Every year, Banquet Week provides a buffet of elite nonconference matches that matter now, sure, however will mean a lot more once Choice Sunday shows up. Powerhouse programs can include 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 has an opportunity

to stake its claim as America’s top

group by going through a strong Maui Invitational field– though North Carolina and Auburn stand in its way, and could even change that conversation by defeating the Huskies. Gonzaga is another group that might end the week with a strong argument for the No. 1 spot.But for all the multiteam occasions and nonconference competitions that

have currently 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 likewise a new entrant to Banquet Week this year: The Players Period Festival in Las Vegas, which

could reinvent future vacation tournaments.Editor’s Picks 2 Related The occasion, anchored by Houston, Alabama and Rutgers, will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and will offer$1 million in NIL payments to every

taking part team. Pay-for-play events protest the NCAA’s guidelines, which means the Players Period Festival organizers are trying to guarantee compliance even as all indications point to the games moving forward.Which suggests it will be closely seen by not just the NCAA, however the entire college basketball world. Because the format, and notably the financial benefits, might end up being the standard in this brand-new era

if it goes off without a hitch. If it does not, it will be an anomaly in a strange time for college basketball.As you attempt to pick which of the numerous males’s college basketball games to view this vacation week, let ESPN’s Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, Joe Lunardi and Neil Paine assist you choose where to tune in.

Most of them are nonconference competitions at neutral websites. A few are not. All are ensured to be entertaining. Monday Maui Invitational|2:30 p.m. ET|Maui|ESPN2 UConn begins a huge action up in competitors after rolling through four sub-300 KenPom teams by approximately 37 PPG– the biggest scoring margin in the country. Memphis isn’t actually a national title contender, but the Tigers have three actually excellent guards and a big guy in Dain Dainja who is a handful– if he can remain on the floor. It’s a great test for a Huskies group with unanswered concerns. — Borzello

play 1:12 Dan Hurley: Anything except an NCAA title is a failure at UConn

UConn guys’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley informs Pat McAfee what his program’s expectations are heading into the season.

Maui Invitational|9 p.m. ET|Maui|ESPNU Now this has the feel of a Feast Week championship game– or a prospective Final Four match. While both teams have elite protective systems, the key will likely be Auburn’s offense vs. Iowa State’s defense. Can the Tigers look after the ball and prevent the Cyclones, who rank fifth nationally in points off turnovers per game, from getting out and running? And can Iowa State limit Johni Broome and the Tigers, who lead the nation in two-point field-goal portion, at the rim? — Borzello

Maui Invitational|11:30 p.m. ET|Maui|ESPN2 Dayton didn’t enter the season with the same buzz it had a year back, but the Flyers are off to a 5-0 start that includes a win over Northwestern. The additions of high-major transfers Zed Secret and Classy Alexander, and the go back to health of Malachi Smith, has them positioned well in the Atlantic 10. Monday offers an opportunity at a declaration win against a Carolina group that has one of the deepest and most gifted backcourts in the nation. — Borzello

Tuesday 7 p.m. ET|Philadelphia|ESPN+Y ours really is on the call

for this one. Am currently lobbying that night’s officiating team to get us off the air in time for Kansas-Duke.– Lunardi Gamers Age Festival|8:00 p.m. ET|Las Vegas|TBS Something

needs to give up 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 shocking 11 times given that last season. On the other hand, the Cougars have not enabled more than 75 in policy considering that Feb. 3. Anticipate both to be competing for No. 1 seeds all the way to March.– Lunardi Vegas Face-off|9 p.m. ET|Las Vegas|ESPN This is the greatest profile Feast

Week matchup, at least in regards to preseason rankings. Kansas started the year and stays

at No. 1 in the significant polls. Duke stumbled late against Kentucky in the Champions Classic but rebounded convincingly at Arizona before its journey to the desert. Search For Cooper Flagg to face his stiffest obstacle yet against fifth-year huge guy Hunter Dickinson. It’s tough to picture the winner of this game not being a No. 1 seed in March.– Lunardi Wednesday Maui Invitational Championship(groups TBD) Maui Invitational|5 p.m. ET

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. Maui|ESPN We do not understand who the 2 teams will remain in the Maui Invitational final, but if things go chalk, two-time protecting NCAA champ Connecticut could be in it against any of Auburn, Iowa State or UNC– all of whom rank amongst Ken Pomeroy’s Top 12 entering Monday– out of the other side of the bracket. The best possible match according to KenPom? No. 2 Auburn versus No. 6 UConn.– Paine Gamers Era Festival|6:30 p.m. ET|Las Vegas|Max Both are off to excellent starts, and both are KenPom leading 20 teams. Impact seniors are plentiful on both sides: A&M is headlined by Wade Taylor IV, Creighton reaches Ryan Kalkbrenner and Steven Ashworth take it. Look for whether a swarming Aggies defense (top 100 in steal rate at 11.5%) can require giveaways from a Creighton group that permits steals on 13.3 %of its offending belongings– among the worst rates in the country. With both presently projecting in the 4-5 seed range in the NCAA tourney, the winner will have an early upper hand.– Paine

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

Bama is in a hard stretch, dealing with Houston and UNC within an 8-day period. The simplest matchup in between is Rutgers, and even that’s a ranked team. The Scarlet Knights have the possible to give Alabama a battle, as they take precise care of the basketball on offense and do not give up anything easy at the other end with promoted freshman bigs Ace Bailey and Lathan Sommerville patrolling the paint. Bama’s experience must win out here, and Rutgers has an extremely difficult Big Ten schedule ahead anyway, but an upset W would be great for Rutgers to reveal the committee in March. — Paine

Thursday Fight 4 Atlantis|Twelve noon ET|Paradise Island, Bahamas|ESPN Gonzaga, America’s finest offending team, has another possibility to include a quality win to its résumé. Mike Woodson considers this Hoosiers lineup his finest as their head coach. A Thanksgiving triumph over the elite Bulldogs– who have 4 players currently balancing double figures and are very first in adjusted offensive effectiveness on KenPom– would definitely validate Woodson’s lofty talk.To get here, however, Gonzaga and Indiana need to win their first games(against West Virginia and Louisville, respectively)in the Bahamas.– Medcalf

CBS Thanksgiving Day Video Game|4 p.m. ET|Kansas City, Missouri|CBS This early battle between groups that want to be contenders in their particular conferences features 5 projected draft picks– three of whom might go in the preliminary. The names to view here are Illinois point player Kasparas Jakucionis (10.2 PPG, 6.6 APG), who will deal with the Razorbacks’ Boogie Fland. If you wish to see a couple of young point player who could complete at the next level soon, this is a game for you. — Medcalf

Rady Kid’s Invitational|3 p.m. ET|San Diego|FS1 Both teams look different than when they fulfilled in the Final 4 8 months back and the Boilermakers won the 63-50 triumph. 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, as soon as again, avoid an upset loss. — Medcalf

Friday 2:30 p.m. ET|Columbus, Ohio|Peacock This is neither a ranked match nor an early-season tournament game. Yet, this is an exceptionally close match between two teams in the KenPom leading 25 that are good at both ends of the court. Defense might be the order of the day here; no group in the country holds opponents to a lower shooting performance than the Buckeyes(7-foot-1 Aaron Bradshaw is a horror securing the rim), though the Panthers aren’t far behind at No. 15 in reliable FG %defense. ESPN Analytics anticipates both have an 80-90% possibility of making the NCAA tournament.– Paine Battle 4 Atlantis Championship(groups TBD )Top stories of the week from Get exclusive access to countless premium posts a year from leading authors. – Why Leaders aren’t a

playoff lock”- 43 crucial Competition Week games”- MLB trade grades: Royals deal Vocalist”More ESPN +material”Fight 4 Atlantis |
5:30 p.m. ET|Paradise Island, Bahamas|ESPN The big possible matchup here is Gonzaga versus Arizona– No. 1 versus No.

17 in the KenPom rankings, and a hectic offensive shootout for all of us to feast on. If for some factor that doesn’t occur, we might see a deep team like Indiana– led by spectacular sophomore Mackenzie Mgbako– or Oklahoma– with senior Jalon Moore scoring nearly 19 PPG– rather. Both the Hoosiers and Sooners have almost precisely 50-50 NCAA tourney odds according to ESPN Analytics, making this another of those prospective résumé-boosters.– Paine Rady Kid’s Invitational Champion(teams TBD) Rady Kid’s Invitational Championship|6 p.m. ET|San Diego|FOX This will be another possibility for either Purdue or NC State to prove it still

can shine on the national phase, regardless of losing key players from a season back. On the other side of the bracket, both Ole Miss and BYU were on the 8-9 seed line in our latest Bracketology

report. To put it simply, these are a couple of power-conference groups that will probably be directly on the bubble for an at-large quote in March, and a win here would assist in that regard.– Paine Saturday 9:30 p.m. ET|Lethbridge, Alberta(Canada)

| ESPN+C losing night of the inaugural Western Slam features

a set of mid-majors chose to win their particular conferences. UC Irvine owns four of the previous six Huge West regular-season titles, and this year Towson was voted the preseason CAA favorite for the very first time. The Tigers are searching for the school’s first NCAA competition look in Division I.– Lunardi 4 p.m. ET|Philadelphia|ESPN+T he winner of this one deals with Saint

Joseph’s for the Philadelphia Big 5 championship

on Dec. 7. A year earlier at Temple, previous La Salle and now Villanova guard Jahmir Brickus broke the Huge 5 single-game scoring record with 41 points in a triple overtime loss. This year, the Explorers host at their brand-new John Glaser Arena, where they have yet to lose.– Lunardi Sunday

4 p.m. ET|Lincoln|Big 10 Network

It’s a little an anticlimactic end to Feast Week, but North Florida already has a set of road wins over power-conference competition in South Carolina and Georgia Tech, before getting another possibility here. The Cornhuskers, however, just got a substantial road win of their own by going to in-state rival Creighton and knocking off the Bluejays by 11– holding All-America big guy Ryan Kalkbrenner to 4 points and 0 made basket. — Borzello