Thanksgiving week --- Feast Week, in the college basketball world -- is mostly associated with NFL football. The Detroit Lions, the Dallas Cowboys, we all know the routine. And that's great for when 25 people are at your house eating turkey and stuffing. But what about the day or two before? That's college basketball's time to shine, with a full slate of daytime games. The day after? When the extended family has hopefully gone home and there's nothing to do but eat leftovers? That's right, college hoops.
The headliner of the week is obviously the Maui Invitational, with three of the top 10 teams in the country in the elite field. But our Myron Medcalf is in Hawaii, and he's got you covered for that one.
Before we get to the other events, there are a few things in general to keep an eye on this week.
Villanova: What is going on with the Wildcats? We're used to hot starts from Jay Wright's team, but that's not the case this season, as it has already lost to Michigan and Furman at home. Phil Booth and Eric Paschall haven't seamlessly stepped into starring roles, while Wright has gotten minimal production from a touted recruiting class. The Wildcats head to the Advocare Invitational this week, where another loss or two wouldn't be a shock.
The Big Ten: Perhaps the biggest surprise of the first two weeks of the season has been the Big Ten. A league that had one surefire top-25 team in the preseason can now make a case for six or seven. They have a chance to cement themselves this week, too, heading into the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Michigan State travels to Las Vegas, while Wisconsin can make a statement at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Nebraska can also boost its résumé at the CBE Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City. One sneaky game to watch? Marshall at Maryland. The Thundering Herd can really fill it up, but Maryland has been solid so far. That's a game the Terps need to win.
Freshmen not named Zion or RJ or Cam: Duke's stud newcomers will take center stage in Hawaii, but on the mainland, it will be a good chance to see some of the top freshmen who haven't been on national TV enough just yet. Moses Brown (19.7 PPG, 13.7 RPG, 4.0 BPG) has been sensational for UCLA, while Texas' Jaxson Hayes (9.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG) has shown flashes of NBA play. LSU's Naz Reid has as much talent as anyone in the country, and teammate Emmitt Williams (9.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG) is a double-double threat every night. USC's Kevin Porter Jr. (13.7 PPG) has become appointment TV for NBA draftniks.
Now, for the big tournaments to watch:
NIT Season Tip-Off (Brooklyn) : Wednesday and Friday
Kansas vs. Marquette, Louisville vs. Tennessee
Two top-10 teams in Kansas and Tennessee, a Big East contender in Marquette and a team looking to make a statement with Chris Mack in Louisville. Louisville opens with Tennessee, and Kansas faces Marquette. Tennessee burst onto the national scene early last season when it beat Purdue in the Bahamas; if the Volunteers win two games in Brooklyn, we'll know they're ready to push for back-to-back SEC titles. On Monday and Tuesday in Brooklyn, St. John's will lead the way in the four-team Legends Classic.
Las Vegas Invitational (Las Vegas): Thursday and Friday
North Carolina vs. Texas, Michigan State vs. UCLA
North Carolina will head to the desert as the favorite, as the other three teams have questions they'll be hoping to answer. Michigan State has looked better since losing to Kansas in the opener, while UCLA hasn't played anyone of note. No one's sure how good Texas really is. There are two other Las Vegas events this week, too. Nevada leads the field at the Las Vegas Holiday Invitational, while Mississippi State is the headliner at the MGM Main Event.
Battle 4 Atlantis (Nassau, Bahamas): Wednesday-Friday
Butler, Dayton, Florida, Middle Tennessee, Oklahoma, Stanford, Virginia, Wisconsin
It's not the loaded field it was a year ago, when Arizona stunned the nation by going 0-3 and Villanova showed the first signs it was going to be a force. This season's group doesn't lack for storylines, though. Virginia is back in the top 10 after losing to a 16-seed in March, and the Cavaliers are the heavy favorite in the Caribbean. But Wisconsin has looked very good so far, and we have to see whether Florida's 21-point loss to Florida State was for real. In the Cayman Islands, Clemson will hope to win the eight-team Cayman Islands Classic.
Advocare Invitational (Orlando) : Thursday, Friday and Sunday
Canisius, Charleston, Florida State, LSU, Memphis, Oklahoma State, UAB, Villanova
This one should be fun. Despite Villanova, winners of two of the past three national titles, leading the event, the favorites might be Florida State and LSU. The Seminoles crushed Florida in the season opener, while LSU is unbeaten right now. Villanova, meanwhile, has lost two in a row at home and has plenty of questions. Canisius and Charleston will be factors in their league races, and Memphis has looked competitive early under Penny Hardaway.
CBE Hall of Fame Classic (Kansas City): Monday and Tuesday
Nebraska vs. Missouri State, Texas Tech vs. USC
This is going to be an intriguing couple of days, as we should be able to find out whether any of these teams will be factors in March. Nebraska is getting some love as a back-end Top 25 team, with James Palmer scoring at will early. Texas Tech lost a ton from last season's Elite Eight team, but Chris Beard's team has beaten up on inferior competition so far. As for USC, the nation will get another chance to see freshman Kevin Porter Jr., who is generating plenty of buzz out west.
Wooden Legacy (Fullerton, California) : Thursday, Friday and Sunday
Fresno State, Grand Canyon, Hawaii, La Salle, Miami, Northwestern, Seton Hall, Utah
Several of these teams have made NCAA tournaments recently, but none is currently projected to go dancing this season. This could be a jumping-off point for a team like Grand Canyon, which will push for a WAC championship. Miami or Utah could also boost its potential bubble cause with a title in California.
Emerald Coast Classic (Niceville, Florida): Friday and Saturday
Baylor vs. Ole Miss; Cincinnati vs. George Mason
Are any of these teams good? Baylor opened the season with a home loss to Texas Southern. Mississippi is projected to finish last in the SEC. Cincinnati has really struggled to score the basketball so far this season after losing its entire frontcourt. George Mason was expected to compete in the Atlantic 10 but opened its season with losses to Penn, American and Georgia Southern. Who will respond and emerge from this event with some momentum? By the way, there's a side bracket in this one, as well, featuring Southern, Western Michigan, Nicholls State and North Carolina Central.