Feast Week Summary in College Basketball

The busiest week in the early college basketball season is upon us, bringing plenty of excitement and surprises.

Here’s a rundown of the three standout winners and losers from this hectic Feast Week.

With nearly a month of games completed, there are still 25 undefeated teams in college basketball. Notably, seven of these teams are from the Big Ten: Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Purdue, and USC.

Among them, the Wolverines emerged as perhaps the biggest winners of Feast Week, making a historic run to the Players Era Festival Championship.

Their impressive performance in Las Vegas has positioned Michigan at the top of the initial NET rankings, firmly establishing them as the early season champions in terms of overall performance. But they weren’t the only team making waves during Thanksgiving week.

Although the competition was somewhat limited, winning the Maui Invitational was still a significant achievement for USC. They improved to 7-0, with consecutive victories over Boise State, Seton Hall State, and Arizona State.

Michigan State validated their earlier wins against Arkansas and Kentucky by convincingly defeating East Carolina by 33 points and then outpacing No. 16 North Carolina by 16 in the Fort Myers championship game.

Iowa State secured wins over Ole Miss and Grand Canyon to clinch the Acresure Classic. Indiana faced its toughest test yet and managed to defeat Kansas State. Meanwhile, Purdue dominated its only matchup of the week, winning by 47 points, and Nebraska continued its impressive run, extending its winning streak to 12 games, which is currently the longest in the nation.

All in all, it was a solid week for the Big Ten.

On another note, Florida State was expected to contend for the national championship this season, but it faced a setback with an 84-80 loss to unranked TCU during the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego. The Gators followed that up with a rather unimpressive victory over Providence the next day.

While Florida State still boasts arguably the best frontcourt in the nation, issues persist in the backcourt. Point guard Boogie Frando’s shooting has been subpar, and his assist numbers have diminished compared to last season. Additionally, the performance of Shaibian Lee, who transferred from Princeton, raises some eyebrows as he averages only 9.0 points and struggles with a shooting percentage of 26.7.

Florida State’s upcoming games against Duke and UW will be crucial opportunities to silence any doubts about their November performance.

Historically, the A-10 conference sent two or more teams to the NCAA Tournament for 11 years from 2007-2008 to 2017-2018, but they have never managed to send more than one in any single season.

However, that trend could shift. Recent NET rankings revealed that the A-10 has eight teams in the top 100, surpassing the Big East by three and the Mountain West by four.

George Mason, although relatively untested, currently holds the second-longest active winning streak at 8-0. Dayton recently defeated previously unbeaten Georgetown and put up a strong fight against No. 9 BYU to win the ESPN Event Invitational, bringing their record to 6-2. Meanwhile, VCU has faced tough opposition but recorded impressive wins over Virginia Tech and South Florida. George Washington, St. Louis, and Rhode Island also hold solid positions in the NET rankings.

If the A-10 avoids hosting in January and February, it could be the first time in years that they won’t need a surprising team to win the conference tournament to qualify multiple teams for the Big Dance.

Just a month ago, Aztec fans were understandably frustrated when San Diego State failed to make the preseason top 25. They believed the team, returning 76.2 percent of its points from a 21-win season, deserved more recognition.

So far, however, SDSU hasn’t done much to prove doubters wrong. After suffering a double-overtime loss to Troy, the Aztecs finished 1-2 at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. They managed to secure a win against a struggling Oregon State team, but this was sandwiched between a 40-point loss to Michigan State and a 10-point defeat by Baylor.

Now sitting at No. 123 in the NET rankings, it’s early to draw conclusions, but it’s notable that SDSU only has one more non-conference game left—a semi-away matchup with Arizona on December 20. This game could play a critical role in boosting their momentum before entering league play in the Mountain West Conference, which has seen fewer high-quality opportunities compared to previous years.

Winner: Duke/Cameron Boozer

The highlight of Thanksgiving college basketball was Duke’s 80-71 triumph over Arkansas at the United Center in Chicago. The Blue Devils were trailing by seven points with just over 10 minutes remaining but managed to rally and secure a convincing win.

This game also marked a standout performance from freshman Cameron Boozer, who scored 35 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the same venue where his father, Carlos, played for four seasons with the Chicago Bulls.

While Boozer had been playing well, his performances against the strongest teams earlier in the season raised some questions. His ability to excel against elite competition was notably showcased on Thanksgiving night, with this performance likely boosting his Wooden Award candidacy.

In contrast, the Golden Eagles are struggling in the 2025-26 season, suffering a heartbreaking 75-74 loss to Oklahoma in Chicago. This defeat marked the first time in the program’s 109-year history that Marquette has lost four games before December.

Last year, Shaka Smart was praised for successfully managing roster stability and culture amid ongoing transfers. However, he is now being viewed as a cautionary tale regarding the risks of not adapting to the transfer portal.