Feast Week Preview 2018

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We're almost two weeks into the college basketball season, so let's recap what we've learned thus far: Duke is good. Villanova is not. Roy Williams needs to start Nassir Little. And Indiana looks like the most glaring omission from my preseason Top 25 rankings. 

As I wrote in my last post, postseason storylines fade so quickly due to all of the unknown factors surrounding top programs. Coaches are tinkering with lineups, freshmen are adjusting to the college pace, and I REPEAT, VILLANOVA LOST TO FURMAN AT HOME. (no precedent for a reigning champ losing on their own court to a Southern Conference opponent. nope, not ever, don't know what would make you think otherwise). 

And the bedlam is only beginning. We are on the eve of what ESPN has dubbed "Feast Week." That is, the week of Thanksgiving where tournaments featuring matchups between top 25 teams occur. I'm here to provide a guide for which games to watch and to share insight on what dream matchups I want to unfold. Below is a reasonably thorough analysis of all the major tournaments.

Maui Invitational
The Dates: November 19-21
The Location: Maui, Hawaii
The Teams: 1 Duke, 3 Gonzaga, 8 Auburn, Xavier, San Diego State, Arizona, Iowa State, Illinois
The Venue: Laihana Civic Center, home to Chaminade University, a D2 school in Maui. Seats 2,400, with retractable bleachers and four limited locker rooms, per Wikipedia. The baskets' unique soft rims cause 3 pointers to fall more frequently. 
The Watchability: 10/10
The Dream Matchup: Duke vs. Auburn, in the semi-finals (would require Auburn to beat Xavier and Duke to beat San Diego State)
This game would pretty much be a 3 point shooting and dunk contest. Auburn is shooting 37% from 3 as a team (point guard Jared Harper is 11 for 21 from beyond the arc), and Duke's Zion Williamson could literally break one of the aforementioned soft rims. The Tigers possess enough versatile wings to throw at Williamson and guard/forward RJ Barrett, and their offense should be able to keep up with Duke's fast-pace transition game. The score of this one could be in the 90s. 
The Championship Prediction: Gonzaga over Duke, 92-84

Battle 4 Atlantis
The Dates: November 21-23
The Location: Nassau, Bahamas
The Teams: 4 Virginia, 25 Wisconsin, Dayton, Florida, Stanford, Oklahoma, Butler, Middle Tennessee State
The Venue: Imperial Arena, in the Atlantis Hotel. It will never not be funny to me that they turn a hotel ballroom into a basketball court. No wonder these games can get weird.
The Watchability: 6/10
The Dream Matchup: Florida vs. Wisconsin, in the semi-finals (would require Florida to beat Oklahoma and Wisconsin to beat Stanford)
My preseason take on both the Badgers and Ethan Happ being awful has not aged well. Happ notched a triple double against Coppin State in the season opener, then followed that up with a 30 point, 13 rebound, and 5 assist game against Xavier last week. Oh yeah, and Wisconsin is 3-0. But the emergence of the Badgers' backcourt may overshadow Happ's dominance: point guard D'Mitrik Trice is scoring at will (18.3 points per game), and shooting guard Brad Davison (11.7 ppg, 4 rpg) appears to be the heart and soul of the team. I mean look at this guy. If I told you to picture the ideal Wisconsin basketball player, an image identical to "Buzzcut Brad" (as The Ringer's Mark Titus has nicknamed him) would pop up into your mind. He looks like he was designed in a lab in a Midwestern cornfield for the purpose of playing Big Ten basketball.

...anyway. This game would be an intriguing rematch of the amazing 2016-2017 Sweet 16 game that ended with a Chris Chiozza buzzer beater and a Gator victory. Florida got the brakes beat off of them by Florida State to start the year; but I expect the Gators to better prepared for this one. No one for UF has separated themselves as a go-to scorer, but Mike White's teams always play tough defense...and regardless of the outcome, I expect the winner to get stomped by Virginia.
The Championship Prediction: Virginia over Wisconsin, 64-48

Las Vegas Invitational
The Dates: November 22-23
The Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
The Teams: 7 North Carolina, 11 Michigan State, 17 UCLA, Texas
The Venue: Orleans Arena in Paradise, Nevada, in the Orleans Hotel and Casino; equally as funny, if not funnier than the Battle 4 Atlantis' grand ballroom court.
The Watchability: 8/10
The Dream Matchup: UNC vs. UCLA, in the championship (would require UNC to beat Texas and UCLA to beat Michigan State)
Heels by 100.

Okay, but for real, this would be a fun game oozing with NBA prospects. Both teams rank in the top 20 for tempo (per KenPom.com) and both teams possess five guys averaging points in the double figures; so expect a score in the 80s, maybe even 90s. The Bruins haven't really been tested, but shooting guard Kris Wilkes has been on fire (19.7 points per game). Seven-foot freshman center Moses Brown (19.7 ppg, 13.7 rpg) could also give the Heels fits both offensively and defensively. If the Heels win, which I expect they will, look for a game dominated by the perimeter play of Cam Johnson and Nassir Little. Luke Maye has torched seven-foot tall bigs before (see NC State's Omer Yurtseven last season)...but he has also been torched. 
The Championship Prediction: North Carolina over UCLA 84-74

NIT Tip-Off
The Dates: November 21-23
The Location: New York City
The Teams: 2 Kansas, 5 Tennessee, Marquette, Louisville
The Venue: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY...imagine that, playing a basketball tournament in a basketball arena
The Watchability: 9/10
The Dream Matchup: Kansas vs. Tennessee in the championship (would require UT to beat Louisville and Kansas to beat Marquette)
The Jayhawks have looked vulnerable in both of their games following the win against Michigan State in the Champions Classic. If not for LaGerald Vick's hot 3 point shooting (15 made 3s in his last two games), Kansas could've easily fallen to Vermont or Louisiana. But they don't have to wait too long to see if they can formulate more balance against better competition. Watch for the Vols' Admiral Schofield and his bowling ball-sized shoulders to attack the Jayhawks' behemoth Udoka Azubuike to get him into foul trouble. If Schofield's frontcourt-mate Grant Williams can slow down power forward Dedric Lawson, and if the Vols' guards can contain the 3 point shooting from Vick and Quentin Grimes, Tennessee will emerge victorious.
(fun fact: Tennessee's Williams and Kansas' starting point guard Devon Dotson both played at Providence Day School in Charlotte, NC--alma mater of my wife, and rival to my alma mater, Charlotte Christian)
The Championship Prediction: Tennessee 68, Kansas 62

BONUS MATERIAL!
Cayman Islands Classic
The Dates: November 19-21
The Location: Grand Cayman Islands
The Teams: 16 Clemson, Boise State, Akron, Illinois State, Creighton, Georgia State, Georgia, St. Bonaventure
The Venue: We'll get to that
The Watchability: Don't watch this tournament
The Dream Matchup: I'm not watching this tournament
The Championship Prediction: Clemson by a lot 
This tournament is broadcasted via Facebook Live. I'm not kidding. Here's an article on last year's Cayman Classic. I really just wanted a reason to link that article, because it's hilarious and worth reading if you have the time.


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