Bracketology 2020: Biggest winners and losers from Feast Week games

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 28: Jordan Schakel #20, Yanni Wetzell #5 and KJ Feagin #10 of the San Diego State Aztecs celebrate after teammate Joel Mensah (not pictured) #35 dunked against the Creighton Bluejays during the 2019 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on November 28, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Aztecs defeated the Bluejays 83-52. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

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LAHAINA, HI – NOVEMBER 26: Obi Toppin #1 of the Dayton Flyers celebrates after throwing down a dunk during the second half against the Virginia Tech Hokies at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 26, 2019 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

Winner – Dayton (5-1)

Feast Week record: 2-1
Beat Georgia, 80-61
Beat Virginia Tech, 89-62
Lost to Kansas, 90-84 (OT)

It wasn’t an absolutely perfect week for the Flyers, but it was about as close as they could’ve gotten without actually winning the Maui Invitational. Dayton took the Jayhawks down to the wire in the championship game but, ultimately, had to watch their opponents hoist the hardware.

This event marked Obi Toppin’s arrival to the national stage. Toppin has long been marked as a star by those in the know, but don’t be surprised if he starts getting some Ja Morant treatment as the nation’s most electrifying mid-major player. If he continues to play at his current level, Dayton will challenge VCU for A-10 supremacy and will likely earn themselves an at-large bid in the process. Two blowout wins against high-major programs will certainly help that cause.

Loser – Syracuse (4-3)

Feast Week record: 0-2
Lost to Oklahoma State, 86-72
Lost to Penn State, 85-64

Jim Boeheim was never a lock to return to the Big Dance and, despite his teams’ predilections for crashing the party and then streaking into the second weekend, the Orange don’t look great so far. In their first real competition since their painful 34-point opening performance against Virginia, Syracuse didn’t look overly competitive against Oklahoma State. They looked downright lost against Penn State.

Things don’t get much easier for Syracuse, either. They take on Iowa on Tuesday in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, before a trip to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech followed by a road game against Georgetown. The ACC is going to be rough terrain this year, so the Orange needed to pocket a few good victories from outside the league. They whiffed on two big chances this past week. The pressure is on in upstate New York.

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