NCAA Basketball: Purdue and Memphis among week’s biggest winners and losers

Thanksgiving is now in the rearview mirror and the calendar has turned. The tournaments are over (for the most part) and it is time for the second half of non-conference play, where NCAA Basketball teams get a few more weeks to build their resumes before conference play (for most of the country).

In what seems like the blink of an eye, November is gone and December is upon us. A lot has happened over the first three weeks of the season, we’ve been treated to some marquee games between the top teams in the country. Some teams have been a disappointment and others have had surprising starts.

After a Feast Week that was full of surprising results, from Dayton beating Belmont in the ESPN Events Invitational with a field that included Kansas and Alabama, to Wisconsin beating Saint Mary’s to win the Maui Invitational, teams are now ready for December.

December is where teams forge their identity as they look ahead to conference play. The first week of the month was highlighted by the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. In addition to the challenge, there were upsets, surprising scores, and statements that were made by some, while others were left still searching for answers.

The week began with a challenge for the Big Ten and ACC and ended with league play for a few conferences. Sandwiched in between all of that were some intriguing matchups and eye-catching performances. Here is a look at who was up to the challenge and who has challenges to overcome in December.