Busting Brackets
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2023 Bracketology: Biggest impact matchups to watch during Feast week

By Jason Burgess

Nov 24, 2021; Nassau, BHS; A basketball on the court with the participating teams in the 2021 Battle 4 Atlantis tournament at Imperial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 24, 2021; Nassau, BHS; A basketball on the court with the participating teams in the 2021 Battle 4 Atlantis tournament at Imperial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Connecticut Huskies forward Adama Sanogo Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Connecticut Huskies forward Adama Sanogo Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /

Phil Knight Invitational, November 24-25, 27, Portland, Oregon

The next two MTEs I want to take a look at are a part of the Phil Knight extravaganza that is broken up into two eight-team tournaments, the Invitational and the Legacy. First up is the Invitational which features North Carolina, Villanova, Oregon, UConn, Alabama, and Michigan State.
The marquee games of the first round feature UConn battling Oregon (2-2) and Alabama taking on Michigan State. Dan Hurley’s Huskies are a potential sleeper pick to win the Big East and the No. 25 Huskies are 5-0 without having been tested so far this season, but that should end against the Ducks who are looking to rebound after losing two of their last four to UC Irvine and Houston.  If you like physical play, you’ll love this game with the battle of the bigs, UConn’s 6-9 245lb. Adama Sanogo against the 6-11 230lb. N’Faly Dante of the Ducks. The winner of this one gets a key win over another tournament contender

The No. 18 Crimson Tide are 4-0 entering this game with the Spartans who have played one of the toughest schedules to date, having already faced Gonzaga, Kentucky, and Villanova and won two of them. The rest of the bracket sees no. 1 North Carolina facing Portland and Iowa state taking on the Villanova Wildcats.

Freshman Brandon Miller and Ohio transfer Mark Sears have been phenomenal for Nate Oats through four games, combining for 35 points, 14.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists shooting 46.2% from deep. Michigan State (3-1) has been one of the more impressive teams this season for me. This isn’t Tom Izzo’s most talented team but he hasn’t shied away from challenging them and they have answered with wins over Kentucky and Villanova. They don’t look like a team picked to finish 5th in the Big Ten, but they have that trademark Michigan State toughness and grit. The Spartans have built an at-large schedule and the other teams in the Invitational should be put on notice with what the Spartans have done in November.

They’ll be quad 1 games aplenty in Portland and those teams participating don’t want to look back at the games and see a missed opportunity.

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