Winner | Loser |
|---|---|
Troy | Saint Francis |
Bowling Green | VMI |
Vanderbilt | Western Kentucky |
Stonehill | UMass Lowell |
Texas Tech | New Orleans |
Brown | New Hampshire |
Belmont | Toledo |
Buffalo | Bucknell |
Iowa State | Syracuse |
San Jose State | Loyola Chicago |
Miami Ohio | UNC Greensboro |
FIU | Omaha |
Mercer | App State |
Illinois Chicago | Robert Morris |
Wofford | Northern Kentucky |
FDU | Army |
Liberty | Bradley |
South Florida | VCU |
Jacksonville State | North Dakota State |
Valpo | Southern Indiana |
New Mexico State | Georgia State |
Rice | Oral Roberts |
Marshall | Lipscomb |
Navy | Gardner-Webb |
Boston College | Harvard |
Tulsa | Northern Iowa |
Princeton | Vermont |
Manhattan | Wagner |
Seton Hall | Washington State |
Utah Valley | Samford |
Northern Colorado | Air Force |
Sam Houston | Idaho State |
Kentucky | Tennessee Tech |
Tennessee | Kansas |
Houston Christian | The Citadel |
Fresno State | Pepperdine |
UNC Wilmington | Southeastern Louisiana |
Florida Gulf Coast | Kennesaw State |
Cincinnati | Eastern Michigan |
Columbia | Fairfield |
Temple | Rhode Island |
Louisiana Tech | Indiana State |
Saint Mary's | Wichita State |
Houston | Notre Dame |
Memphis | Southern Illinois |
Southeast Missouri | Northern Arizona |
UC Irvine | South Dakota State |
Wyoming | Denver |
Louisville | NJIT |
New Mexico | Alabama State |
Idaho | Northridge |
Portland | Long Beach |
NC State | Texas |
Iowa | Grand Canyon |
Ole Miss | Utah |
Alabama | Baylor |
Oregon | Maryland |
UNLV | Rutgers |
Feast Week has been excellent so far! Even if there haven't been a ton of people attending the Players Era, the games have been elite, and it's been awesome to see these types of games early in the season. Tennessee beat Houston and opened some eyes doing it. Heading into the event, the Volunteers had not played a power conference opponent yet, but they have passed that test with flying colors. Don’t worry about Houston, the Cougars looked lost in the event last year as well, before advancing to the National Title game. Houston will get it together.
Staying in the Players Era, Michigan advanced to the title game by beating Auburn by 40 points, and the Wolverines looked exceptional doing so. Gonzaga also advanced to the championship game by beating Maryland by 40. That sets up a championship in the Players Era that looks more like a Final Four matchup instead of a game in November.
The Maui Invitational is not what it used to be, but it has been some great basketball over the last two days. USC got all it could handle from Seton Hall. The Pirates are much improved from last year, and they could be a factor in the Big East. USC stays undefeated in November. The Trojans are more athletic and have a lot more shooting than they did last year. The bad news is that they may have lost star Rodney Rice for a while due to a shoulder injury.
Arizona State is the most surprising inclusion in the Maui Invitational Championship. I was not a fan of the Sun Devils' roster, and while there is a lot of season left, Arizona State has only lost to Gonzaga, beaten Texas, and hopes to add another feather to their cap with a win over USC.
The schedule for tomorrow was still in flux as of the time of this writing, but within the known matchups, there are some big-time games that are going to have an NCAA Tournament second-weekend feel. Here are some previews and some picks for the best games of the day. I will follow that up with the picks for the rest of the games.
No 13. Gonzaga Bulldogs vs No. 7 Michigan Wolverines- Players Era Championship
Here we go, yet another huge matchup in the Players Era. The teams advanced because both were 2-0, and the margin-of-victory tiebreaker determined the winner. Gonzaga has had some great teams under Mark Few, but this one may be the best collection of players that Coach Few has ever had. It is shaping up to be a special year in Spokane. Tyon Grant-Foster is one of the most athletic players in the country, and when he is paired with Graham Ike and Braden Huff, the Bulldogs have looked unstoppable.
Michigan struggled to find its true identity over the first two weeks of the season, but now that it has, it looks like a legitimate National Championship contender. Aday Mara and Yaxel Lendeborg make up the best frontcourt in the game and are going to give the Gonzaga stars a challenge. This game is fit for the Final Four, but because of the Players Era, we all get a chance to see it in November. Gonzaga has the better guards and thus the advantage.
Towson Tigers vs UC San Diego Tritons- Two dominant mid-majors for the ESPN Events Championship
Towson is the best team in the CAA, has the league's best player in Tyler Tejada, and loves winning grinder games. Towson beat Liberty because they made a ton of threes in the second half and dictated the tempo of the game. The Tigers love to play slow, methodical basketball and are one of the best mid-majors in the country when they play their style. Tejada and point guard Dylan Williamson are often the best two players on the floor every night, and that will be the case in the championship game.
UC San Diego lost their coach to New Mexico, and many of the roster left for the transfer portal as well. It has been more of the same for the Tritons. UC San Diego plays havoc-style defense and makes it hard to score. They love to shoot threes, and when they are rolling on both sides of the ball, the basketball is a lot of fun to watch. UC San Diego will be a factor in the Big West again. This game is going to be a lot of fun to kick off the Wednesday of Feast Week.
Here are the picks for the rest of the games that have been announced:
Feast Week has been excellent so far! Even if there haven't been a ton of people attending the Players Era, the games have been elite, and it's been awesome to see these types of games early in the season. Tennessee beat Houston and opened some eyes doing it. Heading into the event, the Volunteers had not played a power conference opponent yet, but they have passed that test with flying colors. Don’t worry about Houston, the Cougars looked lost in the event last year as well, before advancing to the National Title game. Houston will get it together.
Staying in the Players Era, Michigan advanced to the title game by beating Auburn by 40 points, and the Wolverines looked exceptional doing so. Gonzaga also advanced to the championship game by beating Maryland by 40. That sets up a championship in the Players Era that looks more like a Final Four matchup instead of a game in November.
The Maui Invitational is not what it used to be, but it has been some great basketball over the last two days. USC got all it could handle from Seton Hall. The Pirates are much improved from last year, and they could be a factor in the Big East. USC stays undefeated in November. The Trojans are more athletic and have a lot more shooting than they did last year. The bad news is that they may have lost star Rodney Rice for a while due to a shoulder injury.
Arizona State is the most surprising inclusion in the Maui Invitational Championship. I was not a fan of the Sun Devils' roster, and while there is a lot of season left, Arizona State has only lost to Gonzaga, beaten Texas, and hopes to add another feather to their cap with a win over USC.
The schedule for tomorrow was still in flux as of the time of this writing, but within the known matchups, there are some big-time games that are going to have an NCAA Tournament second-weekend feel. Here are some previews and some picks for the best games of the day. I will follow that up with the picks for the rest of the games.
USC Trojans vs Arizona State Sun Devils- Crowning a champ in Maui
No 13. Gonzaga Bulldogs vs No. 7 Michigan Wolverines- Players Era Championship
Here we go, yet another huge matchup in the Players Era. The teams advanced because both were 2-0, and the margin-of-victory tiebreaker determined the winner. Gonzaga has had some great teams under Mark Few, but this one may be the best collection of players that Coach Few has ever had. It is shaping up to be a special year in Spokane. Tyon Grant-Foster is one of the most athletic players in the country, and when he is paired with Graham Ike and Braden Huff, the Bulldogs have looked unstoppable.
Michigan struggled to find its true identity over the first two weeks of the season, but now that it has, it looks like a legitimate National Championship contender. Aday Mara and Yaxel Lendeborg make up the best frontcourt in the game and are going to give the Gonzaga stars a challenge. This game is fit for the Final Four, but because of the Players Era, we all get a chance to see it in November. Gonzaga has the better guards and thus the advantage.
Towson Tigers vs UC San Diego Tritons- Two dominant mid-majors for the ESPN Events Championship
Towson is the best team in the CAA, has the league's best player in Tyler Tejada, and loves winning grinder games. Towson beat Liberty because they made a ton of threes in the second half and dictated the tempo of the game. The Tigers love to play slow, methodical basketball and are one of the best mid-majors in the country when they play their style. Tejada and point guard Dylan Williamson are often the best two players on the floor every night, and that will be the case in the championship game.
UC San Diego lost their coach to New Mexico, and many of the roster left for the transfer portal as well. It has been more of the same for the Tritons. UC San Diego plays havoc-style defense and makes it hard to score. They love to shoot threes, and when they are rolling on both sides of the ball, the basketball is a lot of fun to watch. UC San Diego will be a factor in the Big West again. This game is going to be a lot of fun to kick off the Wednesday of Feast Week.
Here are the picks for the rest of the games that have been announced: