Michigan State and Duke Headline a Full Day of Thanksgiving Hoops

Championship Wednesday had some lopsided results in the championship games.  Michigan beat Gonzaga worse than I have ever seen a Mark Few team get beaten.  The Wolverines are exceptional and will find themselves in the top 5 come the rankings release on Monday. Gonzaga still had an excellent tournament in the Players Era and will remain a top-10 team. 

Iowa won the Acrisure Challenge, and it is very odd to see Iowa defeat all types of games.  They are a team that can score in bunches, but unlike other Hawkeye teams, they play defense and make scoring hard.  Iowa is playing very well right now. UC San Diego was one of the best Big West teams ever last year, and the Tritons might be better this year.  The defense is better and UC San Diego made 16 threes in a beatdown of an excellent Towson team.  

In Maui, USC completed the run to the tournament title with a win over Arizona State.  USC is a good team with a lot of depth and the Trojans are one of the oldest teams in the country.  Chad Baker-Mazara and Ezra Ausar were excellent in this tournament.  To be honest, everyone should be impressed with Arizona State and how they played.  Coming in  I had them going 1-2 and they impressed me by marching to the Finals in a good field in Maui.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  May you all enjoy time with your families and most importantly a delicious turkey.  Thanksgiving is no longer just for Football.  College basketball has taken over and there are some excellent games on throughout the day led by two excellent top 25 matchups. 

No 16. North Carolina Tar Heels vs No. 11 Michigan State Spartans - Two legendary programs battle in Fort Myers

The Tar Heels were a team that many had tempered expectations for heading into the season given that head coach Hubert Davis has had his problems. To this point the Tar Heels have been excellent and it is due in large part to their revamped frontcourt. Star freshman Caleb Wilson is going to be a lottery pick and stretch forward Henri Veesaar is a great shooter from deep and is a tough cover for anyone.

The Spartans are one of the more athletic teams in college basketball.  Michigan State will get out in transition, throw down highlight reel dunks, and in a more recent development hit trail threes.  The Spartans were already hard enough to beat when they were getting to the rim, if they start stepping out and hitting threes with any consistency they can be one of the best teams in the country.  This game is going to be better than any football game on TV today.

Santa Clara Broncos vs Saint Louis Billikens - Acrisure Invitational for Dinner

This game is going to be a lot of fun.  The Broncos get up and down and are one of the best mid major teams in the country.  There are not many people who have watched them but let me tell you they are a legitimate threat for an at large into the NCAA Tournament.  The defense is elite and the offense is efficient even if Santa Clara doesn’t shoot threes overly well.  

Saint Louis is loaded with talent and are one of the best teams in the Atlantic 10 this season. The Billikens also have an elite defense but they use that defense, which forces turnovers, into easy transition baskets.  Saint Louis can shoot and no lead is safe when playing against the Billikens.  Robbie Avila is one of the players to watch for the Atlantic 10 player of the year.  This one is going to be a lot of fun.

No. 4 Duke Blue Devils vs No. 22 Arkansas Razorbacks - Thanksgiving Classic in Chicago

The Duke Blue Devils are ranked in the top 5, but they haven’t beaten the caliber of teams that the other top 5 teams have.  The Blue Devils have not been tested much, but starting with the game against the Razorbacks, the schedule picks up in a big way.  Cameron Boozer is playing like one of the best players in the country, and when he goes, the Blue Devils go.  Arkansas will have the best frontcourt Boozer has faced in his short college career, but if he plays well, Duke should win.

Arkansas struggled over the last two weeks, almost losing to Winthrop before blowing out its next two opponents.  The Razorbacks have a fantastic frontcourt and decent guards.  The guards are two young freshmen led by Darius Acuff, who will also be a lottery pick.  The edge in this game has to go to Duke because the guard play is better overall.

Here are the picks for the rest of the games on a great Thanksgiving schedule: