The Players Era Dominates Day 1 of Feast Week

Congratulations to Clemson, Utah State, and Butler. Those teams won their respective multi-team events and all ended up getting big wins on their resumes at a Neutral site, which always helps come Selection Sunday.  Then there was Pitt, which played in the Legends Classic but lost to Quinnipiac yesterday.  That is a terrible loss, and one that Pitt doesn’t appear to be able to make up.  The Panthers might struggle this year.

The following item on the agenda is a welcome to Feast Week, and today marks the start of the Players Era Tournament.  The Players Era is a loaded field, and NIL money is on the table.  The winner will get 2 million additional dollars on top of the 1 million they will receive for participating.

In addition to the Players Era, the Maui Invitational, the Sunshine Slam, and the ESPN Events Invitational also begin.  The Players Era dominates the big games on Monday.

Creighton Bluejays vs Baylor Bears- Players Era in Vegas guard showdown

Creighton heads into the Players' Era tournament without one of their best players.  Jackson McAndrew was recently lost for the season. While Creighton is going to try to make up for that loss with freshman phenom Hudson Greer and other various players from the bench, there is truly no way for head coach Greg McDermott to overcome the loss of their sharpshooting forward. 

Baylor has two of the most athletic players in the country in Cameron Carr and Tounde Yessoufou.  Those two players can do everything for the Bears and are the ones who are going to carry the Bears to victory.  Baylor is a better team, has more athletes, and is the better defensive team.  The Bears should win this game solely because of personnel.  However, Creighton is always a team that can get hot and beat anyone.

No. 14 St. John’s Red Storm vs No. 16 Iowa State Cyclones - Players Era pits two top 20 teams against each other

The Red Storm lost to Alabama in their first real test of the year.  They have looked dominant against lesser competition, but it picks up in a big way during Feast Week.  Dylan Darling, the point guard for St. John’s, is the X factor for the Red Storm. He can facilitate and get the ball to the shooters and inside to the star Zuby Ejiofor.  Never count out Rick Pitino in big games against big-time opponents.

The Cyclones have a great backcourt led by another elite point guard in Tamin Lipsey.  Iowa State has an elite defense that forces a ton of turnovers and gets them out in transition, where they get easy baskets at the rim.  St. John’s better be careful on the defensive end, because if the Cyclones get their shooters loose, this one might be over quickly.  However, it seems low scoring and takes the unders.

No. 13 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide - Two Title contenders face off in the Players Era

If you are a fan of beautiful offense and teams getting up and down, then this is the game for you.  Gonzaga plays extremely fast but makes sure they get a paint touch on every possession.  Big man Graham Ike is an elite center who can pass and score with the best of them. Ike receives the ball and will always look to kick out and score in transition.  He can step out and hit a three and is a capable free-throw shooter.  This is a vintage version of Gonzaga.

Alabama, we have talked about a lot at Busting Brackets.  They are an elite offensive team who have learned to play some defense this year.  They will always spread the ball around the perimeter rather than going inside first.  Alabama also loves to get out in transition.  This game could end up well into the 100s, especially if both offenses are moving.

Here are the rest of the picks for a loaded Feast Week Monday: