Thanksgiving Week Puts Top 25 College Basketball Teams to the Test, With Players Era Leading the Way
Tournaments in Las Vegas, Hawaii, Florida and the Bahamas, plus a marquee game in Chicago, give ranked teams a measuring-stick stretch ahead of conference play.
By Ken Adams · · Originally reported by Chicago Tribune
College basketball's Thanksgiving-week tradition is in full swing, and this year's slate offers AP Top 25 teams a chance to find out where they stand. The Players Era in Las Vegas is the headline event, but tournaments in Hawaii, Florida and the Bahamas, along with a high-profile game in Chicago, are also drawing ranked programs.
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes had little time to savor a lopsided result on Monday. His 17th-ranked Volunteers beat Rutgers 85-60 in Las Vegas, and they now face No. 3 Houston on Tuesday. "We've got a month or so before we get into conference play," Barnes said after the win, adding that the week gives teams a chance to learn which direction they need to move.
The Players Era has quickly become a centerpiece of the sport. Eight ranked teams are in its 18-team field. The event launched last year and rose to prominence by guaranteeing at least $1 million in name, image and likeness money to what was then eight participating teams.
Tuesday's Players Era schedule includes two games between ranked opponents: Houston against Tennessee, and seventh-ranked Michigan against No. 21 Auburn. No. 8 Alabama plays UNLV, No. 12 Gonzaga meets Maryland, No. 14 St. John's faces Baylor and No. 15 Iowa State takes on Creighton. The championship and third-place games are set for Wednesday, with consolation games on Wednesday and Thursday.
At the Maui Invitational, N.C. State is the only ranked team in the eight-team field. The Wolfpack rose two spots to No. 23 in Monday's poll after a fast start under new coach Will Wade, but they lost to Seton Hall in the opening game in Lahaina. That sent them to the consolation bracket, where they play Boise State on Tuesday and an opponent yet to be determined on Wednesday.
The Fort Myers Tip-Off's Beach Division features No. 11 Michigan State and No. 16 North Carolina. The Spartans open against East Carolina on Tuesday and the Tar Heels face St. Bonaventure, before the two meet Thursday in the round-robin format. Michigan State has already beaten Kentucky and Arkansas this season, while North Carolina has a win over Kansas.
The Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas picked up a late ranked entrant when Vanderbilt moved into Monday's poll at No. 24. The Commodores open the three-day event against Western Kentucky on Wednesday. The field also includes Saint Mary's, one of the top vote-getters among unranked teams, and VCU, the preseason Atlantic 10 favorite.
In Chicago, fourth-ranked Duke meets No. 22 Arkansas in the CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic on Thanksgiving Day. The game continues a demanding nonconference schedule for the Blue Devils, who opened the season with a win over Texas and beat then-ranked Kansas last week. Next week they host 10th-ranked Florida, the reigning NCAA champion, in the ACC/SEC Challenge. They then visit Michigan State on Dec. 6 and play No. 20 Texas Tech in New York on Dec. 20 before ACC play begins.
On Friday, No. 5 UConn and No. 13 Illinois meet at Madison Square Garden in New York. Both lost last week: the Huskies at home to Arizona, now ranked No. 2, and the Illini to Alabama.
