Kansas is once again the top team in the country, but there was a lot of action among them in the college basketball world this past week. And with the holiday tournaments already underway, you can expect plenty more in the coming days.
Here’s everything you missed from Week 3 of the college basketball season, and the latest Associated Press men’s basketball poll.
Baylor misses another opportunity after sneaking past Rick Pitino
Baylor broke up this week, but just barely. It might be time to worry about the bears.
Baylor, after finding itself on the wrong end of a 38-point loss to Gonzaga to start the season, fell 77-62 to Tennessee in the Baha Mar Hoops championship game on Friday. The Vols opened the game trailing 23-4 before cruising to the dominant win. Chaz Lanier also had 25 points on seven 3-pointers in the first half for Tennessee.
Baylor only made that play thanks to a buzzer-beater from Jeremy Roach the night before. Roach stunned Rick Pitino and St. John’s with a wild shot in double overtime during the event to get the win.
Pitino criticized the referees after that game, calling the team “highly unethical” after a late review.
‘I don’t know what to say. The referees didn’t do a very good job tonight,” he said, via CBS’s Kyle Boone.
Anyway, St. John’s dropped completely out of the rankings this week. Baylor dropped four spots to No. 17.
There’s still time for Baylor to right the ship, and it will have plenty of opportunities to do so once Big 12 play gets underway. There is no doubt that Scott Drew has a talented roster. But so far something has gone wrong. If the Bears can’t get back on track before conference play starts, and if they can’t at least hold off No. 2 UConn next week, it could be a long season for Baylor.
A tough week for the Big Ten
Wisconsin may be the only bright spot in the Big Ten right now.
The Badgers, after their impressive win over Arizona earlier this month, came back from a 14-point deficit to beat Pittsburgh and win the Greenbrier Tip-Off on Sunday night. That moved them to a perfect 7-0 on the season, moving up four spots to No. 15 in this week’s poll.
Aside from Indiana, which defeated UNC Greensboro to remain undefeated, it was a tough week for the conference. Marquette soared past Purdue on Tuesday behind a triple-double from Kam Jones. It was only the third triple-double in program history, and the first since Dwyane Wade in 2003. That moved the Golden Eagles to No. 10 and dropped Purdue to No. 13 this week.
At the bottom of the rankings, both Illinois and Rutgers also fell this past week. Rutgers slipped to Kennesaw State on Sunday night after star freshman Ace Bailey committed a bad turnover in the final seconds that could have tied the game. Instead, the Owls picked up their first-ever home win against a ranked program. Rutgers, which fell completely out of the rankings, was defeated by 19.
While the Illini rebounded with a 47-game win over Maryland Eastern Shore, they couldn’t hang with Alabama on Wednesday night. Grant Nelson dropped 23 points for the Crimson Tide, who led almost the entire way and took the 100-87 win. As a result, they have also disappeared from the rankings.
What to see during the Holiday Week
It’s officially “Party Week,” one of the best basketball parts of the entire season.
A series of tournaments will take place across the United States this week around the Thanksgiving holiday, and at least a few of them promise to offer some incredible matchups later in the week.
Let’s start with the Maui Invitational, which is back at the Lahaina Civic Center after deadly wildfires spread across the island in 2023. That tournament begins Monday night with a top-five battle between No. 4 Auburn and No. 5 Iowa State. , where the winner will face No. 12 North Carolina or Dayton. Two-time reigning national champion UConn leads the other side of the standings with Memphis, Colorado and Michigan State. The championship game on Wednesday night should be great no matter who shows up.
The Battle 4 Atlantis takes place again in the Bahamas and both No. 24 Arizona and No. 3 Gonzaga lead the field. Gonzaga will have to get past West Virginia and then Louisville or No. 14 Indiana to reach the title game, while Arizona is on the other side of the race with Oklahoma, Providence and Davidson. The Wildcats fell seven spots in the poll this week after their 69-55 loss to Cooper Flagg and Duke on Friday.
The third major tournament this week takes place in Las Vegas during the Players Era Festival. This event starts with group play on Tuesday and Wednesday before setting up a championship match and consolation matches on Saturday. Although not a traditional series, No. 6 Houston and No. 9 Alabama will play each other straight away on Tuesday. Depending on how that plays out, with Creighton and Texas A&M leading the other group, Saturday’s championship could be a great one.
Games to watch this week
*neutral site game
Monday November 25
No. 4 Auburn vs. No. 5 Iowa State | 9:00 PM ET | ESPNU*
Tuesday, November 26
No. 6 Houston vs. No. 9 Alabama | 8:00 PM ET*
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 11 Duke | 9:00 PM ET | ESPN*
Maui Invitational Semifinals | 6:00 PM, 11:00 PM ET | ESPN*
Wednesday November 27
Maui Invitational Championship Game | 5:00 PM ET | ESPN*
Thursday, November 28
Battle 4 Atlantis Semi-Finals | 12:00 PM, 5:00 PM ET | ESPN*
Friday November 29
Battle 4 Atlantis Championship Game | 5:30 PM ET | ESPN*
Saturday November 30
Players Era Festival Championship Game | 9:30 PM ET | TNT*
AP Top 25
The complete Associated Press men’s basketball poll as of Nov. 25, 2024.
1. Kansas (5-0)
2. UConn (4-0)
3. Gonzaga (5-0)
4. Chestnut Brown (4-0)
5. Iowa State (3-0)
6. Houston (3-1)
7. Tennessee (6-0)
8. Kentucky (5-0)
9. Alabama (4-1)
10. Marquette (6-0)
11. Duke (4-1)
12. North Carolina (3-1)
13.Purdue (5-1)
14. Indiana (4-0)
15. Wisconsin (7-0)
16. Cincinnati (5-0)
17. Baylor (4-2)
18. Florida (6-0)
19. Arkansas (4-1)
20. Texas A&M (4-1)
21. Creighton (4-1)
22. Xavier (5-0)
23. Ole Miss (5-0)
24. Arizona (2-2)
25. Mississippi State (5-0)
Others receiving votes: BYU 70, Pittsburgh 62, Texas 57, Ohio St. 55, Saint Mary’s 52, Illinois 50, Memphis 38, Texas Tech 31, Drake 29, Nebraska 21, Michigan St. 14, Georgia 11, St. John’s 10, Oregon 10, Penn St. 9, Utah St. 6, Vanderbilt 6, Nevada 5, UCLA 5, Arizona St. 5, Maryland 4, Providence 3, Furman 2, Florida St. 1, Columbia 1.
