Feast Week didn't disappoint

By Alan Rubenstein Sports Central Columnist

ESPN has dubbed Thanksgiving as "Feast Week" and last week's slate of games did not disappoint. From New York to Maui, Anchorage to Indianapolis, the nation's marquee teams provided college basketball fans with some classic moments, thrilling upsets, and some unlikely performers.

Maui Invitational

Indiana is out to prove that last season's run was no fluke. Expected to be led by an experienced group directed by point guard Tom Coverdale, the Hoosiers won the Maui championship for the first time behind freshmen Bracey Wright and Marshall Strickland. Wright brought home the MVP trophy and Strickland had 15 points in the championship victory over Virginia. Wright, just the second freshman to win the MVP, was as surprised was anyone to win the award.

"Coming in I was just hoping to contribute," he said. "I never thought I'd be walking away with the MVP trophy."

The Hoosiers showed they will be a team to watch, both in the Big 10 and on a national stage this season. They are a very dangerous three point team (42.9% three-point percentage this season) and have capable inside play from Jeffrey Newton and George Leach.

Kentucky, Virginia, Gonzaga, and Arizona State all showed the potential of being teams that will make noise this season.

The Wildcats bounced back from a tough semifinal loss to Virginia to claim third place over the 'Zags. They received great balance and played excellent defense against a team known for putting points on the board quickly.

Virginia was unable to contain Indiana from long distance range After Kentucky shot just 2-for-22 in the semifinal loss. Travis Watson and Elton Brown gave the Cavaliers outstanding post play. After losing Roger Mason, Jr., the key to the Cavaliers' season will be their guard play.

Despite leaving with two losses, Gonzaga proved they are not going to stumble after losing Dan Dickau and Casey Cavalry. Blake Stepp had 25 points, including five three-pointers against Kentucky, Ronnie Turiaf averaged 20 points per game in Maui, the Bulldogs continued their three-point shooting prowess by going 12-27 against the Big Blue.

Preseason NIT

When most college basketball fans and pundits looked at the brackets, they looked forward to a Florida/Kansas matchup. The matchup materialized as expected, but it was in the consolation game that was not televised.

Stanford shocked Florida in the semifinal and North Carolina followed suit with a dominant performance over Kansas. Kansas left New York with two losses in large part due to their inability to shoot the three-pointer. North Carolina and Stanford may have found a way to exploit Kansas.

"Against the zone this week, we looked lost," mentioned KU All-American Kirk Heinrich.

Kansas failed to match their opponents' intensity, were out muscled, and lacked North Carolina's or Florida's quickness.

"We've got to do a better job moving and screening," a concerned Kansas head coach Roy Williams said.

North Carolina served notice that last year was a one year sabbatical from the national scene. Led by freshman Rashad McCants, Raymond Felton, and Sean May, the Tar Heels dominated Kansas and then posted a relatively easy victory over Stanford to capture the title.

Florida left New York with a split. After getting upset by Stanford in the semifinal, the Gators posted an impressive win over No. 2 Kansas. Freshman Matt Walsh continued to light it up for Florida. With defections and injuries thinning out Florida's roster, Walsh has earned playing time he might not have otherwise had. Florida is widely considered to have tope-five talent and how well Billy Donovan meshes his diverse team will go a long way towards their success.

Stanford also showed strong in New York and despite major losses from last season's team, the Cardinal should be a factor in the Pac-10. Julius Barnes and Josh Childress are players Mike Montgomery knew he would be able to count on. Finding players to support Barnes and Childress are going to be key to Stanford's success. Junior guard Matt Lottich supplied some clutch outside shooting and Justin Davis provided rebounding and physical presence.

Great Alaska Shootout

The biggest surprise this past weekend occurred in Anchorage, where the College of Charleston shocked Wyoming, Oklahoma State, and Villanova to capture the title. Led by tournament MVP Troy Wheless, the Cougars played a suffocating fullcourt pressure defense. Tom Herrion is in his first season succeeding legendary coach John Kresse and has Charleston position to be one of the best mid-majors this season.

A young Villanova team showed strong in Alaska, but they were unable to get off a quality shot in the final again the College of Charleston. The Wildcats allowed Charleston to take them out of their game offensively by constantly providing pressure with their quickness and physical play.

Michigan State and Oklahoma State left Alaska disappointed after losses in the semifinals. The Cowboys were able to save face with a victory over the Spartans for third place. Both teams are going to have aspects of the games to work on. MSU is still trying to find an identity after suffering early losses to the NBA draft the last two seasons.

Chris Hill is still trying to settle in at the point guard position, and the Spartans committed 19 turnovers against Oklahoma State. In addition to not taking care of the ball, the Spartans have not been able to protect the lane or stop dribble penetration this season, a common problem with many young teams in college basketball.

Wooden Tradition

When the Wooden Tradition in Indianapolis concluded, Duke stood out as a team that might be headed to New Orleans in April, while Louisville, Purdue and UCLA have plenty of improving to do.

"We knew coming back here (Indianapolis) that we would be a work in progress," mentioned UCLA head coach Steve Lavin after his team's 84-71 loss to Duke.

The Blue Devils were able to exploit UCLA's weaknesses by continually penetrating into the paint and then finding the open man. Freshman J.J. Redick and sophomore Daniel Ewing were able to exploit the Bruins from the perimeter by combining to shoot 8-of-13 from three-point range.

Mike Krzyzewski was impressed, but not surprised by Redick's performance. "J.J., of all the freshman, is the most stable and mature," said Krzyzewski.

Ewing and Redick's marksmanship opened up the lane and allowed Duke to get some easy baskets inside. Nick Horvath had 16 points and, "played his best game at Duke," according to Krzyzewski.

Chris Duhon is the latest to heir to the Duke point guard legacy. "I have to show my maturity and experience on the court," mentioned Duhon when asked about playing with such young teammates.

UCLA's lack of quickness and is going to be a glaring weakness for them all season, particularly against Pac-10 foes Arizona and Oregon. Duke, on the other hand, is extremely deep on the perimeter and is going to be back in their familiar role of national title contender.

Krzyzewski warned, "we will be finding out about our team for a while," when asked what the victory over UCLA means to his team's identity.

Louisville and Purdue battled to a war of attrition and are teams that are trying to restore respectability to once-dominant programs. Rick Pitino is still trying to put his own spin on his team. They are only, "playing with three and half frontcourt players," according to Pitino, but should improve when they get Kentucky transfer Marvin Stone in the second semester.

Purdue has a ton of depth, and plays with greater defensive intensity than a year ago. Demetrius Kilgore has the potential to be one of the Big 10's most dynamic players and Gene Keady seems to be re-energized by this year's team.

"We found a way to win," mentioned Keady when asked about the difference between their victory over Louisville and losing many close games a year ago.

Thanksgiving has long been considered football heaven, but college basketball is close to breaking football's stranglehold on the week. The past week may provide a look into who might be the teams to watch in March.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.