RADIO
Feast Week is HERE. The best week of college hoops outside of March Madness. Over the next seven days, we'll get all of the college basketball action you can ask for, as countless top teams square off in a smattering of tournaments across the country.
The Maui Invitational is loaded once again, with #2 UConn, #4 Auburn, #5 Iowa State, and #12 North Carolina in the field. If that wasn't enough, throw Memphis and Michigan State, who are both top-50 teams in KenPom and will bring in their fair share of fans to the Lahaina Civic Center.
Other featured preseason tournaments occurring this week:
- Players Era Thanksgiving Festival: #6 Houston, #9 Alabama, #20 Texas A&M,#21 Creighton, Rutgers, Notre Dame, San Diego State, Oregon
- Battle 4 Atlantis: #3 Gonzaga, #14 Indiana, #24 Arizona, Louisville, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Providence, Davidson
- ESPN Events Invitational:#18 Florida, Wake Forest, Minnesota, Wichita State
- Rady Children's Invitational: #13 Purdue, #23 Ole Miss, BYU, NC State
- Fort Myers Tip-Off: #22 Xavier, Michigan, Virginia Tech, South Carolina
Before that begins, we must first identify some Overrated and Underrated College Basketball Teams after the release of the weekly Associated Press Poll. All rankings listed are based on the Week 4 AP Poll released yesterday.
Overrated College Basketball Teams For Week 3
Tennessee Volunteers: #11 to #7
Unlike Wisconsin below, Tennessee more than deserves the bump they got this week. After struggling in the first half to a Virginia team that is lost without their hall-of-fame coach, the Vols were able to pull away in the second half and blow out the Cavaliers by 22 points on the back of Chaz Lanier's six three-pointers.
They took on Baylor in the second game of the Bahamas Championship and dominated from tip to buzzer. Tennessee won by 15, leading by as many as 28 in the contest. Chaz Lanier poured in another 20+ points, adding seven more threes. The transfer from North Florida is playing like a first-team All-SEC guard in the early going and has been a phenomenal replacement for 2024 SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht.
The main reason why I have the Tennessee here is offensive sustainability. While Lanier has proven that his production from the ASUN can translate, he is no Knecht, and at this point, I, don't trust the other pieces on this team to carry over the course of the season. The Vols are #9 in adjusted offensive efficiency thus far, their second-highest rank since 2005. There's a lot to like about this team, but a 10-15 ranking is more appropriate.
CHAZ LANIER, ARE YOU SERIOUS?
The Tennessee guard already has 22 points with SIX 3-pointers in the first half. pic.twitter.com/nKJDvYlv9x
— Heat Check CBB (@HeatCheckCBB) November 23, 2024
Wisconsin Badgers: #19 to #15
I felt obligated to include the Badgers here for the second week in a row almost solely based on their absurd four-spot bump in the rankings after a relative down week. Did Wisconsin go 3-0 in Week 3? They did, but they also only beat UT Rio Grande by 3 points (-20.5), took care of UCF, and had to come back to beat Pitt, a game in which they were trailing by 14 in the first half.
Jon Tonje had another big game and continues to look like an All-Big Ten first-team guard, but this team is not deserving of a jump that significant. I am on board with including them in the top 25 based on their early body of work, but top 15 is pushing it. I'll be watching this team closely as conference play begins, but before that, they travel to #10 Marquette in an intra-state clash on December 7th.
Wisconsin, are you okay???? UT Rio Grande??? Really??? pic.twitter.com/XXS6aVhxit
— brittany 🌹 (@itsbrittanyrose) November 19, 2024
Underrated College Basketball Teams For Week 3
BYU Cougars: Unranked (First in 'Others Receiving Votes')
The Kevin Young era in Provo is off to a great start, as the 43-year-old former Phoenix Suns associate head coach has the Cougars at 5-0 heading into their first real test this week. The highest-ranked team BYU has played is #162 UC Riverside, but they've won their first five games by an average of 31.2 points thus far.
If you haven't heard of Egor Demin, now is the time to get hip. The stellar freshman from Moscow, Russia has it all. Elite size and shooting ability - 6'8", while hitting 56.5% of his threes on the season. Dynamic playmaking - averaging a ridiculous Big-12 leading 7.2 assists per game. He's active on the defensive end and uses his length and build to guard 1-4. Demin is currently #9 nationwide in effective field goal percentage, the only freshman in the top 50.
Aside from Demin, the Cougars are a deep squad, with nine players averaging at least 15 minutes per game. They are one of the top teams in terms of converting at the rim, with three forwards - Richie Saunders, Fousseyni Traore, and Kanon Catchings - combining to average almost 40 points per game. The backcourt minus Demin leaves something to be desired, but they do take care of the ball with only 1.8 turnovers between the other two guards - Dallin Hall and Trevin Knell. This team has talent and great developmental coaching. We'll see if that can come together against #23 Ole Miss on Thanksgiving day.
Egor Demin in just his 2nd college game vs UC Riverside..
20 PTS (8-11 FG, 2-5 3PT)
7 AST
5 REBSHow we feeling? NGL I get goosebumps watching bro hoop ⏸️… pic.twitter.com/OheoiVcfa5
— Frankie Vision (@Frankie_Vision) November 9, 2024
